Resurrection and Renewal

Ellen Katz: 1919-1928

I don't visit cemeteries very often for obvious reasons. They're depressing places and they remind us of our mortality. And, as you can see from the photo above, when headstones have pictures attached to them, they offer a personal dimension.

I've been looking at that headstone since I was a child. The young girl pictured on the stone is buried near a family plot and she's hard to ignore. She was obviously a very beautiful child and she died way too young.

And of course, it's only natural to wonder what happened to her. At that young age, she probably succumbed to a catastrophic disease such as cancer. Or, she may have been killed in an accident. But then again, only God knows what happened to her.

When many folks see the tombstones of young children such as the one above, they're inclined to ask why God allows these things to happen. The loss of a young child turns many parents bitter and resentful toward God. It causes some people to question whether God even exists. And certainly, that's an understandable reaction.

In fact, some folks believe that Charles Darwin took out his revenge against God by writing his atheistic thesis: On the Origin of Species after the death of his young daughter Annie. Darwin's book eliminated God by attempting to explain the existence of physical life from a purely naturalistic perspective.

Whether the death of his daughter motivated the lapsed theologian and amateur scientist to write his book is debatable. But what isn't debatable is the fact that Darwin changed the course of human history with that terrible book.

The rise in crime, violence and moral decadence throughout the western world since Darwin's book was first published in 1859 provides a testimony to what happens when people no longer believe in God and spurn His laws. And it was the apostle Paul who prophesied that the last days on earth preceding the return of Jesus Christ would see terrible times. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

And so, why indeed does God allow young children to die? Why does he allow pedophiles to rape and brutalize children; Islamic head-hackers to murder them under the banner of "honor killings", and why does he allow them to be born into destitute households where apathetic and irresponsible parents either ignore or persecute them? Why?

Those aren't easy questions to answer. But there's an answer. And that answer naturally upsets some people. What's the answer?

In commandment two of the Ten Commandments, the Lord said this: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:4-6)

Tragically, the sins of people can have deadly consequences. Sins can bring curses (Deuteronomy 28-29) and those curses can visit children generations after those sins were committed. There's no rational or scientific explanation why curses land on some children and not on others. I found out that the girl pictured above had a sister who lived to a good old age.

Before anyone accuses me of being a pompous, self-righteous jerk, (I've been accused of that) I'll admit that I'm a sinner just like everyone else who's ever lived on this planet. And my sins condemned me and brought me an eternal death sentence.

But I've been saved by God's grace. As the apostle John wrote: "And the blood of Jesus, his (God's) Son, purifies us from all  sin." (1 John 1:7) And Christ Himself said this: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Death will claim our sinful mortal bodies at some point, as it has since the dawn of history. It will claim mine, and it will claim yours.

However, there's good news. There's going to be a resurrection. And we're all going to raised up. If you don't believe that, then consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The resurrection of Christ is evidential and irrefutable. When a 19th century Harvard law professor and an atheist named Simon Greenleaf looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, he became a believer. And he said this: "Based upon the evidence for the Resurrection, there isn't a court of law in the world that could deny it."

And the great news is that young children like the one pictured above are going to be resurrected. God loves children and he's going to raise them up and give them immortal bodies that will never die again. In fact, he showed the ancient prophet Ezekiel an incredible vision of just what the resurrection is going to look like. (Ezekiel 37)

And so, don't fret. We'll see these young people again. And it will be a time of incredible joy.