The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26
In 1945, the Nazi dictatorship of Adolph Hitler was defeated by the Allies, ending a reign of terror, torture, and bloodshed against various groups who Hitler disliked, especially the Jews. Some six million Jews perished under Hitler’s insanity. After the war ended, many of those in leadership roles during Hitler’s rule were tried for war crimes; some were executed and others were incarcerated for life. One of the after-effects of the war was the revelation of Hitler’s atrocities against the Jews, and the efforts to stamp out the warped thinking that led to such atrocities. But even today, we hear of isolated radicals who will declare that the Holocaust never happened, and who rail against the Jews with irrational charges. Antisemitism is hard to get rid of, it seems. But someday, there will be no more hatred against any race or ethnic group. Someday, there will be no more violence or dishonesty or greed or any of the great ills that afflict our sin-drenched planet. And finally, there will be no more death. But much must happen before that great milestone is reached.
Death is certainly our greatest enemy. Apart from the prospect of the Rapture, none of us will win the fight against death; he will claim us all as his prey. Cemeteries are filling; funeral homes are doing a steady and growing business. Our mortal bodies are dragged closer to death at the breakneck speed of 60 minutes every fleeting hour. With the certain prospect of losing our bodies to death in the all-too-soon future, we find comfort in the assurance that our souls are safe, sheltered by the blood of Christ, and will never experience the second death. We recall the great victory on the cross, where our Saviour defeated death. And we rejoice in knowing that the defeat of death at Calvary will lead to the destruction of death in eternity.
What a great turnaround that will be! Death, who has such a sure victory now, will then be rendered helpless. The fear that marks our footsteps during our sojourn here will be non-existent in Heaven. Worry will serve no more purpose in that great day. We know how sinful our world is. And we hear that Heaven is free from sin and forever will be. Because sin is the cause of death, the absence of sin is the cause of eternal life.
No enemy could be more cruel than death. How good to know that this bitter foe has already been defeated and will eventually be destroyed. – Jim MacIntosh