Dying Grace

















    Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be
    sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.
     
    If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and
    to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    (Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
     
    You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready
    to learn Truth from the Word of God.
     
    "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth."
    (John 4:24)
     
    THE CHALLENGE OF PHYSICAL DEATH.
     
    INEVITABLY, ALL OF US WILL FACE PHYSICAL DEATH. Some of us will
    die painfully, some peacefully, and some honorably. Some will fall asleep and
    never awaken; others will go out in a blaze of glory fighting for freedom on
    the battlefield. Think of the courageous men in the United States Navy with
    their carrier after the battle of Midway. Trapped in airtight compartments,
    they endured the remaining moments of life in darkness knowing that
    between them and the waves and the sky above was absolutely nothing but
    tons of water.  Yet they had to sit there fully aware that sooner or later, the
    oxygen would run out and they would die. What would you do if you were in
    one of those airtight compartments, still alive but hundreds and hundreds of
    feet from the surface? Would you panic? Would you fall apart?
         Nothing produces greater fear in the human race than the thought of
    physical death. Satan, as the ruler of this world, (John 16:11) uses death as
    a lever to frighten and worry man. (Heb 2:14-15) However, God never
    designed dying to be horrible or frightening for the believer in the Lord Jesus
    Christ. The omniscience of God knows precisely how long you are going to
    remain on earth, and when He decides to take you home, it will be at the right
    time, at the right place, and in the right way. Until then, nothing can remove
    you from this life — no person, no circumstance, not even the devil and all the
    forces of evil — “...because greater is He who is in you than he who is in this
    world.” (1Jn 4:4)
         God’s plan for every believer is to have a wonderful death, a time to be
    anticipated as the dessert of life. Whether facing danger or enduring a
    prolonged, painful illness, never does the believer need to fear or worry about
    death. God has assigned a specific death to each believer and He graciously
    supplies every need to make dying the best, the sweetest part of living.
         God’s plan can be fulfilled only through the believer’s inculcation and
    application of the Word of God. Only the believer with maximum Truth
    resident in his soul has the capacity to appreciate and experience all of the
    fantastic blessings and happiness of dying grace. His death may or may not
    include great physical pain. However, there will be maximum tranquility of soul
    so that he departs from his physical body in a state of supreme happiness.
    Death for the believer with Divine Thinking in his soul; will be a walk across
    the high golden bridge of dying grace; from phase two into phase three.
    (Eternity) Dying grace is the ultimate departure from this life.

    WHY PHYSICAL DEATH?

         Before we can study dying grace, we must understand exactly what death
    is. The word “death” in the Scripture does not always refer to departure from
    life on earth. In fact, the Bible speaks of ten kinds of death. (Spiritual,
    (Rom 5:12) physical, (Php 1:21) temporal, (1Co 3:1) [Men of flesh or carnal]
    sexual, (Rom 4:19) the sin unto death, (1Jn 5:16) productional, (Jas 2:17)
    uselessness of the body of flesh, (Rom 8:10) the second death, (Rev 20:14)
    retroactive positional death, (Col 3:3) and experiential death, (Mark 8:34-38)
    to the old sin nature) For the purpose of this study we will focus on only two
    categories of death: Spiritual death-the separation or alienation of man from
    God, (Rom 3:23) and physical death-the separation of the human soul, which
    is the real person, from the body, which is man’s earthly tent. (2Co 5:1-4)
    To understand why man does not live forever on the earth, we must go back
    to the origin of Spiritual death.                  
         In the Garden, God graciously warned Adam and the women that His
    judgment on disobedience, or sin, would be Spiritual death.

         “But from the tree of the knowledge of good [God’s Thinking] and evil
    [Satan’s thinking] you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall
    surely die.”(Gen 2:17) cf. (Heb 5:14)

    We know that the statement “You shall surely die” does not refer to physical
    death because Adam and the women did not immediately die physically when
    they violated God’s Command. They did, however, immediately die
    Spiritually; (Gen 3:7) they lost their human spirit and acquired a sin nature.”
    You shall surely die” refers to Spiritual death, separation from God in time.
    Adam’s newly acquired status of Spiritual death also caused all the future
    generations to be plunged into Spiritual death. (Rom 5:12-14) With the
    exception of Jesus Christ, every person is born Spiritually dead. (Eph 2:1)
         At the end of, (Gen 3:17) we learn from the phrase “all the days of your
    life” that physical death is a consequence of Spiritual death. At some point in
    time each member of the human race will die physically, separation of the
    soul from the body so that the person no longer lives on planet earth. The
    soul, however, never dies, but lives forever in Heaven, the Abyss or the Lake
    of Fire.
         Physical death was therefore introduced as a vital issue in the angelic
    conflict. Since man was created to resolve this age-old conflict by choosing
    for or against God’s plan, his time on earth becomes significant. God allots
    each individual a specific number of days which he may choose for or against
    His plan. When this time runs out physical death occurs.
         And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once [Physically] and after
    this comes judgment. (Heb 9:27)

    GOD PROVIDES THE SOLUTIONS

         GOD IS HOLY. (1Sa 2:2) God’s integrity — holiness, is composed of His
    perfect righteousness and justice. God’s righteousness is the Standard
    Principal of his integrity; His justice is the function of His integrity. What God’s
    righteousness accepts, His justice blesses. What God’s righteousness
    rejects, His justice judges? Since God’s righteousness can have nothing to do
    with Spiritually dead mankind, His justice can only condemn him. Yet knowing
    that man [Adam] would sin and fail, the love and integrity of God provided a
    way for man to have a relationship with Him. Man could come to God through
    his grace policy.
            Grace is the expression of God’s unfailing love and integrity, the policy
    of His unmerited favor bestowed on sinful humanity. (Isa 30:18) Simply
    stated, grace is freely given and undeserved. God does everything for man
    based on the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. (Eph 1:6) Grace
    began in eternity past with God and is the Divine initiative that offers a
    relationship and blessings to mankind, totally apart from human merit, human
    works, or any other human resources. Mankind can do nothing to earn or
    deserve grace. God’s grace plan of Salvation not only demonstrates His
    perfect character, but ensures Satan’s defeat in the angelic conflict.
    (Gen 3:15)
         “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
    whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
         On the one hand, the righteousness and justice of God necessitate both
    Spiritual and physical death. On the other hand, His righteousness and justice
    are propitiated by the work of Christ on the cross; on our behalf.

         He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might
    become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Co 5:21) 

         God is now free to provide solutions to the greatest problem of man. The
    problem of man’s Spiritual death is solved by means of his non-meritorious
    faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. At the moment of Salvation, the new believer
    instantly receives a human spirit into which the Holy Spirit imputes eternal life
    making him Spiritually alive, or “born again.” (John 3:6-7) The problem of the
    believer’s physical death — fear — is solved through his inculcation of Truth
    and advance toward Spiritual maturity where he will inevitably receive
    wonderful Divine blessings in dying grace.

    THE DEATH OF THE UNBELIEVER

         For the unbeliever who does not possess eternal life, physical death
    presents a grim picture. In, (Job 24:17) Job says, speaking of the unbeliever
    facing death, “For the morning is the same as the death shadow.”
    (Corrected translation) The brightness of the morning means nothing to the
    dying unbeliever. He is so frightened by the thought of death that the time of
    day or his environment mean nothing to him; he is in a state of terror. Elihu
    agreed with Job about the unbeliever facing death in, (Job 34:22) when he
    said, “There is no darkness nor death shadow where the workers of iniquity
    may hide themselves.” (Corrected translation) There is no place where the
    unbeliever can hide from the REALITY of death. When he dies, his soul goes
    to Hades to await the Last Judgment.
         To the unbeliever death is a reminder that his time on earth is short.
    (James 4:14) Even if he lives a hundred years, that is still a short time
    compared to eternity. Death is also a reminder of this world’s fading glory.
    Human celebrity ship or vast wealth or any supposed key to happiness which
    has been frantically sought after in life is destroyed by death. Gaius Julius
    Caesar was a man of true greatness, a man of genius in every realm of life,
    but where is he today? He “appears” to be in Hades waiting to be transferred
    to the lake of fire at the last judgment. He as an unbeliever would be in
    Torments now and will be in torment forever. (Matt 25:41; Luk 16:23;
    Rev 20:14-15) What profit to him now are his greatness and well deserved
    fame and glory? None at all.  For once a person begins to die, all these
    things fade away — sic transit Gloria mundi, “so the glory of the world
    passes away.” Only the eternal things remain forever!  
         "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his
    soul? "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37)
    Whatever enjoyment the unbeliever and or carnal believer had in life or
    whatever his accomplishments, all will become bitter memories. For the
    unbeliever there is no hope beyond the grave — only anticipation of eternal
    judgment.
         The unbeliever and carnal believer facing death are also reminded that
    they dare not take tomorrow for granted. Death is a specter of the certainty
    of judgment for those who are unprepared.
         For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; [Unbeliever] You have
    destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. [Carnal believer] (Psa 73:27)
    The only preparation for eternity is the most important decision of life:
    choosing to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior (Acts 16:31) and for the believer
    to stay in fellowship and Think with Truth.
         But as for me, [Spiritually mature believer] the nearness of God is my
    good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your
    works. (Psa 73:28)
    On the one hand,
         He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not
    believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)
     But on the other hand,
         “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the
    Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides in him.” (John 3:36)
    For the unbeliever, death means eternal judgment in the lake of fire.
         If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown
    into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:15)
    For the carnal believer, few lashes many lashes, (Luk 12:41-50) or the
    Abyss. (Matt 8:11-12; Jud 1:11-15; (2Pe 2:15-17; Rev 20:1-3)
         For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast [Tartaroo;
    from Tartaros] them into hell [Tartaroo; the deepest Abyss of Hades] and
    committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; (2Pe 2:4)
         For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have
    heard, so that we [Believers] do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken
    through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience
    received a just penalty, how will we [Believers] escape if we neglect so great
    a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was
    confirmed to us [Believers] by those who heard. (Heb 2:1-3)
         There is no way we can or want to minimize the horror of death.
    (Mark 9:47-50) We must face this stark Reality if we are not prepared for
    eternity. (Psa 89:48)

         For if we [Believers] go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of
    the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying
    expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL
    CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. [From; Nah 1:2] Anyone who has set aside
    the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three
    witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who
    has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the
    blood of the [New] Covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the
    Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL
    REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." It is a
    terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Heb 10:26-31)
         Yet, God does not tamper with the free will of anyone. (1Ti 2:4; (2Pe 3:9)

    THE DEATH OF A GROWING BELIEVER

         In contrast to the unbeliever and the carnal believer’s terrifying prospect,
    the death of a Spiritual growing believer in dying grace is absolutely fantastic.
    (Psa 116:15; Prov 11:4; Prov 13:14; Eccles 7:1; (1Co 15:55) Besides
    removing all fears and uncertainties of death, dying grace is superior to all the
    blessings in life because of Who and What Christ IS and His magnificent
    provision in His written Word. Through maximum Truth resident in his soul, the
    believer is able to look back on his life with no regrets and with great
    satisfaction. At the same time, he faces eternity with the exhilarated
    anticipation of meeting the Lord of Glory face to face. With unwavering
    confidence, the believer with maximum Truth in his soul looks forward to
    receiving his eternal blessings and rewards provided by God in eternity past.
    (1Co 2:9; Eph 1:3;  Eph 2:7; Php 3:14; Rev 2:10;  Rev 2:28; Rev 3:4-5)
         Why is it that dying grace seems to be the exclusive privilege of those
    believers with maximum Truth in their souls? Would not a loving God want all
    His children to have great happiness in their last moments on earth? Can God
    be unfair? Absolutely not! It is impossible for perfect God to be anything but
    totally just and fair in everything He does. How, then, can we explain this
    apparent inconsistency?

    BLESSING IN DYING

        Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on
    high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How
    blessed are those who long for Him. [Patience and dedication to the
    persistent intake of Truth] (Isa 30:18)    

         All blessing is a matter of God’s grace. The omnipotence of God has the
    power and ability to bless the believer. From eternity past, the omniscience of
    God has always known exactly how to bless the believer. However, in the
    exercise of any of His Divine attributes God must conform to the demands of
    His own perfect righteousness. So God’s justice says, “Wait! Certain
    righteous Standards must be met before I can give anything by way of
    blessing to sinful man.”
         Only God could Think of a way for sinful man to fulfill His righteous
    Standards and be blessed without compromising His character. God begins
    by imputing His Divine righteousness to the believer at the moment of
    Salvation. (Rom 3:22; (1Co 1:30; (2Co 5:21; Php 3:9) Imputed righteousness
    is the basis for our justification. Imputed righteousness makes the believer the
    object of God’s eternal, Personal love. Since God seeks the highest and best
    for the objects of His love, in eternity past he provided phenomenal blessings
    including dying grace for every believer. Imputed righteousness is also a
    target for all subsequent blessings from God. The imputation of Divine
    righteousness sets up a ‘grace pipeline’ that is encapsulated from any system
    of human works or merit and through which God can bless the believer.

                                         Illustration

         In every phase of the Divine plan, the believer functions under his
    nonmeritorious volition to believe in and appropriate the blessings God has
    accomplished on his behalf. First, because Christ, the Son of God
    was  judged on the cross by God the father for all the sins of the entire
    human race, all we need to do is believe in the saving work of Christ for
    Salvation. (1Pe 2:24) Second because Christ has already paid the penalty for
    our sins on the cross, we simply rebound — name our sins to God — to
    recover fellowship with Him after we have sinned. ...God is “faithful and
    righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
    (1Jn 1:9) And finally, because His Thinking — the Word of God, the “Mind of
    Christ” (1Co 2:16) — saturates our souls by means of the grace apparatus
    for perception for learning Truth, (Operation Z) we can advance to Spiritual
    maturity where we have maximum capacity to be showered with magnificent
    blessings for living and dying. (Psa 138:2) However, to receive blessings from
    God, capacity for blessing must precede blessing. All capacity in the Spiritual
    life is based on knowledge of Truth. The more Truth the believer knows, the
    greater his capacity for blessing from God. Only from the soul filled with God’
    s Thinking can God the Holy Spirit produce the inner blessings of tranquility,
    happiness and confidence to combat the usual panic, dread and instability
    that accompanying dying.

             Behold, the eye of the Lord [A reference to Divine protection and
    blessing] is on those who fear [Stay in fellowship with] Him, [Mature believers
    who are occupied with the Thinking of God] On those who hope [Have
    confident expectation] for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul [Dying
    grace] from death. And to keep them alive in famine. (Psa 33:18-19)

         Why is the “eye of the Lord” on those who are occupied with the Mind of
    Christ? Because the believer who has Spiritually matured is fully adjusted to
    God’s justice! He has followed the Divine plan by adjusting to the justice of
    God in Salvation, rebound, and Spiritual growth so that he has the capacity to
    receive dying grace blessings. Being occupied with Christ and His Thinking is
    Occupation with Christ. (MGG) — Illustration
    God is therefore free to bless him, even with the greatest of all blessings for
    time.

         Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly [Adjusted] ones.
    [Spiritually mature believers] (Psa 116:15)

         As a Spiritually mature believer, your dying moments are highly valuable to
    God because they are His final opportunity to vindicate all of the Truth in your
    soul. Furthermore, bestowing dying grace demonstrates His Divine approval.
    You have glorified God in the angelic conflict. You have pleased Him and it
    gives Him great pleasure to bless you.

    THE TWO DEATHS OF JESUS CHRIST

         No book on the subject of dying would be complete without a study of the
    uniqueness of our Lord’s death. Jesus Christ died twice on the cross; He died
    Spiritually by His separation from fellowship, (In His human nature) with the
    father (Psa 22:1) and then He died physically by dismissing His spirit.
    (John 19:30)

         His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in
    His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His
    mouth. (Isa 53:9)

         Our Lord was on the cross for six hours, from approximately nine o’clock
    in the morning until three o’clock in the afternoon. While He endured
    tremendous physical maltreatment prior to and during the cross,
    (Matt 26:67;  Matt 27:26-35; Mark 14:65; Mark 15:15-26; Luk 22:63-64;
     Luk 23:11; John 18:12; John 18:22; John 19:1-19) He was physically alive
    during the entire period. However, the three-hour span from twelve noon until
    three p.m. was the period of His Spiritual death when the sins of the entire
    world were poured out on Him and judged.
         For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order
    that He might bring us to God. (1Pe 3:18)
    When Jesus Christ shouted, (Tetelestai) “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Jesus
    Christ had paid the penalty for our sins. His substitionary Spiritual death —
    the separation of His impeccable humanity from God the father, and judgment
    on the cross, was the price of our so-great Salvation. (Matt 27:46) Of the
    four Gospel writers who tell us of His last moments on earth, only Luke
    records enough for us to identify the full passage that Christ quoted from the
    psalms:

         Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God
    of Truth. (Psa 31:5)

    This statement is of extreme importance to you as a believer in the Lord
    Jesus Christ, for it reveals the basis for the dynamics of Jesus Christ
    throughout His unique and terrible suffering on the cross — both physical and
    Spiritual. “Truth” is the last word Jesus uttered during the First Advent. The
    inner dynamics of the Truth resident in the soul of our Lord Jesus Christ
    sustained Him for thirty-three years and while He was on the cross; are the
    same dynamics designed to sustain us in both living and dying.
         Just as it was necessary for Christ to suffer Spiritual death and judgment
    to secure our eternal Salvation, so it was necessary for Him to die physically
    in  order to be resurrected — raised from the dead with an immortal human
    body — and glorified at the right hand of God the Father. Without the
    resurrection, ascension, session and glorification of Jesus Christ in His
    resurrection body, in the presence of God the Father, our faith would be in
    vain. (1Co 15:12-17) Resurrection demonstrates that Christ has power over
    death; because He lives, we also will live. (Luk 20:38) The resurrection of
    Jesus Christ gives us absolute confidence in the future, (1Pe 1:3-5;
     (1Pe 1:21) and is a source of tremendous comfort when we face death.
         When the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven, He was seated at the
    right hand of God the Father. (Psa 110:1; Matt 22:44; Mark 12:36;
     Luk 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Heb 1:13; Heb 10:13) The Lord’s session, the
    glorification of His humanity in a resurrection body, indicates that the justice of
    God the Father was completely satisfied by the Salvation work of His Son on
    our behalf. (Acts 2:33; Acts 5:31; Rom 4:25; Php 2:9) As a member of the
    human race, the Lord Jesus Christ has won the strategic victory of the
    angelic conflict; the judicial verdict of God the Father against Satan and the
    fallen angels has been demonstrated to be totally fair.
         In addition, the glorification of Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords
    (Rev 19:16) necessitates God the Father calling out a new, Spiritual, royal
    family, and beginning a new dispensation, the New Covenant Church Age.
    Christ is the “first fruits” and the Spiritually Mature Church Age royal family
    will be next in line to be removed from the earth. (Rev 3:10)
         Seated at the right hand of the Father, Christ continues His ministry as our
    High Priest, “always living to make intercession on behalf of them.” (Royal
    family) (Heb 7:25) Divine Thinking is the heritage of the royal family, as well
    as the source of capacity for every blessing in time and eternity. The Word of
    God resident in your soul as your number one priority guarantees that you will
    share in the supreme victory of all history! Because of our Lord’s Spiritual and
    physical deaths and His subsequent resurrection, ascension, and session as
    the Victor in the angelic conflict, God the Father has given Christ the riches of
    the universe which He will then distribute to Spiritually mature believers.

         As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By
    His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He
    will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I [God the Father] will allot Him [Jesus
    Christ] a portion of [The spoils of victory] with the great, [Spiritually mature
    believers] and He will divide the booty with the strong; [Growing believers]
    Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with
    transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the
    transgressors. [Substitutionary judgment for all] (Isa 53:12)

         As part of the spoils of victory, the Old Testament saints were transferred
    from Paradise, or Abraham’s Bosom, into the third heaven in a triumphal
    procession with Jesus Christ. However, the greatest distribution of spoils
    belongs to Spiritually mature believers. Only the “strong” believer, who
    exploits the heritage of Truth that our Lord emphasized in His final breath on
    the cross, will have the capacity in his soul to receive maximum blessing in
    dying. When the believer’s life is Truth, part of the plunder of victory makes
    his death, dying grace.

    JOB’S DESCRIPTION OF DYING GRACE

         One of the most extensive descriptions of dying blessings in the Bible is
    found in Job 5. However, Job begins his comments on dying grace by
    reminding us that until God decides to take us home, there is nothing that can
    remove us from this life. God has a system of deliverance that is perfect.

         “From six [Categories of] troubles He will deliver you, [Mature believer]
    Even in seven [Categories of trouble] evil will not touch you.” (Job 5:19)

         Four examples of trouble are given in (Job 5:20-21) economic depression,
    social disaster, military defeat, and dying.

         “In famine [Economic depression] He will redeem you from death, And in
    war the power of the sword. You will be hidden from the scourge of the
    tongue, [Maligning and gossiping] Neither will you be afraid of violence when
    it comes.” (Job 5:20-21)

        God can deliver the believer from any catastrophe or disaster of life; none
    are too great for the plan of God. Furthermore, with the inner dynamics of
    Truth in his soul the believer can be completely at ease in any dangerous
    environment because he knows that the Lord Himself has allotted him a right
    time to die and that until then, nothing can remove him from this life. 
             
         “You will laugh [A relaxed mental attitude from the inner dynamics of
    resident Truth and capacity for life] at violence and famine; neither will you be
    afraid of wild beasts. [Any source of lethal danger, including automobiles or
    airplanes today] For you will be in a league with the stones of the field;
    [Ancient weapons of destruction; equivalent today to guns, atomic bombs,
    intercontinental ballistic missiles, etc.] and the beasts of the field [Dangerous
    animals which can kill a man] will be at peace with you.” (Job 5:22-23)

    When God’s appointed time arrives, there is no power in heaven or on earth,
    not even the best efforts of medical science or the protective ability of angelic
    realm that can keep the believer alive. Danger does not bother the mature
    believer because he is grace orientated; he responds to the Divine initiative of
    grace from Truth resident in his soul. He looks forward to dying grace and the
    innumerable, eternal rewards and blessings reserved on deposit for him.

            “And you will know [Through Truth resident in the soul] that your tent
    [Human body] is secure, [Fully aware of what is happening, and anticipating a
    good death] for you will visit your abode [House] and fear no loss. [From
    Crime] (Job 5:24)

         The mature believer also knows that under dying grace he will be able to
    look back on his life with complete serenity, for he will not be worried about
    his family and loved ones left behind.

         “You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your
    offspring as the grass of the earth.” (Job 5:25)

    This does not mean you are going to have many children, rather that more
    mature believers will continue living after you are gone. This places your
    death in its proper prospective in relationship to the Lord and the angelic
    conflict. Knowing this while you are dying means you can objectively view
    those who remain left behind.
         Once you begin to die, you are different from your friends. They are well
    and healthy. You have gone into a new sphere and it’s difficult for them to
    enter into what is happening to you. No matter how many people may be at
    your bedside while you are dying, they cannot go with you. Yet there is
    Someone who accompanies the believer through every stage of dying and He
    is the only One who can — the Lord Jesus Christ!
         The believer in dying grace can help the living go on living. He can assist
    his loved ones to adjust to his departure. His stability and relaxed mental
    attitude help others to relax and put death in its proper prospective. His
    Spiritual maturity enables him to comfort those who must remain behind in the
    angelic conflict while he advances to a state of complete eternal happiness —
    a place of “no more sorrow, no more tears, no more death.” (Rev 21:4)
    God’s timing for your death is perfect, and part of dying grace is to die at the
    right time.

         You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its
    season. (Job 5:26)

         There is a right time and a wrong time to pick corn; only the expert can
    tell whether a shock of corn is green or ripe. Likewise, in the Divine blueprint
    of your life, God is the Expert. God chooses the point in which to harvest you
    from this life so that as a Spiritually mature believer with Truth resident in
    your soul, your death will be the greatest blessing on earth. When you
    depart, we might grieve, but we also will rejoice in the victory of your crossing
    from dying grace in time to the blessings of eternity.
       In conclusion, Job 5 stresses the importance of knowing the Word of God,
    the necessity of saturating your soul with Truth.

         Behold this; [Think this] we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and
    know for yourself. (Job 5:27) 
                        
    DEATH IS GOD’S DECISION

         The dying and death of every believer is a grace decision of the
    sovereignty of God based on God’s wisdom and His integrity. Therefore, we
    have no right to question the death of anyone. God IS absolute righteousness
    and cannot possibly make a mistake. God IS perfect justice and cannot be
    unfair. Omnipresent and omniscient God is a firsthand Witness, Who knows
    all the facts to determine the right time and the right way to remove each one
    of us. (Psa 31:15)
         In (Eccles 3:1-2) Solomon says, “There is a right time for everything.
    There is a time to be born and there is a time to die.” (Corrected translation)
    God’s timing is perfect, and death is always God’s victory. He decides the
    time, the manner, and the place of our death and He gives us the victory.
    “For not only if we live, we live for the Lord, but also if we die, we die for the
    Lord.” (Rom 14:8) We belong to the Lord whether we live or whether we die.
    Furthermore, the Lord does not take every believer home in the same way.
    Solomon also tells us that each day we live is one more step toward our
    particular kind of death.

         ...For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the
    street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is
    crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel of the cistern is
    crushed. (Eccles 12:5-6)

         In the Church Age we are born again into royalty and not with a silver
    spoon in our mouths, but with our lives suspended from a ‘silver thread.’ Even
    for privileged aristocracy, God controls the length of our days. Solomon’s
    poetic description of death reminds us that just as the meter of poetry is
    perfect, so God has within appointed each of us a death that fits perfectly.
    The “golden bowl” in this verse is a container of oil with a wick that draws oil
    to the top where a flame gives light, depicting life. The oil represents
    assignments and allotments within your life; the combination of oil, wick and
    flame represents the energy of life. This ancient type of lamp is a picture of
    your life span; the consumption of its oil is analogous to your death. Your
    lamp may develop a slow leak or the bowl may be smashed, but either way,
    the flame eventually goes out. To understand the last of Solomon’s
    illustrations, we must realize that the ancient world there were two problems
    that could prevent you from getting water from the well: the clay pitcher
    smashing against the side of the well, or a mechanical failure in the well’s
    wheel and pulley system. The wheels represent the actual muscle of the
    heart, while the line and the pitcher portray the circulation of the blood.
    These two illustrations describe two general categories of cardiovascular
    death:
    The shattering of the pitcher connotes the interruption of a great vessel which
    destroys blood volume and circulation; the mechanical failure of the wheel
    means a collapse in the heart itself. In other words, the smashed pitcher is
    analogues to death by hemorrhage, while the broken wheel on the well
    illustrates death by cardiac arrest.

         Then the dust [The body] will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit
    [Soul and spirit] will return to God who gave it. (Eccles 12:7)

          When a person dies, the real person, the soul, no longer occupies the
    body; it is simply vacant house. The uninhabited body decomposes into
    chemicals and returns to the soil or to the gases in the air. (Gen 3:19) So,
    what happens to a corpse is inconsequential. To have a memorial service to
    remember a loved one is wonderful, but it makes no difference whether the
    body is cremated or left on a battlefield or thrown in a ditch. What we need to
    remember is that after the death of the believer, his soul and spirit return to
    the Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 5:23) Although God has always known when
    each one of us is going to die, none of us knows when mortality will give way
    to immortality. Life hangs by a slender thread that can be snapped any
    moment. Our physical condition is not an issue; God can take us just as
    easily in good health as in poor. Neither is age a criterion for the right time to
    die. Since God’s judgment is perfect, it is blasphemous to suggest that the
    believer’s death was a tragedy because he died young. It is also true that
    God sometimes takes the mature Christian at the peak of his Spiritual life.
    While its natural for those left behind to mourn, they should not grieve to the
    exclusion of Divine Viewpoint “as do the rest that have no hope,” (1Th 4:13)
    for there are certain common denominators that characterize all mature
    believers after death, regardless of how they die.

    1. Face to face with the Lord. (2Co 5:8)
    2. No more sorrow, pain, tears, death, regrets, or embarrassment.
     (Rev 21:4)
    3. An eternal inheritance. (1Pe 1:4-5)
    4. A new home. (John 14:1-6)
    5. The perpetuation of eternal life. (John 10:28; (1Jn 5:11-12)
    6. An interim and resurrection body. (Job 19:25-26; John 11:25;
    (1Co 15:55-57; Php 3:21; (1Jn 3:1-2)
    7. Removal of the sin nature (1Co 1:8; (1Co 15:55-57; Php 3:20-21;
    (1Th 5:23)
    8. Removal of human old sin nature good and evil. (2Co 5:10)

         Neither your death nor the death of a loved one should ever be a source
    of worry or despair; death should never be an issue. Your only concern
    should be preparation for death, and the preparation for death is the same as
    for life: Truth resident in your soul. Truth gives you a relaxed mental attitude
    toward all potential death situations. When you understand dying grace, your
    Thinking about death is strictly a matter of applying your knowledge of God’s
    perfect character.
         The believer can check his own Spiritual progress by his attitude toward
    death, and his attitude has an impact on his capacity for life. One of the keys
    to a tranquil life is not being afraid of death. Fear of death causes instability:
    “Cowards die many times before their death; the valiant never taste death but
    once.” The Spiritually mature believer lives in the light of eternity, one day at a
    time, fully adjusted to God’s Person and plan, prepared and eager for
    whatever life has to offer! (Psa 118:23-24)
         What you do in dying demonstrates the dynamics of your life. If you have
    spent your lifetime accumulating Truth and advancing to Spiritual maturity, you
    will have a glorious death. However if you neglect and ignore Truth, God in
    His Justice permits your self-induced miserable life to reflect itself in a
    horrible death. Thus, since God has seen fit to make dying the reflection of
    living, your attitude toward death tests the quality of your attitude toward life.

    EVERY BELIEVER HAS A CHOICE

         How well you die or how miserably you die simply depends on one factor:
    whether you were positive or negative toward the Word of Truth. Just as you
    had a choice whether or not to believe in Jesus Christ for your eternal
    Salvation, so the justice of God has set up another issue in the angelic
    conflict for your free will. At Salvation, the object of your non-meritorious faith
    was Jesus Christ, the Living Word; after Salvation the object of your faith
    must become Jesus Christ the Written Word.
         You have a choice between two antithetical roads in your Spiritual life.
    Your attitude toward God’s Word EVERY DAY of your life determines
    cursing or blessing in life and agony or contentment in dying. If you adjust to
    the justice of God by utilizing the grace provision of His Word, then you will
    travel up the road to dying grace. But if you fail to adjust to the justice of God
    by ignoring or rejecting His Word, then you will stumble down the road of
    cursing, discipline, and self- induced misery resulting in sin unto death. You
    and you only choose this painful alternative to the glories of dying grace. You
    are the one who says “no” to the walk across the high golden bridge of dying
    grace and “yes” to a pitiful, miserable crawl to heaven.

    DEATH OF THE REVERSIONISTIC BELIEVER

         As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are negative toward the
    Word of God, whether just apathetic or overtly antagonistic, you are in the
    same reversionism. Analogous to apostasy, reversionism is the regression of
    the believer from any stage of Spiritual growth to the thinking of the
    unbeliever. (2Pe 2:20-21) In reversionism, characterized by perpetual
    carnality and a continual neglect or rejection of the Word of Truth, you create
    for yourself a life of misery. (Hos 8:7) The self-induced misery is then
    compounded by Divine discipline. You further intensify your discipline with
    more self-induced misery through the mental attitude sins of bitterness,
    pettiness, vindictiveness, implacability, jealousy, self-pity and arrogance. Until
    you change your mind about the Mind of Christ (1Co 2:16) and begin to
    recover your Spiritual growth, you will remain under Divine discipline the rest
    of your life.
         No believer can violate God’s righteous standards or reject His
    magnificent provision of Truth with impunity. God loves His integrity and His
    righteous Standards demand that His justice administer punishment.
    Furthermore, every believer is the object of God’s Personal love. “Those who
    I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent.”
    (Change your thinking and rebound) (Rev 3:19) Divine discipline is the sum
    total of punitive action taken by the justice of God to correct, punish,
    encourage, train, and motivate the believer. Divine discipline is designed to
    warn the believer to rebound and to get back into fellowship with God.
         Divine discipline is characterized by three stages. “Behold, I stand at the
    door and knock. If any man will open I will come in and have fellowship with
    him” (Rev 3:20; corrected translation) is addressed to the reversionistic
    believer. Knocking is warning discipline, the first stage. Having “fellowship
    with him” does not refer to Salvation, but to the status quo of the Spiritual life
    of the believer. If the reversionistic believer does not respond to warning
    discipline, he then comes under intensive discipline, the second stage. “Whom
    the lord loves, he chasten and skins alive with a whip every son he receives.”
    (Heb 12:6) Intensive discipline is designed to get the reversionists’ attention
    so that he might avoid what is called in, (1Jn 5:16) “the sin face to face with
    death” (Corrected translation of, pros thanatos) — the final stage of
    punishment from God.

    THE SIN UNTO DEATH

           There is a sin unto death. (1Jn 5:16)
         The “sin unto death” or literally “the sin face to face with death”
    (Psa 118:17-18) is not caused by a particular sin, but by the believers
    rejection of the Word of Truth.

        And the Lord said, Because they have forsaken My Law [Divine Thoughts]
    which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice nor walked according
    to it, [Them] but have walked after the stubbornness of their [Own thoughts]
    heart...” (Jer 9:13-14)

     God can administer the sin unto death as either a strictly personal disaster
    or as a part of a national catastrophe. But in either case, the sin unto death is
    a demotion and a disgrace for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
         So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD,
    because of the Word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because
    he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, and did not inquire of the
    LORD. [Sixteen years of negative volition] Therefore He killed him, and turned
    the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. (1Ch 10:13-14)
    There is no pain or discipline in the presence of God. (Rev 21:4) The sin unto
    death is God’s final opportunity to express maximum corrective discipline to
    the reversionistic believer. He goes through the dying process without the
    advantages of dying grace because he never recovered fellowship with God
    through rebound and did not change his attitude toward Truth. Without the
    inner dynamics of Truth in his soul, the reversionist has no capacity for the
    blessing of dying grace. He fears death. He goes through the dying phase in
    the worst possible irrationality and pain. His death is miserable, horrible, and
    monstrous in every possible way: a nightmare of physical pain and soul
    torture. His body hurts; his soul agonizes as he realizes how he has failed.
         However, the reversionist is removed from this life with his Salvation
    intact. He still has thirty-nine irrevocable absolutes, which include being in
    union with the Person of Jesus Christ and possessing eternal life and imputed
    righteousness. The moment a reversionistic believer dies he is “absent from
    the body and at home face to face with the Lord.” (2Co 5:8) He is “in a place
    of no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain, no more death; the old
    things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4) At the Second Advent, he receives a
    resurrection body and ALL believers will be judged. (2Co 5:10) And Believers
    will receive thirty, sixty or one hundred percent of their inheritance,
    (Matt 13:8-9) or few lashes many lashes or the Abyss. (Luk 12:42-49)
    The losers will not receive their eternal blessings and rewards for phase
    three. Their eternal blessings will remain on deposit forever as a memorial to
    lost EQUAL opportunity to advance in God’s plan. (Heb 10:35-36)

    THE SUICIDE OF THE BELIEVER

         Sometimes the reversionistic believer is so disillusioned in his self-induced
    misery and discipline that he thinks committing suicide is a solution to his
    problems. This of course is total arrogance and a further manifestation of his
    rejection of Truth. While suicide may appear to be circumventing the
    sovereignty of God in deciding the time, manner, and place of death, every
    believer’s death was known to God from eternity past. Until God decides it’s
    time for the believer to come home, nothing can remove him from this life.
    This is why suicide attempts are often unsuccessful; those that succeed do
    so under the permissive will of God.
         Some say that when a believer commits suicide, he cannot go to heaven.
    That is absolutely heresy! Anyone who has believed in Jesus Christ, no
    matter how he dies, is going to heaven until the Judgment Seat.
    (Matt 8:10-13)

         For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
    principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,
    nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love
    of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)

    DEATH OF THE MATURE BELIEVER

         Just as the mature believer functioned in his life under God’s grace
    provision, so he goes through his dying phase under dying grace. Not only
    does he have the inner dynamics from the Word of God, the Spiritual Thinking
    of Christ in his soul, (1Co 2:16) he knows the Lord is with him. (Psa 23:4)
     He will take the Truth he has learned in phase two with him to phase three.
    (2Jn 1:2) The same Truth that brought him happiness, tranquility, and
    contentment in time is intensified in dying. The point of dying is his moment;
    even the elect angels in heaven rejoice over the manner of his departure.
    (Dan 12:2-4; Dan 12:10; Dan 12:13) The mature believer’s dying testimony is
    the greatest of all testimonies; to glorify God in dying is the ultimate
    glorification of the Lord.

    BIBLICAL HEROES AND DYING GRACE

         Though they died in various ways, all of Old Testament heroes mentioned
    in Hebrews 11 died under dying grace. (Heb 11:13-16) As long as you are
    alive there is hope! No believer has ever reached the point of maximum failure
    without daily opportunities to change his mind about Truth, to listen and read
    Bible teaching, and to advance to Spiritual maturity. Appropriating dying
    grace and receiving eternal blessings and rewards are dependent upon your
    Spiritual advance.    
         Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses [Old Testament
    heroes] surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance, [Distractions to
    learning Truth] and the sin [Sin nature] which easily entangles us, and let us
    run with endurance [Persistent function of Operation Z] the race [Agon; agony
    of overcoming the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life] that is
    set before us. (Heb 12:1)
         Abraham is an example of an Old Testament believer who experienced
    dying grace. Abraham reached the ultimate in Spiritual maturity by means of
    God’s Thinking resident in his soul (Heb 11:2) so that he crossed that high
    golden bridge of dying grace to embrace his eternal blessings. The
    mechanics of his death are the classic illustration of dying grace.
         And Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and
    satisfied with life; [A great man of Spiritual maturity] and he was gathered to
    his people. (Gen 25:8)
    Abraham inhaled, exhaled, and died. His soul and spirit rode out on his last
    exhale, and he died with no pain, no bitterness, no regrets-utterly “satisfied
    with life.”
         For the mature believer, there is no tragic death, no matter how seemingly
    or how violent the circumstances. Even for a murder victim, dying grace still
    applies. For example, Abel was murdered by his brother Cain, yet he had a
    wonderful life occupied with the Lord up to the last moment. In fact, his death
    emphasized the power Truth had in his life.
         By faith [Truth in the soul] Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than
    Cain, through which he obtained the testimony [Received approval] that he
    was righteous, God Testifying about his gifts, and through faith, [This same
    Truth resident in the soul] though he is dead, he still speaks. [Abel died
    physically because of the sins of ONE man.] (Heb 11:4) cf. (Heb 12:24)
    Christ died Spiritually because of the sins of ALL men!
          Many of the Old Testament and Tribulational heroes have and will
    encourage us by dying because of their testimony of Jesus and because of
    the Word of God. (Rev 20:4)
         They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, (Tested
    by pressures) they were put to death with the sword... (Heb 11:37 )
    Even though Isaiah was probably cut in two and Zechariah was stoned to
    death, (2Ch 24:20; Matt 23:34-35) these men had more blessing and
    happiness in transferring from time to eternity then some have in a lifetime.
    Why? Because God decreed the manner of their deaths and His perfect
    justice guaranteed the provision and blessings for their deaths. Their
    confidence in the Source of dying blessing and knowledge of His provision
    through Truth replaced all the fear of death so that they were Occupied with
    Christ and had maximum capacity for life and dying grace. 
                 
    THE APOSTLE PAUL

         Excluding the Lord Jesus Christ, who is perfect and unique, the Apostle
    Paul is one of the greatest believers that ever lived. His phenomenal breadth
    of Spiritual Thinking, and his understanding of the deeper Concepts of Truth
    are revealed in the Pauline Epistles. Second Timothy is of great significance
    to our subject of dying grace, because this Epistle contains the Divinely
    inspired, dying Words of one of the most Spiritually brilliant minds and one of
    the most Spiritually mature believers of all time.
         Paul wrote 2 Timothy during his second imprisonment. According to,
    (2Ti 2:9) Paul was condemned before his trial and it was a foregone
    conclusion that he would not be released. As Paul sat down to write, he knew
    he would soon be executed. Even though Paul had suffered poor health most
    of his life, he was now enjoying fairly good health as he approached the
    moment of his death. His departure would be swift and violent; according to
    tradition, with one stroke of the lictor’s axe he would be decapitated on the
    Ostian Way.
         But Paul’s mental attitude leading up to his execution reflected dying
    grace. In fact two years before his death he explained this perspective of
    death to the Philippians.

         According to my earnest expectation [Intense concentration on Truth] and
    hope, [Confident expectation] that I shall not be put shame in anything, but
    with all boldness, [And openness] Christ shall even now, as always be
    exalted in my body, whether by life [Continued Spiritual advance] or by death.
    [Dying grace] For to me, to live IS Christ, and to die is gain. [Promotion]
    (Php 1:20-21)

    Though Paul had colossal failures in life, he recovered, persisted with Truth,
    and seized and held the high ground of Spiritual maturity. His dying moments
    were free from regrets. (2Ti 4:7) He was not only prepared for death, but he
    was looking forward to his dying moment, knowing that it would be the
    happiest experience of his life. He would pass from life to death to eternity to
    be face to face with the Lord.

         For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my
    departure has come. (2Ti 4:6)

           A “drink offering” refers to the custom in the ancient world of pouring fine
    wine out of a cup as an offering to the heathen gods. In this analogy, the soul
    of Paul would be poured out just as easily as wine is “poured out” of a cup.
    The Greek word used for “departure,” (Analusis) has five different meanings,
    all which relate to the Principle of dying.
         The military usage of analusis means “to strike a tent and break camp.” In
    the analogy, Paul’s tent his human body, and in death his soul would leave the
    bivouac of life and move into his eternal mansion in heaven. The naval usage
    means “to hoist anchor as a ship sets sail.” Paul knew that he would soon
    hoist anchor and leave the port of life to sail to the port of heaven. The
    agricultural meaning refers to a farmer unyoking his oxen after working them
    hard all day and providing shelter feed and perhaps even a rubdown to
    reward his animals and make them comfortable. Likewise, Paul is being
    unyoked; the labors of his life are complete and the great Apostle is about to
    enter into the blessings and rewards of eternity. Another usage of analusis
    refers to a prisoner being released from jail. Paul is released by death from
    the confines of time and life on this earth to enter into the freedom and glories
    of eternity. The final meaning of analusis is used in the sense of unraveling a
    mystery or solving a philosophical problem. Death unravels the mystery of
    eternity and dying grace resolves all the problems of life.
         Paul’s awareness of approaching death did not hinder his enjoyment of
    life. Even though condemned, he was not brooding or pouting, vindictive or
    bitter. To the contrary, he was completely relaxed. Paul’s capacities for love,
    happiness, for blessing and for life continued undiminished in the sphere of
    dying. This is an important Principle of Truth: The knowledge of imminent
    death does not hinder the Spiritually mature believer’s capacity for life.
         When you come bring the cloak which I left and Troas with Carpus, and
    the books, especially the parchments. [Old Testament Scriptures] (2Ti 4:13)
         With unwavering capacity for life, Paul lived in the best comfort despite
    the squalor of the Mamertine dungeon. The heavy coat Timothy brought to
    warm his body was a provision for his comfort and dying grace. Paul was
    also visited often by friends and loved ones, and was surrounded by his
    favorite books. He read and studied the Bible parchments until the day of his
    execution. For the Spiritually mature believer, life and all its blessings march
    on during the process of dying. Paul did not change his routine! He did not
    entertain self-pity! Whatever Paul had been doing in life, he continued to do
    until his dying moment, a beautiful illustration of dying grace.
         God’s grace plan for you is to advance step by step up the glory road
    from Salvation to eternity by way of blessing after blessing. In Psalm 23,
    David described His grace plan.

         The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green
    pastures; [Truth] He leads me beside quiet waters. [Filling of God the Holy
    Spirit] He restores my soul; [From sin nature thinking] He guides me in the
    paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psa 23:1-3)

    To even enter upon the glory road and the life of blessing, you must first
    believe in Christ as your Savior. The Lord is the Shepherd who gave His life
    for the sheep. “I shall not want” refers to God’s logistical grace blessing —
    everything necessary to keep you alive physically, (Psa 68:19-20) and to
    grow Spiritually, (Matt 6:11; Matt 6:25-34) and protection in the devil’s world.
    (Heb 1:14) “He makes me lie down in green pastures” refers to God’s
    provision for your perception of Truth: a right pastor-teacher to diligently
    study and faithfully communicate the infallible Word of God, a local church as
    a classroom, the canon of Scripture, the privacy of your royal priesthood, the
    ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the function of your human spirit. “He leads me
    beside quiet waters” is the refreshment, the happiness and tranquility of soul
    that comes as a result of applying Truth in your soul to the circumstances of
    your life. When you sin and fail, God’s provisions of rebound is the means of
    regaining fellowship with Him; “He restores my soul.”
         When you take advantage of these provisions, you will eventually crack
    the maturity barrier where you glorify and please God. He is then free to
    bless you in five different spheres: Spiritual blessings which include
    Occupation with Christ, sharing God’s perfect happiness, and capacity for
    life, love, and blessing; temporal blessings which can include promotion,
    wealth and social prosperity, leadership dynamics; blessing by association to
    those in your periphery — family, business, church, community, nation;
    historical blessings to both your generation and your future generations
    because of your Spiritual impact; and dying blessings. 
         In the phrase “paths of righteousness,” the word for paths is the plural
    Hebrew word, (Ma’gal) meaning “a rut in which wheels revolve, “and should
    be translated “wagon tracks.” In the ancient world, wagons would follow the
    course of least resistance and as they traveled across the terrain their
    wheels would create ruts. As time went on, others would see those ruts and
    put their wagons in the same ruts, so eventually wagon tracks developed
    from place to place.
         For believers in the Church Age, the “wagon tracks of righteousness”
    belong to the humanity of Christ. He went ahead of us and set down the
    original tracks. Our Lord Jesus Christ tested and proved the Spiritual life
    which He has given to us — the same Spiritual life which through the power of
    God the Holy Spirit and maximum Truth in His soul gave him the inner
    dynamics to remain impeccable, go to the cross, and bear the imputation and
    judgment for our sins. When you get into his righteous tracks and advance as
    He did, you not only gain momentum, but you gain capacity for blessing.
         Following Christ’s lead in the wagon tracks of righteousness — advancing
    Spiritually — produces in you Spiritual capacity righteousness. This is a
    special capacity given to mature believers to enjoy their blessings both in time
    and in eternity and is tantamount to Occupation with Christ. Through the
    attainment of Spiritual capacity righteousness, capacity for living becomes
    capacity for dying. (Php 1:21) While capacity for living is related to your
    inculcation and application of Truth to experience, capacity for dying is
    actually LIFE as you have never lived it before. With Spiritual capacity
    righteousness, there is no fear in dying, only profit as you journey through
    your very own death-shadowed valley. Dying grace becomes a wonderful
    process of promoting the Spiritually mature believer to the infinite glories of
    heaven.

    THE DEATH-SHADOWED VALLEY

         Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no
    evil, for You are with me; Your rod [Discipline] and Your staff, [Blessing] they
    comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
    [Spiritual prosperity] You have anointed my head with oil; [Spiritual maturity]
    My cup overflows. [Capacity for material prosperity] Surely goodness and
    lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the
    house of the LORD forever. (Psa 23:4-6)
         You own one of the most marvelous pieces of real estate this life has to
    offer, your very own death-shadowed valley provided by the Lord Jesus
    Christ in eternity past. The Hebrew noun (Tsal’mavet) is usually translated
    “shadow of death”, but is one word compounded from two nouns. The first
    noun, (Tsal) is the word for shadow; (Mavet) the second noun is the word for
    death. Best translated “death-shadowed,” tsal’mavet refers to your very own
    “death-shadowed valley.”
         A shadow is defined as a “dark figure or image cast on the surface by a
    body intercepting light.” In the analogy, the dark of the shadow refers to your
    dying phase. In your death-shadowed valley you have the opportunity to
    intercept the light, the Truth in your soul. You will not fear the manner of your
    death because “You are with me.” The Lord Jesus Christ accompanies you
    through your death-shadowed valley. The Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ,
    who guided you by His precedence in the wagon tracks of the Spiritual life,
    also guides you through your very own death-shadowed valley. The comfort
    and encouragement you derived from God’s Thinking in your living phase will
    also comfort and encourage you in your dying phase. With the inner dynamics
    of the Spiritual life, you have nothing to fear in your journey through your
    death-shadowed valley.
         Just as God provided everything for your Spiritual growth in life, so He
    provides everything for your dying phase. This is part of the Lord’s victory
    that takes the sting out of death. (1Co 15:55-57) Since this is God’s last
    opportunity to bless you on earth, He will make the dying grace blessing
    superior to all the prosperity, promotion, wealth, and success that you
    enjoyed in life. God intends for the last blessing in time to bring you the
    summum bonum of life. Your “cup overflows.” As a Spiritually mature
    believer, you have learned enough Truth to know your death is in the hands of
    the Lord. Whether you die instantly in a head-on collision or after a
    prolonged, painful illness, you are perfectly relaxed because you know that
    you “will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

    THE BRIDGE BETWEEN TIME AND ETERNITY

        Dying grace can also be viewed from another perspective: the link
    between blessings in time and blessings in eternity. God has seen fit to
    provide a special bridge for the Spiritually mature believer as he crosses over
    the chasm from life on earth to life in heaven — the high golden bridge of
    dying grace. Stonewall Jackson beautifully expressed this crossing in his
    dying words: “Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the
    trees.”
         The author of Hebrews tells us that a Spiritually mature believer of the Old
    Testament, such as Abraham, could look from his vantage point on the high
    ground of Spiritual maturity into eternity and see his eternal blessings and
    rewards in a magnificent city. (Heb 11:9-10; Rev 21:2; Rev 21:10) The
    Reality of these eternal rewards, stated in many passages of Scripture,
    (2Co 5:10; James 1:12; 1Pe 5:4) can be expressed by the term “surpassing
    grace,” derived from literal translation of, (Eph 2:7).
        In order that in the ages to come [Eternity] He might show the surpassing
    riches of His grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:7)
         Surpassing-grace blessings, which are awarded to the Spiritually mature
    believer in eternity, are above and beyond the common denominators
    provided for every believer after death. 
         You enter dying grace saluting or acknowledging your surpassing-grace
    blessings from the near end of the bridge and complete the journey by
    embracing them at the other end. Your advance across the high golden
    bridge from time to eternity may take a long time or a short time, but during
    the transfer, God will give you through Truth resident in your soul and
    accompanying Spiritual capacity righteousness, the perspective of the
    blessings and rewards you are about to receive in eternity.

         All these died [Old Testament believers who died under dying grace] in
    faith, [According to Truth resident in the soul] without receiving the Promises,
    [Surpassing-grace blessings of eternity] but having seen them and having
    welcomed them from a distance. [From the high ground of Spiritual maturity in
    time](Heb 11:13)

    TRANSFER APART FROM DEATH

                A Unique Transfer

         For a very few believers, God assigns a unique transfer to heaven which
    does not involve death. Enoch, who lived before the flood, is an illustration of
    one category of transfer apart from death.

         By faith [Truth in the soul] Enoch was taken up so that he should not see
    death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he
    obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
    (Heb 11:5)

    Dying blessing can be compared to a draw-bridge. Ordinarily the draw-bridge
    is controlled and lowered from the time side of the chasm, because it is a
    blessing related to time. The believer dies physically; his soul and spirit go to
    heaven while his body remains on earth. In the case of Enoch, however, the
    draw-bridge was controlled from the eternity side. He did not experience
    death. His body, soul and spirit — still intact — went to paradise. (Gen 5:24)
    Why was God free to bless Enoch with such a unique and wonderful
    transfer? Enoch’s blessing was related to his surpassing-grace rewards.
         We must remember that God is free to give direct blessings to any
    believer who has adjusted to His justice to the maximum, the status of
    maturity that “pleases” God. Enoch fulfilled this Principle.
         For he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was
    pleasing to God. (Heb 11:5 )
           How could Enoch please a perfect God who possesses absolute
    righteousness and justice.
         And without faith [Divine Thinking resident in the soul] it is impossible to
    please Him, for he who comes to God must believe [By resident Truth] that
    He is a rewarder [The source of blessing] of those who seek Him. [Through
    the daily intake of Truth] (Heb 11:6)

    THE SPIRITUALLY MATURE

    Like Enoch, the second transfer to heaven does not involve the believer’s
    physical death. At some point in the future, before the Great Tribulation,
    Spiritually mature believers of the royal family will be transferred to heaven,
    some possibly without even dying physically, and then go to the Wedding
    Feast. (Rev 19:7-9) No man knows the day or hour of this event, only the
    season. (Rev 3:10)

         Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already
    become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so,
    you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the
    door. (Matt 24:32-33)

    THE INTERIM BODY

        In, (2Co 5:8) the aorist active infinitive, (Endemeo) meaning “to be at
    home,” followed by the preposition (Pros) and the accusative of harmonious
    relationship, direct object (Kurios) means “to be present face to face with the
    Lord” and implies that after death our souls and spirits are housed in an
    interim body in heaven while we await resurrection. (Job 19:25-26;
     John 11:25; Rev 20:5-6)  The Bible never speaks of disembodied souls.
    “Face to face” also means we will be recognizable in our interim bodies. For
    the believer in an interim body, death means no more sin nature, no more
    “mourning, or crying, or pain.” (Rev 21:4) There is no distinction made
    between the interim bodies of those believers who advanced to Spiritual
    maturity and those who did not. In an interim body, we have great happiness.
    We have a new home, (John 14:1-6) and a realization of eternal life.
    (John 10:28) This knowledge that loved ones are in a perfect state of
    happiness in an interim body is a source of great comfort to those we leave
    behind.

    TO THOSE LEFT BEHIND

         The believer in dying grace knows that he is leaving the best possible
    heritage to his children and loved ones: blessings by association. Because of
    his adjustment to the justice of God, his family and close associates will have
    blessing and security throughout their lifetimes. The believer with Truth in his
    soul dies with the assurance that the justice of God will continue for those he
    has left behind. But how does Divine provision handle the sorrow and loss of
    those left behind? Likewise, it is knowledge of the justice of God that is the
    basis for stability and blessing in the absence of a loved one. Any time God
    removes a person from this life, the decision is based on his perfect wisdom
    and integrity. Since God is the source of every friend or loved one we have,
    (James 1:17) we have no right to be bitter or to question God. Our response
    should be that of Job, who lost all his children at once.
         ...The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name
    of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)

         God says in effect, “You go on living without this dear one, but remember
    you are not without Me and that you will see your believing loved one again.
    To develop capacity for life you must lean on Me, not on people. So I am
    keeping you behind to get better acquainted with Me in time.” We know that
    the death of loved ones who have believed in Christ is only a temporary
    separation; it is not the end at all, for we will see them forever in eternity.

         I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
    I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may
    be also. (John 14:2-3)

    So with a lump in your throat you may say, “Farewell,” but you know that you
    will be reunited with your loved ones at either your own death or resurrection
    on the last day. (John 6:39-40; John 6:54; John 11:24; John 12:48) Until that
    rendezvous, you can rejoice in the knowledge that your loved ones are in a
    state of perfect happiness with the Lord. Our knowledge of the integrity of
    God also enables us to be objective about the unbeliever. We know that God
    will not tamper with the free will of any member of the human race. We also
    know that He wants EVERYONE to have eternal life and then grow to
    Spiritual maturity!

         Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
    Truth. (1Ti 2:4)

         Every member of the human race has every possible opportunity to hear
    Gospel information, and to choose for God’s plan of Salvation and blessing
    through faith in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the omniscience of God knew that
    certain persons would never accept Jesus Christ as Savior even if they were
    given additional time. Since the justice of God is absolutely fair and cannot be
    compromised, He must condemn the unbeliever to the eternal torment of
    separation from God which begins immediately after death. Even though
    there is no hope beyond the grave for the unbeliever, it is blasphemous to be
    bitter toward God regarding the death and eternal judgment of any person
    who freely chose to reject the saving work of the Son of God. Many consider
    it a tragedy when babies or young children die; yet it is far better that they
    should die and automatically go to heaven before reaching the age of
    accountability, (2Sa 12:23) than to die later in life possibly as an unbeliever
    and go to the Lake of Fire. It is also sinful to be bitter toward God for
    removing someone at an early age. As we learned from, (Job 5:26) God is
    like the farmer who knows exactly when the ear of corn is ripe and should be
    picked. Some ears ripen sooner than others; so it is with believers. In the
    angelic conflict, the purpose of each believer’s life is fulfilled at a different
    age. Even if death occurs at a relatively early age by human standards, that
    does not reduce the possibility of happiness, blessing, dying grace, or
    rewards to that person. We know that in the case of young children and all
    who die in Christ, we shall see them again. Reassuring though it may be,
    knowledge of this future Reality does not eliminate the grief of the moment,
    or the pain of missing the company of a loved one. God has allotted us a
    certain amount of time to mourn for those we love who have departed from
    this world.
         A time to weep… And a time to mourn. (Eccles 3:4)

         Greif is bona fide. Mourning is not wrong; it is a tender and even powerful
    part of life. The weeping of grief expresses great capacity for love. With
    Truth in your soul, you are able to stand at the graveside and take advantage
    of your time to mourn, to remember the missing friend or loved one and to
    honor him with auld lang syne. With Truth in your soul, you have no regrets.
    Neither does your mourning overpower you, but instead turns to the pleasant
    fragrance of memories.
         However, there is also sinful weeping from bitter frustration, self-pity, and
    remorse. All regrets must be buried in God’s provision of grace: Rebound,
    forget it, and move on! There is no place for bitterness, doubting, hysteria, or
    abnormal grief as expressed by others “who have no hope.” (1Th 4:13) You
    must not allow grief over the death of anyone to destroy your life. God still
    has a purpose for your life, and He will provide for you to go on living even as
    He provides for dying. Women, especially, must be taught to adjust to the
    death of a loved one. (Jer 9:20) Since a woman is a responder in her soul,
    the removal of someone to whom she responds is a difficult situation for her.
    Friends and relatives might afford her immediate comfort, but as time goes
    on, these people move back into their places in life and she is alone, totally
    dependent on the Truth in her soul. If she lacks Truth, she is incapable of
    coping with loneliness and sorrow. But if she possesses the inner dynamics
    of Truth and Spiritual capacity righteousness, she emerges as a magnificent
    and noble woman, a person who has had one of life’s major heartaches and
    dealt with it beautifully.

    THE CHALLENGE TO THE BELIEVER

         Whether you are confronted by your own death or the death of a loved
    one, maximum Truth in your soul is the only effective response. Through your
    daily persistence in learning Bible Truth, you mold your response to the tests
    of living and dying in a manner that glorifies the Lord. With the Written Word
    giving you the assurance and blessing of the Living Word, you have Spiritual
    capacity righteousness, the perfect combination of stability, capacity, and
    happiness for both living and dying.
         Paul understood this Principle when He wrote Philippians 3. He was
    challenged to keep advancing as he had not yet reached the objective in the
    Spiritual life, Maximum Glorification of God.

         Not that I have already obtained it, [Removed from this useless body] or
    have already become perfect, [Completed the Spiritual life] but I press on
    [Persistent positive volition toward Truth] in order that I may lay hold of that
    [Full Spiritual maturity] for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
    (Php 3:12)

    At this point, Paul fully understands what he has achieved and where he is
    going in his Spiritual life. His accurate self-evaluation motivates him to keep
    advancing. Yet as Paul points out, all believers fail from time to time.

        Brethren, [Members of the royal family of God] I do not regard myself as
    having laid hold of it [Attained full Spiritual maturity; MGG) yet; but ONE thing
    I do: forgetting what lies behind [Past victories, sins and or failures] and
    reaching forward to what lies ahead, [Spiritual maturity and Maximum
    Glorification of God] I press on [Keep advancing] toward the goal [MGG] for
    the prize [Surpassing-grace blessing] of the upward call of God in Christ
    Jesus. (Php 3:13-14)

         Paul stresses the importance of getting back on our Spiritual feet as
    quickly as possible and continuing the advance toward the objective. We must
    not become subjective about our victories, sins and or failures. We must
    ignore them, keep pressing, and continue to make Truth our number one
    priority in life. Our positive attitude toward Truth is a guarantee of blessing to
    our loved ones, associates and nation as well. (Matt 5:13)  
         This Principle is especially pertinent in times of historical or national
    disaster, when suffering and death are very real and daily occurrences. How
    have believers faced national disasters in the past? How have they handled
    the threat of death over against a compromise of Truth? Did they fall apart?
    Did they give in? Note Daniel’s friends’ response, in the face of death to King
    Nebuchadnezzar.

         “If it so be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
    furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O King. But
    even if He does not, let it be known to you, O King, that we are not going to
    serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
    (Dan 3:17-18)

     Rather than compromise Truth, they chose to rest in the infinite wisdom and
    omnipotence of God concerning the time and manner of their deaths. Job
    expressed this same mental attitude when he wrote:

         “Though He [God] slay me, I will hope [Have confidence] in Him...”
    (Job 13:15)

    This confident, relaxed mental attitude in the face of Satan’s most powerful
    scare tactic — death — has always been and will always be achieved by
    believers in the same way.
         Remember as you begin your journey through your very own death-
    shadowed valley, that your loved ones cannot go with you. Only the Lord
    Jesus Christ, the Living Word, accompanies you. Even though you may be
    attended by the best medical care, only Truth, the Written Word, resident in
    your soul can sustain you during your dying moments. Socrates, an
    unbeliever, said, “You are never truly successful until you dye well.” The
    Divine Viewpoint variation is: If you live well by advancing to Spiritual maturity,
    you will die, even better, for dying grace transcends anything in life.
         By now, your outlook on death should be quite different from the human
    viewpoint expressed around you. With Truth in your soul, you are not afraid of
    death. You anticipate dying as you would your favorite desert, knowing that
    the blessings of dying grace will be superior to the best of life.
         Here is the question you must answer to the Lord: If you were told that
    you had only four hours to live, what would you do; what would you Think
    during your last hours on earth? Would you be Occupied with Christ and His
    Word or obsessed with your failures? Would you be filled with regrets or
    possessed with contentment? Would you be kicking yourself or be relaxed?
         In dying grace you will be able to look back on your life without regrets or
    bitterness, and with deep satisfaction. You can say with Apostle Paul:

         I have fought the good fight, [Overcame the lust of the eyes; the lust of
    the flesh and the pride of life] I have finished the course, [Maintained Spiritual
    maturity until death] I have kept the faith. [Guarded the Truth resident in my
    soul] (2Ti 4:7)

         As did Paul, you can also look forward to eternal, glorious life with the
    Lord — a life filled with indescribable blessings and rewards. 
         In the future [Eternity] there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
    [Eternal rewards] which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on
    that day; [At the Judgment Seat of Christ] and not only to me, but also to all
    who loved His appearing. [Personal love for God] (2Ti 4:8)
    Like the victory wreaths awarded for outstanding achievements in the ancient
    Roman world, rewards in the Spiritual realm are God’s eternal response to
    those believers who have fully adjusted to His justice, remained faithful to His
    Word, and advanced to Spiritual maturity. Consequently, when you stand in
    your in your resurrection body before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Judgment
    Seat of Christ, you will hear His Words: 

         ...Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things,
    [Divine Thoughts] I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of
    your master! (Matt 25:23)  
     
     
    End