The concept of the death of saints as a merciful removal from impending evil is a theme that resonates throughout the Scriptures. This notion is rooted in the understanding that God, in His sovereign wisdom and compassion, sometimes chooses to take His faithful ones away from the world to spare them from future suffering or calamity.

Biblical Foundation

One of the clearest articulations of this principle is found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 57:1-2 states, "The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness." This passage suggests that the death of the righteous is not a tragedy but a divine act of deliverance from future distress.

Examples in Scripture

Throughout the Bible, there are instances where God removes His people from the earth to spare them from impending evil. Enoch, for example, "walked with God, and then he was no more, because God took him away" (Genesis 5:24). Enoch's translation is seen as a divine intervention to spare him from the growing wickedness of the pre-flood world.

Similarly, the prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), a dramatic departure that removed him from the trials and tribulations that would befall Israel. Elijah's removal can be viewed as a merciful act, sparing him from witnessing the nation's further decline into idolatry and apostasy.

Theological Implications

Theologically, the death of saints as a removal from coming evil underscores God's protective care for His people. It reflects His intimate knowledge of the future and His desire to shield His faithful ones from unnecessary suffering. This perspective offers comfort to believers, assuring them that God is actively involved in the lives of His saints, even in their deaths.

Moreover, this concept aligns with the broader biblical narrative of God's redemptive plan. The death of saints is not an end but a transition to eternal peace and rest. As Paul writes in Philippians 1:21 , "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Death, for the believer, is a gainful release from the trials of this world and an entrance into the presence of the Lord.

Practical Considerations

For the Christian community, understanding the death of saints as a removal from coming evil can transform the way believers perceive death. It encourages a perspective that sees beyond the immediate grief and loss, recognizing the divine purpose and protection inherent in God's timing. This understanding can provide solace to those mourning the loss of loved ones, reassuring them of God's sovereign care and the ultimate peace that awaits His faithful.

In pastoral care, this theme can be a source of hope and encouragement, reminding believers that God's ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). It invites the faithful to trust in God's perfect plan, even when it involves the departure of those we hold dear.2 Kings 22:20
Behold therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered into your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring on this place. And they brought the king word again.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 57:1
The righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Last Season
... 4. It may increase your willingness to die, to reflect that by death God often ... calamity
is coming upon the world, God sometimes removes his saints out of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/flavel/on keeping the heart/xii the last season.htm

Chrysostom -- Excessive Grief at the Death of Friends
... work, he destroys our body, and removes the soul ... is, and Peter, and the whole company
of the saints. ... whether poverty, or sickness, or untimely death, or calumny ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons volume i/chrysostom excessive grief at.htm

According to which principle or hypothesis all the objections ...
... Christ should come, that by his death and sufferings ... not diligent enough in adoration
of saints and images ... this light, as it is received, removes the blindness ...
/.../proposition vi according to which.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... full of odours, which are the prayers of saints, and they ... sit in darkness, and in
the shadow of death,' what to do ... thee light; to awaken thee to a coming to him ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians.
... in heaven, [139]74; are given what elder saints toiled after ... the need of the Law,
[196]3; removes the curse ... soul, what it is, [204]134; the second death, [205]172 ...
/.../homilies on galatians and ephesians.htm

Psalm VII.
... but the soul, after this visible death, they cannot ... Christian ages, when as yet the
saints were oppressed by ... maketh men whole; but the former removes them from ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm vii.htm

Between the Two Appearings
... perform the work of taking away sin removes the foundation of ... His death was needful;
but, blessed be God, having ... shall rise to see him, both saints and sinners ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/between the two appearings.htm

The Value of this Doctrine
... 7:1; 14:5); that disease and death are His ... that ascribes all glory to Him and removes
every ground ... horrible" and "dangerous" which affords the saints a sense ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter twelve the value of.htm

Angelic Comforters.
... Ah! whenever the Lord removes one comfort, He is ready to ... where mystic life began,
Will gather'd saints in glory ... we love is taken from us by death, how cheered ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xxii angelic comforters.htm

The Scope of the Apocalypse is Indicated by Its Place in the ...
... is named "Death and Hell." This double title removes all doubt ... men by the sentence
of physical death for all ... the faith and patience of the saints, and enable ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/the scope of the apocalypse.htm

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Death: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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