For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1Corinthians 15:25-26
Paul is talking about Christ, who through His death and resurrection, has defeated death for all of us who turn our hearts to Him and declare Him to be the Lord of our lives. At Easter we proclaim “He is risen. The Lord is Risen Indeed.” It is the pinnacle of our faith. As Paul says in this chapter, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (vs.14)
That is why these verses give me such hope. Because not only was the Risen Lord able to defeat His enemies, even the last enemy called death, He is able to defeat mine as well. No matter what sorrows, hurts, illnesses and pains I have in my life, I can turn to Christ to help. My pride, unrighteous angers, envies and despairs can be turned into humility, forgiveness, gratitude and hope (every time). Deep down I know I can turn to Him and that ultimately, even when I cannot see the outcome, He will be right in there with me, battling the evil that touches my life. He will be there until the end, and will ultimately defeat my last enemy – death.
What reassurance to know that whatever we go through, it is not permanent. I have just in the last few years seen dear friends suffer pain and sorrows, face major surgeries, cancers and losses, including death. I have suffered as well, as I am sure have each of you reading this. It is a part of life on this earth. But praise God it is not the end. Christ has made sure of that. Whatever the battle, I already know in faith what the outcome will be. My enemies will eventually be defeated one way or another. And that is what makes each fight easier and the wounds not so painful to bear.
