The Eternal Love of God

The Scriptures do not give us a picture of a God who is indifferent and aloof. No, in the story of the Prodigal Son, we see a compassionate father running to embrace his child, overjoyed that the young man has returned home (Luke 15:11-32).
"...He is simply and altogether our friend, our father—our more than friend, father, and mother—our infinite, love-perfect God...He is delicate beyond all that human tenderness can conceive of husband or wife, homely beyond all that human heart can conceive of father or mother." --Scottish Minister George MacDonald (1824-1905)

The Christian death is our going home to God; our bond of love will never be broken for all eternity.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, NLT)

When the sun sets for us on earth, the sun will rise for us in heaven.

Only the Beginning

Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) had it right when he said, "Death—the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening."
"Think of how powerless death actually is! Rather than rid us of our health, it introduces us to 'riches eternal.' In exchange for poor health, death gives us a right to the Tree of Life that is for 'the healing of the nations' (Revelation 22:2).

Death might temporarily take our friends from us, but only to introduce us to that land in which there are no goodbyes." --Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer

"Depend upon it, your dying hour will be the best hour you have ever known! Your last moment will be your richest moment, better than the day of your birth will be the day of your death." --Charles H. Spurgeon.

In The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis gives this description of heaven: "But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world ... had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

"For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway from a world where dreams and adventures shrink, to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand." --Randy Alcorn, Heaven.

"At any point in all of eternity, we can say 'this is just the beginning.' " --Anonymous

Perhaps one of the most exciting promises for believers to look forward to in heaven is described in Revelation 21:3-4:

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." (NLT)

Elaine Morse, a contributor to About.com's Christianity site, is well-acquainted with loss. After the death of her father and several close relatives and friends, Elaine was prompted to help grieving Christians. Her uplifting poems, verses and printed materials are designed to give comfort and encouragement to hurting families. For more information, visit Elaine's Bio Page.