In Part I of this series we discussed how believers ought to prepare for heaven by seeking to live
our lives here on earth as we will one day in heaven. In Part II we considered ways we ought to
prepare for leaving this scene, particularly making sure there are no souls who are hurting or
stumbled because of our sinful or un-Christlike behavior.

Preparation for the Death Event Itself

The way people die is very unpredictable. Some die suddenly, unexpectedly, without symptoms,
and without warning. Others die slowly, and often painfully, as disease destroys the organs of the
body. We do not have much say in how, when, or even if we are going to die. (Remember, the
Lord may return before we die; 1 Thess. 4:17.) So how can we prepare?

I suggest that we can begin even now praying that the Holy Spirit will give us the ability to be a
bright, positive testimony for our blessed Saviour as we die, just as we desire to do so as we live.
A Christian brother told me a few years ago that he often prayed that the Lord would take him
before his mind should deteriorate to the point of possibly saying or doing anything that would
dishonor Christ.

Just a week ago, as I write this, I attended the funeral of a dear fellow believer, Brother D. There
I learned of both the horrible pain he suffered the last week or two before his death and his shining
testimony for Christ in the midst of his suffering. The brother who gave the funeral message told
of a local pastor who came to the hospital to visit Brother D’s roommate. After listening to the
pastor give empty, humanistic words of hope and comfort to the man in the next bed, Brother D
mustered up all of his strength and said, "The most important question is, What do you think of
Christ?" The pastor replied, "Well, yes, that is something to consider." To this, Brother D
responded, "That is the only consideration." How wonderful it would be if we all had such
spiritual boldness and energy, not just on our death beds but during our active lives as well!

An African tribal elder who was more than 100 years old told the story of when missionaries first
came to his district, 100 years previously. He recalled, "We didn’t understand their message and
we thought their ways strange. So, as a tribe, we decided to poison them slowly. I’m the only
living survivor who knows this story." During the next few years, those early pioneer missionaries
and some of their children died one by one, victims of what the mission thought to be the rigors
of Christian service in Africa. But the people of the tribe knew better. After some years, the
people of the district began to turn from animism to Christianity. "It wasn’t because of the way
they lived," the old man said, "but it was how they died that turned our hearts to God." (This
account is by Terry Madison, published in the World Vision magazine, Childlife.)

In 1563, John Foxe published a book that became known as The Book of Martyrs. In it he
described the lives and deaths of men and women–from the first century apostles down to his own
day–who were martyred for their steadfast faith in Christ and for teaching from the Bible. Let us
look at the final words of a few of these martyrs as reported by Foxe:

Polycarp, Smyrna, about 155 A.D. "The proconsul again urged him, saying, ‘Swear, and I will
release thee–reproach Christ.’

"Polycarp answered, ‘Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never once wronged me;
how then shall I blaspheme my King who has saved me?’…

"’I will tame thee with fire,’ said the proconsul.

"Then said Polycarp, ‘You threaten me with fire that burns for an hour and is soon extinguished,
but the fire of the future judgment and of eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly you are
ignorant of. But why do you delay? Do whatever you please.’…

"When they would have fastened him to the stake, he said, ‘Leave me as I am, for He who gives
me strength to sustain the fire will enable me also, without your securing me with nails, to remain
without flinching in the pile.’ Upon which they bound him without nailing him. So he said thus,
‘O Father, I bless Thee that Thou hast counted me worthy to receive my portion among the
number of martyrs.’"

John Oldcastle, London, 1418. "As he was come to the place of execution … he fell down
devoutly upon his knees, desiring Almighty God to forgive his enemies. Then stood he up and
beheld the multitude, exhorting them in a most godly manner to follow the laws of God written
in the Scriptures, and to beware of such teachers as they see contrary to Christ in their
conversation and living. Then was he hanged up alive in the fire, praising the name of God so long
as his life lasted."

William Tyndale, Vilvorde, Belgium, 1536. "Brought forth to the place of execution, he was tied
to the stake … crying at the stake with a fervent zeal and a loud voice, ‘Lord! Open the King of
England’s eyes.’"

Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Oxford, England, 1555. As his execution approached, Latimer
prayed particularly "that God of His mercy would restore His Gospel to England once again; and
these words ‘once again, once again,’ he did so beat into the ears of the Lord God, as though he
had seen God before him and spoken to Him face to face…. How mercifully the Lord heard his
… request in restoring His Gospel once again unto [England]….

"When he stood at the stake … and the tormentors about to set the fire to him … he lifted up his
eyes toward heaven with an amiable and comfortable countenance, saying these words, ‘God is
faithful, who does not suffer us to be tempted above our strength.’"

Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake along with Hugh Latimer. When they brought a flaming
torch and laid it down at Ridley’s feet, Latimer said to Ridley, ‘Be of good comfort, Master
Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as
I trust shall never be put out.’"

We must not pass by two more sterling examples from the pages of Scripture. Stephen, as he was

being stoned to death, cried out, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing
on the right hand of God…. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit…. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge"
(Acts 7:54-60). And finally, let us listen to some of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself from the
cross:"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…. Verily I say unto you, Today you
shall be with Me in paradise." "Behold your son! … Behold your mother!" "My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me?" "It is finished."

Few, if any, of our North American readers are in danger of being executed because of our faith
in Christ. However, in other parts of the world tens of thousands of Christians lose their lives each
year because of their faith. If the Lord should tarry another couple of decades, such a thing is
entirely possible in North America as well.

But given our present state of safety and security, what can we learn from these accounts from
Scripture and from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs? I believe they encourage us to approach old age,
infirmity, diminution of physical powers, decreasing independence, serious illness, pain, and death
with calmness, faith, contentment, and continual dependence upon the Lord. Listen to the Apostle
Paul’s words from the Roman prison:"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things
I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:11- 13). Also, after recounting the many trials
and troubles he experienced in service for the Lord, the Apostle writes, "I will glory of the things
that concern my infirmities…. Most gladly … will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities,
in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor.
11:23- 12:10). In the same epistle, the Apostle encourages the suffering saints on the basis of their
assurance of eternal life:"For our momentary and light affliction works for us in surpassing
measure an eternal weight of glory" (4:17 JND). Even excruciating pain for months or years will
be seen as "momentary and light" once we get to heaven.

Preparation for the Death of a Loved One

The counsel here is of the same order as that given in Part II, "Preparation for Leaving Earth,"
in the previous issue. Especially important is the need to confess and clear up any wrongs we have
done against others before death removes the opportunity. I read once about a young Christian
woman, perhaps college age, who had a poor relationship with her mother. On a particular
occasion, they exchanged angry words over the telephone and the daughter hung up on her
mother. That night the mother died very suddenly of a stroke or heart attack. The daughter,
understandably, was devastated, filled with remorse and guilt, having no way to obtain her
mother’s forgiveness.

When there are unresolved conflicts with one who is now deceased, it can take a long, long time
to work through and overcome one’s grief because of the impossibility of being fully reconciled
this side of heaven.

We sometimes hear the advice:"Do not do anything you would not want to be found doing at the

moment the Lord comes." We might add to this:"Do not say or do anything to another person that
you would regret for the rest of your life should that person suddenly die before you have had an
opportunity to be reconciled." The Lord Jesus’ counsel in His Sermon on the Mount bears
repeating:"If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything
against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly while you are in
the way with Him, lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver
you to the officer, and you be cast into prison" (Matt. 5:23-25). The "prison" here could in certain
instances refer to the chains of guilt and remorse.

It is easier to deal with the reverse situation. If the one who has died is the offender and you are
the offended one, it is your privilege to forgive the offender, "even as God for Christ’s sake has
forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). Let us not be like the woman I met once who was still bitter toward
her husband twenty years after he had died. What an emotional and physical toll such bitterness
took on that woman!

In the next issue we shall consider further aspects of dealing with the death of a loved one.