Knowing This Isn’t Our Home

Knowing This Isn’t Our Home

They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:11

For a variety of reasons, many people are afraid of death. Parents worry about who will take care of their children if they are no longer around to care for them. Seniors worry about dying alone. Some people fear a painful or protracted death. For others, the fear isn’t of dying, but what happens after they die. They’re not sure what, if anything, comes next.

After I became a Christ follower, I no longer feared death. I was on a solo camping trip when I had an encounter with the risen Jesus; and in a dream, I caught a glimpse of heaven that forever changed my views about death. In this dream, I saw that what follows this life for believers is better than anything we can imagine. As a result, I long to go to heaven, and that knowledge has removed all fear of death.

Both personally and as a doctor, I have been able to look death squarely in the eye and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ has conquered death for me. For all who believe in Jesus, death has been defeated and is a mere shadow we pass through on our journey to our forever home.

I first sat at the bedside of a dying patient when I was in medical school. Since then, I have sat with many patients who have died of causes ranging from cancer to car accidents, from diseases to suicides. The one thing that consistently stands out to me is that my patients who have faith in Jesus are different from those who don’t. Those who were believers were happy and joyous the moment that heaven welcomed them home.

We fear the unknown, and for many, death is the great unknown. That’s why the testimony of the saints who have gone on before us to great victory is so important to grasp. If we understand that our ultimate transition from earth to heaven is a step into a real and forever life, then our fears will fade.

TODAY’S RX

If you’re afraid of what will happen after you die, today is the day to secure your future home.

Jesus, I know I have no reason to fear death when the glory of your presence awaits me. Thank you for providing a way for me to spend eternity with you.