Death​—A Dreadful Reality!

“FROM the moment of birth there is the constant possibility that a human being may die at any moment,” wrote British historian Arnold Toynbee. He added: “And inevitably this possibility is going to become an accomplished fact.” What grief death brings upon us when it strikes a beloved family member or a close friend!

Death has been a dreadful reality for mankind for millenniums. A feeling of helplessness engulfs us when someone dear to us dies. This sadness strikes indiscriminately. It spares no one. “Sorrow makes us all children again​—destroys all differences of intellect. The wisest knows nothing.” So wrote a 19th-century essayist. We become like little children​—helpless, unable to alter the situation. Neither riches nor power can reverse the loss. The wise and intellectual are without answers. Strong ones weep, as do the weak.

King David of ancient Israel experienced such anguish when his son Absalom died. Upon hearing the news of his death, the king gave way to weeping and exclaimed: “My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! O that I might have died, I myself, instead of you, Absalom my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33) A mighty king who had subdued powerful enemies could do nothing but helplessly wish that he himself had surrendered to “the last enemy, death,” in place of his son.​—1 Corinthians 15:26.

Is there a remedy for death? If so, what hope is there for the dead? Will we ever see our loved ones again? The following article provides Scriptural answers to these questions.