Death – The Final Enemy

It is an uncomfortable thing to speak about death. The myth in our culture (even in Christian culture) is that in death everyone finds peace. Death is seen as a liberator, not as an enemy. We write beautiful words for funerals about how the deceased is now free from his agony. Perhaps it is just easier to leave it at that.

The Bible talks about death as an enemy.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church.) 

The war between the good and the evil in this world culminates in that final battle. Apostle Paul writes that Christ has conquered this last enemy. With him, there is victory, peace, healing and rest from death. Without him, there is just darkness.

This goes against the core of our relativist culture. The Church is shaped by this culture and it feels wrong to say that there is peace in death only for those who are in Christ. Still this is the central truth in the Christian faith. If this is not true, we’re mere fools.

But if we get this right, we understand that the Gospel is the best news and how urgent our responsibility in sharing it is.