Psalms 48:14
“For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”
“Death is a fall that came by a fall. To die is to be no more unhappy, if we consider death aright. ‘Oh,’ says one, ‘that I could see death, not as it was—but as you, Lord, have now made it!’ Death is the greatest monarch and the most ancient king of the world. ‘Death reigned from Adam to Moises,’ says Paul. Oh! but the Lord Jesus has, as it were, disarmed death, and triumphed over death. He has taken away its sting, so that it cannot sting us, and we may play with it, and put in into our bosoms, as we may a snake whose sting is pulled out. The apostle, upon this consideration, challenges death, and out-braves death, and bids death do his worst. ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)” ~Thomas Brooks
“When the human hands unclasp, His divine hands will clasp ours the more firmly. When beloved human faces fade out, His lovely countenance will shine above us in all its glorious brightness. When we must creep out of the bosom of human affection, it will be only into the clasp of the everlasting arms, into the bosom of Christ! Death's loneliness, will thus be filled with divine companionship.” ~J.R. Miller
“No one can open the 'door of death' to a believer — but Jesus! And he always does it at the best moment, and in the best manner, for 'precious in the sight of the Lord — is the death of his saints!'" ~James Smith
“The valley may be long, and dark, and damp for us! But Jesus has passed through it, and driven everything injurious from it. Besides which, he will be WITH us in the valley of the shadow of death. He said to his servant John, 'Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.' (Revelation 1:17-18) My aged friend, do not be frightened at a mere shadow! Do not be afraid to go where Jesus has gone before you.” ~James Smith
“Even here, at the distance we are from our final resting place—we can see enough to make our hearts leap for joy! There, shining in the light of the Lamb—is the Holy City, the end of our weary pilgrimage. See its streets gleaming with sheen of gold. Count its pearly gates, its buildings, its courts, and its walls with their foundations of all manner of precious gems. Mark its white-robed inhabitants, now passing in joyous procession down the crystal streets. As we stand gazing, do we not hear the musical ripple of the water of life mingled with the distant echoes of the Redemption song? Is it fond fancy? or do we not see forms and faces lost to us for many long years now shining with unearthly beauty, and beckoning us onward—heavenward—homeward?
But a few more days—but a few steps onward, and perhaps we shall be there! Our infirmities will come to an end, this worn-out tabernacle of the flesh will fall off, then will be renewed our youth, our health, our vigor! Then will have passed forever away—pain and suffering, temptation and sin; then shall we once more clasp the beloved ones in our arms. Oh, the joyous welcomes, the happy gatherings, of that distant land! Then shall we see as we are seen, and know as we are known. Then shall be unfolded to us the joy of that tender love which has followed us all the days of our life, and has brought us safe home at last. Then shall we see Jesus face to face, and gaze with our own eyes on His wounded side and pierced hands and feet. Oh, joy of all joys, nothing shall separate us from His love! We shall be in His presence for evermore!” ~Forbes Winslow
“The evening of life! Have these words a melancholy sound? They tell, it is true, that the bright sunshine of youth and manhood — is past; that the health and the energy which impelled our steps in the path of usefulness and renown — have departed; that the night of death will soon gather round us, when we must close our eyes upon all that is loved and lovely here.
But are these facts unwelcome to the Christian? Nay, they are rather the incentives of his hope and his joy! Long a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth — they assure him that he is now on the borders of that country which he has so earnestly been seeking! The worldling may mourn over the flowers which have withered in his grasp — but the Christian has a treasure laid up in Heaven — and his heart is there also. The orphan spirit may shrink from the prospect of an unknown eternity; but the child of God cannot but rejoice in the thought of soon going home.
The evening of life! Aged Christian, an everlasting morning will soon dawn upon your redeemed and perfected spirit. 'Now is your salvation nearer than when you believed.' Mark with thankfulness the shadows of evening, as they deepen around you, for they are the necessary precursors of the coming eternal day. Calmly and trustingly as an infant that slumbers on its mother's bosom, you will soon 'sleep in Jesus,' to awake in that purer and happier world, which has 'no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God enlightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.' 'Absent from the body,' you will at once be 'present with the Lord;' you will 'behold his face in righteousness;' you will 'be satisfied, when you awake, with his likeness!'" ~Anonymous
“At the resurrection, the soul and body shall be reunited; and the body which shall be raised will have no frailties or susceptibilities of distress. It is comfort for the aged saint, aching with the weariness of a hard pilgrimage, to muse on the day when his body shall be newly fitted for the service of the soul, and when he shall emerge into the balmy springtide of perpetual youth. He knows that he shall exchange the solitude and neglect of a world where he has long felt himself a stranger, for the associations of that communion to which the wise, and holy, and blessed of all nations, churches, and times have been adding themselves for ages. Groaning under the consciousness of imperfection in his best services, he lights up with rapture at the thought of a world where he shall glorify God without weariness, intermission, or defect. Remembering the clouds and darkness of his sad journey, he longs for the perfect light in which he shall see face to face, and know even as also he is known. This hope of eternal glory, which brightens as graces become mature, may be considered the prime consolation of old age. Where it is possessed in large measure, it is a full restitution for losses, and an antidote to the poisonous influences of this mortal condition.” ~James W. Alexander
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Psalms 23:6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
Psalms 17:15
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”
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