“And release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:15).
The COVID-I9 pandemic has shown us that death can be a reality at any age; but that thanks to Jesus, we can live with the hope of the resurrection. Eventually, the cemetery will be transformed into a place of joy, laughter, and celebration. Sing with Isaiah, “Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah 26:19). Don’t let the fear of death keep you from living your life.
There are those who live the present in fear, see the future with fear, face life with fear, and wait for death in fear; forgetting that through His death, Christ destroyed the one who had dominion over it, the devil (see Hebrews 2:14). The Greek word translated as “destroyed” is katargeō, which means: fired, deactivated, made ineffective, took away the power, strength or influence of, put an end to, annulled, abolished, made disappear, did away with. This is what happened to Satan when Jesus overcame him on the cross. He lost his strength or influence over death. His power over death became ineffective, annulled, abolished. He is a defeated enemy, overcome by Christ’s blood.
Life cannot be called life if you live in fear of dying. Then you become a slave to your fear. There are many speculations about what happens after death. Paul had them in mind when he wrote today’s text. For example, the Gentiles did not believe in the resurrection and had a great fear of death, without any hope for life beyond the tomb. It is much better to consider death as what it is: a rest, a sleep, a parenthesis between life and the resurrection.
‘Satan cannot hold the dead in his grasp when the Son of God bids them live. It is all offered us in His word. If we receive the word, we have the deliverance…. ‘For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” Romans 8:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 17. This is the word of comfort wherewith He bids us comfort one another.”— The Desire a Ages, ch. 32, p. 320.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Esteban Cortes
