Death: Is It Possible to Rid Oneself of Its Dread?

Childlike faith, childlike reverence and awe, childlike loving obedience—these are the standards by which God’s children are identified.  God cannot be approached through worldly scholarship, strength, beauty, or power.  Jesus speaks of the necessary mindset in Matthew 18:1-4:

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 18:16-17:

16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

When the doctrine becomes so sophisticated that only scholars and theologians can understand it, then you can be fairly certain God is not in it.  His doctrine, children can understand. 

II Corinthians 11:3:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Grandmother Eve lived in childlike simplicity. Adam and Eve were given only one commandment, the first law, in Genesis 2:16-17:

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adam and Eve were shown two doors:  One door was the door of eternal life, which included dominion over all the earth; this door was accessed through childlike faith and obedience.  The second door was the door of death and eternal punishment; this door was accessed through unbelief and disobedience.  But, Satan confused our grandmother and offered her another door.  He told Eve that she didn’t need faith and obedience but could exercise unbelief and disobedience and still live forever.  Genesis 3:4-5:

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

And so, Eve ate.  Adam followed her lead and the result has been graveyards in every community. 

Mankind has been robbed of the simplicity.  Satan offers a myriad of ways, but God’s way is not one of them. 

Jesus Christ establishes the simplicity of the two doors in Mark 16:15-16:

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

There are only two doors and the one that leads to eternal life is accessed by faith in Christ Jesus and obedience to God’s Word; this entrance takes place at a place Jesus calls “born again.”  John 3:3:

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Are you born-again?  Will today be the day you participate in this childlike truth?  Will today be the day your sin and shame are washed away and all of Satan’s bondages broken?  There are only two doors.  Choose the Christ door and live forever. Click onto “Further with Jesus” right now for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Hebrews 2:14:

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

GOD SAID, Philippians 3:10:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

GOD SAID, Hosea 13:14:

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

GOD SAID, I Corinthians 15:51-57:

51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

MAN SAID: “I am strong! I am wise! I am man!  I don’t need God and His old, outdated book!  Oh, wait…what?! What did the doctor say?  I have one week to live?! Oh, help me!  Save me!!” 

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There were four questions raised in last week’s feature titled “Death.”  Questions 1, 2, and 3, which were addressed last week, were:

1. What really is death?

2. Who owns death?

3. How did death begin?

This feature will address question number four:  Is it possible to rid oneself of the dread of death, and if so, how?

If you have not visited the feature titled “Death,” stop now and do so.  All of us need a handle on death.

It really is very simplistic.  The earth was created to be inhabited by Adam and Eve, and their offspring.  They were given dominion over all the earth.  Adam and Eve, and their children, had access to the Tree of Life.  Unfortunately for us, it surely appears that they ate from the wrong tree—the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil—first.  At this place, with that decision, someone else took dominion over the earth, and it was the one whom Eve chose to follow.  Adam then followed after Eve.  When Jesus was being tempted of the devil, we find Satan making this telling statement in Luke 4:5-7:

5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.       

Adam and Eve sold their birthright to the devil and Satan became the god—little “g”-o-d—of this world.  II Corinthians 4:3-4:

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Now the devil has dominion over the fallen sons and daughters of Adam and he will not let them go.  A champion must arise.  II Timothy 2:25-26:

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Adam and Eve died the second death first and no longer had the ability to pass on the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.  As a result, their offspring were spiritually stillborn.  The word “quicken” used in the following verses means to make alive.  Ephesians 2:1:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: 

Colossians 2:13:

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, carnal man has been tormented by the fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15:

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

This fear drives man’s mad quest to find immortality, though a Godless immortality.  The short answer is that they will not succeed. 

How do you rid yourself of death’s dread?  Hosea 13:14:

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

How does God do it? 

When Satan, who wields the terror of death over the lost, talks to God, it pays to examine the dialogue.  God is a God of unalterable laws and judgments and the devil is well aware of them.  Satan holds the deed delivered unto him by Adam and he has legal right over the spiritually dead, fallen sons of Adam.  The woman of Tekoah spoke to King David about his banished son Absalom in II Samuel 14:14:

For we must needs die, and are as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

God devised a plan. 

In Job Chapters 1 and 2, an argument arises between God and Satan.  This argument sheds much light on the mystery of the Cross, God’s plan of salvation, and why blood is required for atonement (at-one-ment).  Job 1:6-12:

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Job was the wealthiest man of the east, yet in one day, Satan destroys all that Job has—even his 10 children—but Job does not curse God to His face.  In Chapter 2 verses 3-6, the second encounter is recorded:

3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

Satan attacks Job’s body and mind, yet again, Job does not curse God to His face. 

The sinless Christ, He whom the Bible calls the last Adam (I Corinthians 15:45) goes to the Cross sacrificing His very life in obedience to the Father and for His deep love for the lost souls of the sons of man. 

Jesus had been given the authority to stop the crucifixion, but He did not. His love for the Father was so complete that even death itself could not contend with it. Satan says, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.”  In an act of faith and obedience, Jesus destroys his argument.

Matthew 27:46:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

On the Cross, Jesus thinks the Father has forsaken Him.  Satan’s argument?  Job 2:5:

But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Jesus does not curse God to His face, but rather prays for the forgiveness of His destroyers and commends His spirit unto His Father.  The devil’s challenge was thrown down.  Satan, who holds the power of death, was defeated and spoiled by death itself, the death of the Cross.  Again, Hebrews 2:14:

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

The Scriptures state, “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”  Christ Jesus, by His precious blood shed on Calvary, by death itself, destroyed Satan and the power of death. 

Now, regarding you and I who were spiritually stillborn, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and who were legally bound by the devil under the curse of the law which is death:  We needed a champion who would arise to break the curse and “ransom us from the power of the grave,” to “redeem us from death,” and that champion is Jesus Christ the Righteous.  Galatians 3:13:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

The law of sin and death can only be eliminated through death.  Romans 7:1:

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Concerning water baptism, Romans 6:4:

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Just as Jesus Christ broke Satan’s stranglehold of death over us by the sacrifice of His own life, the same is required from His servants.  Scripturally, we are known as a living sacrifice.  Romans 12:1:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Satan’s legal, deadly restraints on the fallen sons of Adam can only be satisfied by death, and as our Christ, the victory over death is accomplished by death.  Colossians 3:5 speaks of mortify, which means to put to death: 

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

These members include my mind and my five senses, physical and spiritual.  Jesus commands the faithful in Luke 9:23-24:

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Note that you take up your cross daily, one just like our Redeemer’s, and that a cross is a place to die.  We become dead to this world and alive unto Christ—alive eternally.  Consider Philippians 3:10:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

You and I were “dead in trespasses and sin,” but at a place Jesus calls born-again (John 3:3), we died to this world and became alive to Him—most literally born a second time.  II Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Notice that Satan’s legal net of death was destroyed through death and that the captive soul was redeemed—even set free.  Christ paid the ransom. 

I recall when I was first saved that a young, unsaved lady asked me what I did for fun.  I told her the following:  I went to Bible studies and regular church services, sang songs and clapped with my might, passed out tracts, and won souls unto Christ, and things of that sort.  She looked at me incredulously.  I gave her this example I had heard:  A chef prepared a fine meal—steak and potatoes with gravy, fresh baked bread and butter.  He took this fine meal to the funeral home and waved it under the nose of the deceased.  There was no reaction.  But when he waved that same plate under the nose of the fellow who came to pay his respects after working all day, the reaction was totally different.  Then, I explained to her that she was dead.  New creatures enjoy new things.

The title of this feature is “Death: Is It Possible to Rid Oneself of Its Dread?”  At the place called born-again, the legal curse of the law was satisfied and everything became new.  It is so beautifully framed in Romans 8:1-2:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

At this place Jesus calls born-again, the shadow of death where Grandmother Eve entertains Satan’s confusion is dispelled and displaced with a great light and the gates of the world’s first death are swallowed up in victory with one glorious gulp.  I Corinthians 15:54-57:

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The redeemed do not experience the second death, for they live forever with Christ and eternity never ends.  A message a child can understand. 

GOD SAID, Hebrews 2:14:

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

GOD SAID, Philippians 3:10:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

GOD SAID, Hosea 13:14:

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

GOD SAID, I Corinthians 15:51-57:

51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

MAN SAID: “I am strong! I am wise! I am man!  I don’t need God and His old, outdated book!  Oh, wait…what?! What did the doctor say?  I have one week to live?! Oh, help me!  Save me!!”

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

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