Death Be Not Proud!

"What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death?"  (Psalm 84:48, KJV).  

These are famous words of John Donne, the poet, known also for such lines as "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee!" and "No man is an island!'  These words seem immortal to some because they have the ring of truth, even for Christians, and Donne didn't profess a faith in God.  Truth hurts no matter who says it sometimes and we must speak it in love for that reason.  The reason death cannot be proud is found in Hosea 13:14, HCSB, which says, "I will ransom them from the power of Sheol [the grave].  I will redeem them from death.  Death, where are your barbs?  Sheol, where is your sting?"  Jesus conquered the death for us and we need not fear it any longer, in fact, the apostles went from being a fearful band to becoming bold as a lion in facing death after seeing Christ, and the way they died as martyrs shows no fear of death at all, so that their death became a witness to the infidel and pagan world of the time.

Now, I want to make a distinction between the martyrs of Christianity and those of radical Islam as an example:  Many a man will die for what he believes in or thinks is true, but will not die for a known lie--and the apostles were in a position to know whether Christ rose from the dead because they were eyewitnesses!  What transformed them so suddenly?  The resident power of the Holy Spirit that is not a spirit of timidity, but of boldness for Christ.  I am reminded of what David said, and he lived dangerously for sure, that there was "but a step between him and death."  He knew that you always have to be ready because no one knows when their time is and they must be prepared to meet their God always.  Woody Allen was afraid of death too but kept his sense of humor about it:  "I'm not afraid to die.  I just don't want to be there when it happens!"  Also, George Washington fought death and was asked if he was afraid to die:  he replied that he wasn't afraid to die; he just dies hard!  (He doesn't give up easily--he was a diehard!)

The Bible makes it clear that even believers can die before their time (cf. Eccl. 7:15, 17; Isa. 57:1), and no one takes note!  We are not guaranteed a long life if we serve God, but a more abundant one, and when we've completed our mission, then it's our time to check out, as it says of David having completed all God's will in Acts 13:36.

The trouble with people today is that they live as if they aren't going to die, and die as if they never lived!  People spend more time worrying about their funeral arrangements than making plans for eternity!  No one wants to make their final preparations, and I don't mean providing for final expenses or making a will, but knowing what God's will for them is. NB:  St. Francis of Assisi was always ready to meet his Maker, and when asked what he would do if he only had thirty minutes to live while he was doing his gardening, he said, "I'd finish this row!"  We should all heed the warning given to Hezekiah to get our house in order for it might be our time, and it may come when we least expect it.  Matthew Henry said we ought to live each day as if it's our last!  But we also are admonished by the Lord to be ready to meet the Lord in the air and not be taken by surprise, as if asleep when He comes for us--we should be reading the signs of the times and notice that His coming is near, even at the door or we may be unprepared for the day of our visitation.  

Fanatics claim they aren't afraid to die and Socrates is known to have died very stoically, but there is a difference the way Christians die.  They die in hope, not despair and God gives them dying grace to grant the faith to face the end, which they see as not a wall, but a door!  We don't wait for death, but for a new life and have hope that cannot fade away, not based upon anything we've done, like a suicide bomber hoping for mercy from Allah.  The  Christian has already died in Christ and has nothing to lose and everything to gain to go to his reward; while the unbeliever's reward was in this life--ours does not fade away.  We die daily!

We must be willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus, which might involve more than an inconvenience and denying ourselves some luxury, but dying to self--the sacrifice is our ego and all we have (God wants us, not our achievements or resources--they already are His!), and put all that is on the line for Jesus.  Satan held the power of death and death is the last enemy to be destroyed, but look upon it as our promotion and going to our reward, meeting our Maker in glory, which is not a continuation of this life as we know it, but a whole new realm of existence that may seem surreal if one could imagine it--in fact no eye has seen what God has prepared for those who believe!  The paradox of our faith is that in dying we live!

In sum, we must reckon ourselves never to be out of deaths shadow and always but a step away from it (it's inevitable and as sure as taxes!)  I say the only thing certain about life is death--we commence it upon birth!  Oscar Wilde said, "One can survive anything nowadays except death!"--so the Boy Scout motto applies:  Be Prepared!     Soli Deo Gloria!

He Has Not Given Me Over To Death

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him..." (Job 13:15, NKJV).

Not to be morbid, but the understanding of what is on the "other side" must begin early in life and one must be realistic even with children to teach biblical mindset and preparation.  Jesus Himself was the ultimate realist and He mentioned the grave and beyond, even hell more than heaven.   Being prepared for the hereafter is not a matter of making a will and paying or preparing for one's final expenses via life insurance.  Some people actually spend less time preparing for death than their annual vacation--this ought not to be so!  

We all need to be assured of our salvation and know that God won't take us till we are ready in His timing if we are in His will.  As Epictetus said, "I cannot escape death, but I can escape the fear of it."  We should be confident in our Lord (i.e., that we've made our peace with God) that we would say with Robert Louis Stevenson, that, even if we woke up in hell we'd still believe in Him.

David thanked the Lord that, though he had been chastened severely, he had not been given over to death (cf. Psalm 118:18).  There is a "sin which leads unto death," however, and John said not to pray for such a one (cf. 1 John 5:16).   Even Christians can go too far and be removed by divine discipline of the Lord, that is why they, too, must live in the fear of the Lord and behold both the goodness and severity of the Lord per Romans 11:22.

However, the death of believers is precious in the sight of God (cf. Psalm 116:15) and we ought to look forward to dying as a promotion, not an end, but a new beginning of a higher and different way of living to the full, the way we were meant to live.  Death is not a wall, but a door and D. L. Moody is quoted as saying, "This is my triumph, this is my coronation day!  It is glorious!"  Even Alfred, Lord Tennyson said, in his poem In Memoriam: "God's finger touched him, and he slept."  Death is a promotion and Paul said that "to live is Christ, but to die is gain" in Phil. 1:21.

We are only glad that God hasn't given us over to death as chastisement, but as our promotion to glory, for "we should live every day as if it were our last day" (Matthew Henry quote).  David went to be with the Lord in His timing:  "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep..." (Acts 13:36, NKJV).  In other words, when he had done what God had meant for him to do and God was done with him, God took him.  God knows when we are ready, we don't, that's why suicide isn't the answer.  God isn't in the business of taking lives prematurely:   (Ezek. 18:32 (NASB):  "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies...").  However, the day of death is better than the day of birth in God's eyes (cf. Eccl. 7:1).  David said that with the Lord, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15, ESV).  It is indeed better for the soul "to go to the house of mourning than the house of mirth" (cf. Eccl. 7:2), by the same token.

When you are confident of your coming promotion you are brave and live like David, when he told Jonathan:  "There is but a step between me and death (cf. 1 Sam. 20:3).  David lived his life on the edge and to the full!  We only want to live a long life if we are pleasing to the Lord and doing His will; otherwise, what's the use?   Is there a great reward in pursuing your own will?  We are happiest as believers only when we've learned to serve and not to live selfishly and for our own good, but for the good of others.  

David was glad God hadn't given him over to death because he then knew that he still had an opportunity to fulfill God's will; David was a man after God's own heart because he did all God's will. We should all hope and pray to go on to be with the Lord in His timing, for He makes all things beautiful in His time--i.e., we don't want to go before our time as Scripture would say.

In sum, let me quote an anecdote about Saint Francis of Assisi:  "If you had one hour left to live, what would you do?"  His answer, said while tilling his garden, was:  "I would finish this row!"  That's being prepared to die without unfinished business, unlike what God said to Hezekiah to "get his house in order" (cf. Isaiah 38:1), for he was about to die and not recover.   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Ready For Heaven

"So it is with the resurrection of the dead:  Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body"  (1 Cor. 15:42, HCSB).

I want to dispel the common notion that people have that they want to go to heaven, but are in no hurry to get there!  WE ARE JUST PILGRIMS WITH SPIRITUAL GREEN CARDS; DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE OR AT HOME IN THIS WORLD.  

As Matthew Henry said:  "It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our final day." We are to live each day as if it were our last and prepare daily to meet the Lord in the air, and we can do this with gusto if we are looking forward to heaven, which means we must have some idea what it is like--through our knowledge is really speculation based on Scripture.  "No eye has seen...."  Yet we do know some facts and can cast away some common fallacies and misconceptions.  For instance, we won't be sitting on clouds playing harps all day.  We won't have to go to church (yes and no!).  We are the church and we shall worship in all our activities, whether work, leisure, or play, but the Lord will be present to have a Spirit of worship.

There will be work in heaven, but perfectly suited for us and our talents, gifts, and desires--what we enjoy doing!  Work will have meaning and not drudgery or be menial and boring, and there will be no physical exhaustion involved because the curse will be removed which made us work by the sweat of our brow.  Since Adam worked the Garden of Eden before the curse we know that we are not made for idleness, but in God's image and He is always at work.  We express God's image in our work and find fulfillment and satisfaction and meaning in it.  If we are faithful in little, we shall be faithful in much and God gives all of us opportunity to express our faithfulness.  Many of the tedious chores like hygiene will no longer be necessary, as we know them because we will have spiritual and not physical bodies--sown physical, but reaped spiritual.

We will be recognizable and have none of our physical flaws in our appearance that make us unattractive to others or ourselves--we will appreciate beauty in others and return our identity as men or women but not be given in marriage or be involved in procreation.  The most important element of heaven will be our authority over angels and be rulers with Christ--we shall all reign, some of us just have more authority or responsibility due to temporal faithfulness.  The key is that we are really servants of the Lord in heaven and be glad we are subordinate to Him.  Our bodies are not just improved from this one, but transformed into a new fashion that defies gravity, has no weakness, such as gaining weight, or getting out of shape, and can pass through walls at will, yet eat to prove we really have bodies.

When we realize the wonders and excitement of heaven, then we want to go there and live in light of eternity!  Paul said that to die was gain, but to live was Christ (cf. Philippians 1:21)--live or die he was content!  You can only really live after you are ready to meet your Maker and have prepared for your final day--you don't want to go unprepared but ready.  "... Prepare to meet your God, O Israel," says Amos 4:12 (ESV).  Every day when we rise we should announce that we are ready to meet God and ask Jesus if this is the day we will finally see Him face-to-face and be satisfied with the beatific vision.   We shall all be changed when we see Him as He is and be fulfilled and completely sanctified or holy and glorified.

Preparing for that day does not mean making funeral arrangements or writing a will, but making your peace with God and being faithful in the calling He has given you.  We want to receive a full reward and not just enter by the skin of our teeth, as if by fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:15).   It is sadly said, that man lives like he's not going to die, and dies as if he never lived--may this not be the case with us, but that we lived to bring glory to God. ("The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever," as the Westminster Divines proclaimed.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Going Home

"What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death?"  (Psalm 89:48).
"There is but a step between me and death" (1 Samuel 20:3).
"For it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the Judgment"  (Hebrews 9:27).
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (cf. Psalm 116:15).
EMPHASIS MINE. It has been observed, that if you can direct a man's thoughts toward eternity, you are well on the way to converting him.

"[Prepare] to meet your God, O Israel"  (cf. Amos 4:12).  Avoidance of the issue or being in denial is a cop-out and defense mechanism that doesn't work, because, sooner or later, we will all meet our Maker and have either a judgment day or a coronation day.  We must learn to put eternity in perspective and live in light of eternity--we are only passing through, as it were! Remember, it has wisely been said, "The only thing certain about life is death."  We all have the final appointment with death and no one knows when it is for them--he must always be vigilant.

There is the story of how much of a welcome Teddy Roosevelt got in a ticker-tape parade in Time's Square, and at the same time a missionary was coming home to his family:  He wondered why he didn't receive such a glorious welcome as this "hero" and God told him:  [Don't make yourself too comfortable or make yourself at home!] "You are not home yet!" We must learn to live our lives on this earth as foreigners and see that God just gives us spiritual green cards to prepare us for eternity. See yourself as a citizen of heaven!

Matthew Henry said that it ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our final day. This is highly practical and a matter of applying the Word to our lives. Not wanting to tackle this issue, or to avoid it, is cowardly and escaping reality, so to speak.  If you are not ready for death, you are not really living; for only those ready to die can enjoy life to the max.  If we can affirm with Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith..." (2 Timothy 4:7).

The day of our departure to be with the Lord is meant to be more joyous than our day of birth!  I like Alfred, Lord Tennyson's wording in In Memoriam: "God's finger touched him and he slept."  Life is not a fluke and there is an intricate plan of God for each of us, and when we realize it we are really "Living" with a capital L. Some people are merely existing, they are not living, because the true secret to life eternal in its fullness is to know God ("I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly," says Jesus; starting now, not in eternity).

You can spend your life without accomplishing anything and it may turn out to be empty pursuits done in vain.  I am not against doing good deeds or works, just those done in the flesh!  We will only be rewarded for the fruit of the Spirit that we accomplish through the power of the Spirit (Hosea 14:8; Isaiah 26:12).  Paul said in Romans 15:18, "I will not venture to speak of anything, but what Christ has accomplished through me [as a vessel of honor] "prepared unto good works" per Ephesians 2:10). Note that we are not saved "by works," but "unto [for] works," and we will be recompensed fairly beyond our wildest dreams.

The sad thing is that most people don't know they are wasting their life on worthless goals or even godless pleasures.  A life without God-oriented purpose is petty and trivial and will count for nothing in light of eternity.  Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the poet laureate of the UK, said that he looked forward to meeting his "pilot" when he had "crossed the bar."  "Death, be not proud!" Sir Walter Scott said, "Time and tide wait for no man."  We never know when our hour has come--we must be ready.

Death is a door and not a wall.  It is the final curtain call of this existence.  It is nothing to be afraid of for us believers because Christians don't really die--it is just the separation of the soul from the higher level of dimension in living like color TV is a higher level than black and white, and likewise, H.D. and 3-D to boot!   We never reach perfect sanctification in this life where we can say we have "arrived," (cf. Phil. 3:13) but in glory, we will be without sin and yet totally free--we won't want to sin either.

To some it may seem morbid (it is being oriented to reality and being well-adjusted and victorious over the devil who holds people captive by a fear of death) and to make the final preparations and provide for final expenses, or to dwell on your wishes, even sharing them to intimate friends and family there comes a time when we must face reality that we are getting up there and could go at any time to meet our Lord, and our work is done--we are the ultimate realists.  We don't want to be preoccupied with the subject but examples of what ought to be done as an example--this is our last testimony and chance to say something in our death.  How many believers have made funeral arrangements, or have life insurance, or have gone through the trouble of making a will and appointing an executor?   Having done this, I can reassure you that it is God's will and there is great peace of mind in not leaving the final expenses to family and burdening them to worry about the details in such a trying and lamentable moment as when a dear one passes away.

I have talked to some guys and they simply don't care what happens to them after they die, but this is an unbiblical attitude.  There is such as thing as being irresponsible and making that final impression of how people remember you are important.  In the Bible, God places a premium on giving men a proper burial and I recall the wicked Jezebel that the dogs ate her body and she never was buried. When God curses people often He says they won't receive a proper burial--this is an eternal stigma, and we are to honor all men and give every man in the image of God, no matter his status a proper burial, and to be ready for any contingency.  We are stewards of what God has blessed us with and will be held accountable to the end, even our foresight, like God, said to Hezekiah:  "Get your house in order, you are about to die!"

Try thinking of the departing to be with the Lord as our final promotion and being given our ultimate reward (1 Cor. 2:9 says, "Eye has not heard, not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for [us]").  Be ready!  St. Francis of Assisi was asked what he'd do with one hour left to live: "I'd finish this row [he was gardening that day]."  And in that day, ye shall ask me nothing" (John 16:23):  Our questions are answered.

Our departure is meant to be glorious and a celebration of our life and we will see how God has always been at work in our lives "to do and to will according to His good pleasure"  (Philippians 2:13).  William James, the psychologist, said, "The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it."   The consequences of our personal goals will not last as long as the accomplishment of God's will in our life--the goal should be to find that for your life and be faithful in it.  We are all living on borrowed time, as they say, and sooner or later you will realize that disease like cancer is not terminal--life is! We cannot escape the Grim Reaper and are literally all on Death Row!  The best philosophy and theology is to be ready to expire at any time, and that gives us a brave heart.  Soli Deo Gloria!

How to Prepare for Death

"I cannot escape death, but I can escape the fear of it." --Epictetus

Someone has said, "The only certain about life is death." Oscar Wilde said, "One can survive everything nowadays--except death!" According to Billy Graham, we are all sitting on Death Row and the Grim Reaper may call for us at any moment. Actually, from the time of maturity we begin to die--slowly, but surely, Life is composed of stages to be appreciated like seasons of life and there are pros and cons to each one--some don't have the privilege to get old, so we should not complain about it. Matthew Henry said that we should live each day as if it were our last. "There is but a step between me and death" (1 Sam. 20:3). If you don't believe you should get ready, also be reminded that the Rapture will come as a thief in the night--so get ready for that. Sometimes it seems that we are taken in our prime of life--Hezekiah protested this and was told to get his house in order pronto, but God granted him 15 more years. "For it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). The Bible declares, "What man is he that lives, and shall not see death?" (Psa. 89:48).

I've heard it said that cancer is not terminal--life is. To get a divine perspective we should look at Paul who said, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." All of life should prepare us. (I am a realist like Jesus himself, and not trying to be morbid.) The day of death should be better than the day of birth (when there is always celebration--funerals are sometimes called celebrations of life. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psa. 116:15).  Solomon says that it is better to go into the house of mourning than the house of mirth.  Sorrow is better than laughter. Mourning doesn't necessarily mean so much weeping and wailing as remembering.   We talk and celebrate our birthdays but often don't remember death days or make it special. Alfred, Lord Tennyson said in his poem, In Memoriam, "God's finger touched him, and he slept." We use euphemisms like passing away or expire instead of dying and don't say "killed himself" but "was led to take his life."

We all want to leave a legacy and be remembered for the best in us--especially the influence we had or the changes and impacts we made. Epictetus said, "We cannot avoid death, but we can avoid any fear of it" (which is sin). To be ready it helps to think of epithets that we would like to be remembered by loving father, brother, husband, and son (they help us to live up to them while we are here).

Usually, people tell the truth on their death bed (they've got nothing to lose).  Voltaire, said, "I must die abandoned by God and man."    Great people are often known for their famous last word, some quotable ones: "The best of all is, God is with us! Farewell! Farewell!" (J. Wesley). "This is my triumph, this is my coronation day! It is glorious!" (D. L. Moody). "When I am gone, speak less of Dr. Carey and more of Dr. Carey's savior!" (William Carey, the father of modern missions). "I die hard, but I am not afraid to go!" (G. Washington). "Behold, I die, but God shall be with you" (Jacob). The sting of death is gone for us and death is but a transition or a door to our real home.

"We are just passing through only one life, twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last." When we give money to God's work we will be rewarded accordingly: Like the man who wondered about his humble dwelling for all eternity and was told that that was all they could build with what he sent up. Saint Francis of Assisi was prepared for death so much that they saw him tending his garden and asked him what he would do if he only had one more hour to live: "I would finish this row." Someone was asked how he would spend his last 24 hours of life and he said, "One hour at a time." Tomorrow doesn't belong to us so we are to enjoy our life in the here and now and not live in the future which may never happen.

 The best way to prepare for death is to be sure of our salvation: the deathbed may too late for conviction and enlightenment. We should make our peace with God without delay. Deathbed conversions are rare;  usually, their hearts are hardened by then. Doubting our salvation is healthy and one should have a biblical basis for faith because there is such a thing as "false assurance." John Knox said, "Live in Christ, live in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death." We should go out with a bang and make a mark: "He died climbing!"  Soli Deo Gloria!