Death is the Last Enemy
Winston Churchill, the prime minister of United Kingdom, planned his funeral before he died. His wishes called for a bugler, positioned high in the dome of Saint Paul’s to play the taps after the benediction. The taps were meant to represent that his physical life was over. But then came the most dramatic turn: as soon as the taps was finished, another bugler, placed on the other side of the great dome, played the notes of reveille “It’s time to get up! It’s time to get up in the morning”. At the end of history, the last note will not be taps; it will be reveille.
In Philippians 3:10-11 Paul wrote “ I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, I may attain the resurrection from the dead”. Paul had suffered loss; he had experienced bodily harm and death threats. But he had no regrets; he was ready to follow the footsteps of his master (1 Peter 2:21, Col 1:24). Jesus’ entire ministry was marked by suffering and it ended in death (Isa. 53:3).
Paul wanted to fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. They were fellows in the same ship. When one suffered, the other one suffered too. When one was in pain, the other one felt the same pain. While can never enter into His sufferings in the same way that He suffered on the cross. But, there is a sense in which we can never be like Him if we do not go through suffering. To follow Jesus we must deny ourselves and carry a cross (Matt 16:24).
The sufferings of Christ were not ended; they are prolonged in His body. In Acts 9:3-5 Saul heard the voice of the resurrected Christ asking him "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting”. Jesus was in Heaven and yet he accused Saul of persecuting Him. Whenever Saul persecuted a Christian, he persecuted Christ. Whatever is done to the least of the believers that is done to Christ whether good or bad (Matt.25:40).
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, he looked and saw not three men, but four, walking in the fire (Dan. 3:25). It’s likely the fourth was Jesus Christ who stood with them in their hour of trial. They knew the fellowship of His sufferings. Few want to suffer for the cause of Christ and so when things get tough, they will recant or compromise.
Paul was ready to suffer with Christ; He was ready to drink of his cup and to be baptized with his baptism (Mark10:38-39). After all, suffering was part of his assignment. Jesus had said “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). The sufferings that Paul endured were not just helpful for his character and his reward. They were important for his ability to minister, to model and to teach others.
As Christ had died for the purpose of redeeming sinners, so Paul had that same purpose in a lesser sense; “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me; the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:24). Adversity did not harden him and imprisonment did not embitter him. His life and death, though not redemptive, were for the same purpose as his Lord’s.
We love to experience the sort of closeness the apostle Paul enjoyed with Jesus. We would love to have his faith and strength of character. We yearn to live that nobly, speak that boldly, fight our vices that manfully. We want to have prayers answered as Paul did? But to know Christ is always a personal invitation to suffer with Christ. No one enters the Lord’s intimate fellowship without first entering his fellowship of suffering.
We will face trials where we come to know the fellowship of His sufferings. We will encounter difficulties where we must learn to be more conformed to His death. We should view it all as an opportunity to know Christ and to remind us that it is preparing us for that great day when He comes. And, we shall be raised up in glory with Him for all eternity; that’s our goal!
Pauls had set himself that lofty goal - attaining the resurrection from the dead. To attain means to reach an end. Having faced the perils of life with disturbing regularity (2 Cor. 11:23-28), Paul was intimately acquainted with the certainty of death. But he did not feel a morbid dread of death; On the contrary, if he had the choice, he would far rather die and go to be with Christ (Phil 1:21-23).
The Old Testament believers knew there will be a resurrection of the dead. Isaiah 26 is a song of praise that was sang in Judah. Verse 19 says, “Your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise. Let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead”. The psalmist declared “As for me, I …will see your face; when I awake; I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness (Ps. 17:15)
Martha knew there will be a
resurrection of the dead. When Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again". Martha answered "I know he will rise again at the last day." Jesus said to her "I am the resurrection and the life. the one who believes in me will live , even though they die" (John 11:23-25). Before he was converted Paul was a pharisee and they believed in the resurrection of the dead ( Acts 23:6-8)
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul talks at length about the resurrection of the dead. He says that if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is our faith. And if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile and those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. And If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized? Why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day—yes, If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”(vv 30-31). But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead (vv 6-7).
When
he comes, those who belong to him will be made alive. But
each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.Then the end will come, when he delivers the kingdom to God the father;when he puts an end to all rule and authority and power. he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. the last enemy that will be destroyed is death (vv. 20-26).
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised and changed. When this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written “Death is swallowed up in victory” (vv51-54).
Death is an interlude between physical life and eternal life with God. The final benefit of being saved is attaining the resurrection of the dead. This is our final goal. Paul and Stephen were not afraid to die because their hope in what God offers beyond death far exceeded what the present life can offer. To them, death was not the end but a necessary step toward a better life. What a wonderful attitude to have!
Just as Jesus lived a life of sacrifice, suffered death and was raised to eternal life through resurrection, so must we go through the same process to reach the same goal. Praise be to God! In his great mercy he has given us a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his (Rom. 6:5).
The believers will take part in the first resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13-18). The rest will rise up later to face the judgement seat (Rev. 20:5, 12-15). Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them (Rev. 20:6). The lake that burns with fire and sulfur is the second death. (Rev 21:8). If knowing Christ is your greatest joy now, you will know Him by sight in the resurrection.
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