The End is Not Sad
In the penultimate episode of the critically acclaimed television series “This is Us,” Rebecca Pearson, the mother of “The Big 3,” is nearing the end of her life after a treacherous battle with Alzheimer’s. As Rebecca is in a coma-like state, she dreams of being on a train where William, her son Randall’s biological father (Randall was adopted), guides her through several “goodbyes” with those whom she loves.
As she gets to the caboose—the end of her life—she looks at William and says, “This is quite sad, isn’t it?” As William explains, he ends with, “The end is not sad.”
Of course, “This is Us” was a show on television, so you can imagine that much of the details don’t fit nicely in the biblical narrative of how life ends and what actually happens. But as William said those words—“the end is not sad”—it immediately made me think of heaven, of being with the Lord forever. It made me ponder: this is absolutely true for believers.
Death is a scary thing, if we’re all honest. The late RC Sproul said, “I’m not afraid of death, but I am afraid of dying.” Ten out of 10 die, and it’s horrifying to think about that. We don’t know when we’re going to die, and we don’t know how. If we let it get to us, those two facts can be debilitating. But when we think of death in light of the gospel, all fear and anxiety melts away.
For the Christian—and only the Christian—the end is not sad. It’s just the beginning. The end for non-Christians is not only sad, but scary. My intention is not to be a fear-monger, but it is to help readers understand what the Bible says. Those who have not truly trusted Christ have every reason to fear death, for death will lead them straight to Hell. Thankfully, the door of salvation is open until that day.
But Christians—those redeemed by Christ—need not fear the end of this life. “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus says in John 11:25-26. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (ESV). Death, though frightening in itself, is merely the pathway to fully-realized eternal glory. We hold onto the promise of eternal life, that even when our physical body dies, we will go straight to the Lord Jesus. Death no longer stings (1 Cor. 15:55-57)! This doesn’t mean that we don’t mourn those who die. Mourning remains a reality because death is unnatural. And that’s perfectly okay, as the Bible calls for us to “mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15 NIV).
The late Timothy Keller wrote:
To say “Oh, death is just natural,” is to harden and perhaps kill a part of your heart’s hope that makes you human. We know deep down that we are not like trees or grass. We were created to last. We don’t want to be ephemeral, to be inconsequential. We don’t want to just be a wave upon the stand. The deepest desires of our hearts are for love that lasts.
Death shouldn’t be the norm, however. It was a consequence of the fall of man (Gen. 3). But since death has come, all of society fears it (even those who say they don’t). The end is sad for them. And, in a sense, it is sad for Christians, too. But not wholly sad, not entirely upsetting. We may grieve, but it’s a grief filled with hope.
This grief is filled with hope because of our eternal future. The Bible testifies that we will be resurrected (Rom. 8:22-24; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:51-52). And as Keller famously said, “If the resurrection is true—which it is—then everything is going to be okay.” Indeed, because Jesus rose again, we need not fear death anymore, because He defeated it.
Again, friend, death is horrible. Death is horrendous, terrible, and frightening. But when we reach the end—for whatever reason it is—we shouldn’t fear. Though we are sad someone is leaving, it’s only temporary. And we must not be anxious for our own death, for it is what transfers us directly into the loving, caring, sovereign arms of God. “Death is no longer death,” John Piper wrote, “for those who are in Christ.”
The end is not sad when you know what lies directly ahead. We can sing for joy at what’s next because we know to whom we belong: Jesus. The end perhaps will be sad because we are leaving loved ones. I understand that, and don’t seek to downplay it. But if we know we are in Christ—as cliche as this sounds—the end is only the beginning. The beginning of no more sin, no more pain, no more death; gone will be the days of mourning, of sickness, of suffering. We won’t have to worry about conflicts, persecution, and tragedies; there will be no need to worry about worry itself. Anxiety will be a thing of the past; disagreements will cease to exist. Backstabbing will have been suffocated and slander will be no more. Anything bad will be eradicated.
You see, the end might be sad by itself, but ultimately, it is glorious for those who trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the person who died is now in glory with Jesus, experiencing full eternal bliss. And that will be the reality for us, too, when we die in Christ.
There’s nothing sad about that.