February 15, 2010 Safely into His Heavenly Kingdom" "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." 2 Timothy 4:18 ESV Isn’t that a wonderful verse! What greater assurance do we need? Either from death or through death He will rescue us or deliver us and take us home to "the Father’s House," to His heavenly kingdom where we will dwell in perfect safety and joy and fellowship and pleasure throughout eternity. Minnie is there right now enjoying that fellowship with Jesus and with others, especially with her family. John Calvin wrote, "True salvation [is] when the Lord–either by life or by death–conducts us into His kingdom. And Paul, by ascribing to God this work of ‘preserving us to his kingdom,’ openly affirms that we are guided by His hand during the whole course of our life, till, having discharged the whole of our warfare, we obtain the victory." XXI, p. 271 Calvin, 2nd Epistle to Timothy We will live in God’s heavenly kingdom in the future in our glorified bodies. ". . . Whom He justified, them He also glorified." Romans 8:30 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34 "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:11 The Apostle Paul "sat alone in a dark, filthy prison, facing Nero's certain sentence of death. He was not bitter but, like his Lord, prayed for his persecutors." He wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "The time of my departure has come. . . . The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom." 2 Timothy 4:6,18 Death was not something fearful to him. It was merely his "departure" and held no peril for him. Death was simply "the laying aside of his earthly dwelling." It was a move from his demanding and painful life on earth to the infinitely glorious life of peace and rest to come when he would forever be with the Lord.  One of the old Bible scholars from years gone by, William Barclay, explained what the word "departure" meant in the Greek language: it is from analusis which has several meanings and gives at least four vivid pictures of how the apostle Paul viewed his last days on earth before going home to be with his Lord:  1. It is the word for unyoking an animal from the shafts of the cart or the plough. Death to Paul was rest from toil. He would be glad to lay the burden down. . . . 2. It is the word for loosening bonds or fetters. Death for Paul was a liberation and a release. He was to exchange the confines of a Roman prison for the glorious liberty of the courts of heaven. 3. It is the word for loosening the ropes of a tent. For Paul it was time to strike camp again. Many a journey he had made across the roads of Asia Minor and of Europe. Now he was setting out on his last and his greatest journey: he was taking the road that led to God.  4. It is the word for loosening the mooring ropes of a ship. Many a time Paul had sailed the Mediterranean, and had felt the ship leave the harbour for the deep waters. Now he is to launch out into the greatest deep of all; he is setting sail to cross the waters of death to arrive in the haven of eternity." I should add just one word to that beautiful description, that which Jesus promised in John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." That word "take" (paralambano) is very strong. It means that the omnipotent, omnipresent Son of God will Himself come for each one of us when His time has come and personally take us home to be with Him. What great comfort Minnie and I found in these great truths. She knew Jesus was coming for her personally. Only a few months before she died, Minnie wrote these words: "Some of us know we are dying sooner rather than later. Others die with no warning. I have had a lot of time to think about death and dying. I know that Jesus will come for me and take me to heaven where I will be reunited with family members who have gone before. . . ." (Minnie’s Journal, p. 170) And He did come for her–one month ago yesterday. And she is with Him now: "that you also may be where I am."

Dying Slowly

        She knew what was happening. Three years of struggling with pancreatic cancer through surgery, chemo, and radiation had taken their toll. She wrote in her journal, "This is something that I had to face head on. We will all be faced with death as God did not create us to live on this earth forever. . . . Some of us know we are dying sooner rather than later. Others die with no warning. I have had a lot of time to think about death and dying. I know that Jesus will come for me and take me to heaven where I will be reunited with family members who have gone before. . . ."
        "Thinking of leaving those I love is painful, but I have to trust the Lord to be their comfort and to take care of them. It is wonderful that the Lord gave us memories so we can think back as promises that help us think ahead.  If we know the Lord Jesus, we will be together in Heaven."
         "I made a decision that I did not want a funeral mourning my death-but memorial services to celebrate my life and all the Lord has done for me. I know my loved ones will mourn, but I hope it will not be as the world mourns-but as people with confidence that their Mimi is in Heaven with the Lord."
          Facing death, Minnie had a tranquility of the soul, not dependent upon her doleful outward circumstances but on her inner strength from God. She told many people who came to talk to her that she had perfect peace within her heart. And she knew where that peace came from. She wrote, "May my family remember that my strength was from the Lord. . . . May the God of all comfort be our comfort. Let's be grateful for all the good years together."
          To the very end she wanted to comfort her family and reassure them that all was well. She wrote, "I hope my family will remember that I loved each one of them with all of my heart. . . . The oncologist was clear that medically, nothing else can be done. So I am where I have always been-in God's hands. . . ."
        Three things marked my wife's encounter with death: 1) looking to the Lord for strength and finding it there; 2) taking the perspective of eternity, confident that the promises of scripture were true. Two years ago I heard her pray, "Thank you, Lord, for 70 years of good health, strength, and energy. And 3) living life one day at a time, seeking the simple things in life she could be thankful for in spite of nausea, weakness and pain. There were times of respite and enjoyment and pleasurable conversation as her struggles brought us even closer together. She never stopped being thankful. One of the last things we heard her say was, "God has given me so much happiness!"
                                                                              -Minnie Burnside