Welcome to Episode #193 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our Twenty-Fifth mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ [4]. On today’s episode, we will begin to explore the reason for a Christian’s anticipation of the second coming of Jesus. That reason is tied up in the prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah 25:8 as referenced by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54 – Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Isaiah 25:7-8 – On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
This is a profound topic, Death, so we’re going to take it in two parts. On this episode, we’ll address the origin of death and why it is so hideous and has eternal consequences. In our next episode, we’ll explore how Jesus conquered death and offers eternal life to all who believe.
With that, let’s jump into the deep end. The devil is a liar and has been deceiving mankind from the beginning. Jesus speaks of this in John 8:44 – You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He [devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him [devil]. When he [devil] lies, he [devil] speaks his [devil] native language, for he [devil] is a liar and the father of lies. Did you hear all that? Jesus is affirming the devil is not only a real being; he is actively acting as a deceiving and disruptive force in the world and in our lives daily.
This is where, sadly, for most in the visible church and many believers, a disconnect happens in their faith that directly impacts their walk of faith. When referreing to the devil in this John 8 passage, Jesus is referring to the creation narrative presented in Genesis Chapter 3. In that passage, the devil [called the serpent in Genesis 3] deceives Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, which she gives to Adam who was with her, and when Adam ate the fruit, both Adam and Eve died spiritually. The devil murdered them both and has continued murdering humanity up to this very day with his lies and deceptions.
For completeness, the devil has several names in the Bible, which are identified in Revelation 20:2 – He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
What I am speaking of is the devil’s agents in the world and in the church who have convinced most in the visible church that the creation narrative, and to be honest, most if not all of the five books of Moses and Old Testament prophetic texts are myths made up by ancient writers. The devil deceives those holding such positions that they are above the Scriptures, above God himself, as Jesus, who is God, mentioned to those opposing him. They thought they were so superior to Jesus that they had him crucified.
Let me hit this a little harder before I continue, as the basis of my presentation proceeds from the creation narrative. In the John 8 passage just quoted above, Jesus told the Jews he was speaking with that they were children of the devil. How can that be? Isn’t everyone a child of God? The simple answer is NO! Everyone is not a child of God. Everyone was created individually by God after the image of Adam who was created in the Image and likeness of God. Eve herself was of Adam, taken from his rib.
Let me demonstrate this once again using the words of Jesus, who would know the truth. Jesus told a parable about seeds sown on four different types of ground and how those seeds responded to the word of God. For the seed sown on the first type of ground Jesus explains in Luke 8:12 – Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Comments & Upvotes