The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Timothy 1:9b-10,
"This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
Here is something that came to my mind on this passage in June 2014,
Wikipedia has an interesting article on the "Fountain of Youth", that begins with this comment, "The Fountain of Youth is a spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus (5th century BC), the Alexander romance (3rd century CE), and the stories of Prester John (early Crusades, 11th/12th centuries CE). Stories of similar waters were also evidently prominent among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration (early 15th century), who spoke of the restorative powers of the water in the mythical land of Bimini." I recall reading of Ponce de Leon and his quest for a fountain of youth in grade school when we studied the explorers of the world.
I am quite certain many folks over the years have looked in vain for some relief in facing the specter of death. As we read in Genesis 3, death was not a part of God's creation until Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. The horror of death has spawned within man a gripping desire to cling to youth and to avoid death, even to the point of looking for a mythical fountain that would spare them the fate.
However, death is inescapable as we read in Hebrews 9:27, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." we simply cannot avoid it. However, as the writer of Hebrews acknowledges, death is not the end of us. Physical life is followed by resurrection for all people. Some are resurrected to eternal life and some to eternal death. In Revelation 20:4b-6 we read, "They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." From this we learn of the two resurrections, the first to eternal life and the second to eternal death.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul speaks of where we find our escape from death. It is through Jesus Christ, who has "destroyed death" and brought "immortality to light" in the gospel. It is not escape from physical death - as sinners, we all will face that occurrence (except for those still alive at the Lord's return to earth). However, it is through Jesus Christ that we can enter into what our Creator originally intended for us all: living our lives in eternal bliss and pleasure with him, see Psalm 16:11.
Jesus Christ is not just a religion. He is life itself, life as God has always intended for us. Life free from a shelf-life, life free from infirmity, sickness, disease, life free from a world dominated by a collective sin nature. Beyond the absence of the negative things of this life, eternal life will be a life of eternal pleasure, life lived in the presence of God himself, life full of purposefulness, satisfaction and fulfillment.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
Here is something that came to my mind on this passage in June 2014,
Wikipedia has an interesting article on the "Fountain of Youth", that begins with this comment, "The Fountain of Youth is a spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus (5th century BC), the Alexander romance (3rd century CE), and the stories of Prester John (early Crusades, 11th/12th centuries CE). Stories of similar waters were also evidently prominent among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration (early 15th century), who spoke of the restorative powers of the water in the mythical land of Bimini." I recall reading of Ponce de Leon and his quest for a fountain of youth in grade school when we studied the explorers of the world.
I am quite certain many folks over the years have looked in vain for some relief in facing the specter of death. As we read in Genesis 3, death was not a part of God's creation until Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. The horror of death has spawned within man a gripping desire to cling to youth and to avoid death, even to the point of looking for a mythical fountain that would spare them the fate.
However, death is inescapable as we read in Hebrews 9:27, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." we simply cannot avoid it. However, as the writer of Hebrews acknowledges, death is not the end of us. Physical life is followed by resurrection for all people. Some are resurrected to eternal life and some to eternal death. In Revelation 20:4b-6 we read, "They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." From this we learn of the two resurrections, the first to eternal life and the second to eternal death.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul speaks of where we find our escape from death. It is through Jesus Christ, who has "destroyed death" and brought "immortality to light" in the gospel. It is not escape from physical death - as sinners, we all will face that occurrence (except for those still alive at the Lord's return to earth). However, it is through Jesus Christ that we can enter into what our Creator originally intended for us all: living our lives in eternal bliss and pleasure with him, see Psalm 16:11.
Jesus Christ is not just a religion. He is life itself, life as God has always intended for us. Life free from a shelf-life, life free from infirmity, sickness, disease, life free from a world dominated by a collective sin nature. Beyond the absence of the negative things of this life, eternal life will be a life of eternal pleasure, life lived in the presence of God himself, life full of purposefulness, satisfaction and fulfillment.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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