Will I see my loved ones again someday?

During times of grief, you’ve probably wondered—and you’ve almost certainly been asked, as I have, by family and friends who feel uncertain or worried: 

“Will I see my loved ones again someday?”

Even though Christians talk all the time about heaven, secretly we wonder, When I close my eyes for the last time, is there really life beyond the grave, or will I slip into an eternity of nothingness?

Friend, if you or a loved one is unsure about what awaits us after death, I want to offer some comfort. While we can’t prove there is life after death, three pieces of evidence point to something beyond this life on earth.

1. The transcendence of the mind. You’ve probably heard about people who died or nearly died, saw a glimpse of heaven, and wrote a best-selling book about it. Though I’m skeptical of many of these experiences, it is possible that our consciousness can extend beyond the cessation of heart and brain activity.

In the same way, all our physical actions are initiated by something that exists beyond the physical. We can’t see or measure the human will, but it’s real. Why should we think our will or consciousness ends with physical death?

2. The dissonance between body and spirit. Have you ever blushed at a dirty joke? One reason crude humor makes us squirm may be that we are spiritual people who are uncomfortable with our physical bodies.

Or consider the ways we try to deny the reality of death, even though it’s a natural physical process. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon explained the reason we’re uncomfortable with death: “[God] has also set eternity in their heart.” We are more than just physical beings; we are spiritual beings.

3. The empty tomb of Jesus Christ. Jesus’s followers were willing to die for their belief in the resurrection of Jesus. His enemies could have stopped Christianity at its inception simply by producing the corpse of Jesus to disprove the resurrection. But in two thousand years, Jesus’s dead body has not been discovered—because He is alive!

The evidence suggests there is life beyond the grave. So what does that mean for you and me?

One of the misconceptions people have about life after death is that there’s not much they can do about it right now. Whatever happens to their bodies and spirits is just going to happen, they think.

Nothing could be further from the truth! What you believe about the hereafter affects how you live in the here and now.

If you believe what the Bible says about life after death . . . 

You will make life’s most important decision: to trust in Jesus Christ to save you from your sins and usher you safely into the next life (Romans 6:23).

You will spend your time and resources serving God, knowing He will reward you in eternity for your faithfulness (2 Corinthians 5:10).

You can have confidence that you’ll be reunited with loved ones who have trusted in Christ as Savior (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14).

I hope these truths offer you comfort today. Also, I encourage you to share the hope of Christ with your friends and loved ones who are grieving a loss, are worried about the future, or have questions about heaven so they, too, can have confidence about their eternal future. 

Sharing the Truth of God’s Word,

Dr. Robert Jeffress