January 16
“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken,” Isaiah 25:8.
Death and tears are closely associated. We shed tears at the death of a loved one. When a loved one dies, it means that we will not see him or her again during the remainder of our life on earth. We can only remember both the good and the bad that our loved one said and did. And we will remember some of those things with tears. Death seems to be so cold and cruel.
The unbelievers, atheists, and scoffers speak of death as the end of all things. I think of a man whom I had been asked to visit in the hospital. Previously, I had had a casual acquaintance with him. He said, “I am an atheist. The professors at the university convinced me that there is no God and that I don’t need one. Please don’t read to me from the Bible and don’t pray for me!” As far as I know, my efforts to convince him of his sin and Savior were futile. He died a few days later.
Some people are not quite so blatant! However, they still speak of death as a leap into the dark and the unknown. As Christians, like everyone else, we must face the hour of death and deal with the reality of death.
How do we do this? We turn to the Word of God. The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus,” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. In conclusion, the apostle writes, “Comfort one another with these words.”
The prophet Isaiah says that God will swallow up death forever. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory? . . . Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55, 57.
Isaiah adds, “The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.” When the apostle John was given the revelation of the multitude before the throne of God, he was told, “The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes,” Revelation 7:17. Later, John wrote, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away,” Revelation 21:4.
Having given us the assurance that, “(God) will swallow up death forever,” Isaiah concludes with the words, “The Lord has spoken!” In my office, I have a plaque on the wall that reads, “God said it! I believe it! That settles it!” God’s Word tells us that death has been swallowed up by the resurrected Jesus. After suffering and dying on Calvary’s cross to wash away our sins, He rose from the dead on Easter morning. Sin, death, and hell have been conquered for us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the only Savior!
I know that my Redeemer lives; What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead; He lives, my ever-living Head.
He lives to silence all my fears, He lives to wipe away my tears,
He lives to calm my troubled heart, He lives all blessings to impart. Amen.