Royce O. Kennedy
"ON EAGLES’ WINGS MINISTRIES"
“Faith’s Final Frontier.” June 2012..Part 2.
Having been told that he would “never see death” until he had seen the Lord’s Christ, old Simeon who visited the temple daily knew in his heart that he wasn’t going anywhere until the prophecy was fulfilled. When Jesus came on the scene and began to sweep aside all of the old traditions of the elders, and saying that a greater than Moses is here, he proceeded not only to raise eyebrows, but to ruffle feathers and stir up anger in many. He openly declared: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying (that means his message of abundant life) he shall never see death.”
Did the people think he was referring to “spiritual death” which is a fallacy because spirits cannot die? What was their understanding of the words of Christ? Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?” John 8: 51-53.
Please notice that Jesus did not offer some sort of clarification such as saying, “Hold on! I did not mean physical death! I referred to man’s spiritual death in his separation from God.” The people understood him to speak of physical death. In fact he said, “shall never see death” and the Jews responded by saying, “Shall never taste of death.” The people were correct in their understanding of what Christ spoke, and Christ said what he meant and did not try to dilute it, or offer some sort of lame explanation.
So now we have to turn the searchlight on ourselves and ask, “What do we do with this profound statement?” Did Jesus mean what he said? Was it meant for us to believe and embrace? A long time ago a noble king asked quite candidly, “What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death?”Psalm 89: 48. Both what David wrote and what was told to old Simeon, and topped off for god measure by Jesus—all alluded to physical death.
To prove his point that a man who believes in him, though he were dead yet shall he live, Christ went down to the tomb of a man whose been dead for at least four days and called him back to life. Not his spirit for that would prove nothing to the bystanders and gainsayers! Not his soul for once again that would prove nothing! He brought the whole man in a physical body back to life and the second part of the verse he is demonstrated said; “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me (not ON ME) shall never die.” It is little wonder that Jesus added: “Believest thou this? John 11: 25, 26.
Shouldn’t we conclude that since Jesus demonstrated his point with a human body overcoming death by a simple word, he also meant that the living human being who believes IN HIM shall never die? Ha! Yes! But believe what? Believe that he is the resurrection and like Martha was told that she did not have to wait until the last day for her brother to rise again, we do not have to wait for the resurrection at the last day to put death under our feet. But how many of us are preaching this kind of gospel?
I like to clarify this statement by adding a finishing touch. Christ hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel; that is true, but not any kind of gospel. It has to be through the gospel of life. 2nd Timothy 1: 10. It makes no sense for preachers to tell their congregations at every opportune moment that “we all must die one day” then by the next breath say that Christ has abolished death. The two concepts cannot co-exist, the same way light and darkness cannot co-exist; they have nothing in common.
Royce O. Kennedy