Facing the Last Enemy

“For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” — 1 Corinthians 15:26

FEW SUBJECTS are more sobering—or more misunderstood—than death. Yet the Bible calls death an "enemy", not a friend, and certainly not a doorway into another conscious world. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, death is the last enemy that Christ will ultimately conquer.

Why Talk About Death?

Most people would rather not. Society celebrates Halloween and “All Souls’ Day,” dressing up death with fantasy or fear. These traditions only reveal how little people actually understand what death is. Even many professing Christians are confused—believing in an immortal soul that survives apart from the body. But Scripture never teaches such an idea.

Paul warned early believers, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Ignorance about death leads to false comfort and false hope.

The truth, however, offers peace, understanding, and real hope of life beyond the grave—through the resurrection, not an “afterlife.”

The First Great Lie--

The first lie ever told about death came from Satan himself. In Eden, the serpent told Eve,

“You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4–5).

That deception—the claim of inherent immortality—became the foundation of countless pagan beliefs.

Ancient Egyptians built tombs and pyramids believing their Pharaohs would live as "gods" in the afterlife. Eastern religions teach reincarnation. Philosophers like Plato imagined an indestructible soul.

Tragically, many early Church fathers—such as Tertullian, Origen, and Augustine, etc. —absorbed these pagan ideas into Christian doctrine. Augustine, especially, merged Greek philosophy with biblical interpretation, laying the groundwork for centuries of confusion about death and the soul. Church historian Richard Tarnas wrote:

“. . . It was Augustine’s formulation of Christian Platonism that was to permeate virtually all of medieval Christian thought in the West. So enthusiastic was the Christian integration of the Greek spirit that Socrates and Plato were frequently regarded as divinely inspired pre-Christian saints...” ('The Passion of the Western Mind')

Later, Roman Catholic councils officially sanctioned belief in the “immortal soul" with this official statement:

“Whereas some have dared to assert concerning the nature of the reasonable soul that it is mortal, we, with the approbation of the sacred council do condemn and reprobate all those who assert that the intellectual soul is mortal, seeing, according to the canon of Pope Clement V, that the soul is [. . .] immortal [. . .] and we decree that all who adhere to like erroneous assertions shall be shunned and punished as heretics.” ('Fifth Council of the Lateran', 1512-1517)

Protestant reformers like Calvin and Luther retained parts of that teaching (except for the doctrine of 'Purgatory'). John Calvin called those who subscribed to "soul-sleep" teaching of the Scripture as “cancer: the spread of a horrid disease” (J. Calvin, 'Psychopannychia'). Yet these belief of immortality of soul, traces all the way back to the same ancient lie: “You will not surely die.”

Why Do Humans Die?

The Bible answers plainly: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Death is the penalty for breaking God’s law. Ezekiel 18:4 reinforces it: “The soul that sins, it shall die.” Humans die because sin separates us from God—the Source of life.

Sin, John writes, is “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Disobedience to God brings decay and death. But through repentance and faith in Christ, we can be reconciled to God and receive the gift He offers—eternal life.

The Biblical Reality of Death

According to Scripture, death is not a state of conscious existence—it is a sleep. Jesus said of His friend Lazarus, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). When Lazarus was raised, he said nothing about heaven or hell—because he had been unconscious, awaiting Christ’s call.

"The dead know nothing" says the wisest man (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Their thoughts perish. They rest in the grave until the resurrection—until the moment Christ returns to awaken them to life.

Righteous Job offered the following comforting hope:

"If a man dies, shall he live again?

All the days of my hard service I will wait,

Till my change comes.

You shall call, and I will answer You." (Job 14:14-15, NKJV)

Immortality: God’s Gift, Not Man’s Possession

The Bible never says that man has an immortal soul. Instead, it declares that only God “has immortality” (1 Timothy 6:16). Immortality is not inherent—it is a gift given through Christ.

Paul wrote, “This mortal must put on immortality, and this corruptible must put on incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:53). We are not immortal beings trapped in flesh; we are mortal beings offered eternal life through the Spirit of God.

Romans 6:23 summarizes the contrast beautifully: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Hope of the Resurrection

Christ’s resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. “If Christ is not risen,” Paul declared, “your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Jesus Himself promised:

“The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” — John 5:28–29

At that time, “the last enemy—death—shall be destroyed.” God will wipe away all tears, and “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying” (Revelation 21:4).

A Hope Beyond Heaven and Hell

The popular notions of heaven and hell either terrify or mislead. But the Bible reveals a far greater truth: God’s plan is to bring His children into His Kingdom as immortal members of His divine family. Death is not the end—it is a pause before the dawn of eternal life.

Christ said, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

That is the glorious destiny God offers—not a disembodied “afterlife,” but true, everlasting life in His Kingdom when the last enemy, death itself, is forever defeated. --Rh.