Not a made-up story—no, a real experience.

My brother was unexpectedly taken from this life.

Cancer.

He wanted to stay, but in some way, he also did not.

He asked the elders of the congregation to pray for him. He wanted to recover. Yet he was also terrified of the suffering that this disease can bring. A cruel ordeal, torn between hope and despair, life and death. Suddenly, everything that once seemed important becomes meaningless; everything that mattered loses its value. Time slips through your fingers like sand—you cannot hold on to it. There is nothing left you can do.

You cannot buy an extension of life.

Modern life is shaped by flexibility, crowded schedules, and travel, both professionally and personally. There was a distance of 70 kilometers between where we lived. We gradually lost sight of each other. We lost each other. A precious relationship.

When our mother became seriously ill and I cared for her, I would occasionally take her to visit him so they could see one another. From time to time, he came to visit us. Our relationship began to blossom again.

It was wonderful to reconnect—not only with him, but also with his second wife. Yet it was difficult to maintain that connection. As our mother grew older, caring for her required more and more of my time. She lived with us, was completely dependent on assistance, and needed a wheelchair.

Shortly after his daughter’s wedding, he received the diagnosis: cancer. It had already spread.

He was so desperate.

He was so brave.

It still fills me with deep sadness that I could not be there for him. He wanted to talk; he wanted to pray. The physical distance had increased to 100 kilometers because of his hospital stay, and I could no longer leave my mother alone. It was heartbreaking.

His panic. His despair. His helplessness. His loneliness.

My throat tightens when I think about it.

He left this world alone; there was no human being by his side. But angels surrounded him and accompanied him home.

I miss him.

I miss him, and I miss my mother. She died six months later. She could not bear the pain of seeing her son go before her. She was tired of fighting; she simply could not go on. Her life had been marked by suffering and hardship.

My comfort is this: I will see them both again.

The separation caused by death is not forever, because the life of the soul is eternal.

The promise of resurrection: Jesus said, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” (John 11:25 ESV)

This is the theological foundation for life after death—and it applies to those who believe in Jesus.