What does the bible say about the defeat of death?
Revelation 21:1 - 8
ESV - 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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Tim Maas
Supporter
Death was never a part of God's original plan for humanity. Humans brought it upon themselves through the commission of sin (that is, disobedience to God's commands), for which death was the punishment. Through His incarnation, sinless life, undeserved atoning death, and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for humans, even though they must still die temporally (unless they are alive at the time of His return) to once again have access to eternal life through faith in the redemption that He has gained for them. This eternal life represents the defeat and destruction of death, which will be fully realized at the close of the age, when the resurrected and redeemed will no longer be subject to it, but will live forever in God's presence. (This is indicated in the passage from Revelation -- specifically Revelation 21:4 -- cited in the question.)
Shirley H
Supporter
2 Corinthians 5:1,and 17: "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Isaiah 43:18: "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old." Isaiah 65:17: "For behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind." God has been about the business of creating a new world for His children. It will be a wondrous place! There will be no need to think about the life we are living at this time. We will be deliriously happy. We will be God's people and He will be Our God. We will live with Him in truth and righteousness. We will be in the New Jerusalem, at a grand party, celebrating the marriage of Jesus to His church. We will go to live with Jesus, as He came to live with us on this earth, that He created. God's wrath has been completed. The new creation awaits us. We are God's inheritance! In fact all things promised to the churches will be inherited! See Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, and 21. Romans 6:9, 10: "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 has no dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God."
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Just after getting off work as a dishwasher, one day at Coco’s Famous Hamburgers in Scottsdale, Arizona, I hopped on my bike and started across Scottsdale Road to ride home. A car hit my bike and I went flying up and over the hood of the car! The lady, the driver of the car screamed, “I killed him.” “Oh, no,” I said, after looking at my bike which was totaled, “I’m all right. All I have is bruises.” I had to walk my bike all the way home from there because at least one of the wheels was so badly bent. I defeated death! Of course, this was only a temporary defeat. Later on, God used this event and others to bring me to Christ. Paul in his second letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:10 says, “But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” ([NAVE’s TOPICAL BIBLE lists this verse as most relevant.] Herman Bavinck says in an article that he submitted to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE), wrote, “[God] can even bring death wholly to nothing and completely triumph over its power by rising from the dead (Job 14:13-15; 19:25-27; Hos 6:2; 13:14; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Ezek 37:11,12; Dan 12:2).” But my all-time favorite passage on the defeat of death comes from Hebrews 2:14-15 in the Message Bible translation (MSG): “Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.” Praise God that I’m free through Jesus who embraced and took death for me, destroying the Devil’s hold on death for me. (I literally had been “scared to death of death” before Jesus saved me). I simply put my faith in Jesus and His death as our Substitute, trusting Him alone for my salvation. Before that, I had been trusting in my “good character” to win me a place in heaven. But that was not enough. See Isaiah 64:6: “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” to God.
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