"He Hath Abolished Death."

(2 Timothy 1.9, 10).

God knew the end of all things from the beginning, and so will get glory to His great and holy Name from the very act by which Satan sought to dishonour that Name, in causing the Fall by the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God foresaw that unhappy event in the Garden of Eden, and the awful results which would spring therefrom to mankind, soul and body, and He also foresaw the fruits of the redemptive work of His beloved Son; His victory over Satan, sin and death, through His atoning work at Calvary. Death, therefore, reigned from Adam until Moses, as we see in Romans 5.

Now, in the case of the believer, the soul that was once dead through trespasses and sins is quickened to life, for Christ hath been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The purpose of God before times eternal has now been manifested through Him who died, that He might abolish death and bring life and incorruption to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1.10). Christ hath thus dealt with sin, having put sin away by His sacrifice. Eternal life is given to every believing man (Romans 6.28), which must not be confused with immortality which has to do with the body in which he dwells (for a man is a man whether in the body or out of it: see 2 Corinthians 12.2).

He abolished death. First life is given to the soul, dead through sins: "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life". Immortality and incorruption will follow in due course; for "this mortal must put on immortality". At the Lord's coming, we living mortals, believers, will be changed (see 1 Corinthians 15.51 ; 1 Thessalonians 4.17). Those of the redeemed who have -fallen asleep, whose bodies have gone to corruption, will be raised incorruptible; they must put on incorruption, that is, their bodies will be conformed to the body of His glory, never to decay, never to wax aged. How precious this is! Death shall be known no more throughout the eternal ages.

This grand truth of the Gospel is, that physical death is to be abolished for the redeemed ones. The Lord Jesus, when He spoke to Martha in John 11.25, 26, said: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, he that believeth on Me, though he die" (physically) "yet shall he live" (in resurrection life), and whosoever liveth and believeth on Me (at the coming again of the Lord Jesus) "shall never die" (physically). We put on immortality. The same truth is brought out in the wellknown words of 1 Thessalonians 4., "We that are alive, that are left .... "that is, when He comes again, and again in 1 Corinthians 15.51, "We shall not all sleep". The subject under discussion by the Lord with Martha is His coming and what will take place then. The fact of the abolition of death is revealed to those who are Christ's through the gospel, but death will continue to place its cold hand on many after the Lord's coming, as is very evident from the book of the Revelation. In 1 Corinthians 15.26, we read, "The last enemy that shall be abolished is death", and in Revelation 21.4, we have the words, "Death shall be no more". The patience of God is wonderful! and all His words are Truth. How comforting are the words, that there will he "no more mourning, no more crying", for "He hath abolished death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel"! "0 death, where is thy victory? 0 death, where is thy sting?" "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ", the mighty Conqueror over Satan, sin, death and hell.

"ButLord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming 'we wait; The sky, not the grave, is our goal:

Oh voice of Archangel! oh shout of the Lord!

Blessed hope! blessed rest of my soul!"

unknown | Jul 1952
General