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Is It Wrong to Mourn?Awake!—2001 | July 8
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“MOREOVER, BROTHERS, WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE IGNORANT CONCERNING THOSE WHO ARE SLEEPING IN DEATH; THAT YOU MAY NOT SORROW JUST AS THE REST ALSO DO WHO HAVE NO HOPE.”—1 THESSALONIANS 4:13.
THE Bible holds out a hope for those who have died. The resurrections performed by Jesus, as well as his teachings, point to a time when the dead will be brought back to life. (Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 5:35, 36, 41, 42; Luke 7:12-16) How should this hope affect us? The apostle Paul’s words quoted above indicate that this hope can prove comforting when a loved one dies.
If you have lost a loved one in death, you have no doubt felt the emotional pain that accompanies such a tragedy. Theresa, whose husband of 42 years died shortly after heart surgery, states: “It was such a shock! My first feeling was absolute fright. Then came the tremendous pain that grew worse as time went on. I cried a lot.” Do such reactions indicate a lack of faith in Jehovah’s promise to resurrect the dead? Do Paul’s words mean that it is wrong to mourn?
Examples of Mourning in the Bible
We find the answer to those questions by examining examples of mourning in the Bible. In many accounts the death of an immediate family member was accompanied by a period of mourning. (Genesis 27:41; 50:7-10; Psalm 35:14) The feelings associated with this mourning were often very intense.
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Is It Wrong to Mourn?Awake!—2001 | July 8
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Nevertheless, while we as Christians certainly do grieve because of death, we do not sorrow “as the rest also do who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) We do not indulge in unreasonable extremes of grieving because we are not confused as to the condition of the dead. We know that they are not in pain or distress but in a condition like a deep, peaceful sleep. (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Mark 5:39; John 11:11-14) We also have full confidence that Jesus, “the resurrection and the life,” will act on his promise to bring back “all those in the memorial tombs.”—John 5:28, 29; 11:24, 25.
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