II Timothy 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:”
In our human view, “death” is that eternal plague from which we cannot recover ourselves, it permanently severs us from all that we know, it separates us from all that has been precious to us, and it puts us in a mysterious state that the natural mind fears. In our natural mind, “death” forever robs us of our loved ones and casts us into an awful pit of heartbroken loneliness. But, the spiritual mind has an altogether different view of “death”. At the very instant of Spiritual Birth (John 3:1-8), there is an immediate loving-awareness of God that draws us to Him and assures us that all is well, even when we come face to face with the ominous threat of “death”. Then, when God-Called Ministers of the Gospel “feed” that Spiritual Mind (John 21:15-17; I Peter 5:2) and as we are nourished by the Word of God, that horror of “death” begins to fade and is replaced with a longing anticipation to “be with” (Luke 23:43) our Lord. Then, the anxiety and fear of “death” is pushed away as we begin to rejoice “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” (Titus 1:2). We can jubilantly rejoice, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). Our God’s promise of “eternal life” is the certain death of “death”. Numerous times, our Lord demonstrated His Sovereign Power over “death”, and then sealed our “hope of eternal life” when He raised Himself (His own Body) from “death” (I Thessalonians 4:14)! Thus, He “abolished death”, He eternally plucked us from the dreadful clutches of “death” and set our sights on the “many mansions” (John 14:2), His “paradise” (Luke 23:43), where we will eternally rejoice before His Holy Throne (Revelation 7:9-17). While we can expect that one day our bodies will die, we also know that the power of “death” is severely limited, for one Blessed and Holy Day, our bodies will hear His Sovereign Command, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matthew 25:34). Now, we joyfully herald, “Death is swallowed up in victory” (I Corinthians 15:54)!