can be that the Saviour came to free us from such terror (Hebrews 2:14, 15). Christians have often been tor tured for their faith. To the imag ination of the unbelieving, few things could be worse than those suffered by Christians. From this perspective, death has sometimes been called a greater blessing. Such an idea, however, is a distortion of the Biblical picture. Death is never described in the Bible as a gain over the worst of this life. It is al ways portrayed as an improvement on the best of this life. This is what Paul meant in this testimony (Phil- ippians 1:21, 22.) The Apostle had been enriched by his fellowship with Christ (1:21). He was confident that the Saviour would be magnified in the way that he lived or died. He was filled with delight that his work at Philippi had prospered. These facts ful filled his deepest desire. Conse quently, all of the statements that surround his circumstances at Rome were absolutely optimistic. It may be that for us life and death look like two evils of which we know not which is the lesser. Paul, on the other hand, saw them as two immense blessings. On either side of the veil Jesus Christ was all things to him. What are the benefits of death to those who trust Christ? First of all, there is freedom from the evil of this world. Then, there is con formity to the image of Christ. Finally, there is fellowship with the Saviour forever. Dr. Harry Ironside put it this way, "We shall be free from evil. We shall be like Jesus Christ. And we shall be with Him." The unbeliever may not desire holiness, preferring to wallow in
his own sin. The one who has tasted the delight of Cod's right eousness longs for a purity that he will never experience here on earth. He longs to be free of pain, care and anxiety. Death will certainly bring this kind of freedom (Philip- pians 1:21-26). Paul knew that he would leave all evil and sin behind him when he went through the portals of death into the very pres ence of the Lord. He had a pas sionate desire to be with the Lord (vs. 23). The Bible also speaks of death for the believer as being "sleep." Stephen in Acts 7:60 is said to have fallen "asleep" when his earthly life was brought to an end through merciless stoning. Christ spoke of Lazarus as having fallen asleep (John 11:11). Paul, in I Thessalon- ians 4:15 spoke of the "sleep" of the believers. This does not mean that the soul is lulled off. The Bible nowhere teaches "soul sleeping." Jesus taught that this reference to sleep was figurative. There are other verses in the Bible that teach an immediate pas sage of the believer into the pres ence of the Lord at death. We could not say, "For to me to live is Christ and 'soul sleep' is gain." This sim ply teaches that in death, for the believer in Christ, the individual is free of the cares that trouble life. He is now partaker of the peace that has a heavenly origin for all eternity. One of the greatest benefits of the believer's death is to be like Jesus Christ (I John 3:2). Death brings a final perfection of that spiritual growth which began on earth at the time of salvation. We shall be like Him in righteousness (II Timothy 4:8). This thought is
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