Death(dying)
Summary
The separation of body and soul resulting from sin, described in Scripture as both an enemy to be conquered and, for believers, a departure to be with Christ.
☩Origin and Universality
Death entered the world through Adam's sin: 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men.' God had warned that in the day Adam ate the forbidden fruit he would surely die. Though physical death was delayed, spiritual death—separation from God—was immediate. The sentence 'dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return' established death as the common lot of humanity.
☩Biblical Descriptions
Scripture employs many terms for death: 'giving up the ghost,' 'going to one's fathers,' 'putting off this tabernacle,' 'returning to dust,' and 'falling asleep.' Job called it 'the king of terrors' and 'going the way whence there is no return.' For believers, Paul describes death as 'departing to be with Christ, which is far better.' These varied expressions reveal both the solemnity of death and the hope that transcends it.
☩Victory Over Death
Christ's resurrection transformed death from an unconquered enemy into a defeated foe. 'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' Jesus declared Himself 'the resurrection and the life,' promising that believers would never truly die. At His return, mortality shall put on immortality, and death shall be 'swallowed up in victory.' Those alive at His coming 'shall not all sleep' but shall be changed instantaneously.
☩The Second Death
Scripture speaks of a 'second death'—not physical but eternal. This is the lake of fire, the final destiny of those whose names are not found in the book of life. The blessed and holy share in the first resurrection; on them the second death has no power. This final separation from God is death in its ultimate and permanent sense.
Related Verses571 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Death," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Death," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).