At Last it has come; our Freedom from Death!

At Last it has come; our Freedom from Death!

Walk into any funeral parlor or be at the bedside of a loved one who is about to pass away and try to understand those words that has ended the life of a loved one.  Death is so certain and yet it becomes the most difficult entity to make any sense of its existence.

We understand the trials of life that aren’t easy to absorb, but never for a moment consciously connects severe suffering with the final moments of our lives.  If we could place ourselves at the very instance when death comes perhaps all the ramifications of life’s experiences would suddenly open before us and give our past a guide into the future.  However, none of this occurs since death is quick and final.  

If all that is final when we draw our last breath and there is no more life to look forward to then the teaching of non-believers in the resurrection becomes a reality.  The Sadducees who didn’t believe in the Resurrection approached Jesus saying there is no Resurrection.  (Mt. 22: 23-32).  It often makes me ask why did the Sadducees adhere to the teaching of Moses and the prophets if they didn’t believe in the basic premise of God’s promise of a Messiah who would come to redeem his people from their sins.  The ultimate teaching of the High-priest entering the Sanctuary to offer prayers and sacrifice is a precursor to the Heavenly Sanctuary which denotes a resurrection of the dead. 

 (Heb. 9: 11-12). 

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians regarding the Resurrection of the Dead; “For if the dead are not raised neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.  Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.”   (1 Cor. 15: 16-18).  “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  (1 Cor. 15: 26).

Freedom from Death is a perfect antidote to the assurance that following death of the human body life awaits us in eternity which God has promised to all who seek and believe the teaching of Jesus Christ.  

“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”  “Do you believe this?”   (Jn.11: 25 - 26).

Ralph B. Hathaway,   Freedom from Death.  January 2022