Death; Biological or Covenantal?



This article contains pieces of other articles I've written!


Biological death was never the issue! Grass and trees die, do they sin? It was Covenantal death! Adam and Eve broke their Covenant with God and were removed from the Garden.

Genesis 3:23-24


"Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden"


By being removed from the Garden, Adam experienced Covenantal death IN THE DAY he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  


Israel later repeated this; first by the Northern Kingdom being sent into the Diaspora, then the Southern Kingdom, when they went into the 70 year Captivity.


Israel (Both the Northern and Southern Kingdom) had apostatized their position with God; having forsaken God, the land, and their covenant with, and the laws and commandments of God (Deuteronomy 28:20, 29:25, Judges 10:10, 13, 1st Samuel 8:8, 12:10, 1st Kings 11:33, 18:18, 19:10, 14, 2nd Kings 22:17, 2nd Chronicles 12:5, 13:11, 21:10, 24:20, 24, 28:6, 29:6, 34:25, Ezra 9:10, Isaiah 1:4, 2:6, Jeremiah 1:16, 2:13, 17, 19, 5:7, 19, 9:13, 15:6, 16:11, 17:13, 19:4, and 22:9) and this on repeated occasions


Christ was manifested to BIND the two sticks back into one - Restore them to the Covenant.


Ezekiel 37 is one of the strongest areas used to promote a yet future biological resurrection, but this is not what is being spoken of.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 is a primary motif that uses resurrection language, but it is being used metaphorically.

Ezekiel 37:15-22 Gives another in-depth view into what is going on, and again, is using metaphorical language. (The binding of the 2 sticks)

Ezekiel 37:23 is where a big clue is introduced
"so shall they be my people, and I will be their God"

Remember this phrase as it is repeated in numerous Old Testament scriptures that speak of the same thing.

Ezekiel 37:26-28 is where we're introduced to another analogy given with metaphorical language; and our "remembered" phrase is repeated again.... 

This is speaking also of the New Covenant...

"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore"


Three times, we see similar phrases about a Sanctuary/Tabernacle being with them and in the midst of them.

Most Christians who are familiar with Revelation 21:3


"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God"


rightly deduce that this is the fulfillment of of what is spoken of in Ezekiel 37, even as our "remembered" phrase is repeated, and we likewise see "the tabernacle of God" which is reflective of Ezekiel 37:26-28 where this is noted 3 times.


But revelation 21 is supposed to YET be in our own future, right? Not exactly.
2nd Corinthians 6:16


"And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people"


Isn't this exactly what is pointed out in Ezekiel 37:26-28 

"Temple/Tabernacle/Sanctuary being with-in the midst of them"? And doesn't this verse likewise recall our "remembered" phrase, mentioned in Ezekiel 37:23, 27, and revelation 21:3?


Physical; or biological death, was never the issue; it was always about the Covenantal relationship.


1st Corinthians 15:26 "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death"
"that shall be" is future tense, right? Well; as the Hertz Rental Car Company commercials used to say, not exactly.


The phrase "that shall be destroyed" is all from one Greek word; Strong's #2673 "katargew katargeo kat-arg-eh'-o" and is defined as


1) to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative
1a) to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency
1b) to deprive of force, influence, power
2) to cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish
2a) to cease, to pass away, be done away
2b) to be severed from, separated from, discharged from, loosed from any one
2c) to terminate all intercourse with one
Notice in (2) it uses "abolish"?


1st Corinthians 15:26 should rightly read "The last enemy destroyed is death"
It is of extreme importance that we rightly note this too, is not referencing biological, but rather Covenantal, death.


It is of extreme importance here that we realize "destroyed" from "Katargeo" is given in the present; not future, tense.


We also find this word "Katargeo" translated as "abolished" in another verse about death.


2Ti 1:10  "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has >>>>>ABOLISHED death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel"


Look around the planet; does it look like biological death has been destroyed or abolished?


As you can clearly see, it's rather ludicrous to apply western thinking when reading such words; this is why it is often important to look at the languages such words are translated from.


We must step out of our western; and carnal, mindset, and begin looking at the scriptures within the Hebraic mindset.


Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away"


Whose eyes are "their eyes"? Proper exegetical hermeneutics (interpretation) and context mandates that "their eyes" are the eyes of Old Covenant Israel, and that the tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain, was in direct relation to their Covenantal death/separation from God.


It is these same tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain, that were done away with in the binding of the two sticks, which is a clear analogy of their being raised, restored, redeemed, reconciled, and resurrected to God, in their new and everlasting Covenant, so that all Israel is saved.


I'm sure many who read this are now imagining all sorts and manner of questions, and even objections. I can but only ask that you set aside your preconceived notions and indoctrination, and simply consider that you; and untold millions before you, have been mislead into believing a story that requires you to walk by sight rather than by faith, and that you have been taught to trust in things which are seen and temporal, rather than looking to that which is unseen and eternal.


God is spirit, and his kingdom spiritual; stop looking for a kingdom that is carnal, material, visible, physical, and that comes with/by observation; and begin seeking to understand, embrace, and believe in a kingdom that is invisible, spiritual, infinite, eternal, and omnipresent.


Go back to the scriptures, but go back without the indoctrination you've been fed; ask God to reveal the truth to you. Try as I may to convince you of what I feel, believe, and know to be true, only God can bring conviction.

Make a free website with Yola