To Those in Fear of Death

To Those in Fear of Death
Pastor C. R. Stam

Our hearts go out to the millions, mostly old people, tho are unwell, yet haunted with a dreadful fear of death-and they know that every day, every hour, they are being inexorably drawn closer to that meeting with the "grim reaper." Like "poor Hannah," many are "too sick to live and afraid to die."
Actually, however, it is not the fact that "it is appointed unto men once to die," that troubles them most; it is rather the rest of that divine prediction: "after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). And, indeed, what could be more frightening than the fact that "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14: 12)? 1

There are also some, of course, who make light of death and the judgment to come. We have seen some depart this life joking. These, however, would be much better off if they feared God and worried about their destiny.

But even among true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ there are some who fear death, and this is natural, for the Bible calls death man's enemy (I Cor. 15:26).

But for all of the above who fear death for any reason whatsoever, God has the most blessed news. It is found in Hebrews 2:14,15:

"Forasmuch, then, as the children [of Adam] are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, THAT THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM THAT HAD THE POWER OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL;

"AND DELIVER THEM WHO THROUGH FEAR OF DEATH WERE ALL THEIR LIFETIME SUBJECT TO BONDAGE."

How amazing that God should take upon Himself flesh and blood, that through death (at the cross) He might destroy the devil (Col. 2:14,15) and deliver dying sinners from the oppressive bondage of the fear of death!

That this deliverance from the fear of death is real to those who trust Christ was demonstrated to the writer twice during the past month.

Once it was demonstrated in a telephone conversation with an old friend. We here relate the conversation, changing only the names.

A Christian couple, whom we will name Henry and Alice, had just celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary and, not having been able to get agreeting card for them in time, I had called them by phone. Both were, like this writer, advanced in years and had tasted of the infirmities that come with old age-especially Henry, who had long struggled with heart trouble.

Alice answered the phone, and I soon got to the question: "How's Henry doing?" "Physically, not well," Alice answered, "but spiritually he's fine. Sometimes, while reading his Bible, he'll exclaim 'The best is yet to come!'" "That's our Henry," I interrupted, but Alice continued: "Listen, Neill, this is what you and he and I have been waiting for all these years! For years we've longed to see Christ and be with Him, and here we are at the very threshold of heaven! We surely have a lot to be excited about!"

How right Alice was, and how thrilled we aged believers ought to be that soon now, whether by death or the Lord's coming for us, we shall pass through that "door," beyond which are glories we cannot even imagine in our present state. Yes, we will pass through that "door" to be forever with Him who loved us and gave Himself for us that we might be His forever.

On the second occasion this attitude toward death was demonstrated by another friend, much younger. He was in the hospital suffering from terminal cancer, but the joy of soon going to be with Christ had given him glorious victory. I had called to assure him of my prayers, but His response was an encouragement to me. "They make much of 'mind over matter' here," he said, "but I tell them I have no need of such psychological props; I have Christ."

"I said to one of my doctors, yesterday, 'You know, there's something wonderful about death for the Christian. It won't be long now before I go to be with the One who loved me and died to pay for all my sins.'"

All of us, in the accounts given above, were once in dreadful bondage to the fear of death, but we have come to rejoice in the truth of Heb. 2:14,15, that Christ the "fulness of the Godhead," took upon Him flesh and blood, that He might die for us and deliver us from the bondage of the fear of death. And when we go to be with Him, at last those beautiful words will come true:

One glimpse of His dear face

All sorrow will erase.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE RAPTURE?

There are those who, like some of the Thessalonian believers of Paul's day, fear that if death overtakes them they will have missed the Rapture. But the Apostle Paul gave the Thessalonians most blessed assurance as to this-assurance received directly from the Lord Himself:

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent 2 them which are asleep. 3

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord,

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thes. 4:15-18).

WHAT ABOUT THE SICKNESS AND PAIN THAT SO OFTEN PRECEDE DEATH?

Ah, the Apostle proclaims good news about this too. Read carefully:

"For which cause we faint not, but though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, WORKETH FOR US A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY" (II Cor. 4:16,17).

Should it not encourage us greatly that our physical infirmities, borne because the Lord has left us in this doomed world to witness for Him, are a most profitable investment in glory to come! While we do not enjoy "the sufferings of this present time," they are "not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). Indeed, when they are compared with eternity, they are "but for a moment," and when compared with the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of [coming] glory," they are "light afflictions" indeed!

Thus to all our aged brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering infirmity or pain, we say: "Remember that every tinge of pain, every depressing infirmity 'works' for you, yielding vast interest: 'a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory'" (II Cor. 4:17).

Beloved reader, our Lord loves us and would fain have us in heaven with Himself. And when this comes to pass, as Frances Bevan put it:

He and I, in that bright glory,

One deep joy shall share:

Mine, to be forever with Him;

His, that I am there.

God does not leave us in this world without good reason, but that others might be saved through our testimony, just as He left others here that we might be saved through theirs.

This being so, He does not ask us to remain in this world as ambassadors on enemy territory without making this eternally profitable. Thus let us continue with Paul, in saying:

"[Meanwhile] we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN ARE ETERNAL" (Ver. 18).
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Footnotes:

1. Believers, of course, will not be judged for their sins at the Great White Throne. Their sins have all been paid for by the blood of Christ. But they will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to answer for their conduct and service as believers, there to "gain rewards" or "suffer loss" (of rewards). (See Rom. 14:10,11; 1 Cor. 4:5; II Cor. 5:11, and the author's commentary on the Epistle to the Romans).
2. Lit., precede, or get in the way of.
3. Note: The Scriptures say nothing about soul-sleep. It is only the body that is depicted as sleeping (See the author's commentary on the Thessalonian Epistles.)

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