Ángel
Manuel Rodríguez
As
a church we hold that sinners who die "the second death" will stay dead
forever. Should not Christ, who experienced this death as our substitute,
also stay dead forever?
It's
impossible for us to understand fully what the second death entails, because
the only one who went through it and came back was Jesus. Therefore, we
must carefully approach this subject, beginning by examining the passages
in which the phrase "second death" is used and then exploring Jesus' experience.
The "second death" in the Bible:
The phrase "second death" is found four times in the book of Revelation,
and nowhere else (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). But these few verses reveal
several important things.
First, it is God's instrument
in the eradication of sin, sinners, Satan, and death from the universe
(Rev. 20:10, 14; 21:8). The second death is fundamentally different from
natural death. Sin and death entered into the world together, and they
will be extinguished from it together. The second death is the final penalty
for sin, the total and eternal elimination of evil powers and sin in God's
creation.
Second, the second death is a process
that brings sinful life to an end (Rev. 20:10, 14). Sinners will be completely
aware of the fact that they are going through that which will separate
them from God forever. This process culminates in the inevitable and inescapable
cessation of the life of unrepentant sinners. It stops its work only when
nothing is left of sinners and sin.
Third, the second death is characterized
by pain. It harms or hurts those who experience it (Rev. 2:11). This
same verb is used in the New Testament to describe physical (Luke 10:19)
and spiritual (Col. 3:25) harm. In Revelation it is a synonym for torment
(cf. Rev. 9:4, 5; 20:10). Those who are under the full control of evil
are tormented by it (cf. Matt. 8:29). Therefore, one could suggest that
the second death is experienced as both physical and spiritual anguish
or agony—indescribable pain.
Finally, the second death is legally
right. This death has no power or authority over the righteous (Rev.
20:6). But it does have a claim against the wicked. It isn't an expression
of divine arbitrariness, but an expression of a legal penalty or retribution
(cf. Col. 3:25). It serves to reveal the justice of God's judgments (cf.
Rev. 19:1-3).
Jesus and the second death:
Jesus experiencing the second death would include everything we stated
above and much more.
First, He underwent excruciating
physical and emotional pain. As Jesus approached the cross He "began
to be sorrowful and troubled." He said to His disciples, "My soul is very
sorrowful, even to death" (Matt. 26:37, 38, RSV). That terminology expresses
a grief, sadness, and anxiety so intense that it threatened His existence.
In Gethsemane the pain was almost unbearable, and Christ's body reflected
His spiritual agony as His perspiration appeared as drops of blood that
fell to the ground. He would have died were it not for an angel sent from
heaven who strengthened Him (Luke 22:43, 44; cf. Heb. 5:7-9).
Second, Jesus experienced the second
death because it was the right penalty for the sins of the world.
He bore the sins of the human race as its substitute (Mark 10:45). Here
we reach the limits of this mystery. Christ experienced the second death
by assuming responsibility for our sin and receiving its penalty (2 Cor.
5:21).
Third, Jesus experienced the anguish
of His separation from the Father in the most real form (Matt. 27:46).
He confronted the pain of God's abandonment. The anguish of His soul had
a spiritual component in that He was the rejected one. This is unquestionably
the second death. Of course, Christ came back to life. He was resurrected
because there was no sin in Him and the tomb could not retain Him. For
believers, Jesus' resurrection is an expression of God's love. For the
wicked, going into eternal oblivion may well be an expression of that
same love. The second death marks the extermination of sin and death from
the universe. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, our destiny
is communion with God and the Lamb throughout eternity, achieved for all
who believe in Him through His death and resurrection.
2/12/98
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