“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
Revelation 1:18
Probably the first thing people think of when they think of Egypt are the pyramids. These massive stone structures have stood the test of time. They were built to be permanent. The ancient Egyptians built their tombs and temples out of stone to make them last. Other structures were made out of more temporary materials like mud brick.
The Egyptians put a lot of work into their burials. They wrote books on how to do it properly. They wanted assurance that they would enter the afterlife by following all the correct protocols. Their bodies were mummified and they were buried with their possessions. In studying them, one could get the impression that they were obsessed with death. Probably more accurately, however, is that they were obsessed with life. They loved life so much that after they died they wanted to keep on living.
Monday was the funeral for my grandmother, who passed away last week. Although it is sad to see her go, we can celebrate that she is with the Lord now. We don’t need to worry about following certain burial procedures and wonder if it worked. We have the assurance that our Messiah Jesus has already paved the way to paradise and will take care of us. The pyramids, as long as they’ve lasted, are still temporary. By placing our faith in Jesus, we are looking forward to something truly permanent. I guess you could say that God puts the “fun” in “funeral”!