... 'I have been at four funerals, spoken at FOUR funerals in the last 5 years...' - David Pawson


I have been at four funerals, spoken at four funerals in the last 5 years. The first was my mother-in-law. I tell you a secret - I fell in love with my mother-in-law before I met my wife. How about that. And when I heard she had a single daughter, I said to myself, if she is anything like you, I am not interested. (Laughter). And she was, and I was! and she is waiting at home for me and I spoke to her half-an-hour ago.

Now I spoke at my mother-in-law's funeral. She died at 98 and her last words to me - she was talking about Jesus and going to be with Him. And then my daughter died at 36 just three years ago - of leukaemia - the doctor had missed the symptoms, he had told us she was just run-down and needed a tonic and for three months he fed her on a tonic and by the time we got a second opinion, it was too late - and she was far gone with a very bad form of leukaemia and the doctor told us it might be 4-6 months. And I said "Lord, make it quicker than that, I don't want her to suffer for long". And the Lord took her in three weeks, in His mercy.

I spoke at her funeral - never forget it - we buried her in the morning and we celebrated her life in the afternoon. Hundreds of people came, people were converted at her funeral and even the tape recording of that funeral has led people to Christ. I spoke and my wife and my son spoke and even her little daughter spoke - seven years old.

I will never forget the next day - we took the 'little orphan' - as she called herself - down to the seaside and we had a lovely afternoon, but on the way home, she said "Grandpa, we didn't need to cry yesterday afternoon, did we?" I said "Why not, Rebecca?" She said "Well, yesterday morning was the end of mummy's old life but yesterday afternoon was the beginning of her new life, wasn't it?" 7 years old! And then I spoke at my brother-in-law's funeral - he died of cancer, a retired Methodist pastor and his wife, my sister, had cancer at the same time, and she died a few months later.

And at each of these funerals, I said "They will be back, we will see them again, here," and even church people look as if I was teaching Buddhism or something! (Laughter). Reincarnation! But no, I will see my daughter again and here! she is coming back because when Christ comes back, all the Christians come back too! Are you looking forward to living here a second time? You sure? (laughter). I think that is a new thought to some of you.

You see, heaven is only a waiting room. You only go there for a temporary place until you get back here and some people talk as though they are going to heaven forever! No, you just go there to be with Jesus until He gets back here! And you come back with Him and you get your new body - you are living HERE.


This is a transcipt from "What Hope for the Millennium?", recorded at the Gateway Centre, Brisbane, Australia, in April, 1998. To read more of this message, click here.