DEATH WILL BE SWALLOWED FOREVER
For he must reign until [God] has put all enemies under his feet. As the last enemy, death will be brought to nothing – 1 Corinthians 15:25, 26
“Sister death painful and beautiful. Sister death who free us from evil. Sister death who bathes us in tears. Sister death who enlighten us from heaven. Sister death who dresses us as widows. Sister death who takes us among the angels. Sister death who lays gravestones. Sister death who opens up eternity" - from the "Canticle of the Creatures" by Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi called death his “sister” and one of the reasons it would be our sister is because it would be part of God's creation – compare Deuteronomy 30:19; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Matthew 22:32; Hebrews 2:14
It would also be a "blessing" because, this song tells us, it "frees us from evil".
It is true that for those who suffer greatly, death can be a liberation… but the question that any sentient being should ask is… “Why, instead of dying, not simply eliminate the cause of suffering?”
If death is the opposite of life, one should also ask how it is possible that both are blessings.
Teachings like these have not only turned people away from God but have also abandoned them in a sort of gray resignation….
Death has always existed.
All living beings, who before and who after, die.
It doesn't matter who you have been, what you have done or said, the things you have discovered or understood, or whether or not you have improved the people you have been in contact with: you will die.
As a famous science fiction film said… “everything will be lost, like tears in the rain”.
Most people considered rational will say that everything has a beginning and an end: it is absolutely normal.
Is it really unreasonable and naive today, in the 21st century, to talk about eternal life?
Is the Bible credible even when it makes incredible claims? - compare Genesis 18:14; Job 42:1, 2; Matthew 19:26
Let's try to objectively examine what would be the scientific or logical reasons according to which placing hopes in a future eternal life would be just a silly waste of time.
Meanwhile, the Bible says something that hardly anyone will dare to contradict: God has placed the idea of eternity in the human heart - Ecclesiastes 3:11
If we delve into human history practically every culture, people or tribe has spoken of eternal life, of immortality, of a golden age without suffering… .
Yes because, let's not forget, eternal life only makes sense if it is combined with happiness.
Otherwise it would be scary.
Obviously this observation alone does not prove that man was made to live forever but it certainly demonstrates that he has always had this concept in his heart, this wonderful desire since the dawn of time.
This concept exists not only in the myths of antiquity but also in modern sciences, proving that it is part of the human being.
An important mathematical symbol, a sort of 8 written horizontally ( ∞ ), underlines precisely this: something that never ends or tends towards infinity.
No other terrestrial creature has ever had or come close to the concept of eternity.
No animal, not even the most evolved one , has ever had any concept of eternal life, nor is it capable of making long-term plans.
Also… are so-called rational people, always ready to criticize those who believe that this life is not all there is, are they really objective when they claim that believing in eternal life is a waste of time or wishful thinking?
If they really believed it, why is science studying how to lengthen life?
If they really believed it all the way, why are the longest-lived populations studied to understand their "secret" or why do many seek extraterrestrial life in the hope of being contacted ?
Why are billions of dollars being spent on super telescopes or radio beacons in the hope of getting the message from some higher intelligence?
The reality is that "the idea of eternity" persists in this technological age and, indeed, modern society tries to reach it, in a more or less veiled way, through science and technology.
The problem of these "rationals", therefore, is not so much believing in the possibility of living forever but believing that the end of their search is God himself - Acts 17:27
And on the other hand, the answer to the question whether it is possible to live forever could be closely linked to the Person of God himself .
Not only that, drawing closer to God can help us ask ourselves an even more daring question: will people who are now dead, even those who died in the distant past , ever come back to life? - compare Job 14:14, 15
If the universe came into existence by chance then no science, ever, will be able to bring dead people back to life, much less those people of whom nothing exists anymore, not even the memory.
Very wisely a person of old said… “ If the dead are not raised, “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die ” – 1 Corinthians 15:32
The person who wrote these words had had a very, very difficult life.
He had been imprisoned countless times, mocked, beaten to the extreme, left alone, naked, left cold and hungry…
He had even been betrayed by some people he loved and some of “his” went so far as to detract from his position or authority .
He had only been willing to endure all of this out of love – 1 John 4:18, 19
Love towards God and Christ, above all, but also towards his brothers – compare 2 Corinthians 12:14, 15
And he and others like him never loved with an ulterior motive but their firm hope made them strong.
Until the last moment of their lives, they believed that, having overcome this difficult period worthily, they would be united with Christ forever.
Yes, they firmly believed in eternal life but they looked for it nowhere but in the One who could give it to them - Romans 11:33-36
Were their hopes well placed or were they really “ the most miserable of all men”? - 1 Corinthians 15.19
Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Peter said “ Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, chosen, angular, precious; and whoever exercises faith in it will by no means be disappointed” – 1 Peter 2:6
There is a reason God put within us “the desire for eternity”: He wanted us to seek the fount of life – Psalm 36:9
God, who cannot lie, made this promise long ago – Titus 1:2
He who created the whole universe from nothing can create and recreate life - Genesis 1:1
Is it a problem for God to recreate a person even if he died thousands of years ago?
Incredible as it may seem, the Lord Jesus clearly said, “Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the memorial tombs shall hear his voice and come forth… ” - John 5:28, 29
Jesus didn't just make that statement but showed how, thanks to the power given to him by God, it was possible to come back to life.
“ I am the resurrection and the life. He who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will live again ” – John 11:25
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| Jesus is the firstfruits from the dead. Thanks to him we can get life |
Shortly after pronouncing these words, the Lord brought back to life a man who had been dead for four days, or a corpse that must now "stink" - John 11:38-40
Wasn't that a wonderful miracle?
Can you imagine the expressions and feelings of those people upon seeing such a miracle?
Many witnessed that resurrection and many more witnessed the resurrection of Christ Himself – 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Lastly, among these was Paul himself... the one we mentioned earlier.
Do we understand why he was willing to suffer so much?
At the end of Christ's millennial reign, all who have died and under any circumstance, great and small, will appear before God - Revelation 20:12, 13
Those who have exercised faith in God in this life, however difficult, will not be disappointed ... but all will be who will have placed their hopes only in this life, which is short and fraught with turmoil - Job 14:1
If this life is all there is, then life is meaningless… but God is the God of the living and not of the dead.
He is also “the happy God” and as such desires happiness for His Creatures – 1 Timothy 1:11
God will not only resurrect His Creatures but will make them fully happy… for no one desires a life of eternal unhappiness – Psalm 145:16
Despite what some believe, death has never been “our sister” but a terrible enemy… and even if this enemy has reigned over man for thousands of years, it will not exist forever.
“ When then this corruptible has put on incorruptibility and this mortal has put on immortality, then will be fulfilled the word which is written:
' Death has been submerged in victory'. 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your dart ?" - 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55
When the happy God, the One who has placed in us the desire for eternity, the One who cannot lie and is the God of the living, has eliminated death… only life will remain.
We trust Him who will keep His promise – Isaiah 55:11; Romans 3:4
The Only One Who Really Can - Isaiah 45:18, 22
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