Life is so short.
Death comes suddenly many times and unexpectedly.
We are never promised tomorrow.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 tells us that “death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”
So…
Is there an escape?
Is there a freedom?
Has anyone conquered death?
Is there a way to go into death and come out the other side?
Is there a possibility of beating it?
Has anyone ever shown power over death?
And if they have, have they made it possible for me to have victory?
Death is an uncomfortable subject for most people. Many of us make our way through life never giving a thought to our mortality until a serious illness, the loss of a loved one, or some other jarring occasion confronts us with the inescapable reality that one day we will die.
It is hard-wired into our systems to avoid death. It seems unnatural to us and makes many fearful; this is because death was not an original part of God’s plan for His creation.
We were made to be whole and holy, living in paradise in communion with The Lord.
The introduction of death was a necessary response to the admittance of sin into the world. In a sense, it is a grace that we die. If we didn’t, we would have to live in a sinful world for all eternity.
dooming him to an eternity of misery in a cursed world.
We see more details of this in Genesis with the tree of life. This centrally located tree would have been easily accessible to Adam and Eve from any point in the garden, but after Adam and Eve’s sin: “The LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever”(Gen.3:22). God placed a sword-wielding cherub at the entrance to the garden specifically “to guard the way to the tree of life” (V24).
It was a mercy that God kept us from the tree of life. By barring access to it, God showed compassion in His omniscience. Knowing that, because of sin, earthly life would be filled with sorrow and toil, God graciously limited the number of years men would live. To live eternally in a sinful state would mean endless agony for humanity, with no hope of the relief that comes with death. By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time and opportunity to come to know Him and His provision for eternal life through Christ and in result spares us the misery of an endless existence in a sinful condition.
Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, but through another Man, Jesus Christ, redemption through the forgiveness of sin is available to all (Rom5:17).
Many people have told me that the existence of evil is proof that the all loving and all powerful God of the Bible cannot exist. I completely understand this way of thinking, I’ve believed it myself! But this is not something the Bible leaves unaddressed. Scripture not only refers to the problem of evil, but it offers several solutions to it. According to the Bible, the experience of evil is something God understands and acknowledges. God’s willingness to grant us the freedom of making our own choices also allows for the possibility of moral evil. Moral evil leads to physical evil and the fact that we live in fallen world is also reflected all throughout nature through the most devastating natural disasters and disease. Even so, God has always acted to soften the blows that evil and suffering land on humanity although this usually goes unnoticed through the human eye.
Due to the fact that God gave us free will, people willingly chose to do evil. God is not to blame.
So the follow-up question is, if God knew all the evil things that people would choose to do, why would He give us free will? Well, for love to be real, it must not be coerced. If we did not have the ability to reject God, then neither would we have the ability to truly love Him, human freedom is the highest good and that even God will not violate it.
It is those who avail themselves of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross will be resurrected to see the tree of life again. In the eternal state, the curse will be no more, access to the tree of life will be reinstated, and darkness will be forever banished (Revelation 22:2-5). Eden will be restored.
So how do we take to heart the fact of our own death in the here and now? And how can we be prepared to die?
Scripture calls death an enemy. But the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ has destroyed the enemy of death once and for all: “Now with the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus, he has destroyed death, and through the Good News he has brought eternal life into full view” (2 Timothy 1:10).
Those who have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation need not fear death but can have full assurance and confidence in facing the grave.
The Bible is clear that after death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27), but most people are unfortunately not ready to “meet their Maker.” The first and foremost way to prepare for death is to be sure we are in a right relationship with God.
Having a right relationship with God starts with acknowledging our sin before Him and seeking His forgiveness.
It means placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans:10:9). Salvation is God’s gift to us (Ephesians 8:2)-
we only need to receive it by faith.
A right relationship with God through Jesus Christ frees us from the penalty of sin (1Thes.1:10; Rom.8:1-2, Hebrews 9:15),
and from death itself (1Cor.15:22-23, Rom 5:12-17; 7:42).
It also liberates us from the fear of dying: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14-15)
The sting of death is removed for Christians because we know where we are going when we die.
Our perishing bodies will be transformed into immortal ones that will live forever with Christ in God’s eternal kingdom.
In reality, we are truly not ready to live until we are prepared to die.
Scripture teaches us to live with an awareness of our death and cultivate an eternal perspective.
We should invest our time, talents, and resources in things that have everlasting value.
Jesus described this eternal mindset as daily dying for Him: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:23).
Believers live with the hope of heaven and a readiness to lay down their lives for Jesus.
Death for the believer is the beginning of a new, eternal phase of life. When our days on earth come to an end, we will transition to the beginning of a heavenly life. Heaven is our true home where God waits to welcome us into His arms. In His eternal kingdom, all heartache, pain, and death will cease (Rev.21:4),
No matter how spectacular we imagine heaven will be, the Bible promises it will be even better: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).
So that brings us back to my question:
Has anyone ever shown power over death?
And the answer is yes!
You see… someone did have power over death.
In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said this, listen and don’t ever forget it…
“I am He that was dead and am alive forever more”
And that brings me to my next question.
Has He made a way for me to do it?
And the answer is yes!
Jesus said in John 14:19: “Because I live… you shall live also”.
Jesus turned death, the ultimate tragedy into the ultimate triumph. And for anyone who knows and loves Jesus Christ and accepts His death and resurrection for themselves, that same triumph belongs to them.
“I fear no death, death for me will be an escape into the presence of Jesus Christ, the greatest possible joy i could imagine in the universe… because Christ made the way.
He was the first fruits, and I’m following, and so are all those who love Him”.
Time is short.
Tomorrow is not promised.
Today is the day of salvation.
we are not ready to live until we are prepared to die.
Brooke Hunter | Art Blog 