Dennis Franklin Thornes, Jr.

Dennis Franklin Thornes, Jr., 84, husband of Ethel Ada Parker Thornes and a resident of Birdsnest, VA, passed away Thursday, January 17, 2013 at his residence. A native of Accomac, VA, he was the son of the late Dennis Franklin Thornes, Sr. and the late Clara Crockett Thornes. Mr. Thornes was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, club champion of the Northampton Country Club, dedicated Theologian and retired letter carrier for the Cape Charles Post Office. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Mike Thornes and his wife, Patty, of Birdsnest, Jeff Thornes and his wife, Pam, of Eastville, VA, Dennis Thornes and his wife, Tammy, of Virginia Beach, VA; one daughter, Jennifer Moore and her husband, Russell, of Cape Charles, VA; one brother, Gordon Thornes and his wife, Susan, of Norfolk, VA; five grandchildren, Jarrod Sayers of Exmore, VA, Danielle Labreck of Nassawadox, VA, Quinton Thornes of Virginia Beach, Toni Thornes of Manhattan, NY, Jake Thornes of Eastville; and two great grandchildren, Caleb Sayers of Exmore and Liam Sayers of Exmore. He was predeceased by a daughter, Denise Thornes Sayers; two brothers, Estes Thornes, Vincent Thornes; and two sisters, Marie Murdock and Anna Mae Bell. A graveside service will be conducted Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Cape Charles Cemetery with Reverend Randy Lewis officiating. Flowers will be accepted or memorial contributions may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of the Eastern Shore, 165 Market Street, Suite #3, Onancock, VA 23417 or to S.P.C.A. Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 164, Onley, VA 23418. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.doughtyfuneralhome.com Arrangements were made by the Wilkins-Doughty Funeral Home in Cape Charles, Virginia. EULOGY OF DENNIS THORNES, JR. We are gathered here together this afternoon in order to celebrate the transfer of Dennis's soul and spirit from time into eternity. I use the word "celebrate" because this is the attitude that Dennis would wish for us to take. Make no mistake, this is a time of sorrow. But sorrow is a human emotion that is natural for those who are left behind by a loved one's departure to be with the lord. It is the result of a sudden realization that there can never be a time for earthly fellowship,companionship, or rapport.Yet,although sorrow and grief are normal and legitimate emotions,they do not overwhelm those who have placed their trust in Christ.Stronger than these emotions is the clear testimony of biblical truth that applies to Dennis's death and these principles provide for his family and friends a source of great joy and thanksgiving.Dennis was a believer in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ.He came to understand that his sins were transferred from his accountover to Christ's and that the Lord was judged in his place on Calvary's cross. He placed his faith in the resurrection of Christ. These two eventsthe cross and the resurrectionconstitute the Gospel of salvation and by placing his faith in Christ alone he received saving grace and was imputed eternal life and the guarantee of a resurrection body. Over the last few years Dennis suffered from physical illnesses common to the human condition. We are all born, we live, we eat, we marry, we reproduce, we age, we decline, we die. This is a general summary of the human drama. It is during the time between birth and death that man must decide how he wishes to spend his eternal future.Because Dennis chose Christ, he is now absent from the body and face to face with the Lord where, according the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 21, verse 4, we read, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; death will no longer exist, neither anguish, nor crying, nor pain; because the old things have passed away."Many in Dennis's family and among his friends are also believers in Christ and thus are comforted today by this knowledge, not only for Dennis but also for themselves. Those of his family who have attended the bible classes over the past three decades are confident about these things and because of this confidence they now enjoy tranquility of soul as they gather here to remember the life of a husband, a father,and grandfather and give thanks to God for him. None of us enter into life with such confidence and Dennis was no exception. He was a man who had three burning interests: love of family, love of the word of God and love of country.Today our country's traditional world-view is under unrelenting assault from progressives who wish to convert it into an godless Nation. Part of this effort is to deconstruct the divine institution of marriage,family, and country and in doing so transform the United States into something quite unlike that of our forebears. Dennis was on the front line in opposition to this. He assumed the duty of passing along our nation's heritage to his family hoping that at lease those of his own household would help stem the cultural downtrends so starkly evident throughout this client Nation.Dennis had a good idea and more parents and grandparents need to follow his example. The deconstruction of marriage and family is afoot and must be stopped if we are to remain a free people, else we will repeat history since we have failed to learn from it. Marcus Cicero was a prophetic of our time when in 52 B.C. he wrote:"Before our time, the customs of our ancestors produced excellent men, and eminent men preserved our ancient customs and the institutions of our forefathers. What is now left of the ancient customs on which the commonwealth of Rome was founded firm? They have been so completely buried in oblivion that they are not only no longer practice, but are already unknown." Dennis knew that the basic requirement to reverse the trends of today's apostasy is bible doctrine, the salvation of the soul, the gift of eternal life, and the guarantee of heavenly citizenship is appropriated through the volitional decision to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the living God. What comes after faith alone in Christ alone is the key to reversing the trends progressivism, there is no other way. Through the grace of God and the absents of works Dennis came to realize that one does not perform good works in order to be saved but perform good works because he is saved. And once good works are removed from the discussion then the impact of the Scripture's clear testimony becomes known. The Greek word for confidence is "elpis." the English word used to translate it is "hope" however this words suggests doubt. But the Greek definition of elpis does not suggest doubt, but expectation and certainty in a divinely given future. True confidence must have knowledge of truth as its foundation, otherwise it becomes a masquerade for emotion, opinion and human viewpoint. Dennis acquired his confidence through the study of biblical rationales. The Scripture tells us in Hebrews 9:27 that : "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement." However, we are told in Romans 8:1 that " there is no judgement for those who are in Christ Jesus." It should be noted that the Hebrews passage is true of all mankind, but the Romans verse is true only those who have believed in Christ------for those in Christ, there is no judgement. Dennis made the transition from Hebrews 9:27 to Romans 8:1 many years ago, but what if he had not? Then the day of his death would mark his transfer into eternal darkness. Dennis did not know the time,the place, or the manner of his death. Neither do any of us. But each of us knows that someday we will die. Here's a revealing question to ponder: when you do die, under what circumstances do you suppose God will allow you entrance into His heaven? Unfortunately, there are great misunderstandings today as to how one qualifies to enter God's heaven. Some say that performing good works they will earn eternal life. Others claim that each of us is seeking the same goal and a merciful God will ultimately permit all of His creatures to enter heaven. The Lord disavow's this idea in John 14:6 where He is quoted saying, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but through me." There is no other way! There is even the notion that if one's good deeds simply outnumber his sins and failures then God will permit him in heaven. There is no such idea stated in the Bible. What the Bible does say however is that, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." There is none righteous, no, not even one." And those who have fallen short and are unrighteous cannot have an association with a perfect and righteous God. This leaves each of us with an inescapable conclusion: there is no hope for any of us! There is no way that fallen and sinful mankind can earn or deserve the perfect righteousness of God. It is given only to those who express faith alone in Christ alone. The imputation of His perfection righteousness at Salvation secures our eternal future.2Corinthians 5:21----For He Who knew no sin became sin as a substitute for us so that we might have the righteousness of God in Him. Who is the righteous substitute? Paul tells us in: Romans 5:8God demonstrates His Own undiminished love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died as a substitute for us.Who is this Christ? The title, Christos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word, Messiah. This personality was understood by the Israelites to be "Kinsman-Redeemer", one who would emerge from the tribe of Judah and the dynasty of David. And so Jesus one day looked at His disciples and asked them in: Matthew 16:13"Who do the people say that the Son of Man is?" verse 4-and they said, "Some say John the Baptist, and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." verse 15-He said to His disciples, "but who do you say that I am?" verse 16-and Simon Peter answered and said, " You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." "You are the Christ!" Peter correctly identified Jesus as the long expected Messiah. It was Jesus who is the Savior of the World. On the cross it was Jesus who received judgement of our sins. Anyone that believes this shall not perish but have eternal life. This was made clear to Dennis by the Lord's quote of John 3:16; "For God demonstrated His love to the human race in the following manner: He gave His uniquely born Son for the purpose and with result that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life."[This is grace, no gift can be a gift if it requires something on the part of the recipient.] What qualifications does the Lord Himself cite for the grace gift of eternal life? Anyone who believes in Him! The word "believe" is the Greek verb; "pistos." The noun form is "pistis" and is translated "faith." The verb is transitive which places the merit of one's belief on the object. The object is Jesus Christ. Simple belief in Christ results in salvation and eternal life. "Too simple!" some say. Let's assume for a moment that they are right.Perhaps there is something more. Maybe if we search the Scripture we would find other things we are asked to do in order to be saved, to acquire eternal life, and thus qualified to enter into God's heaven. So, let's take a look to see if there other requirements beyond faith in Christ for entering into God's heaven. The first few are again direct quotes from Jesus: John 3:18;----"He who believes in Him is not judged but the one who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the uniquely born Son of God."John 3:36;----"He who believes in the Son has eternal life but he who rejects the Son shall not see life but God's Wrath remains on him." John 6:47;----"Truly, I say to you he who believes in Me has eternal life." Romans 3:22;----"Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe." Romans 3:28;----"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith, apart from the works of the Law." Ephesians 2;8,9;----"For by grace you are saved through faith and that salvation is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God. v.9----not of works, lest any man should boast." The most profound yet simple statement regarding one's salvation is found in: Acts 16:31;----"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Dennis came to the understand these passages as clear testimony of one's enterance into God's heaven. As a result I am pleased to report that in God's perfect plan, the instant of Dennis's death, his soul and spirit exited his human body and went home to be with the Lord forever. It was that instant, that Dennis found eternal tranquility in the presence of God. We should also note that this was not a time of grief for the Lord, for the Scripture tells us in: Psalm 116:15;----Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Godly ones. And yet for Dennis's family this is a normal time for sorrow that is only right and natural. God's grace will sustain you, give you strength to endure this.Isaiah 41:10;-----Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will sustain you, yes, I will help you, yes, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. During your time of grief, the Lord tells you that you may cast your troubles upon Him and he will answer your prayers by smoothing your souls with His own perfect peace. Philippians 4:6;----Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, v.7----and the peace of God, which passes all understanding will garrison your hearts and souls in Christ Jesus. In time, God's grace will take the sorrow, which is now focus on Dennis's absence, and slowly transform it into joyous expectations of the promise future reunions. 1 Thessalonians 4:13;----We do not want you to be uniformed, fellow believers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. v. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and we do, even so God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. v. 15----For this we say to you by the Word of Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. v. 16----For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven, He will do so with a command, with with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. v. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.This is the biblical guarantee of the promise future reunion. And then verse 18 is very important: v. 18Always comfort one another with these words. And finally, all of you should remember that the believers death is God's victory. The Apostle Paul informs us in:1 Corinthians 15:54,55;"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?" v. 57Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. These are some of the reasons why I said at the beginning that we have gathered together here today to celebrate the transfer of Dennis's soul and spirit into the presence of the Lord. Consequently, his family may have tranquility of soul. The love of God provided a way of salvation for us all through His uniquely born Son, Jesus Christ. Because your loved one chose to place his faith in this grace provision means that you may now grieve his absence but you do so comforted by confidence, not as others do who have no hope. Shall we pray: Heavenly Father, we come to your throne of grace today, saddened by the death of a husband, a father, grandfather, and friend. Yet we have learned from Your Word that such sorrow is only experience by those who left behind. And so we are encourage by the knowledge that you rejoice in the death of your saints and that Dennis is happily in your presence. Thus, it is our prayer that your grace will comfort those who now find themselves missing him. Shower upon them your gracious mercies which will bring tranquility to their souls. Such poise springs from biblical principles which sustain, give strength, and provide the ability to endure. May the Holy Spirit empower each of us to draw from this reservoir of confidence, enabling each of us to keep our eyes focused on the source of all good and perfect gifts, our Lord Jesus Christ. Dennis was a good gift, now made perfect in Him. There is no substitute for victory. There can be no victory without Christ, a victory that was won through His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross and made available to all through faith alone in Him. Once again a child of God, is victorious. On the day of his death You called him to enter into the realm of Your eternal Glory for which we are grateful and which we are confident. And we pray in the name of Your uniquely born Son, namely, Jesus Christ, Who is the Lord of the armies.We will close with: Jude 24 and 25; Now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be Glory and Majesty, dominion and power, both now and forevermore! Amen.