In our rebellious, cursed world, death is an inevitability. Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” But, there’s good news: The end of death is in our future. (So is the end of taxes.)
Another famous writing might come to your mind: “There shall be no more death.” John recorded this hope-filled prophecy in Revelation 21:4. He paraphrased Isaiah 25:8, which says the LORD of Hosts “will swallow up death in victory.”
But, when will death end, and how? It might seem logical that death shall be no more when the repentant inherit everlasting life at Jesus’ return (see 1 Corinthians 15:52). Certainly, death will no longer have a grip on these people who will “put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). But, at that point, death will still not be over yet.
The Timeline of Death’s End
So, when will death end? We have some clues about the timing. I’ve alluded to one already. Let’s examine the clues and their context to understand when and how death will end.
The Second Coming & the First Resurrection
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53).
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
These passages tell us that Jesus will raise the repentant to life when He returns. He’ll raise them to everlasting life. They will never die again because they will be clothed in God’s immortality and remain connected to the one who is Life (see John 11:25 and John 14:6).
The Thousand Years
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6).
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Revelation 20:1-3).
These passages tell us that, after the second coming, there will be a period of a thousand years. During that time, the repentant will be with God in heaven. The unrepentant will be dead (so, at this point, death’s end hasn’t come yet). The devil will be alone on the Earth with no one to tempt, harrass, or collude with.
The Last Resurrection
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. … And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” (Revelation 20:7,11-13).
At the end of the thousand years, the unrepentant will be raised to life. They’ll see the books of judgment, and they’ll be judged according to their deeds because they turned down the free gift of God (the substitution of Jesus’ righteous deeds for their sinful deeds).
The End of the Unrepentant & the End of Death
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15).
These verses come immediately after the texts in the previous section, when the unrepentant are raised to be judged. It’s not clear how much time will transpire between their resurrection and their destruction.
It’s easy to focus on the people being thrown in the fire, but they’re not all that’s thrown in. “Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.” The word Hades is the Greek New Testament counterpart to the Hebrew Old Testament word Sheol. When these words appear in the Bible, the context indicates that they refer to the grave (except for Luke 16, in which Hades is part of a parable based on a Jewish myth and Egyptian folklore).
The casting of death and the grave into the lake of fire is symbolic of their destruction; nothing and no one will survive the fire. It will be the end — the end of the unrepentant and the end of death itself. The unrepentant will be the last to die, and it’s a final death. The second death is the one from which there’s no resurrection. This will be the end of death.
Outliving Death
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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.” (Revelation 21:1-4).
The lake of fire will be the end of the story only for the unrepentant and death itself. For the repentant, the story will just be getting started. They will live in a new world where death is a thing of the past. Their names will be “written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). God “will give of the spring of the water of life to him who thirsts” (Revelation 21:6). They will “have right to the tree of life” (Revelation 22:14).
Not only shall there be no more death, “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). The end of death will be just the beginning of a life that’s abundant and free.
On the long list of worthy causes and issues to work for, donate to, and be passionate about, helping to spread this good news must be right at the top! Thank you!