“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6–8.
My bride Diana’s increasing level of care (I became her full-time caregiver) has meant a hiatus from contributing to this website. The news I must share now is that God healed Diana’s cancer by taking her home to Heaven (literally from my arms into Jesus’). I must also express that while I spent my career being up and close with death on multiple levels, the passing of the love of my life has left me grieving on an incredibly deep level.
Tragically, we were unable to slow Diana’s cancer and she went far faster than even our doctors predicted. Yes, we prayed for a miracle, but God’s answer was the same one He gave to Paul:
“’My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
However, God did in fact completely heal my bride: the moment Diana passed from this life into the arms of Jesus, she was made wholly and forever cancer and pain free! Her suffering is over, and I got to serve, protect and care for her to her last breath in this life (while praising God for her first breath in Heaven). Our hope rests on the fact that as believers, we are “absent from the body, present with the Lord” (“But we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” — 2 Corinthians 5:8).
Diana a warrior? Yes – in all things but by force of arms! My incredible, courageous, Godly bride is (not “was” — Diana has never been more alive than she is now) in every sense a Christian warrior, and the most amazing courageous person I’ve every known. Her cancer was horrific but she fought so courageously (she is a Spirit-filled champion); continued to daily study the Word, pray and spend time with God; and even led two woman she worked with and mentored to a saving faith just weeks before she passed. Like me, she embraced a “Code 3” sense of urgency to share the hope she has in Christ with others, and she continued to pour into her kids, grandkids and many of her “spiritual kids” (younger women she discipled — Christian field training) while also being my gift from God as a wife (ours is an amazing loving story). Watching her do what she did while in the midst of tremendous pain and overwhelming exhaustion was simply amazing (and how blessed was I to be there through it essentially 24/7)!
And homecoming? In Heaven? Absolutely. Let me break it down for you. For the Christian, the very moment this life ends we will go into the physical presence of God in Heaven (or heaven — but I tend to capitalize it as it is a real place and thus a proper noun). Yes, true believers (a Christian as God defines it) in Jesus Christ go immediately to heaven when we die.
By “heaven,” we mean a real place of worship, comfort and blessedness where God dwells. Of course, the physical bodies of believers remain on earth, awaiting the resurrection, but their souls/spirits go to be with the Lord (again see 2 Corinthians 5:8). And it is in fact a homecoming. When we come to a saving faith in Christ, this earth becomes only a temporary abode — our true, “forever home” is in Heaven with the Lord. And I really love how Paul puts it (writing under the leading of the Holy Spirit):
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6–8).
At the death of a believer, his or her spirit (soul) leaves their earthly “house” (flesh, body) and immediately enters into the joyful presence of our Lord Jesus. At the rapture, the believer’s spirit joins his or her resurrected body—a glorified body impervious to the ravages of aging, illness, disease, suffering, and death (1 Corinthians 15:42–53). Our present mortal bodies are not fit for eternity, but our new bodies will never become ill, grow old, or die (praise God)! We shall live gloriously with Him in perfect bodies throughout the endless ages of eternity.
With this end in mind, the apostle Paul broke out in joyous praise and worship:
“‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55–57).
Sadly (the gut-wrenching kind that I have now), there is in fact a terrible sting for those of us left here waiting to join our loved ones, but if we have placed our trust (to surrender all in faith) in Christ, we can take solace in knowing that we will be reunited with our loved ones when our time comes (I can’t wait).
So yes, for the believer, our arrival with the Lord in Heaven is in fact a glorious homecoming!
But what about unbelievers–those who leave this life having rejected Christ and His offer of forgiveness, salvation and a forever home with Him in Heaven? Folks, as I share often, their choice will result in eternal separation from Christ and their Christian loved ones in a terrifyingly real place called Hell. With Diana’s legacy and homecoming in mind, I beg you: don’t choose that path!
So how can you escape the latter destination (Hell)? There is only One way (and as I share often, the way is not by being a “good” cop or person.). Do you know Him? Are you in fact saved? Are you sure? If not, it is with Diana’s homecoming on my heart that I again implore you to “repent and believe” (Jesus, Mark 1:15) now.
