S. SEKOU ABODUNRIN
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
2 Tim 1:10
It seems that the light of revelation polarizes on this very verse. There are scattered here and there throughout scripture these places where there is a “polarization of light”. The more you look, the more intense it gets. You cannot help but shout for joy as the truths of that verse of scripture dawn upon you. There is a purpose that God had before the world began and through grace this purpose has been given to you in Christ Jesus!
We will be looking at that little phrase “abolished death”
You almost want to hug each word in that verse. Only the grace of God that has been extended to us in Christ Jesus could have thought up such a plan.
You realise that the Lord Jesus not only delivered us from sin, but he also abolished death! That is pregnant with meaning. The word that is translated as abolished there actually means, “to render useless”. Usually when you hear that kind of talk you shrug it off as some fantasy of certain impressionable minds. The trouble is that in this case this “rendering useless” is attributed not just to any human or angelic power but to the Lord Jesus himself.
If the word tells me that the Lord has rendered death useless I’d believe it. I did not render death useless, Christ Jesus did. I might not have a full grasp of all that’s hidden within that abolishing, but I’d at least believe it if I were you.
You need to realise that death no longer has the power it once had;neither does it hold the sway it once did.
Christ Jesus has abolished the reign of death. Just like you had to believe the good news of redemption and the provision of eternal life, you will have to come around to accepting this also – He that can put away sin by the sacrifice of himself has done so and has also abolished death by his endless life power.
When Adam committed treason in the garden of Eden he died spiritually. His spirit communion with God was destroyed while his outer man, his physical body was still breathing but it had become mortal – subject to death. Adam experienced spiritual death before he ever died physically. He died physically about 930 years later when the principles of physical death overwhelmed his molecular structure and returned his body to dust. Physical death was only possible because spiritual death had become man’s lot.
Adam effectively opened the door to poor genetics, strange weather patterns, diseases and all the messengers of death in the natural world. He let all this in. Some of these things work within our physical body while the rest work in the environment but they combine to devastating effect in accelerating man’s journey to the grave.
In the new creation we have eternal life in our spirits but since our physical bodies came via Adam our bodies still sleep in the dust of the earth. One day our bodies will have the same life that our spirits already posses. Jesus guarantees this because He has brought life and immortality through the gospel.
Have you stopped to consider this fact: when the bible speaks about the way that the Lord Jesus dealt with the devil it uses terms and concepts that are radically different from that which he used is describing how the Lord dealt with death.
We are told, “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” Heb 2:14b
You will notice that in dealing with the devil the Lord does not “abolish” him? Yet in dealing with death we are told he “abolished” death. The reason is that the devil, who is also known as the deceiver and accuser, is a spirit being and you cannot abolish a spirit being. Death on the other hand can be abolished. This in itself gives us some insight – death is not a spirit being, but a principle or law.
The fact that the bible talks about more than one type of death is also another indicator for Ii all, the bible speaks of three kinds of death – physical death, spiritual death and second death. As Christians we will not experience either spiritual death or the second death.
I want to remind you again that when Jesus dealt with death, he abolished it. This means that death is not a person. You abolish laws or constitutions or sections of law but you never use the word “abolish” with reference to a person.
laws require other agents to trigger their expression – This is where poor genetics, accidents, disease, mindsets, wicked men, disasters come in. If you keep these at bay, you can extend your life on earth.
The implications of this are staggering and knowledge of it will birth within your consciousness a firmer ground for dealing with death – physical death. Many think there is a day appointed for death to visit man.
Contrary to traditional thinking, there is no spirit being or spirit entity called death that is supposedly roaming all over the world looking to keep some “appointment” with you.
Death is a law, a principle. The bible says, “The soul that sinneth shall die” in order words death is the end result or end product of a process.
To handle death effectively then, all I need do is learn to handle the things that trigger its operation. It is very much like a fellow who is angry and puzzled that his wife gave birth to a baby, after he has done all that is required for a baby to be manifest via conception and pregnancy. Like the natural law of pregnancies, first there was a conception, then a gestation period followed by the process for passing out the baby, then a baby “appears”. If you don’t want a baby, handle the process – don’t conceive.
death does not just appear like a traveller on the horizon of life, for death is a principle or a law. The beloved apostle called it the law of sin and death.
In Christ Jesus we can effectively live above this law for we have passed out of the jurisdiction of the law of death by receiving the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. What remains is that you need to understand how to enforce your rights and cooperate with the word of God even in the face of death.
Death is not a phenomenon, but a law. That’s good news! You wonder why?
The apostle Paul did not say the “phenomena of sin and death”. If it were phenomena, then there is little or no way of handling it or predicting its operation and its occurrence. It is a law, and like all laws can be studied, thus it needs not be a mystery any longer – at least, not to you. Christ Jesus, by his life within us has supplied the ammunition to neutralize the crippling power that death, in all and any form, holds over the human mind.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;The scriptures show us that through death, Jesus destroyed him that HAD the power of death. Heb 2:14
There are two major greek words that are often translated as power – Dunamis & Exousia. This is not the word that is translated “power” here. This power of death that the devil had is not exousia, which is better translated authority nor is it dunamis which will be ability or might. The devil never had the authority, might or ability of death. The word that is used for power here is the greek word”kratos” which describes influence or power arising from number of subjects.
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Heb 2:15
Jesus, by his resurrection from the dead has released us from bondage.
The bondage was that we were held in the fear of death. Therefore a consciousness of the resurrection gives to us freedom from all and any fear of death. The fear of death is what satan uses to hold men in bondage to death. The resurrection of the son of God is the end of death’s mastery for the veil is lifted.
that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. … Heb 2:9b
Death’s reign was triggered in the human experience through the fall of Adam. Christ Jesus has tasted death for every man. This is so that by his having tasted death for every man, Jesus as the federal head of a new humanity is our proof that this world will ultimately be subject to a man.
Any way you read it, we cannot escape from the fact that according to Hebrews, the devil no longer has the power of death. This is because in the death of Christ he has been rendered ineffective. We however know that as the god of this world he blinds the minds of men who through religious thinking, superstition and ignorance yield their human authority to satan. The word of God is our freedom from religious lies today.
If you were to die anyhow it wouldn’t really be that the devil is using some power over you for he no longer has the “power of death”. It would be that you were cooperating with him or agreeing with someone that is yielded to him in some capacity to trigger the laws of death.
In the death of Jesus, we have the death of death itself.
The way to handle death has been brought to light through the gospel. The gospel is the power of God unto them that believe.
Am I saying that your body will not die physically? The answer depends on how much longer it is before the Lord comes for the church. If he were to come today, then I am saying you wouldn’t even die physically. If he were to tarry for 500 years, then you most likely will. The thing to note is that life and immortality is in your spirit right now and at the return of the Lord that same life and immortality will be operative in your glorified body.
What do you do before that day comes? Learn how to live and not die! Endless life, the life of God, can flow from your spirit man to your outer man to provide a vitality and life force while your breathe on earth. Learn to measure stuff out of your spirit .
We do not currently see the full effects of the fact that death has been abolished, but our spirits has it already. As we participate more and more in the law of the spirit of life, we can enjoy little doses of this spiritual power in our physical bodies.
But of this you can be sure – Death will not have the last say. We will not all sleep.
The following words were given by prophecy in line with the message above.
There is, in the head of the church,
Even the exalted Lord Jesus,
An endless life power
Even resurrection life and ability.
There is in his body, such fullness
Even the fullness of that life.
And by faith’s operation you have been baptised
Into his body, yea into the living one
There has been communicated
To the spirits of those who believe this: life, the very life of God
And the Spirit of life
Sent from the bosom of the father
Will teach your hearts
Not just sanctification and holiness
But the realities of life
So embrace and be embraced by
The fullness of God, yea the glory of him
For this life is light
Light for the whole man to rejoice in
So rejoice and measure out by faith
From the fullness that abides within
For the Lord of life is raised
And you can know even now
The working of his resurrection life
With power.
Great truths Pastor Seks!