By Nicolas Akasula
During the pandemic, death spread like a thick blanket across the world. Millions perished. The fear, desperation, and even panic experienced daily were emotionally exhausting. She tried to offer assistance and comfort where she could, but the need was overwhelming. Doctors, nurses, chaplains, and other frontline workers gave of themselves selflessly. Fear seeped into the very fabric of society. Now, we grieve this era. We mourn those we have lost.
Do not mourn as those without hope
It is not a mere cliché to say we are Easter people. Death is our enemy, but we know that death is defeated. The Apostle Ruth Kwagala, a minister at Power of God Church in Kawempe, reflects: “Death is natural because we all must die due to the Adamic fall and sin. So I see it plainly that way, nothing more.”
The Gospels do not merely testify to a memory or vision of Jesus after His crucifixion; they speak of an empty tomb. Jesus truly died. His body lay in the tomb on Friday and Saturday. But on Sunday morning, the defeat of death was revealed:
“On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen'” (Luke 24:1-5).
Tomb was empty
Christ overcame death. As we read in Hebrews: “Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). Christ became like us in every way, except in sin, to break the power of sin over us. By breaking the power of sin, He destroyed the power of death.
Home of God among mortals
“He will dwell with them as their God; they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them; He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
Pastor Myers Mujuni, a minister at Power of God Church in Kulambiro, has personally faced death. “When I was involved in an accident last year, God told me, ‘It is Satan taking you, not me.’ Despite his schemes, I am above him,” he says.
He affirms, “When God is with you, it does not matter who is against you or what Satan has staged against you. You will pull through!”
Hope
God has placed within each of us a strong desire to keep living, and it is not wrong to take care of ourselves and prolong life. The Bible says: “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Scripture also tells us that death was not part of God’s original plan for creation; it came as a consequence of sin. In fact, the Bible describes death as our final enemy, one that will only be destroyed at the end of time (1 Corinthians 15:26). We must not take death lightly. It not only brings our earthly existence to an end but also marks our entry into eternity, either into the absolute hopelessness the Bible calls hell, or into the eternal joy of heaven with God.
Yet, the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ has conquered death! Through His death and resurrection, He overcame its power and opened heaven’s doors to all who repent and trust in Him for salvation. Because of Christ, we no longer need to fear death.
It is easy to become preoccupied with our health, especially as we age. But when we know Christ, we also know that one day we will be with Him forever, and that makes all the difference. If you are mourning, if you fear death, or if you fear losing others, take heart.
For those who die in Christ, death is not the end. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
