Death is a personality not a vague and widespread expression of the presence of evil. We cannot fight against Death without being specific regarding the existence of his personality and mission.
The Book of Revelation assigns a capital letter to denote Death as an individual, not as an undefined demonic presence. “So, I looked, and behold a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him” (Revelation 6:8).
The activity of this demonic being reveals the by-product of his work in the lives of individuals and nations. His mission is “to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Wherever death is happening, Death is at work.
The single event in human history that ultimately disempowered the work of Death was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Because of the resurrection, Paul was able to say “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your sting” (I Corinthians 15:54-55). Paul also said, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:8-9). The resurrection of Jesus released us from the dominion of Death. That dominance is his desired goal over all humanity.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ and our knowledge of what it means for us individually has given the saints of God down through history the kind of courage required to stand and speak the truth when Death is at work. This personal confrontation has the most powerful impact on us when we are standing in front of the threats of Death who is demanding our silence and yet continue to speak the truth in love no matter what kind of threat we are facing that is trying to silence our voice. Silence in the face of evil is evidence that the dominion of Death, and our fear of its threats, is still present and remains unchallenged. O Death, where is your sting?
Thank you Garris. It is my observation that when a loved one, or a family member, dies, there are often chaotic and distressing events that occur around the event. I think this is because we are in the realm of the power of death. This is a powerful reminder of the greatness of the battle we are in – and the greatness of the victory of our Saviour!
It is my observation that when a family member or a loved one dies, there are often unexpected chaotic or distressing events that occur at the same time. I think this may be because we are in the realm of the power of death, and we should not be surprised when these things happen. This is a powerful reminder of the greatness of the spiritual battle we are in, and of the greatness of the victory of our Saviour!