On December 22, 1899 D.L Moody died a death that was described by those who were there as a moment of profound joy, anticipation, and victory. Moody reportedly said, “Earth recedes; heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go… This is my triumph; this is my coronation day! It is glorious!” Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft has described the way that pre-modern Christians experienced their deathbed as a “victory party.”

I have only been to a few deathbeds in my life, and they were not like that. If it is the case that these types of deathbed experiences are increasingly rare, I can only speculate as to why. Maybe modern secularism is eroding what used to be a robust heavenward hope. Maybe the fear of death still lingers. But it seems clear to me that a “victory party” is a much more fitting description of what the scene at a Christian’s deathbed ought to look like. The fear of death is a form of slavery, and Christ died so that he might deliver us from that (Hebrews 2:15). Instead, the believer should look at death and see nothing but gain (Philippians 1:21) while maintaining a full assurance of hope all the way to the end. As we once sang in the old hymn, “death is now but my entrance into glory” (Jesus Lives and So Shall I).

I want a deathbed victory party.