“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.”

Psalm 116:15

The death of God’s earthly saints is precious in His sight because they have become heavenly saints and reached their heavenly goal, leaving their earthly troubles behind them. “After death the wicked cease from troubling the godly, and there the weary are at rest” Job 3:17.

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people – prepared by Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus told His disciples: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” Jn 14:2-3. Jesus comes for His own at their death.

Jesus told His disciples while they were on Earth: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” Jn 14:27. He continued: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer – I have overcome the world” Jn 16:33. In heaven, the glorified saints have also overcome the world by leaving it behind.

In this heavenly race, they have beaten us to the finishing line, having raced through the finishing line to join the great cloud of witnesses Heb 12:1, now witnessing our earthly race. Let us follow them who through faith and patience are now inheriting the promises Heb 6:12.

We may have learned only a little about their earthly witness, but when I lay down my own head on Jesus’ pillow in due course, I look forward to making their acquaintance in heaven, to hear the rest of their earthly witness for Christ.

It is a joy to finish one’s earthly course and to enter into the joy of the Lord. Mat 25:21,23.

Earthly considerations

What about those grieving family and friends whom they leave behind?

The apostle Paul says that they do not need to sorrow as others who have no hope of eternal life nor happiness for their departed loved ones 1Th 4:13.

Let us learn to follow their pathway. London-preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon wanted “devout men” to carry him down to the grave like Stephen Act 8:2 and it would be good if we have a similar burial.

Let us not leave Question marks about our own eternal state

There are some whose lives are such that we have no certainty of their eternal blessedness. They leave a large question mark hanging in the air. How much better to “make your heavenly calling and eternal election sure”? 2Pe 1:10. Not only will this be to your personal, present comfort but it will comfort your family and friends when you leave this earthly scene.

How can you ensure this? It is becoming more difficult to find out. I made a recent blogpost referring to changes in Highland funeral services nowadays, substituting celebrations of the departed person’s life for the Gospel. Although there is a place for this, the purpose of a Christian funeral service is to seek God’s blessing on the bereaved, just as the purpose of a Christian marriage service is to seek God’s blessing on the marriage. After that blogpost pointing to the inadequacies of some current funeral services, this blogpost may go some way to pointing you to the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed hope of the godly.

There is a biblical warrant for remembering the godly Heb 13:7 and even the ungodly “Remember Lot’s wife” Lk 17:32.

However, surely a Christian funeral service is the very time to learn how to find peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom 5:1? “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, which is the finish of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart” Ecc 7:2.

Jesus speaks to the heart and mind. He touches them and changes them forever.  If you do not know about this potential in the Gospel, now is the time to learn about it.

A lingering or sudden death?

The Lord knows the best way for us to leave this earthly scene. A lingering death is the Lord’s kind providence giving time to prepare for the inevitable. A sudden and unexpected death is also the Lord’s providence, as in the case of Job’s children. A long battle with terminal illness reminds us of our long battle with sin, the flesh and devil and the sudden release when the soul takes it departure from the body reminds us that the godly will be rid of them all in an instant of time – thanks be to God.

Thereafter the soul returns to God Who gave it Ecc 12:7 and man enters his “long home” Ecc 12:5.

I finish off this blogpost with Christian affection and condolences for wounded spirits.

I grieve with you mourners in your loss and point you to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, Whom to know is eternal life Jn 17:3. I hope that you will find and feel the Lord’s rich consolations at so difficult a time.