Will you be better off when you die?

In his book When Loved Ones Are Taken In Death, Lehman Strauss made some interesting comments about the Greek word translated “departure” in 2 Timothy 4:6. He wrote, “It is used metaphorically in a nautical way as when a vessel pulls up anchor to loose from its moorings and set sail, or in a military way as when an army breaks encampment to move on. In the ancient Greek world this term was used also for freeing someone from chains and for the severing of a piece of goods from the loom. This is what death is as described in the Bible. Here, we are anchored to the hardships and heartaches of this life. In death, the gangway is raised, the anchor is weighed, and we set sail for the golden shore. In death, we break camp here to start for heaven.” The question is, “Will you be better off when you die?”

No matter how good we may have it in this life, no matter how happy we may be, no matter how rich we may be, no matter how healthy we may be, heaven will be better! No matter how bad we may have it in this life, no matter how sad, lonely, depressed we may be, no matter how poor we may be, no matter how sick we may be, hell will be worse!

Selfishly we may want to stay in this life, but we know that we must die to spend eternity with God. Death is an appointment that we can’t escape. There is an assurance of the resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 1:19-23; Hebrews 9:26-28). Peter gave us a great example to follow (2 Peter 1:12-15). He was ready and prepared to leave this world. He had fought for the Lord. He had dedicated his life to God’s service.

Will YOU be better off when you die? Each of us must answer that question. If the answer is “No,” then contact us for further study so that you can have assurance of your eternal state.

Kyle Campbell