Corrie ten Boom, Her Story (continued)
23. Are You Afraid to Die?
IN CHICAGO I met an old friend of mine. I had not seen him for a long time, and I was spending only one day in his town. We had a good talk together, and I remember that I asked him a question. "Are you afraid to die?"
"Yes, lam," he said. His answer surprised me. He loved the Lord and had known Him a long time. He had a deep faith in God. "Why are you afraid to die? You have been a Christian as long as I have known you. Surely you know that Jesus will not leave you alone for one moment."
"T am afraid, Corrie, because I have never died before. Iam afraid because I do not know what it is like to die."
Then we talked about Jesus. Before He went to the cross, He had never died either. Was He also a little afraid?
But today Jesus knows what it is like to die. He has already been through death, and today Jesus says to you and to me, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," and "Lo, I am with you always." That means even death.
The old man smiled and said, "Isn't God good to us—that we could talk and think together about this today?"
"Are you afraid to die?"
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for lam thy God: I will strengthen thee; ... yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10
JESUS IS VICTOR 375
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 Rsv 'Are You Going Home?"
Are you going Home to be with the Lord? You are not afraid, are you?
Afraid of what? To feel the Spirit's glad release, to pass from pain to perfect peace, the strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid of that?
Afraid of what?
Afraid to see the Saviour's face? To hear His welcome and to trace the glory gleam from wounds of grace? Afraid of that?
Afraid of what? To enter into heaven's rest and yet, to serve the Master blessed, from service good to service best?
Afraid of that?
Think of stepping on shore and finding it heaven, or taking hold of a hand and finding it God's, or breathing new air and finding it celestial, or feeling invigorated and finding it immortality; of passing through a tempest to a new and unknown ground; of waking up well and happy and finding it home.
You Have His Word
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:27, 28
I am the resurrection and the life: He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.
John 11:25 niv
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:3, 4
What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.
Romans 8:18 LB
No mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:9 LB
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
(Peters Seo
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 5:24
SUF
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:13
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:1
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57
Patt LWO a
nl, Sle oS Iie CAPTIVE FREE
Preface
I KNOW HOW it feels to be behind a door that can be opened only from the outside, for I have been a prisoner in three different prisons. I learned a great deal in prison, as this was a very difficult class in the schoolroom of life. When you are in a difficult class with a good teacher, you learn much—and my teacher was very good. It was Jesus Himself!
I wish I could share with you what I learned during my imprisonment, but I am old and I cannot travel much now. Since we cannot speak personally together, I have decided to visit you through this little book. The conversations, the experiences really happened to me and I want to share them with you—to show you that even when circumstances look utterly bleak, there is a victorious life which is real and available to you.
It is not only behind barbed wire or prison doors that there are prisoners. There are prisoners of sin, of lust, prisoners of wrong philosophies, prisoners of circumstances, prisoners of self. There are prisoners everywhere. I pray that this book will help you too to lose your life for Jesus' sake so that you may gain it. Jesus said that those whom He makes free are free indeed. Whether decent or indecent sinners, we all need Jesus. He loves us. Yes, He loves you!