How does God see death?
John tells us the story of Lazarus, and we should read it closely.
It is common in Christian circles to say that we should see the death of a Believer as a time for rejoicing. True, the person is with the Lord, and not destined for punishment, but should death ever be a time to rejoice? How does God see death? Jesus said "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" - so in Jesus' response to death we see God's response.
Jesus could have gone to Bethany in time to prevent Lazarus' death. Yet He intentionally waited two days until Lazarus had died before starting. This is curious, because the text tells us that the delay was because He loved them. ("Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.)
He makes sense of this when he tells his disciples "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." There is purpose behind this episode, as it is further proof of Jesus' Deity, which is the theme of John's Gospel. But that purpose does not mean that death should be viewed as a happy occasion.
We must take note of Jesus' attitude when He confronts the death in person: "Jesus wept." This clearly is not quiet tears, but a display of mourning, for "the Jews were saying, ‘See how He loved him!'"
God hates death. He mourns over death. He did not create man so that he should die and "go to heaven" - but the sin of one man brought death into the world. Death is an abomination in God's creation.
Psalm 116 says, "Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones." This does not mean that God rejoices over their deaths, but that He does not take their deaths lightly. Their lives are more precious than their deaths.
Death should be a time for us to grieve also, for people should not die. Death in this world reminds us that the world is broken by sin, the cause of death. We should mourn for the death, as we should mourn for the sin in the world; and for the sin in us.
God will restore the world, and eliminate sin and death. It will be a terrible judgment, but one that is necessary, just as Lazarus' death was both terrible and necessary. But it would be far worse for the world to continue as it is. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.