Death had a 100% success rate. It never failed, not once, not ever. Some may have seemed for many years like they had beaten it. Winning the battles against illness, accident and disaster but in the end death always won the war. Science, health and education continue to push it back, extending life expectancy but death wins in the end.
I guess that's the two words that sum up death. It's the great THE END. It pronounces 'The End' on all our lives (Psalms 49:10-11).
All die.
Even those few that Jesus raised to life like Lazarus died in the end. Everyone's life story follows the same pattern. They're born--They live--They die. It has a morbid certainty about it.
Rich or poor-All die.
Known or unknown-All die
Young or old-All die
Nothing and no-one ever changed the pattern. That is until Easter Sunday!
On Friday it looked like Jesus was no different from everyone else who had ever gone before him. He had said and done amazing things. He had made huge claims about being God but in the end, he died. The full stop of his life was rolled into place over his tomb. But it wasn't the end. What happened next was the end of The End. Jesus rose from the dead because "it was impossible for death to hold him". He "destroyed death and brought life and immorality to light through the gospel"
This wasn't a temporary reprieve this was the beginning of his forever life. He said "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!"
The Good News of Easter is that His forever life becomes the forever life of those that trust Him. He has established a new pattern. They are born--They live--They die and now it's not The End but Happily Ever After. Not a fairy tale happily ever after but better than that. This one is for real and forever. Is that not the ending we're all looking for?
