Bible Verses about Death and Dying | Comforting Scripture Passages For Those Facing Death or Grieving

Why do a post on Bible verses about death?

Well, recently I have been doing some research into what people are searching for on the internet and one thing I found was that many people are searching for bible verses about death and dying and not many people were addressing that need. Now I can understand why. I am just like most people that don’t want to think about this subject, however I see it as my job to meet the needs of people. And the need for comfort is at it’s greatest when people are faced with the loss of a loved one. So since Taber’s Truths is meant to be a place where people find strength and encouragement in their walk with Jesus, I decided to put together this list. To those of you that are here because you searched for bible verses about death and dying, I hope you find the encouragement and comfort you are looking for. If you need further assistance or have questions to be answered, Please look at my profile and email me.

Please listen to Pastor Greg Laurie Explain how God gives comfort during times of loss.

The most widely recognized of the Bible verses about death used at most funerals.

Psalm 23

“1 The LORD is my shepherd;
         I shall not want.
 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside the still waters.
 3 He restores my soul;
         He leads me in the paths of righteousness 
         For His name’s sake.          
 4 Yea, 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.          
 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You anoint my head with oil; 
         My cup runs over.
 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
         All the days of my life; 
         And I will dwell[a] in the house of the LORD 
         Forever.”

Psalm 23 has been the most popular set of Bible verses about death for centuries. It is a Psalm that bring comfort to those that are going through grief. It is a Psalm that reminds us that no matter what we are going through, God is with us.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“1 To everything there is a season,
      A time for every purpose under heaven: 
       2 A time to be born, 
And a time to die; 
      A time to plant, 
And a time to pluck what is planted; 
       3 A time to kill, 
And a time to heal; 
      A time to break down, 
And a time to build up; 
       4 A time to weep, 
And a time to laugh; 
      A time to mourn, 
And a time to dance; 
       5 A time to cast away stones, 
And a time to gather stones; 
      A time to embrace, 
And a time to refrain from embracing; 
       6 A time to gain, 
And a time to lose; 
      A time to keep, 
And a time to throw away; 
       7 A time to tear, 
And a time to sew; 
      A time to keep silence, 
And a time to speak; 
       8 A time to love, 
And a time to hate; 
      A time of war, 
And a time of peace.”

This is one of the most famous Bible verses about death. It reminds us that there is a season for everything and death is one of the seasons of life. It is not a fun season, that is for sure, but it is a normal season. It is not because of some vendetta against you or the one who passed, but it is just part of life.

The Bible verses about death that give us a hope for an afterlife.

1 Corinthians 15:51-55
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortalmust put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
       55 “ O Death, where is your sting?
      O Hades, where is your victory?”

This is the hope and confidence of every believer in Jesus, that when Jesus returns, that we will be raised up to bodies that do not decay. That the spiritual man that is with Jesus in heaven, will be once again reunited with a body that does not decay, and that we all will once again be reunited with those we love.

Revelation 21:3-5
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

This Bible verse about death is the comfort of us all because God shall wipe away every tear from our eyes that have been shed due to pain and sorrow. There shall be no more of those things. He is going to make all things new. There actually is an end to the season of pain, not only in heaven, but even here on earth because your heavenly father sees your tears and has promised to send the Holy Spirit to be your comfort.

The words of Jesus in these comforting Bible verses about death.

John 14:1-6
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The most important Bible verse about death

This is probably the most important Bible verses about death and dying. It shows the care and compassion Jesus has on those that are grieving. He comforted the disciples who had just learned of His impending death.  He also told them that He was not forgetting about them, but instead was preparing a place for them when they died. He is not just preparing a place for them, but for us also, and if your loved one knew Jesus, also prepared a place for them. 

Finally and most importantly, Jesus makes a very bold statement. He says, That He is the way to heaven, He is the real truth, and He is the real life. That we cannot come to where God lives, cannot come to heaven, unless we go through Him.

It is not good enough just to believe in the existence of God, you must believe in Jesus, and what Jesus taught. He taught that you had to be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is a spiritual rebirth. It is how Christians know they have eternal life and how they have hope about an afterlife. I would encourage you to do things the way Jesus taught they should be done. Go to my Meet Jesus page and learn how you too can be born again and have eternal life and meet your friends and loved ones once again. Death is not an end, just a pause in your relationship with them.

God Bless You
Pastor Duke

You can read more Bible verses about death and dying here.

References: The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.