DYING GRACE!--A Wonderful Dream!         DO 1775  5/84
--The Happy Ending!

         1. MY DREAM WAS VERY VERY SHORT. IT WAS JUST A ONE-SCENE, ONE-ACT PLAY. I think the Lord sometimes lets you be tested in your dreams to see what you would do under such circumstances. It is a pretty realistic test under dream conditions, because you don't know you're in a dream, so your reactions would be very real & genuine, as to what you would do under such circumstances. And it had a good effect on me, I was in a sense encouraged in that I felt I had responded the right way & that such a happening is probably not as bad as your fears.
         2. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, SOME PEOPLE LIVE ALL THEIR LIVES IN FEAR, FEAR OF DEATH! (Heb.2:15) As the old saying goes, "The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one!" Some people live all their lives in fear of death! Yet they only need to die but once, & it may not turn out to be as bad as they feared.
         3. IN THE DREAM, WE WERE FLEEING FROM SOMETHING OR SOMEONE, & we were on foot trying to find our way up a mountain through the woods. We didn't really know our way & pretty soon I figured we must have been lost & I was getting so tired I just didn't think I could drag another step! There was a mountain trail winding up through the woods & little valleys, it wasn't real steep.
         4. BUT I REMEMBER THAT WE JUST FINALLY DECIDED WE WERE HOPELESSLY LOST & we didn't know which way we were going, & suddenly our hearts sank, especially since we were so exhausted, because to our dismay it seemed like the people who were chasing us suddenly showed up right in front of us & they had guns! And there was this one tough old guy, with a heavy black beard & a snowcap on, dressed like a trapper or hunter or somebody like you'd see up in the cold North. I remember that's one thing, I was cold! And I think there were others with him but I only remember him because of the terrific traumatic nature of what happened!
         5. HE WAS ONLY ABOUT 15 FEET IN FRONT OF ME, FIVE METERS, & HE RAISED THIS POWERFUL HUNTING RIFLE & HE POINTED IT STRAIGHT AT MY HEAD like he was going to shoot me, threatening to shoot me right between the eyes or right in the middle of my forehead! And I remember I fell to my knees & I clasped my hands & I began to pray, & boy I really prayed! And strangely enough, I was praying for him & not to him, I wasn't begging him for mercy but I was begging the Lord for mercy for him, like the Lord said about His killers, the poor dumb Roman soldiers who were just doing their job. "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!" (Lk.23:34)
         6. BUT I SUDDENLY HAD THE MOST WONDERFUL THRILLING PEACEFUL FEELING, PERFECT CALM, PERFECT PEACE! I GUESS IT'S WHAT YOU'D CALL "DYING GRACE"! It reminds me of that story that I used to tell about Dwight L. Moody: The two old sisters came up to him & asked him after service one night. They said, "Dr. Moody, do you have dying grace?" He said, "No, dear sisters, I don't." And they looked shocked! "Why, Dr. Moody! You don't have dying grace?" He said, "No, I'm not dying yet!" That would be a good title for this, "Dying Grace".
         7. AND THEN I HAD THIS SUDDEN AMAZING LOVE FOR THIS MAN!--Like poor fellow, he doesn't realise what he's doing, that he's killing a Christian, a servant of the Lord, someone who is innocent but whom he thinks is guilty! And I was praying out loud for him, & he looked a little hesitant for just a moment like this rather unsettled him, unnerved him, surprised him that I would pray at that moment when he was lifting his rifle ready to shoot me through the head, that I was praying for him in all sincerity, love & mercy, a supernatural thing to do!
         8. AND I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF & PRAYING, "LORD, LET IT BE QUICK!" & WONDERING WHAT IT WOULD FEEL LIKE JUST AT THAT SUDDEN MOMENT OF DEATH! It was such a traumatic, hair-raising experience in that split second. "Lord give me the grace!" I was thinking, "Even if it hurts, it will only be a moment & it will all be over & I will be painless in the next World & with You forever!"--And I woke up! Ha!
         9. BUT THE THRILLING, ENCOURAGING THING ABOUT IT WAS, HERE I WAS FACE-TO-FACE WITH DEATH & YET I REALLY WASN'T AFRAID! I was only slightly apprehensive & maybe you might even say just curious as to what it was going to feel like, & praying the Lord would give me the grace to go through this traumatic experience of having a rifle bullet go crashing through my brain in that last moment of life!
         10. LIKE IN THE CASE OF ST. STEPHEN AS HE WAS BEING STONED TO DEATH, MAYBE THE LORD DIDN'T EVEN HARDLY LET HIM FEEL THE STONES! They say that some of the Christians who died, who were crucified or hung on the stake or burned at the stake, that they had such serenity & peace & they were singing & praying & praising the Lord so much that the Romans thought maybe some of them didn't even feel the flames! The Lord was releasing them without even feeling the pain!
         11. I guess a lot depends on what you're able to bear, & the Lord will not let you be tempted above that ye are able to bear. (1Cor.10:13)
         12. IT SEEMED THAT I WAS REALLY RELIEVED THAT AT LAST THE MOMENT OF DEATH & the end of it all had come, of this life & all of its hard work & problems & sacrifices & labours & dangers & concerns etc.--That here it is at last! Thank God! This is the end, it's all over, I don't have to worry about it any more! I really think I had the feeling like I had worried about it more in the past than I was worrying about it at that moment, that I was actually relieved that in a moment I was going to be released, it was all over!
         13. I HAD THAT GLORIOUS WONDERFUL FEELING, JUST ALMOST LIKE A FLOOD OF JOY THAT "THIS WAS IT! HERE IT IS AT LAST! I get to go!" I wasn't afraid at all! I was being released, I had the feeling like, "Ah, at last, thank God! This is my moment!"--Like I was actually glad that it was happening! We'd been through all this agony before of trying to flee & getting lost in the woods & exhausted & were cold & hungry & concerned about each other. But here at last, thank God it was all over! It wasn't near as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it was really a relief!
         14. I WAS SO PEACEFUL & REALLY THRILLED, GLAD, HAPPY, JOYFUL!--Just like it was the most wonderful thing in the World that could happen to you to die! Ha! Isn't that amazing? Now I have never ever had that particular experience before with that special effect on me like that!
         15. THE ONLY REAL BAD PART ABOUT THE DREAM WAS THAT I WAS JUST EXHAUSTED, SO TIRED & SO LOST & IT ALL JUST SEEMED SO HOPELESS, TRYING TO FLEE! We didn't even know where we were or where we were going or how to get there! So it was almost like a relief, a pleasure, to be face-to-face with the enemies! We won't have to be afraid of facing them, here we are facing them! Thank God, this is the end of it! Our worries are over! Our struggle is over, the fight is over! The fears are over! HAL! TYJ!
         16. IT SEEMED LIKE IN A SENSE IT WAS ALL BEHIND US NOW & THIS WAS THE END, THIS WAS THE HAPPY ENDING!--The happy ending! Maybe that would be a good sub-title for this, "The Happy Ending!" Ha! I WAS ACTUALLY HAPPY THAT IT WAS HAPPENING! I really had peace in my heart! The guy with the gun looked more scared than I was! Many killers & executioners & persecutors of Christians have testified later that it was the way the person died or suffered, the grace they had, the love they had, the joy they had, that was such a powerful testimony to them that they later got converted! It was such a witness to them!--Your last dying witness! This is where we get the Greek word "martyr", the literal translation of it is "witness"! It's your last witness, your last testimony, the way you die!
         17. SO IT'S NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL! DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! IN FACT, I BELIEVE IT'S THE HAPPIEST EVENT IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE!--THE END! FINITO!--At last out of this fleshly carnal body with all of its woes & aches & pains & troubles & problems & weariness & sicknesses & disease & concerns, hard work & sufferings! It's all over! I mean, it gave me the impression that the happiest moment of your life will be the moment of death for a Christian!--A joyful relief of release, graduation, promotion, school is out & all over & you finally made it! Praise the Lord!
         18. IT REALLY WAS WONDERFUL! That was a wonderful, beautiful dream & I was so thrilled & inspired by it! And I woke up just praising & thanking the Lord for such a wonderful dream! The Lord Himself said, "Fear not them which can kill the body." (Mt.10:28) In other words, don't fear death, don't fear being killed. It's not all that bad. In fact, it's the moment of release from pain & from death forever! Once you've died, that's it, you can't die again! You can't die all over again, it's all over! Thank God! It's behind you. That's it! Never again! Heaven forever! Happiness eternally! Total glory! Sudden death, sudden glory! PTL! TYJ!
         19. AMEN, LORD, IN JESUS' NAME. HELP OUR PRECIOUS FAMILY NOT TO FEAR DEATH & NOT TO BE AFRAID, not to worry about what it is going to be like. For death is the end of our agony & our pain & our suffering & our problems & our work. Death is the sweetest moment of all! "O death, where is thy sting, o grave, where is thy victory?" (1Cor.15:55) Obviously, Lord, You've made it so it has no sting for us, & certainly the grave has no victory because we're going to be with Thee! Thank You Lord! So we don't have to live all our lives with the fear of death as some do.
         20. "FEAR NOT THEM WHICH KILL THE BODY BUT HAVE NO MORE THAT THEY CAN DO, BUT RATHER FEAR HIM (YOU, LORD) that can cast both soul & body into Hell!" (Mt.10:28) Thank You Lord that we no longer have that fear because we know we're saved. We already fear Thee. We love Thee, but we have the awe & respect of the fear of Thee, as a child fears its father, at the same time loves & trusts, but is afraid to disobey--afraid of the judgements & the punishments & the wrath of the parent if we don't obey. It's a good healthy fear of the One that we love--You, Lord, our Father in Heaven. It's better to fear Thee, Lord, our Saviour, not death, not our enemies, not those who can only kill the body but after that have no more that they can do. But we continue to have a healthy fear of Thee & concern about staying in Thy Will.
         21. HELP US TO BE MORE CONCERNED, LORD, ABOUT LIVING THAN DYING & LESS CONCERNED ABOUT THE END, Lord, than the present, today. You said, "Fret not thyself for tomorrow, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, for tomorrow shall take care of the things of itself." (Mt.6:34) Help us not to be encumbered with the burden of the fear of what is going to happen tomorrow, Lord--fear of the end, fear of death, fear of enemies or fear of anything, Lord, except Thee. But we are to be concerned about today & that we are doing Thy Will today, obeying Thee now, accomplishing Thy purpose now & fulfilling our mission now.
         22. SO LORD, PLEASE HELP OUR PRECIOUS FAMILY NOT TO BE BURDENED WITH SUCH FEARS, such concerns or worries about the future, not even about tomorrow, but just to be concerned that we obey & do our job well today, & thankful that we can be of service to Thee, of use to Thee & a blessing to others while it is yet day, "for the night cometh when no man can work." (Jn.9:4) There will only be just a moment of that night for us, Lord, & there will be the glorious morning, the dawning of another day, a brighter day than we've ever known, Lord, that will last forever with Thee in that wonderful Heavenly City & the Heavenly Earth forever!--Where we'll wonder why we even worried or were afraid or ever had fear of any kind!
         23. LORD, YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING! THANK YOU JESUS! Forgive us, Lord, for our doubts & fears, forgive us for ever worrying about the future or problems or people or enemies or any kind of concerns--for support, protection or provision--knowing that You love us, Lord, & our Heavenly Father will take care of it all & You'll never let anything happen to us more than we are able to bear, not even death! (1Cor.10:13.) But You'll give us the grace to bear it with joy & thanksgiving! Dying grace! Glory, actual glory! Sudden death, sudden glory! Praise You Lord! PYL! TYJ!
         24. IS YOUR DEATH GOING TO BE A WITNESS? Is it going to be a testimony? Is it going to be with joy, glory on your face & love for your enemies, as it was with Jesus & Stephen, praying even for those who were killing them!--Relieved, like my Grandmother was when she was dying from that operation? She just looked up--she took her rings off & handed them to my Grandfather & said--"Earth recedes, Heaven opens, this is my Coronation Day!" And she just looked almost ecstatic!
         25. ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL?--When the moment of death comes, God will give you such grace & such peace & such love, such rest, perfect confidence, perfect faith, no fear, all joy, all thankfulness, praising the Lord & thanking God that at last it is all over & this is the end & you won't have to worry about it any more.--It's that easy to die! PTL! TYJ!--Don't worry! You'll have dying grace when the time comes!--In Jesus' name, amen!