- 124. Death is Destroyed
1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
All our spiritual enemies are defeated finally and forever on the Last Day. Sin and Satan are finally and forever removed from the new heaven and the new earth, and God will rule in righteousness and peace forever. After all enemies are defeated the Last Enemy that shall be destroyed is Death. This makes sense, for once Death is gone forever only Life, eternal life, is left for us to enjoy. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire and Death has no claim on us and it will not threaten us any longer. We are free from death and the fear of death.
The destruction of death is the last task to be completed before we enter into the perfectly blissful Eternal State, entering into the joy of the Lord. Once there is no more death there is really nothing to fear. Fear of anything and anxiety for any reason is at base a fear of death. When death is not even a possibility then all fear is nonexistent. Death reaches into all aspects of life, particularly physical life, for every disease, injury and even discomfort is a small form of death. Any physical problem that causes pain or limits mobility and freedom of movement is “Death” reaching into life: it shortens and diminishes the full enjoyment of life, which is a little death. For this reason Jesus healed so many people: to show each of us that He has authority over death eternally. He will not always heal us of all our diseases, but He does heal often enough to convince us that Death is under His ultimate control. While we live on earth we see some “little deaths” all the time. While that is happening we take hold of the promise: death shall be destroyed.
We define death as a separation: it is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death is defined as the separation of the soul from God. Eternal death is the separation of the soul and the body from God forever. Separation from God is the issue; sin separates us from God. “The wages of sin is death.” “The day you eat of it you will surely die.” But the Lord is in the business of reconnecting us with God. By removing sin He unites us with God, and with Life. Therefore, at the End, separation will be destroyed forever, and we will be forever and indissolubly united with God and eternal life. This life we have and we enjoy now, even while we live in the midst of death. This promise gives hope for the present. Death is defeated; Life wins.