STRIKE THE TENT
Mike Johnson
The last words said by people before they die occur under a variety of circumstances. Sometimes people speak their last words without realizing that death is near. For example, a person’s final utterances may be a comment about what a beautiful day it is. Sometimes a person’s last words may be said while in a state of delirium. This person, in his mind, might be remembering his childhood or perhaps some recent past event. The last words, for instance, of General Robert E. Lee, who died in 1870, were quite fitting as he said with finality, “Strike the tent.” General Stonewall Jackson, who died in 1863 during the Civil War, said just before he died as he came out of his dreams of battle, “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.” Sometime, when people know they are close to death, they may speak words which are not their last words but, instead, are expressed as a final message to loved ones. Last words usually carry much weight — people who do not have much time left typically select important words close to their hearts.
II Timothy is sometimes called the last words of the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote words of encouragement in this book to a young evangelist named Timothy. However, these are not literally Paul’s last words as he probably lived for a time after he wrote this book. He wrote it near the end of his life, and it is perhaps his last book recorded in the New Testament. Therefore, this letter might be regarded, in a sense, as his last words. II Timothy 4:6-8 has some particularly fitting advice. Paul is about to “strike the tent.”
THE END WAS NEAR
Verse six shows Paul’s realization that the end of his life was near. It says, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” The NASB renders it, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering.” It seems Paul views his death as so imminent and sure that he speaks of it as a process already taking place. It is interesting to note the very calm and courageous manner in which Paul was able to approach death. This temperament was characteristic of Paul throughout his life as a Christian. In Acts 21:13, when warned about the persecution he would face if he went to Jerusalem, he replied, “… What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Why was Paul able to view death in this way? For Paul, the answer was clear: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). If Paul lived, it would be “Christ,” as he would have a life of faithfully serving God. He would be helping and teaching other Christians. If Paul died, it would be “gain,” as he would receive eternal salvation. Faithful Christians can approach death with confidence. They can view it as a vehicle that takes them from this life to the better world, which is to come.
It is also clear that Paul was not so preoccupied with his suffering that he forgot the “cause” he would be leaving. The book of II Timothy shows that even at the end, his concern was for the cause of Christ. His concern was more intense than ever as he warned Timothy about the apostasies and the need to work for the Lord up to the very end of their lives. We, like Paul, should never “retire” from being a Christian.
LOOKING BACK
Verse seven shows Paul’s positive view of his past life as a Christian. Here he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. . . .” Paul looked upon his life on earth as a constant battle. The life of a child of God is a fight against sin and false doctrine. Paul told Timothy he needed to “war a good warfare” (I Tim. 1:18) and “fight the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12). Our warfare, of course, is not physical but spiritual (II Cor. 10:4), and we fight with the “whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11). We need to make sure we always fight sin and error. This approach may seem strange in an age of tolerance, passivism, and religious indifference, but we must do it.
Paul also had “finished his course.” The Bible compares the life of a Christian to a race (Heb. 12:1, I Cor. 9:24-27). A secular race has typically a marked out course. Racers disqualify themselves by cutting across the track’s boundary marks. The Christian race also has a prescribed path. That course has been laid out by God and is revealed in the Word of God, i.e., the Bible (II Tim. 3:16-17).
Paul also said that he had “kept the faith.” He did not depart from the faith even though he had to face much persecution. He continued in the “faith” and did not make “shipwreck” of it, as did Hymeneus and Alexander (I Tim. 1:19-20).
PROSPECT IN STORE
Since Paul had “fought a good fight,” “finished the course,” and had “kept the faith,” he had a glorious prospect in store. He said, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (vs. 8). Paul looked beyond death to the crown that awaited him. Paul, however, is not the only one who can obtain this heavenly crown. There can be more than one winner in the race for heaven. The crown is for “all them also that love his appearing.
CONCLUSION
These verses show us how Paul was able to face death and why he was willing to face it in the manner he did. As a result of his faithful life to God, he could look forward to a “crown of righteousness.” What kind of an attitude will we be able to have when it comes time for us to “strike the tent“? What will be our outlook? It will depend on the course we have followed. Let us heed Paul’s words.