Bible Characters – Part 2

Series – April 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Bible Characters
Gleanings From The Old Testament,Part 2

Adam And The Serious Consequences Of The Fall
Adam lived … nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. —Genesis 5:5 NKJV

Death Spread To All Men
Such is the sad refrain repeated throughout this chapter: “And he died.” Because of his sin, man is subject to death, even though he received the breath of life from God. Can one think of any greater contrast than that which is between life and death? Reading the Bible we find that life did not come into being just by itself or by mere chance, but that it originated with God. There is a divine Maker behind the things we see. He made everything with wisdom, and His eternal power and Godhead can be seen in both great and small things – in the enormous galaxies and in the secrets of the atom.

The Bible tells us, “Since the creation of the world [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Rom. 1:20). Any intelligent person must conclude that creation was made by the hands of an almighty Creator. The living God is the Source of all life. One word of His was sufficient to call those things which did not exist as though they did. “He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9). “God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Gen. 1:3).

How then was it possible that death could mar God’s beautiful creation? If God is the Source of life, then where does death come from? Should we perhaps regard death as a natural thing which happens to be part of the cycle of life? Is death a friend rather than an enemy? These are all very important questions, and it is necessary to find the right answers to them.

If we consider that death is the very opposite of life, it is obvious that God, the Source of life, cannot be the source of death at the same time. Death is completely contrary to God’s nature as the Originator of life. This is a fundamental contrast, comparable with that which is between light and darkness and between good and evil. Those who try to argue away these differences deceive themselves, as they turn away from reality in order to create a make-believe world where life is as meaningless as death.

The Word of God, however, teaches us something different. Death is the domain of God’s great adversary Satan, “who had the power of death” (Heb. 2:14). Because the first man was deceived by the serpent’s craftiness (Gen. 3:1-7), death entered our world: “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin” (Rom. 5:12). Death, one of the other apostles has written, is the last link in the chain of evil that begins with the desires of our sinful hearts (Jas. 1:13-15). We must note that since not only Adam and Eve were sinners but also all their descendants were, death has spread to all men.

The Last Adam, A Life-Giving Spirit
Satan does not have the last word, for One stronger than he has come. The Lord Jesus has bound him and plundered his house. God announced the coming of this mighty Man of valor immediately after man’s fall. One born of a woman was going to bruise the head of the serpent. Christ was the Seed who was to come and overcome the Devil. But at the same time, this meant the end of His life here on earth, for the serpent was to bruise His heel (Gen. 3:15).

The Lord is the counterpart of Adam, the divine answer to all the consequences of Adam’s sin, through whom death entered the world. Christ is the second Man and the last Adam, the Victor over Satan, sin and death (read Rom. 5 and 1 Cor. 15).

For this reason it is of the utmost importance to notice that the verse from Hebrews 2 already referred to is written in the past tense! The Devil had the power of death, but he was dethroned by Christ. The Lord Jesus overcame the Devil, “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10). On the island that is called Patmos, John saw Him as the risen Lord, who has the power, or “keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev. 1:18).

Christ rose again the third day, God “having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:24). And as the risen Lord, He is the Head of a new creation. He gives eternal life to all those who believe in Him. He has destroyed “him who had the power of death” and released “those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:14-15). Death cannot frighten them anymore. They know Christ as “the resurrection and the life,” and they share His life (Jn. 11:25). Therefore the iron rule “and he died” does not apply to Christians. Even in Genesis 5 this is indicated by the only exception we find there, namely in the life of Enoch, who walked with God and was taken away without seeing death (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5).

This is also the Christian’s hope, as we “wait for [God’s] Son from heaven” (1 Th. 1:10). “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52). At His coming the Lord Jesus Christ “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). “The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain [until the coming of the Lord] shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:16-17), in His Father’s house (Jn. 14:1-3).

When a Christian dies before the Lord’s return, he does not fear death as the last enemy. He considers death as his servant to carry him into paradise. To be there with Christ is far better than to remain in the flesh (Lk. 23:43; Phil. 1:23-24). It is a place of unspeakable joy (2 Cor. 12:4), and it is certain that the Lord will come to call His own, dead or alive, and bring them to glory.

The Choice Of Life Or Death
To this end, however, it is absolutely necessary to hear His voice now and to receive eternal life in Christ. Have you heard His voice? If you listen to Him, then a new day will dawn for you. This is a reality even now, during this life here on earth. For Christ will be your Light. He will illuminate your way and lead you in “the paths of righteousness” (Prov. 2:20).

If you are still unconverted, you should realize that you are a child of death, sunk down into a deep spiritual sleep. Or, as the Bible puts it, you are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). You must wake up. Listen to Christ’s mighty voice! He once called Lazarus out of the grave, and He is the same today. He calls you from the grave of your sins and your guilt. So if you hear His voice, do not resist but rise and go to Him who wants to receive you with open arms. The one who comes to Him He will “by no means cast out” (Jn. 6:37).

Do not forget that Christ is the Lord of both life and death. If you are not willing to accept Him as your Savior now, you will meet Him someday as your Judge. All authority has been given to Him and He “is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Pet. 4:5). Those who have been raised with Him to new life have nothing to fear, but those who remain in their spiritual sleep – the sleep of death – He will cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Rev. 20:11-15). From then on, the expression “and he died” will be an irrevocable reality as there is no escape from the second death. Therefore, take your refuge with Christ, the Originator and the Giver of life, before it is too late. “Now is the accepted time … now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

By Hugo Bouter (adapted)

Look for Part 3 of this Series next month.

Lord Jesus, we remember the travail of Thy soul, When, through Thy love’s deep pity, the waves did o’er Thee roll; Baptized in death’s dark waters, for us Thy blood was shed; For us Thou, Lord of glory, wast numbered with the dead.
O Lord! Thou now art risen, Thy travail all is o’er; For sin Thou once hast suffered, Thou liv’st to die no more; Sin, death and hell are vanquished by Thee, the church’s Head; And lo! we share Thy triumphs, Thou Firstborn from the dead. —James G. Deck (1802–1884)