Death is only a Sleep
This evening, let me first extend my deepest condolences to the family and in particular the children of our late brother Wilfred Kelly who was affectionately called “will” by all who knew him. I also would like to express my deepest sympathy to “Will’s Sisters Ruth and Beverly, his friends and to the residents of Port Nelson Rum Cay.
Here lying before us is a relatively young man. A man who has not reached 60yrs not to mention the three score and ten which God promises us. But he is here, not on his own strength but we’ve brought him here today to bid him farewell. At the end of this home going service, we all will perhaps leave here on our own strength; but not our Brother “will” our Friends from the Mortuary will have to move him and place him a the hearse and then take him to his place of rest. Which among us will invite “Our Brother “Will” to go home with us? Or to rest at our Home tonight? You don’t have to answer: That’s a rhetorical question. But I can guess not one of us even though we love him, we care for him and we wished he was alive; we would not ask the Mortician to take him and leave him by us.
Will is gone, and these sickly shores will know him no more. But we will remember that Will passed this way. His Children are witness to this fact, that he had met someone and they got together and God blessed him with two children. Will did pass this way. Jackie knew that will pass this way. Theodore Knows that will pass this way; Ruth and Beverly know that Will their Brother passed this way. His employer knows that he passed this way; the national insurance Board knows that he passed this way; Doctors and nurses at the Princess Margaret Hospital knows that he passed this way. George Gaitor, Madelyn Strachan; Kaye Wilson; Reverend Pearl Maycock and all the Rumcanites know that “Will” passed this way. I know that Brother Will passed this way. I know this man who lay here before us. I know him when he was merely a boy. He was one who never got in peoples way. He was never in fights as a young boy and he kept to himself. He grew up with his Grand Parents and he was brought up in the old fashion way. Will was not a person who got angry; but if he did get angry; you would know that he was not a push over. Will had an affectious laugh. He smiled first and then he would bust out into a loud laugh that was unique to “Will”. He was a loyal friend; if he was a friend to you. If he did not take to you; he kept his distance. As a man, Will became an entrepreneur and many will now say; that he had his house in order. He made sure that everything was in place for those he loved and cared for. I as one of his contemporaries salute him and bid him farewell; knowing that one day, I too will have to walk this same road.
This morning, for a few minutes let us reflect on the passage of scripture which says: “for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an arch Angel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and then shall we ever be with the lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1thess 4:16-18)
This scripture assures us that God has a plan for his people. It also gives us the assurance that our love ones who have gone on before us, still exist in another place waiting for God to bring an end to all of the madness we see in this world today. We as believers and people of God are faced with much perplexities as we try to grapple with the death of our loved ones; or the pains of seeing our loved ones suffer from debilitating disease which strip them of their strength, vitality and their dreams. We often wonder why? I’ve come this morning to tell you, that even though pain, and suffering rocks our bodies and death snatches our love ones and friends from us; that God is still in control. I’ve come to remind us, that one day; time will be no more and our mortal bodies will be free from sickness and diseases.
Three points I will pull from this scripture and then conclude are:
1. The Lord himself will descend from heaven
2. The dead in Christ shall rise first
3. Those which are alive will also rise
The assignment of the resurrection is such an important one in God’s plan that he would allow no one other than Christ himself to perform this task. There must be no room for Satan to attack Michael as he did in Persia, when he held up Daniel’s prayer for twenty one days. There must be no opportunity for Satan to dispute over the body of Saints such as he did when he disputed about the body of Moses. Jude tells us “yet Michael the Arch Anger, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses did not bring against him a railing accusation but said the Lord rebukes thee.” This process, this assignment has to be performed by the king of Kings and the Lord of Lord at whose name every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is lord. John tells us that he saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the book and to lose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven or on earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book neither look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me weep not behold the lion of the tribe of Judah the Root of David, and prevailed to open the book and to lose the seven seals. This morning I submit, that only the Lord himself can and will descend from heaven to resurrect and the dead and to pilot them safely in the mid air to be with God through endless ages of eternity.
When he comes, he is coming in glory, with great fan fare; he is coming with the shout and the voice of an arch Angel, and this voice will be strong powerful and commanding. Finnis Dakes tells us that it will be a cry of incitement and order; a command in war; it will be a call of preparation for action. It is the shout of command for the dead to arise as in the case of Lazarus. This will be followed by the Voice (shout of the Archangel and the trump of God, whose great and terrible blast, like those on Sinai grew louder and louder until the heaven and earth did shake. Not only will there be a shout and a voice, but there will also be the trump of God; may I remind you this morning that this trump is not the same as the 7th trumpet; but this trump is the one that heralds an event that takes place in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. I submit to you this evening, that when this trump sounds, a supernatural occurrence will take place, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; this therefore is my second point.
How shall we that are flesh or mere dust be transported into outer space; when scientist tells as that outer space is a very hostile environment? Scientists have said that the temperature in outer space is about - 454 degree F this is unimaginable cold. Human in no form dust or flesh can whether such climate. Moreover, scientist have noted that leaving or entering earth’s atmosphere the temperature can reach a peak of 3,000 degrees ; this is extremely hot. So we wonder how the dead would pass through these inhospitable climates. The bible tells us that Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Nevertheless it gives us the assurance that we shall be changed. At the resurrection, of the dead, Paul states that the body goes in the grave in a fleshly state and ultimately it returns to dust. But at the resurrection the Flesh or the dust will be transformed into a glorious or unperishible boby (spiritual) Here is how Paul put it: “it is sownin corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body. Hence when the Lord blows the trump the dead will be changed from mortal to immortality. This morning, I submit that one day; our Brother Will will rise again. He will hear the trump of God sound and he will rise to meet him in the air.
Finally, the bible tells us that they that are alive and remain will be caught up with the dead to meet the Lord in the air. This suggests to us that even though Brother Wilfred is gone on before us; even though many of our loved ones are gone on before us; that they will not meet him long before we do. Yes they will arise, and we will be caught up al to be at one place where we’ll forever be with the Lord. I wish to close now, but Paul went on to say: behold, I shew you a mystery, we shall al not sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must out on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality: then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death where I they sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
As I leave you this morning; I join with the hymnologist when he says: I have heard of a land on the far away strand, tis a beautiful home of the soul; built by Jesus on high there we never shall die tis a land where we’ll never grow old. Never grow old, where we’ll never grow old in a land where we’ll never grow old; never grow old never grow old in a land where we’ll never grow old.
Yes Brother will, you’ve gone to the land where you’ll never grow old. But one day after awhile, I will meet you in the morning by the bright river side, when all sorrow has drifted away I’ll be standing at the portals when the gates open wide, At the close of life’s long dreary day. Yes, we’ll meet you in the morning, meet you in the morning, with a How do you do and we’ll sit down by the river and old acquaintance renew. Oh Yes, we’ll meet you in the morning. So As I take my seat, As I leave you this evening I to will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me, how he left his home in glory for the cross on Calvary. I was lost but Jesus found me Found the sheep that was astray, threw his loving arms around me drew me back into his way. Yes, I will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me sing it with the saints in glory, gathered by the crystal sea. OH I will sing the wondrous story when I get home. Yes when I get home, I’’ sing the wondrous story when I get home.
Re-entry temperatures can reach as high as 3,000 degrees F (1,650 degrees C)!
