In Anticipation of Death

"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." (John 9:4)

"Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ...But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" (Luke 22:15,21-22)

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

"Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you , knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease." (2 Peter 1:13-15)

Death is the inevitable leveller in that all men and women will experience it as long as Jesus tarries. People from all walks of life - young, old, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, from all nations, will experience death. The Bible says: "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement,.." (Hebrews 9:27). Of course, we don't like talking about it but it is a fact of life. When we will die, we do not know. We may wish to ignore it, disregard it, hate the fact that it will happen one way or another but 'it is appointed for men to die once'. 

Jesus was prepared for His death even though He experienced excruciating pain. The prophet Isaiah wrote about His death - "He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:3-5)

Jesus pursued His mission here on earth with urgency during the 'day'. He knew the 'night' was coming when no one could work. He was determined to accomplish the task for which He incarnated. He spoke about His betrayal by Judas Iscariot and He was aware that He was fulfilling Scripture. Everything about Jesus including His death was meaningful, powerful and life-changing.

Apostle Paul knew when his time to depart this earth had become. He testified that he had fought the good fight of faith and that there was laid out for him a crown of righteousness. He was not afraid of death. In fact, it would appear he embraced it with great expectation. He had spent his Christian life poured out as a drink offering. What a remarkable testimony! Quite extraordinary!

Apostle Peter spoke about putting off his tent - a euphemism for dying. He claimed that our Lord Jesus had shown him that he was going to depart from this earth shortly. There was no fear in his reference to death. He was prepared for it. Are you prepared for that inevitable day? Are you anticipating that day? Anticipation does not necessarily mean a foreboding - it really implies that there is a realisation that one day, life on earth will come to an end and that we should do all we can in the time we have, to do what God placed us on this earth for. 

For the Christian, death is not the end but the doorway to eternity with Jesus in Heaven. The Bible describes it vividly:

"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 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.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:53-57)

When a believer departs from this earth, the corruptible body takes on incorruption; mortality puts on immortality and death is swallowed up in victory. Death loses its sting and the believer is liberated from his or her limited physical body to be adorned with a glorious body eventually. 

Death for the unbeliever who rejects Jesus is the gateway to eternal condemnation. Judgement is the consequence for a rebellious life with the sad reality of eternal separation from God in hell. Jesus said, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:18-19)

Yes, there is condemnation for the one who rejects Jesus and there is no respite in hell. It is a place of everlasting torment, originally prepared for Satan and his demons. The person who rejects Jesus demonstrates an affiliation with the devil and therefore deserves to be in hell after physical death. The unbeliever dies not only physically but spiritually too. Unbelievers will experience the second death.

"And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:6-8)

In conclusion, the believer should have a healthy anticipation of death whilst the unbeliever will have a fearful expectation of death. What will you experience when that day comes? Joyous anticipation or Fear? The choice is yours. To be prepared for that day, come to Jesus, surrender to Him, receive Him as your personal Lord and Saviour, live for Him and you will be able to say like Apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,..."

I hope you will be encouraged by these words if you are a believer. If you are not a believer, I pray that you will seek the Lord while He may be found. Jesus is calling you today. He says, "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

Jesus is the only One who can give you rest for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). 

"...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

Have a blessed day.