HEAVEN’S INTEREST IN THE DEATH OF THE SAINTS
These scriptures speak about heaven’s interest in the death of the saints. Death itself is a most solemn thing, it solemnises the bravest and the boldest. It is a matter that has affected God beyond what we could ever feel or measure; it says He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, see Ezek 33: 11. Yet through the work of Christ, through the preciousness of that Holy One having been into death, God has made it a servant, He has brought spoil out of it, by the resurrection of Christ.
In the book of Revelation which contains a good deal of woes, there are certain times the word “blessed” is used and this is one of them. It says, “I heard a voice out of the heaven saying, Write, Blessed the dead who die in the Lord”. It is heaven speaking here, amidst all the calamities, and while the setting of the passage is referring to another day, the application of it would remain—“Blessed the dead who die in the Lord”. It could not be said of every believer, but it was true of our brother, he died in the Lord. The expression means to die in harness; he could have retired, he had much cause to sit back, but he was an overcomer. May we be encouraged to do that, dear brethren, that however dark the days, however much the opposition, however great the breakdown, may we set ourselves to die in service; die in harness! Naboth in the Old Testament (1 Kings 21: 3) who would not sell his inheritance, while under great pressure to settle for something less, he died in the Lord. Many others we could speak of; Urijah the Hittite, told to go to his house, he says, Where is the ark? Where is the testimony? Where are the servants of my lord? There I want to be, see 2 Sam 11. May we be committed; dear brethren, to the work, committed to what heaven is interested in, the testimony here that is precious to heaven.
Think of all the sorrows of this book, and heaven’s pleasure in saying, “Blessed the dead who die in the Lord”. Then the Spirit answers, “Yea, saith the Spirit”. Not only heaven, but the Spirit of God is here, it says, “Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours”. There will be a resting time, it is not at the moment—“that they may rest from their labours; for their works follow with them”. What an encouragement, dear brethren, that heaven is so interested in the death of the saints, interposed like this in this book with this precious “Blessed”. Well, may we be encouraged to be committed to His interests to be among those who die in the Lord. The testimony is still here beset by foes, with much weakness in the way we do things, but there are the things of the Lord, to be attended to, I would say the things of our Lord. Can you say, The things of my Lord? Our brother took them up like that.
In Thessalonians there is another expression. It is very beautiful the way that heaven is interested there in the saints. It speaks of them as “those who have fallen asleep through Jesus”. Think of that precious touch, which can be applied to our brother too; the One that he loved, that Name so dear, he has “fallen asleep through Jesus”. “The dead in Christ”, that is another expression; it would include every believer; every one who has put their trust in Christ. Even in death they are distinguished from unbelievers, “The dead in Christ”, it says, “shall rise first”. See how the Lord has control over death. We have proved His sympathy, His succour and priestly grace and mercy and love in our lives, but even in death it is not absent. He is still there—“asleep through Jesus”, and now “the dead in Christ”—they are well cared for, dear brethren, the most already with Him. Paul says about that portion that it is very much better. Our brother is already there; his spirit already with Christ, which is very much better. It says, “and the dead in Christ shall rise first”—a very precious experience for them. There will be those that are alive who will be caught up, but the dead in Christ will make a very precious contribution to the assembly. They have passed through another experience that will add its tone to what the assembly is in its preciousness to Christ. He is in control of the whole matter.
It says, “then we, the living who remain”. I would just like to speak of that word, “the living who remain”; that is all of us here. How are we going to remain? Pleasing ourselves? I think the word has application directly of course to remaining till the coming of the Lord, but, How do we remain? Do we remain in the testimony? May it be so that we will, and find comfort in the love that is not only interested in us in life, but is there present at the very moment of death. He will keep them till that hour of the Father’s own direction when we “shall be caught up together” that very precious word, “together with them ... to meet the Lord in the air”. May this hope be kept brighter in our hearts for His Name’s sake.
REDBRIDGE
12th June 1991
At a burial meeting