BOOK REVIEW:
Facing the Last Enemy: Death and the Christian by Guy Prentiss Waters. Ligonier Ministries. 150 pages. 2023
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The author of this book is a seminary professor and a pastor. The material in the book originated as a Sunday school series he taught.
This short, but theologically rich book has three major sections:Part One: Defining Death. This section addresses questions such as what is death, what happens after death, why did Christ die, and why do Christians die.
Part Two: Encountering Death. This section addresses questions such as how do we face the deaths of others, how can we help the dying and grieving, and how we can prepare for our own deaths.
Part Three: Beyond Death. This section addresses what the Bible teaches about the resurrection, what the Bible teaches about the final judgment, and what the Bible teaches about Heaven and Hell.
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The author writes that we all have questions about death, and that the thought of death is so overwhelming that we would prefer not to think about it at all. He tells us that we need to test every belief and conviction against the testimony of Scripture. Only what is true will equip us to understand and face death in the way that God wants.
The author tells us that Scripture is plain: no one escapes death. God has appointed the exact day and time of a person’s death. We have no say or control over the length of our days—whether we will be alive tomorrow or not. The end of our days is set by the Lord’s will. We need to live mindful of that reality.
God is a just God. Death is the penalty of sin. Death is loss. It is something to grieve and lament. It is not the way things are supposed to be. Therefore, it is the “last enemy” (1 Cor. 15:26). It is right to weep in the face of death. However, the gospel tells us that Christ has conquered and subdued death. That is the only way that believers can face death with hope or confidence.
The book addresses a number of topics, including universalism, annihilationism, purgatory, union with Christ, suicide, end of life decisions, hope, and rewards.
This is an excellent book about the subject of death and what happens after death – to the believer and the unbeliever.
Below are some helpful quotes from the book:
- As believers, we should view death as an opportunity to encourage people to think about God, eternity, and themselves in a biblical way.
- God owes salvation to no one. The fact that heaven will be populated with redeemed sinners is a tribute to God’s unfathomable mercy.
- Heaven particularly magnifies the mercy of God; hell, particularly brings glory to the justice of God.
- The only way that we can experience eternal life is to be brought into union with Christ. There is no such life outside Christ. Once we are in Christ, death has passed, and life has come.
- The sacrificial death of Christ has nullified death as the penalty for sin for the believer.
- We may meet death in confidence and victory only if our hopes are firmly and entirely grounded in His merits on our behalf.
- Whatever the circumstances surrounding our death, and whether our death is painful or pain-free, we know that Jesus is present with us by His Spirit. We are never alone. He will not leave or forsake us at our greatest trial. He is interceding for us. He is helping us and comforting us by the ministry of the Spirit.
- Unbelievers “have no hope,” and their mourning reflects that hopelessness. Believers, however, have been given a living hope in Jesus Christ. Our mourning must reflect this gospel hope.
- The grief of the godly is marked by a sense of hope, but this hope is not the possession of only some Christians. Every believer has been given hope in the gospel.
- Because it is true that Jesus died and was raised from the dead, and because we have put our trust in Him as Savior, we have the comfort we need to grieve in hope and to help our brothers and sisters do the same.
- Death is about separation. Our hope is about reunion.
- Death immediately ushers a person into the presence of the Son of God, who passes sentence and either brings that person into heaven or sends the person to hell.
- Preparation for death begins right now by drawing close to Jesus Christ and finding grace in Him to face death and to encourage others who will face death.
- Each Lord’s Day, we are not only remembering what God has done for us in Jesus Christ but also looking forward to our heavenly home.
- The best way to get ready for death is to live—in, by, and for Jesus Christ.
- Our resurrection and Christ’s resurrection are so bound up together that the one requires the other.
- In Christ, we will not stand condemned at the final judgment because Christ has already been condemned in our place. In fact, far from being condemned, we are now declared righteous in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:1, 33–34).
- Our good works are never the basis of God’s reward to us, but they are the measure according to which God dispenses His rewards.
- Christians will face the final judgment, but they should not face it with anxiety or dread.
- Every human being will spend eternity with God. In heaven, God will be present to His people as Father in love and joy; in hell, God will be present to sinners in righteous judgment and wrath.
- Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold. My wife Tammy has published a book about HOW to study the Bible. The book is available on Amazon in both a Kindle and paperback edition. She writes “Maybe you have read the Bible but want to dig deeper and know God and know yourself better. Throughout the book I use the analogy of making a quilt to show how the Bible is telling one big story about what God is doing in the world through Christ. Quilting takes much patience and precision, just like studying the Bible, but the end result is well worth it.
- Does God Care About Gender Identity? Tim Challies reviews Samuel Ferguson’s new book Does God Care About Gender Identity? He writes “It’s the kind of book churches may wish to keep on hand and distribute liberally. I expect many Christians will benefit from reading it and thus I highly recommend it.”
“The Westminster Confession of Faith is one of the most precise and comprehensive statements of biblical Christianity, and it is treasured by believers around the world. R.C. Sproul has called it one of the most important confessions of faith ever penned, and it has helped generations of Christians understand and defend what they believe.
In Truths We Confess, Dr. Sproul introduces readers to this remarkable confession, explaining its insights and applying them to modern life. In his signature easy-to-understand style and with his conviction that everyone’s a theologian, he provides valuable commentary that will serve churches and individual Christians as they strive to better understand the eternal truths of Scripture. As he walks through the confession line by line, Dr. Sproul shows how the doctrines of the Bible—from creation to covenant, sin to salvation—fit together to the glory of God. This accessible volume is designed to help you deepen your knowledge of God’s Word and answer the question, What do you believe?”
This week we look at WCF 7 Of God’s Covenant with Man. Here are a few helpful quotes from the chapter:
- Any covenant into which God enters with us is an act of condescension.
- The concept of covenant, which provides the structure or framework of redemptive history and of the whole scope of theology, is vitally important. It provides the context within which God reveals Himself to us, ministers to us, and acts to redeem us.
- Church membership is part of our covenant relationship with Christ and with God.
- God is a covenant-keeper and we are covenant-breakers.
- The covenant of works has its roots in God’s grace. Any relationship we have with Him that involves a promise is gracious.
- In the covenant of grace, it pleased the Lord to provide a substitute, a champion to obey His law perfectly and personally for us.
- Salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end; it is completely by His grace.
- The covenant of grace does not annul the covenant of works. The covenant of grace is what God does to ensure that, under the covenant of works, we do not perish, but are redeemed by Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of this covenant.
- In the final judgment, we will be judged by the law of God, and we will stand there on the grounds of either our works or Christ’s works.
- We are saved the same way Adam was saved. The only difference is that people then trusted divine promises that had yet to be fulfilled.
