Scott Tibbs
God hates your worst enemy
By Scott Tibbs, September 11, 2023
I have lost a number of people in my life, especially over the last few years. Some were elderly, and some were young - even younger than me. Seeing so many people die, especially people my age, is a sobering reminder of my own mortality and the inevitability of my death. It is also very sad to realize how many people that I regularly spoke with just ten years ago are gone.
Death came into the world because of our sin. When we grieve the loved ones we have lost, we also grieve at the sin that brought death into the world and causes so much suffering for the living. But sin has been defeated too. We will never be free of sin this side of Heaven, but it need not rule over us. Eventually, it will cease to exist.
But for Christians, there is a comfort found in Scripture for our grief. I have personally found I Corinthians 15:19-26 very comforting with each death. I have sent and quoted that to friends and loved ones who are also grieving, hoping it will comfort them as well. The Apostle Paul tells us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that death is God's enemy, and that He will destroy it.
Think about that for a minute. Do not just gloss over it. This thing that took away friends, family, and sometimes even your children has been marked as
an enemy of God himself and He will destroy it in the last day. The very same Jesus who endured death on our behalf, taking the punishment we richly deserved, will destroy it for us.
We would indeed be miserable if Christ had not risen from the dead. The siblings, parents, assorted extended family, friends and children we have lost are gone forever, and we will never see or fellowship with them again. But Christ's resurrection proved that death has already been defeated, and the final destruction of our enemy will eventually be complete. The battle is over, the verdict has been given and the punishment has been decreed. Now we are just waiting for God to fulfill the promise He made to us, which He will in His perfect timing.
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