Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15
To be known as a Christian today in North Korea is to be as good as dead! In the past few years, some 50,000 Christians have either died or have disappeared into the country’s prison system. That figure is staggering, and speaks to the inhumanity and barbaric attitude of the communist government of that pathetic nation. It also speaks volumes about the courage of the brave Christians there who undoubtedly place their lives in grave danger every time they witness for their Lord. North Korea is rated as the most repressive and dangerous countries for Christians to live in, worse even that other communist nations and the brutal Mohammedan countries. Despite this, North Korea’s underground Christian community is thriving and growing, and those martyrs are trading their blood for precious souls won for their Lord. And their deaths are all precious to Him.
Is it just the deaths of martyrs that are precious in the sight of the Lord? Of course not! The death of every child of God is precious to Him. The word ‘precious’ carries with it the thought of something of great value, something that accomplishes an important purpose. What important purpose does the death of a Christian accomplish? Is it different from the death of an unbeliever, given that every death is the result of sin? I remember a famous quotation from my early days as a Christian: Every person who is born twice dies only once, but a person who is born only once dies twice. The death of a Christian is different because the Christian’s body will not experience the second death. The Christian’s soul will find its eternal home in Heaven, not in the hell reserved for the lost. The Christian’s spirit is sealed with the Holy Spirit and is released from the judgment that faces the unsaved. The death of the Christian is proof of the redeeming power of the blood of Christ. That is precious to God.
We have all seen loved ones pass from time into eternity. We have experienced the comfort of knowing that those who were saved passed through something that was precious to the Lord. When we feel our own mortality and realize that our own death is closer than ever, we can take comfort that we will also experience that which is precious to our Lord.
Will you and I experience the great event called the Rapture? We don’t know, although we hope so. But if we should not, we will still offer to our Lord that which is precious to Him. -Jim MacIntosh