What a hope we have in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our hope is that we will see our loved ones again; not in a vague, far-off dream world of spiritual fantasy but as solid, joyous, speaking, laughing people with whom we shall be reunited in the grandest fellowship hour of all time.

We are not ignorant concerning our loved ones who have passed into Heaven for a brief season. We understand that our families and friends are alive and well in the Presence of God and Christ and the elect angels. If they have been believers on the earth they are among the saints of all ages.

It is we who are alive now who are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

The unsaved are filled with anguish when a loved one dies. To them it is an eternal loss of a relative or friend. But we Christians have the assurance that those whom we love are alive and are not far from us. They are among the great cloud of witnesses who surround us.

It is no tragedy when a soul goes to Heaven to be with God and the Lamb and we ought to bring as much hope, peace and joy as we can into our funeral services.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (I Thessalonians 4:14)

Our hope that we will see our loved ones again is based on the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Every person who has died while believing in Christ is with Jesus now. He or she is "sleeping" in Jesus. The spirit and the soul are in Heaven with the Lord. But the physical body is "sleeping" for a brief season, having succumbed to old age or sickness or some type of accident or violence.

Again, let us state there is no tragedy here. Regardless of the pain or the extent of destruction of the physical body, if the spirit and soul are dwelling in the Presence of God and the Lamb, the saints, and the elect angels, then no true harm, no evil whatever, has come to the one who has passed from our view. Not a hair of his or her head has perished.

There is no basis for prolonged anguish of heart and mind. The loved one is not dead, only asleep for a short period.

We shall see him or her again soon. The relative or friend will be recognizable, "human" as we have always known him or her, except that all that was undesirable and of concern to us will have vanished.

When Jesus comes He will not come alone. God will bring with Jesus those who have died in faith in Christ. Our saved loved ones will return with the Lord Jesus at His appearing. This is why we do not grieve for those who have gone on to be with the Lord.

To be continued.