WHY, UPON HEARING OF A SAINT’S DEATH,
do you say: “That’s so sad!”?

This morning (February18, 2022, Friday – with the temperature at four degrees) I was thinking about Paul’s, Apostle Paul’s, words:

 

Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

 

Death is the last enemy we children of God will ever deal with. Unless, that is, we are taken up in the rapture and do not see death:

 

1 Corinthians 15:20-28
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.  When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.

 

I’ve gone to church a long time now and I’ve firmly fixed my beliefs solely on the Bible, God’s Word. Because of this, it didn’t take me long to know that some of the people who regularly attended could not possibly be godly…

Selah.

Sad but true! We are warned about the wheat and the tares growing together:

 

Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

 

Yes, the Bible makes it perfectly clear that some who claim Christ in actuality denounce Him:

 

Matthew 15:3-11
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?  For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.  You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”

 

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.  What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

 

1 John 2:9-11
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.  Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.  But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

 

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

 

So I wonder… I pause and think when a Christian reacts just as a sinner would, “Is he (she) really a believer?” Beloved it is wise to watch a person’s behavior as you listen to their words.

I’ve seen many reactions to another’s death. I’ve also seen people’s reactions when a hard time comes. The reaction is one of the keys to decide if you believe you are speaking really to a Christian… You see if the Apostle Paul called death gain – and he does – why should we mourn as the hopeless do? We should not! Apostle Paul also referred to his troubles as light and momentary.

Personally, I am done with so many people moaning and complaining. There are Calebs, Joseph (the one who was sold into slavery by his brothers and was a foreshading of Christ), Marys, Joshuas, Esthers and many more in our holy Word. Do you not know we have these types of saints today? In our time? Yes, we do!

Our outlook on death has to be:

 

Revelation 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

 

Shrinking from death is impossible (again, unless you go up in the rapture, for we are living in the last days.) And God will not be pleased if you choose fleshly fear over Godly gain!

Selah.

 

Hebrews 10:36-39
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

 

So: when someone acts like it is so very terrible to die, check your spirit… Do you believe they know the glories of eternal life?

Make certain you do! Amen and amen!