If you are familiar with this verse from the song Living Hope written by Phil Wickham, you know there is a verse that makes this very moving and defining statement. It says “the grave has no claim on me”. To listen to the song, click here. What this is saying is that as a believer, death has no more power over me. It does not mean, that the person is exempted from death, for we will all die. But, the separation and stoppage that death brings will not affect me as tragically anymore because on the other side of death, I will continue my relationship with God, my Creator and continue with my existence in a state even better than when I was alive in the flesh. I will experience and be the beneficiary of this promise the Lord Jesus made in John 11:26, where He said “whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die”. Plain and simple, the believer, even if he dies, he shall live.
The fear of death
Death is a mystery to us and almost taboo to discuss. Since time began, death and dying has been man’s greatest enemy and source of fear. We all understand and are afraid of pain, physical pain. And we have seen in person or on video, people dying in accidents, crushed to death, burned, buried alive in collapsed buildings, drowned, electrocuted, fell from buildings, shot by guns or death in many other ways. We also see or know people dying from wasting diseases and sickness like cancer, stroke or cardiac arrest or dying in their sleep. All these bring fear and for many it impacts the way they live. There is a healthy way to look at death and there is a wrong way to look at it too. Living in fear of death is not living. There will be no peace in that.
The correct attitude is, since death is not something we can control, it is pointless to stress over it. Instead, let us submit to the One who has power over it and leave it (or submit) up to Him as to when and how He will take us home. Scriptures teaches that for us believers, this is not our home. We are only here as pilgrims. When that pilgrimage is over, we move to our eternal abode where our citizenship is – heaven. (see Phil 3:20)
It seems to me that to some degree our fear of pain and death can be a positive thing. Fear of death makes us aware that we need help, the help of a mighty God who can deliver us from it or be with us to see us through it with His comfort and strength. But, there is something even better. The Lord Jesus conquered death for us when He died the death we deserved and gave us this amazing promise in Hosea 13:14:
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes.”
No wonder when Paul was writing about the final victory over death in 1 Corinthians 15:55, he boldly mocked Death and said “O Death where is your sting? O Hades where is your victory?”
When this was made possible
The time when this victory was made possible was very special. It was at the Feast of First Fruits 2000 years ago. The Lord went to the cross to redeem our sin through a cruel death, the sinless One taking our sins on Himself. He died the gruesome death and on the third day, at the Feast of First Fruits He rose from the grave. This is the resurrection He told Martha about in John 11:25. When He rose from the dead, He overcame death and removed its power over Him and those who will follow after Him in the resurrection. He earned the title and became the “first born from the dead”.
The Two Deaths
Yes, every one of us will die; some sooner, some later. It is just a matter of time. That is because our bodies are mortal and subject to decay. It has been like that since Adam and Eve fell into sin. When they sinned, sickness and death came into the world along with the thorns and thistles from a cursed ground.
The death we will all suffer is called the first death. A hint from Luke 16:22 tells us that Lazarus, a believer who died was ushered into Abraham’s bosom upon death and experienced life with Abraham who died thousands of years earlier.
Remember, we are body, soul and spirit. When the believer dies, his soul is separated from his body and will be ushered into the presence of the Lord. In memorial services around the world, the dead is referred to as “dearly departed” (one who has gone away) while his body lies in state. This belief is a tradition with biblical basis. Look at this statement from Paul the apostle where he gave a contrasting point about life and death. When he speaks as “we”, he refers to believers collectively:
2 Corinthians 5:6 – “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
We can see here that when we are in our body, therefore alive, we are naturally absent from the Lord. And, when we are absent from the body, meaning dead, we will be present with the Lord. Mind you, this statement and promise is only for the believer who has trusted in Christ for salvation.
After death, when we open our eyes, on the other side of life, it is a continuation of our lives, our awareness. We are the same person except we left our physical body. However, this separation from the body is only for a short while. At the “rapture of the church”, the dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). It is at this time that the believer with be reunited with his body in a miraculous event where the decayed body will be reconstituted and changed into a body like Christ’s. The soul and spirit that went to heaven upon death is joined to this new, incorruptible, glorious, fully redeemed body. In this new body, the believer will no longer be affected by the second death. Paul described this in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53:
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.”
The Second Death
The second death is a totally avoidable situation and those who will undergo it are just too proud or stubborn or too indifferent from the God of grace and salvation. If one comes to faith and believe, he will live. If one disbelieves; if one rejects God’s invitation get reconciled with Him, he will be subjected to God’s judgement. That person will be judged according to his works, what he did on earth. You don’t want God to judge you for your works. Everyone’s works fail. Instead, ask God to judge you by your faith; by what you believe.
Note this very important verse in Genesis 15:6 – “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” There we see that God overlooked Abraham’s sin but looked at and credited him for his faith. Consider these verses:
Revelation 20:12 – I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
Revelation 20:14 – Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 – And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Do you see that? Those whose names are not in the Book of Life, were the ones judged according to their works. They will suffer the second death, eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. On the other hand, those whose names are written in the book of life, the second death has no claim over them. These whose names are written in the Book of Life are those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus and believed by faith.
If you know this, your most important step to do is search how you can get your name in the Book of Life, so the second death will have no power over you.
Jesus, the First Born from the Dead
As an observer and student of scripture, I marvel at the implications of this title given to the Lord Jesus – He is the First Born from the Dead. In this often-missed portion of the word, in Colossians 1:18 it is written:
Colossians 1:18 – And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the “first born from the dead”, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
You see, as the first born from the dead, He was the first to come back to life after death, the First Fruit over which the Lord deemed it fitting to assign a feast for it. And, those who will follow after Him will also rise from the dead and come back to life. This coming back to life after death is the resurrection. And, He emphatically told Martha that He is the Resurrection and the life! The Lord conquered death. He rose again after having died. This being so, His followers will likewise be children of the resurrection. Glory to God! We who believe has the promise of the resurrection and even if we die, we shall live.
