“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come” (2 Timothy 4:6 ESV).
For many, their departure from this life is a prospect that seems exceedingly remote, assuming they think about that subject at all. Yet how many of us actually stop to consider an important question: how much time do we really have? The unfortunate reality is that life can pass very quickly and nothing is guaranteed.
While this is hardly a popular subject, the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes provides us with an important reminder: “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time” (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 NLT). 2 Timothy 4:6 indicates that Paul the Apostle took that counsel seriously in regard to his own mortality.
In the original language of this verse, the word “departure” referenced a sailing vessel that had been loosed from its mooring. It was also used to convey the relocation of a military encampment. Thus, this imagery tells us that Paul viewed physical death as an exit from this life to another. We can also say that Paul welcomed that exit based on the following portion of his letter to the Philippian church…
“…living to me means simply ‘Christ’, and if I die I should merely gain more of him. I realise, of course, that the work which I have started may make it necessary for me to go on living in this world, I should find it very hard to make a choice. I am torn in two directions—on the one hand I long to leave this world and live with Christ, and that is obviously the best thing for me.
Yet, on the other hand, it is probably more necessary for you that I should stay here on earth. That is why I feel pretty well convinced that I shall not leave this world yet, but shall be able to stand by you, to help you forward in Christian living and to find increasing joy in your faith” (Philippians 1:21-25 Phillips).
Much like Paul the Apostle, our view of death is largely influenced by our perception of what will take place beyond it. In this respect, Jesus once made an important statement followed by an equally important question…
“…I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).