This study on the subject of dying grace. It is written for those who may be facing their own mortality — we all will, sooner or later.
When you actually come face to face with your own mortality, life takes on a totally new perspective and death becomes more real to you than ever before. But, when confronted with death, your walk as a believer through the valley of the shadow of death will be a peaceful journey. The Holy Spirit seems to fill our consciousness with words that need no uttering to be heard — “come home, come home, ye who are weary come home.” I know this from actual experience.
Last year in July, I stood at the entrance to the valley of the shadow. But, I felt as though it was the Garden of God. I was about to enter the garden and it was Divine.
“I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses. And He walks with me and He talks with me and he tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.”
As I lay in my hospital bed awaiting a lifesaving blood transfusion in July 2014, (2nd and 3rd), God’s Love filled my soul and gave me peace. A virus was attacking my red blood cells and I was only the next heartbeat from a life-ending heart attack because my red blood cell count had gone below 7 (normal for a man is 14-16).
My thoughts were about Heaven and Jesus. My thoughts were about my wife and children and grandchildren and friends and relatives. My thoughts were about God’s Word and as I waited for the life saving news that a blood type match had been found, I read my beloved Bible. The Bible is my life-blood. I would rather die than do without God’s Word. His Words of Assurance and Love and Blessing are unexplainable.
Finally, they found a match and it was flown into the Martinsburg, WV airport just down the road from the VA Medical Center where I was being treated. Now, the question became, would it work? If my body did not accept the blood, even though it was a match, I would not live long enough for them to find another donor’s blood. Another possibility was that the rejection could trigger a heart attack because of the trauma of the rejection.
Three of my children flew in from Florida and one drove up from Fredericksburg, VA. They stood at the foot of my bed with my wife when the transfusion began … the moment of life or death had arrived and I recall looking for one last time at my children. My thoughts were total peace and I was glad that God gave me my wonderful little family and my sweet wife Sherry.
Christ seemed to be holding my hand and I did not even think about fear or regret, nor did I feel sorry for myself. Quite the opposite, I was wavering, wanting to go be with the Lord which is better, and wanting to be with my family and friends at the same time.
“Is this the end,” I thought? It didn’t seem to matter. The only thing that mattered was my Jesus and His will for me. I was totally okay with whatever my Savior wanted … whether I lived or died, I could only win (Philippians 1:21).
Needless to say, my body accepted the donor’s blood and over the next seven weeks two more transfusions were required, and both were accepted by my body. After the third transfusion, my body was able to begin its defensive assault that finally won the battle against the undiagnosed virus. I would survive! As of the time of this writing, it has now been nine months since the viral attack that nearly took my life.
Praise the Lord! Praise Him because while in the hospital and at home continuing through the months of recovery, I never received any medication. The doctors could not prescribe medication without a diagnosis. The Lord had a plan. The Lord healed me against a virus of unknown origin. But God’s healing power which is in HIS BLOOD was my real transfusion.
Dying Grace is the believer’s experience of physical death under God’s provision. God provides “Living Grace” and “Dying Grace” for every believer. Each believer has a predetermined plan of grace for living the Christian Life and leaving this earthly life. Each believer must eventually walk his own walk through “the valley of the shadow of death.” However, the valley is not a valley at all, it is more accurately an entrance into God’s Garden which leads us into glory. For me, as I stood at the threshold of eternity it was a time of blessed peace, blessed assurance and blessed love.
Physical death is victory! It is a promotion! (Philippians 1:21). This victory is not based on what we have done during our lifetime, it is based on what Christ has done and is doing. For example: Christ died for us; Christ rose from the dead; Christ is seated at the highest place of honor (in his humanity) at the right hand of the Father; Christ intercedes for us to the father; Christ lives in us; and most of all Christ is there in the garden-valley to walk with us up, into Glory … this I truly know because I’ve been there and I could feel His presence and I loved His comforting peace.
I want to make a point of doctrine: At the time of God’s choosing, soul life and biological life separate and physical death results. Then the dust (biological life) will return to the earth as it was taken, and the breath (soul life) will return to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Christ came to earth to deliver us from sin and from death. When death comes to each believer, Christ is there to deliver us and take us home. As that wonderful old song expresses: “When the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, when the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”
The Lord did not say to me, “Come up hither — come home. Here, take my hand.” Instead, the Lord has given me more time to continue this ministry here at WOTM. In the quiet depths of my soul, the Lord Jesus Christ by His Holy Spirit whispered:“But, go on now to the end of your life and your rest; for you will rise again and have your full share of those last days” (Daniel 12:13).
When the mature believer’s name is called to come home, he can face eternity with unwavering confidence and the sublime anticipation of seeing the Lord face to face — this is Dying Grace. Dying Grace is the ultimate departure from this life. Therefore, dying is not to be feared.
Principles Of “Passing Grace” (Death)
1). Physical death is decided by the sovereignty of omniscient God (Psalm 68:19, 20). God delivers the believer from death (Job 5:20; Psalm 33:19; 56:13; 116:8).
2). Love is stronger than death (Song of Solomon 8:6). Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (believers) (Psalm 116:15).
3). Dying grace is a blessing and promotion for the believer in Christ (Philippians 1:20,21).
4). When we face our own mortality, God gives the believer peace based on God’s promises (truths stored in our memory). The mature believer is unafraid of death. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body with the result that we are now free to join our Savior in His Heavenly Kingdom (Matthew 8:22; Romans 8:38,39; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 1:20, 21).
5). Death is the final stage of our walk through fields of Grace, and God’s last opportunity to bless the believer on earth, in time. This final summum bonum is our actual passing into eternity which far exceeds any blessing in time. Death is passing into glory (Revelation 21:4).
6). When we pass, we go from saluting the Lord to embracing the Lord. We go from Grace to Grace, to Glory to Glory (2 Corinthians 5:8). The glorification of Christ in resurrection guarantees our ultimate glorification in dying (Like 20:38; 1 Peter 1:3-5, 21).
7). Death of a believer is God’s victory whereby the dying believer experiences that death has no sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Death gives full meaning to the resurrection of Christ our Savior because it is here the believer learns first hand that death passes us into the presence of our blessed Savior forever and ever (2 Corinthians 5:8). God will wipe away all tears (Revelation 21:4) and there will be no more sorrow.
8). Physical death means a new dwelling place in Heaven. Heaven is where God is, and God has prepared a wonderful place for the believer (John 14:1-3).
9). Physical death of the believer in Jesus Christ means waiting with anticipation in heaven for our eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5).
10). Physical death does not separate us from God, it separates us from our biological body so we can join God in His Kingdom where Christ sits exalted at the Father’s Right Hand of Power. (Matthew 22:44; Mark 16:19; Romans 8:38-39). The Sin Nature resides within the cell structures of our bodies, and therefore the body must stay behind.
11). Death means the believer waits in Heaven for the resurrection (John 11:25-26).
12). DEATH MEANS WE SEE JESUS! CAN YOU POSSIBLY IMAGINE WHAT THAT WILL BE LIKE? WE WILL SEE THE THRONE OF OUR GOD. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THAT WILL BE LIKE? WE WILL SEE ADAM AND EVE, MOSES AND DAVID AND SOLOMON, AND JOSEPH AND ISAAC AND JACOB, AND ABRAHAM AND PAUL, AND JOHN THE BAPTIST. CAN YOU METABOLIZE THAT? WOW!
DYING GRACE FOR THE LIVING
We are not as important as we think we are. Our own death does not stop history. Life will go right on without us. To really put this in perspective, let’s assume you died yesterday. Now, look around you. Look outside. Look at everything in sight. Remember, you are not here — you passed away yesterday. Notice life has gone right on without you. But because in reality you are here, you have just experienced what life is doing with or without you. Interesting!
Life has been going on for thousands of years before we were born and may go on for thousands after we have passed away. So, how important are we in the equation of life? Life doesn’t need us to survive! We need life to survive. We live because God ordained that we live, and God ordains when we die. “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment “(Hebrews 9:27). We are important to God! Christ died for the ungodly, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
In closing, the reality of eternal life and eternal rewards is stated in passages such as: 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; 2 Timothy 4:7,8. Please understand that God controls history and eternity. God gives and God takes away.
Perhaps you can see more clearly that life and death is a blessing and you have the opportunity to be a tremendous testimony during your life and even when you face your own mortality. Therefore, dying is not about us. Dying is about God and God will use our passing to testify of His Love and His Blessing on those left behind.
“When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be … when we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.” As we enter the valley of the shadow of death the Lord is with us, His Rod and His Staff will comfort us and we shall live in the house of the Lord forever. Until then, take up your cross and follow Christ until He calls you home.
Your Bible is a foretaste of glory Divine. You are an heir of salvation, a purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. Praise our Savior all the day long.
Tell the old old story of Jesus and His love while you can. Tell of things in Glory, tell of Jesus’s Love. This will be our theme in Glory. If you are a believer, I’ll see you there … look for you there.
You may want to check out these related studies: Victory over Death; Peace In The Valley; Facts of the Resurrection.
Happy Studying in Fields of Grace.