There is an abundance of Bible verses about death. By knowing God’s unadulterated view of death and the end of life, we can better sort out any questions we have about tough issues like the pain and suffering. Likewise, by knowing what the Bible says on how to respond to these issues, we can better serve and encourage others.
Bible Verses About Death
The following are several Bible verses about death (and how said verses apply to us):
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a: “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die…”
- All of life has a beginning and end. We can rest in the fact that God has created both.
Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
- The Lord cares about His people. Each life is precious and valuable to Him, including the preborn, elderly, and everything in-between.
Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
- There are a number of days for each of us. The Bible calls us wise if we recognize we can not add days to our lives but live intentionally with what we have.
Job 1:20-21: “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'”
- The phrase, “You can’t take it with you.” reflects this verse. Our soul is eternal, but possessions are not.
Psalm 90:10: “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
- With authorship credited to Moses, this Psalm displays the reality of our human fragility. While life is often marked by hardship and suffering, we only stay on this earth for so long. Suffering doesn’t last forever, nor does human life on this earth.
Romans 14:8: “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
- This verse reminds us that in life and death, we belong to the Lord. He is our creator, and we are held by him.
Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
- This Bible verse about death was written by the Apostle Paul, who wrote the letter to the Philippians while he was imprisoned in Rome. Despite his unfavorable circumstances, Paul tells the church in Philippi that his entire life is centered on serving the Lord. Death isn’t a loss for him because he gains eternity with Jesus
2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Comforting Verses in the Bible About Death
The fear of death is a real and apparent stressor for many. The suffering, greif, and hardship that can accompany death aren’t fun topics to talk about, let alone face. Thankfully, there are many comforting verses in the bible about death, encouraging us that we don’t have to be afraid. As believers, we can rest in the fact that while our time on earth is fleeting, Jesus made a way for us to spend eternity with him in heaven through his sacrifice on the cross. While we wait for that glorious day, here are some comforting verses in case your thoughts about death start to get loud.
Deuteronomy 31:6:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Psalm 23:4:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
John 11:25–26:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
- The great thing about not being God is we don’t have to do everything. We can rest in our humanness and inability to handle everything. It is ok to be weak and turn things over to God. He can handle it all.
Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
- We like to think of this as a power verse. Yet, the power is sometimes seen in our brokenness. We cry, grieve, lament and even get angry. In the midst of the raw emotions, God still can get us through.
Philippians 3:10: “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
- Suffering doesn’t sound pleasant. However, Jesus suffered for a reason. When suffering enters our lives, we can use the time to learn and become more like our savior. Sometimes, hard times are the best times for our growth.
What Does the Bible Say About Euthanasia?
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are both forms of intentionally ending a person’s life to relieve suffering. In Scripture, we read an account of assisted suicide (in which one person asks another to kill them, ostensibly in order to alleviate the first person’s suffering) involving King Saul and an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:1-16). In summary, the unnamed Amalekite tells King David that he killed Saul at Saul’s request. Additionally, he did so after Saul had already been wounded in battle. In response, David kills the Amalekite for touching God’s anointed. If euthanasia were a beneficial practice, David would have rewarded the Amalekite, not sentenced him to death.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Bible Verses About Death and Eternal Life
As previously mentioned, death can be scary. As believers, however, we can take solace in the fact that Jesus overcame death through his sacrifice on the cross. Yes, everyone will eventually die, but Christ made a way for us to spend eternity in heaven with him. This is a free gift available to whoever believes in him, his divinity, and his death and resurrection. Here are some verses that reiterate this reality.
Romans 8:32-37: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died–more than that, who was raised–who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us.”
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.
If you don’t know Jesus and His saving power, please read more: How to Become a Christian: Understand God’s Love and What It Means to Follow Jesus Christ
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