Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Death was never a part of God's original plan for humanity. Humans brought it upon themselves through the commission of sin (that is, disobedience to God's commands), for which death was the punishment.

Through His incarnation, sinless life, undeserved atoning death, and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for humans, even though they must still die temporally (unless they are alive at the time of His return) to once again have access to eternal life through faith in the redemption that He has gained for them. This eternal life represents the defeat and destruction of death, which will be fully realized at the close of the age, when the resurrected and redeemed will no longer be subject to it, but will live forever in God's presence. (This is indicated in the passage from Revelation -- specifically Revelation 21:4 -- cited in the question.)

April 30 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Shirley H Supporter Wife, mother, veteran in the spiritual war we all face!

2 Corinthians 5:1,and 17: "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 

Isaiah 43:18: "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old."

Isaiah 65:17: "For behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."

God has been about the business of creating a new world for His children. It will be a wondrous place! There will be no need to think about the life we are living at this time. We will be deliriously happy.

We will be God's people and He will be Our God. We will live with Him in truth and righteousness.

We will be in the New Jerusalem, at a grand party, celebrating the marriage of Jesus to His church. We will go to live with Jesus, as He came to live with us on this earth, that He created.

God's wrath has been completed. The new creation awaits us. We are God's inheritance! In fact all things promised to the churches will be inherited! See Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, and 21.

Romans 6:9, 10: "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death has no dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God."

April 30 2022 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

Just after getting off work as a dishwasher, one day at Coco’s Famous Hamburgers in Scottsdale, Arizona, I hopped on my bike and started across Scottsdale Road to ride home. A car hit my bike and I went flying up and over the hood of the car! The lady, the driver of the car screamed, “I killed him.” “Oh, no,” I said, after looking at my bike which was totaled, “I’m all right. All I have is bruises.” I had to walk my bike all the way home from there because at least one of the wheels was so badly bent. I defeated death! Of course, this was only a temporary defeat. Later on, God used this event and others to bring me to Christ.

Paul in his second letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:10 says, “But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” ([NAVE’s TOPICAL BIBLE lists this verse as most relevant.] 

Herman Bavinck says in an article that he submitted to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE), wrote, “[God] can even bring death wholly to nothing and completely triumph over its power by rising from the dead (Job 14:13-15; 19:25-27; Hos 6:2; 13:14; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Ezek 37:11,12; Dan 12:2).” 

But my all-time favorite passage on the defeat of death comes from Hebrews 2:14-15 in the Message Bible translation (MSG): “Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.” Praise God that I’m free through Jesus who embraced and took death for me, destroying the Devil’s hold on death for me. (I literally had been “scared to death of death” before Jesus saved me). I simply put my faith in Jesus and His death as our Substitute, trusting Him alone for my salvation. Before that, I had been trusting in my “good character” to win me a place in heaven. But that was not enough. See Isaiah 64:6: “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” to God.

May 01 2022 • 6 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

The Bible proclaims that death is defeated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who broke its power and secured eternal life for believers. Described as the "last enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26), death is permanently destroyed, with prophecy promising it will be "swallowed up forever" (Isaiah 25:8) and eventually eliminated (Rev. 21:4).

Key biblical concepts regarding the defeat of death include:

Christ's Victory: Jesus' resurrection is the ultimate triumph, as
He rose never to die again, holding the keys of death and Hades (Rom. 6:9, Rev. 1:18).

Destruction of the Devil: Through his death, Jesus destroyed him who holds the power of death—the Devil—and freed those enslaved by its fear (Heb. 2:14-15).

The Transformation: Believers will be changed from perishable to imperishable, raising the hope that death is not the end (1 Cor. 15:51-54).

No More Death: The future promise in Revelation 21:4 states there will be no more death, sorrow, or pain.

The sting of death is identified as sin, and victory over it is provided as a gift from God through Jesus.

The Bible describes the defeat of death as a central theme, portraying it as an enemy already overcome by Jesus Christ [ who was raised from the dead] and that he will be the one to abolish entirely "Death." 

Death... is to be brought to nothing: Or "death is to be destroyed." Lit., "Death will be made ineffective." Paul speaks of the end of Adamic death and its consequences. An essential part of bringing death to nothing involves raising the dead through resurrection (Joh 5:28), a teaching that Paul vigorously upholds. However, to do away with death completely, all traces of Adamic sin also need to be removed. Paul goes on to explain that sin, "the sting producing death," is to be done away with by means of Jesus Christ's ransom sacrifice. By both of these means—the resurrection and the ransom—God destroys death, rendering it ineffective. Paul later says, "Death is swallowed up forever."—1Co 15:54-57.

Why do people die?

• "Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned."—Rom. 5:12.

The first reference to death in the Scriptures occurs at Genesis 2:16, -17 in God's command to the first man concerning the eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, violation of which command would result in death.

What is the condition of the dead?

• "The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all."—Eccl. 9:5.

What hope is there for those who have died?

Paul wrote in Acts 24:15 that "There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous."— Sadly, though, not all will receive eternal life unless they accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Example of the unrighteous ones: Criminals are next to Jesus. But one criminal believes in Jesus. He turns to him and says, "Remember me when you get into your kingdom." At that, Jesus promises that he will be raised to paradise.

And there those persons who wilfully do what is bad after knowing God's will may be sinning against the holy spirit. And God will not resurrect those who sin against his holy spirit. (Matthew 12:32; Hebrews 6:4-6)

Psalm 68:20 ESV states: "God is unto us a God of deliverances; And unto Jehovah the Lord belongeth escape from death." 

By means of the sacrifice of his human life, Christ Jesus and through him, the abolishing of death is assured. 

2Ti 1:10 ESV: "But hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

By means of Jesus' "one act of justification," a cancellation of the condemnation of death that sin brings now became possible, so that men of all sorts might enjoy "a declaring of them righteous for life."

As Paul calls "death," the sting-producing death is sin (1Co 15:56), and thus all who have sin and its accompanying imperfection have death working in their bodies.

4 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report