“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.” (Isaiah 25:8)
One of the great mysteries of being a covenant son or daughter of God is that through Jesus, we have victory over sin and death, and will one day live with Him forever.
Obviously we’re not talking about the death of our earthly bodies, as we’ve seen that outside of possibly Enoch and Elijah, physical death has had a 100% success rate. Our current bodies are but mere vessels during our time here. Though our bodies may die, our souls will live on (Matt. 10:28).
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50-56)
Death is the result of sin. When Isaiah prophesies about God swallowing up death forever, he isn’t saying that Christians won’t physically die, but rather that we’re no longer subject to spiritual death as the wages of sin. And what is spiritual death? It’s the eternal separation from God, the separation from His love, His light, and His presence. It’s a terrifying fate that we should wish upon no one!
So rejoice child of God that your life of worship doesn’t end here! But for those who don’t know Christ as Lord and Savior, repent today, for the day is coming where you will be held accountable for your sin, and will be stung by death without Christ’s covering.
Jesus gave His life on the cross that we would gain life. He gave Himself and paid the penalty for our sin once and for all. He’s made a way for you and me, and offers it to us freely!
With His sacrifice and resurrection He swallowed up death and defeated it forever. Thank you Jesus!
SING THE WORD 