Extraordinary Jesus -- Part IV

"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

More About Death:

I don’t believe God wanted death in the picture of His creation. Death entered after the fall and because of sin, (Genesis 1:26-31/2:15-17/3:14-18, 19, 20-24). God sent Jesus as the “seed” of woman to crush satan, sin and death once and for all. Jesus got rid of the sting of sin, which is death, and won victory over death at the resurrection. Someday Jesus will abolish death completely.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “On this mountain…He will swallow up, on this mountain, the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever;” LOVE THAT VERSE…continued, “and the LORD GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’” (Isaiah 25:6-9).

Those words describe so well what death is like. It is a covering, a veil a shroud that parts us from our loved ones. But, the wonderful hope we have in Jesus Messiah, is one day, He will abolish death forever—death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

Isaiah said, “We have waited for Him?” I love that! Can you feel the passion in that statement? This reminds me of something I’ve shared many times before about my friend Audrey who used to say, “I am lonesome for heaven.” How often we feel tired by life, death, tragedy, illness etc. and may say, “We are lonesome for heaven.”

We have waited for Jesus Messiah to return, to set up His kingdom, to abolish death. And, our waiting is made easier when we can do as Isaiah prompts, “Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Waiting is difficult. But in all our waiting for the LORD, we are at our best when we wait in faith, with hope and rejoicing in our salvation.

Jesus completed His mission on earth so that, by His Spirit, He could be with us now and, because of redemption from sin and death, we can be with Him FOREVER! This was a longing in the heart of Jesus. “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

Through Jesus Messiah, God accomplished His mission to defeat sin and will one day permanently remove death from His creation. Hallelujah to the LORD God Almighty.