Today Paul explains the resurrection of believers to the church at Corinth. Our passage yesterday concluded with him saying, "In Christ all will be made alive," and today he picks up there by saying, "But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him." (1 Corinthians 15:23) Christ has already risen in an immortal body and this is the proof that we who belong to Him will also rise in an immortal body.
"Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet." (1 Corinthians 15:24-25) Most scholars believe Paul is referring to the same period of time the Apostle John referred to in Revelation 20. Revelation 20 deals with the thousand year reign of Christ and His saints, during which time Satan is bound and unable to tempt or anyone. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be loosed and will manage to deceive a great number of those who do not belong to Christ. A rebellion will ensue, ending with the eternal judgment of Satan and of all the enemies of Christ.
I don't know the reason for the thousand year binding of Satan or the reason for his temporary release, but I like the theory proposed by the theologians who think this situation is intended to prove to mankind that even in a perfect world, with no devil to tempt anyone, and with Christ reigning as the righteous king, there will still be human beings who rebel against Him. This prevents anyone from standing up in the judgment and saying, "I never had a chance! This world is too wicked for anyone to remain pure in it. Satan is too strong for anyone to resist him. The only way I could have lived a godly life and loved the Lord the way I should is if I had lived in a perfect world."
It was a custom in the ancient world for the victor to plant his foot on the neck of the defeated foe. This is the picture Paul is painting of Christ. Christ will stand victoriously with His foot planted on the neck of Satan and on the necks of all who have rejected and rebelled against Him. Finally, once all judgment has been passed, the enemy that has plagued mankind since the human race fell from grace will be destroyed. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:25)
We don't often think of death as being one of the enemies of Christ, but while He lived in the flesh death was as much His enemy as it is ours. Jesus faced a constant threat of death from the time of His birth (when Herod ordered the baby boys of Bethlehem killed) to the time of His ministry (when the religious elite wanted Him wiped from the earth) to even the Passover Supper (when His disciple Judas was readying himself to go out and betray Him). Death, because Jesus submitted Himself to it at the right time and in the right way to accomplish our redemption, at last took Him in its clutches and carried Him to the grave. But the resurrection is the proof that Christ has the power to defeat death! "For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him." (Romans 6:9) Christ rose from the dead in an immortal body, and He has promised to raise us in an immortal body. When that happens it can also be said of us that we cannot die again and that death no longer has mastery over us.
I know several people in my community who passed away this week. I know quite a few others who are receiving treatment to fight against potentially deadly illnesses. I know many more others who are suffering from things like chronic ailments, viruses, and post-surgical discomfort. I can't wait for the day when we don't have to worry about these things anymore! Christ will defeat death forever. We will never again wait anxiously for test results. We won't have to take medicines or go for treatments. We won't need any doctors or surgeons or funeral directors. We will never visit a hospital, nursing home, funeral home, or cemetery ever again. Praise the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! I can't wait for the day when He plants His boot on the neck of death!
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