"Death is swallowed up in victory."
»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«.
1. What do means, "swallowed up in the Bible quote?
The word "swallowed up" means:
Destroy something completely,
or to make it disappear.
2.
In Victory the Death Is Not Death.
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.
King James Version (KJV)
It looks vicious tautology says, "The Death of Death".
Well, the meaning of death is just the cessation of life or the end.
But the Bible teaches that:
3.
The death of death is Life.
How Do You Understand That?
It is not a denial of death.
Negation is expressed, in this case, a positive state that is life.
In the background, there is here a negation of the negation.
Our finite mind can not comprehend the infinite or have more insight
into this denial that turns out to be life.
Denying the death of the finite and know God is truly infinite, is
the fact, because He is eternal life.
Only God delivers us from death. It is a divine truth and therefore
that is the supernatural work.
4. Death is the enemy of Life
» The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. «
5. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
He said:
I am the resurrection, and the life:
He that believeth in me,
Though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth
And believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?
6. Jesus is negation of death for those that believe in Him
Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection, and the life:
He that believeth in me,
Though he were dead,
Yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me
Shall never die. Believest thou this?
7. Let us examine the context in which Jesus denied death ([1])
ü
Jesus said, This sickness is
not unto death
Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard
that, he said. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that
the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
However, Lazarus had died.
But as the disciples didn’t understand what Christ had said,
therefore, He said something else
ü
Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep, but I go to awaken him.
After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus
has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him."
Then the
Master said without any ambiguity
ü
Lazarus Is Dead
Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead
Lazarus had died despite not being a fatal disease.
Was dead and, however, the disease was not to die.
ü
We know now without a doubt that
Christ was thinking about the miracle that would allow someone who was alive,
at that time. " he would believe"
and should see the glory of God
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
ü
Christ was thinking of doing
the miracle that was to awaken Lazarus from the dead. "This illness does
not lead to death. It is for The Glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified
through it.”
When Jesus heard that, he said. This sickness is not unto death, but
for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
ü
Do we say just in case that if
Christ had not risen to Lazarus would have ceased to be equally true that the
disease, death itself was not a deadly disease?
From the moment that Christ is coming to the grave and cries with a
loud voice: "Lazarus, come forth", from that moment begins to be
completely certain that the disease is not fatal.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth.
ü
And if Christ would have not
uttered these words, "would have been enough that He approached the grave,
_ He who is" The Resurrection and the Life "(John
11:25) _ to make us understand clearly enough that this disease was not
mortal”
Does the mere fact that Christ exists longer indicates very clearly
that there is no death disease?
What would have won Lazarus raised from the dead if the end had to
end up dying?
What would have earned in the absence of Him who is The Resurrection
and the Life of all those who believe in Him?
Is not because Lazarus could have risen from the dead that we can
affirm that the disease is not fatal, but by the fact that Christ exists.
Well, humanly speaking, death is the last of all and can only be
hopeful while alive.
However, understanding the things Christian manner, death is by no
means the last thing, only a single episode in the eternal life.
According to the same Christian sense, with the death there are
infinitely much more hopes in what men call life, even when they are full of
health and strength.
Hence, in the Christian meaning, the death not reaches the category
of “deadly disease” and much less that the reaches all what is called temporary
sufferings: need, illness, misery, distress, calamity, sorrow, and unhappiness.
And if this would be too heavy and painful than the men, who are
suffering, were forced to exclaim: 'This is worse than the death
However, none of this, the disease of the body, is comparable to a
deadly disease in the Christian meaning
Christianity is the one that has taught Christians to think about
the value so high above earthly and worldly things, even death itself.
Almost as if the Christians find force showing superiority overall
the things those men usually call misfortunes, especially in what they say is
the worst of all evils.
On the other hand, as a value that you can see, Christianity has found
a misery that ignores the common man, the deadly disease.
For the Christian is a joke everything the that the natural man has
considered terrible, so when he listen to a description of all the horrors, The
Christian only can take it as in a way
to laugh.
The natural man begins to ignore what is truly terrible and,
however, is not released from the horror, nor much less, but that, he puts to
tremble for what it actually is not horrible.
Here, in its turn, as it happens with the divine relationship of the
pagans: these do not know the true God, but are not concerned with ignorance;
bend their knees worshipping an idol as god.
Only the Christian knows what is meant by Deadly Disease.
As a Christian has received big encouragement that the natural man
completely ignores ..., this is received from God when one learns that the fear
of what is greatly horrible. »Ignoring that Jesus is the saviour"
As announced by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah
25:8) He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away
tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all
the earth, for the LORD, has spoken.
The Christian has only one major fear before a single risk:" to
belittle Jesus, and to make affront to the Spirit of Grace." it is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! "
Then all the other dangers are nonexistent. But this frightening
that Christians learned to recognize is precisely the deadly disease.
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one
who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by
which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will
repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
8. The new birth of man
“The Immortality”
ü The Malefactor Sentenced To Death:
a) The criminal, being in agony, he
realizes that Christ is God and he honors him. Then scolds the insolence to the
other thief
But the other answering rebuked him, saying,
Dost, not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
b) He acknowledges being criminal, agrees with death as just
retribution for their sins and discover that Jesus the righteous receives an
undeserved punishment
And we indeed justly; for we receive
the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
c) Recognizes the Divine Kingdom of
Jesus and want to be part of that
government.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord;
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
d) Jesus assures the immortality of the
repentant malefactor
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I
say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
9. The
conviction of the Christian
We believe that:
3 For I delivered unto you first of
all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the
third day according to the scriptures:
20 But now is Christ risen from the
dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies
under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
10. We must care for Heavenly The glory of our Salvation
ü We must guard against sinning
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not
in vain in the Lord.
ü Safeguard our salvation with fear and trembling
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings
and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and
harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life;
that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.
ü
Christ knows us and looks after
us
My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst
of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of
waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
ü Nothing and no one will be able to
separate us from the love of God
For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
11. The
privilege to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior
ü
For our citizenship is in
heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians
3:20 (New King James Version)
ü
Having conquered death
“O Death,
where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your
victory?
ü
Sitting in heaven with Jesus
Christ
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which
He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us
sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
12. INVITATION
Do you
wish to enjoy immortality in Christ
Jesus from now?
BELIEVE in the LORD JESUS CHRIST and you will be saved, you and your
whole family!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved.
CONCLUSION:
Our
Security: WE ARE SAVED!
But we see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
For it became him, for whom
are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both he that sanctifieth and
they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to
call them brethren,
Saying, I will declare thy name
unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
And again, I will put my
trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
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;
And deliver them who through fear
of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
For verily he took not on him the
nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore in all things it
behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people.
For in that he himself hath
suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
NOTE: Translated from Spanish
([1]) The Sickness Unto Death by Sören Kierkegaard
