Removing The Agony Of Death Through The Predetermined Plan Of God

Jesus was in full control of His death. He willingly submitted to the “predetermined plan” of the Father to redeem mankind from the power of sin and death by going to the cross at Calvary (see Acts 2:22-24 further below). This is seen when the people of His hometown were filled with anger at Him for His rebuke of them when He spoke in their synagogue. In a fit of rage, they drove Him out of town to a nearby cliff where they wanted to throw Him off, “but He walked right through the crowd and went on His way.” (Luke 4:14-30) They could not do what they wanted to because it wasn’t yet the “appointed time” for Him to be crucified.

Through His obedience to the Father, Jesus loosed us from the agony/pains of death. Through our identification with Him by repentance, He releases us from the one who holds the power of death, the devil, and from the fear of death;

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power [2904- “force, strength, power, might, dominion”] of death — that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

(Hebrews 2:14-15/NIV)

Satan was given the power of death over mankind when we sinned against God. “…through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…” (Romans 5:7) In like manner, the one Man referred to as “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45-49), Jesus Christ, brought life to us through His sacrifice for our sin. Paul said, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus Christ] the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:15)

For all who surrender their lives to Him as the Messiah, Jesus provides the way to gain eternal life through the defeat of the one who holds the power of death. Death could not hold Him in its power in the grave, and neither does it with us as long as we remain in Him (John 15:1-11). In Him, death, the last enemy of mankind, will be defeated because He defeated it at Calvary. At the end of this age, we will be raised up with Him into life eternal, and death will be no more (see Revelation 21:1-7 at the end of this study).

The Joy Of The Lord

The writer of Hebrews tells us why Jesus could endure the excruciating pain and suffering of the cross;

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy [5479- “joy, delight, gladness”] set before him [4295- “to lie before the view, to lie in sight; fig. to be present (to the mind)”] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:1-2/NIV)

It was “the joy set before Him” that allowed Jesus to endure the cross. He knew what the outcome of His death would mean for mankind. It was the joy of knowing why He was going to suffer that helped Him to endure what lie before Him. He had a view of the end result. We need this heavenly “view” as well. This is why the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, provides understanding of our need for cross bearing (see the Bible study Simon of Cyrene and Cross Bearing), of why it’s necessary and what it will produce. Paul said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13/NIV) Like Christ, we endure the shame of the cross in our own lives because of the hope of salvation in Him that will be the end result of the taking up of our own cross (Luke 9:23). Without it, we can never experience the resurrection joy of the Lord. Without our joining Christ in the suffering of a calvary-like experience, we can never expect to experience a resurrection, Pentecost-like experience.

In his letter, James also wrote about the necessity of perseverance, and the “pure joy” for the Christian;

“Consider it pure joy [5479- def. in Hebrews 12:2 above], my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing [1383- “a test, a proof, crucible, trustworthiness”] of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature [5046- “brought to its end, finished, perfect, of full age”] and complete [3648- “complete in every part, i.e. perfectly sound (in body; entire, whole”], not lacking anything.”

(James 1:2-4/NIV)

To the man without the Spirit, considering it “pure joy” when facing “trials of many kinds” makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, it seems rather foolish and ignorant. But to the spiritual man, this is “the joy set before us” so as to persevere when undergoing various trials and temptations.

I once heard a man say, “Knowing the reason why of something is a great motivating factor.” The “reason why” for the testing of our faith is to develop perseverance so that we may continue abiding in Christ, with hope. Like a distance runner, without perseverance we will not make it to the finish line of maturity and completeness in Him, because the hardest portion of a race is always the last part. Finishing strong in Christ is the divine goal, and reason why we must remain in submission to the will of God, as Christ did on His difficult journey on the way to the cross.

Today just happens to be “good Friday” as I write this. When undergoing difficult moments in our walks with Christ, we must look to the One who underwent an even more difficult moment. As the body of Christ, we are nearing the finish line, the goal of our complete salvation in Him of our spirit, soul, and body. Paul calls this our “entire sanctification” (i.e. for our entire being) in Christ that will occur at His second coming, the last portion being the perfection of our body, which is in complete accord with the perfection of the spiritual Body of Christ;

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely [3651- “complete to the end, i.e. absolutely perfect”]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete [3648], without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24/NASU)

The Joy Of The Lord Is Our Strength

In John, chapter 15, Jesus explains, with a strong warning, to His followers why we must “remain in” Him;

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me [only a Christian can be described as being “in Me.”] that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you [this is a conditional promise]. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

(John 15:1-6/NIV)

Without our remaining in Him, we will be cut off from Him, “thrown into the fire and burned.”

He then continues with a prayer promise for those who remain in Him, followed by the way to have His joy in us, “that your joy may be complete”;

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete [4137- “to make full, to fill to the full, to carry through to the end, to complete”].”

(John 15:7-11/NIV)

As we remain in Christ, obeying His commands, we will remain in His love. Jesus said that He told us this “so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete,” which means “to make full, to fill to the full, to carry through to the end, to complete.” Obedience leads to the joy of the Lord within us, unto completion. The “view to the end” of our remaining in Christ is to obtain the “fullness” of Him.

In Romans 11, Paul speaks of the “fullness of the Gentiles.” The Greek for fullness means “completion, that which is or has been filled, abundance.” Our completion in Christ is first, before the fullness of Israel, bringing to completion the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) consisting of grafted in Gentiles and Jews.

Like John 15:2, he also refers, in verse 22, to a Christian being “cut off” for not continuing “in His kindness.” The Greek word for kindness [5544] is defined as “usefulness, moral goodness, integrity, benignity, kindness.” (For more verses on the “usefulness” of a Christian, or not, see 2 Timothy 2:21, 4:11; Philemon 11, and Hebrews 6:7.)

In Romans, chapter two, Paul refers to the kindness of God, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and its purpose toward us;

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness [5544], tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness [5544] leads you [i.e. Christians] toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done.’”

(Romans 2:1-6/NIV)

If we readily received His kindness toward us in dying for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), and then after turning to Him, reject His conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit with the intent to lead us to repentance when necessary, do we think that we will escape His judgment against us? According to the doctrines of many in the church, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” (i.e. “once saved, always saved,” or so-called “eternal security”). This is the complete arrogance in the church that is so prevalent today, causing many to be unconcerned about their lifestyles that are not really much different than those in the world, without Christ. Paul clearly declared that God WILL judge His people, giving “to each person according to what he has done.” In our arrogance, we think, and even preach that Christians are exempt, as if His grace is a license to continue in sin, causing God to act as if nothing happened! Many believe that we are above the children of Israel who were cut off from Him for their unbelief (i.e. unfaithfulness). What a day of reckoning for them it will be when they are called by the Lord to give an account for what they have done. Hmmm, I guess works do matter after all. (See Hebrews 10:26-31 for more on this. See my book Works And Salvation for even more clarity.)

Rebuilding With Joy

As the Jewish people were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah, a time came when the words of God were being read as encouragement for them;

“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”

(Nehemiah 8:8-10/NIV)

Taking into account all that we have seen, the joy of the Lord is our strength. His joy is in us as we remain/abide in Him. And we remain/abide in Him as we keep His commandments. This is the route we must follow in order to receive, and then retain the joy of the Lord for the strength we will need to finish the race, bringing “to completion” our salvation in Him.

The Predetermined Plan And Foreknowledge Of God

Acts 2:22-24 – It was the “predetermined plan” of God that Christ would be crucified for the redemption of mankind. He willingly gave up His life for our sake. His “perfect” sacrifice was accepted on our behalf by the Father. But it can only be applied to us when we surrender our lives to Him, accepting Him as our Messiah.

22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested [584- “to pint out, show forth, declare, demonstrate”] to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — 

23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined [3724- “to define, to mark out the boundaries or limits, to determine”] plan [1012- “volition (see def. below), counsel, purpose”] and foreknowledge [4268- “forethought, pre-arrangement”] of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

24 "But God raised Him up again, putting an end [3089- see def. below] to the agony [5604- “the pains of childbirth, travail-pain, birth-pang”] of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power [2902- “to have power, be master of, get possession of, to hold”].

NASU

Acts 2:24 – “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

NKJV

Volition: “the power of choosing or determining; an act of making a choice or decision”

NT:3089 luo (loo'-o)

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

a primary verb; to “loosen” (literally or figuratively):

KJV - break (up), destroy, dissolve, (un-) loose, melt, put off. Compare NT:4486.

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

1.   to loose any person (or thing) tied or fastened (Mark 1:7)

2.   to loose one bound, i. e., to unbind, release from bonds, set free (Acts 22:30)

3.   to loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together: the seal of a book (Rev. 5:2)

1 Corinthians 2:6-8 – Paul refers to the inferior “wisdom of this age” that is possessed by “the rulers of this age.” God’s wisdom, the “hidden wisdom,” is not understood by them. In fact, Paul states that if they had understood it, they would not have crucified “the Lord of glory.”

6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined [4309- “to predetermine, decide beforehand, to foreordain”] before the ages to our glory;

8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

NASU

Acts 4:27-31 – After Peter and John’s were arrested for “teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:1-3), they were commanded by the Jewish Council (i.e. Sanhedrin) to not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John answered them, saying, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20) After threatening them further, they released them. They then went back to their fellow believers and reported to them all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. Together, they raised their voices to the Lord. Near the end, they mentioned the “predetermined plan” of God in the crucifixion of Christ.

27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose [1012] predestined [4309] to occur. [Both definitions are in the previous verses above.]

29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,

30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

NASU

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 – Paul speaks of the order of resurrection at Christ’s coming again. We’ll know the way to defeat the last enemy, which is death, by looking at the death and resurrection of Christ. In Isaiah 46:10 we see that we can know the end from the beginning, and the purposes of God that He will establish; “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose [6098- “counsel, advice, purpose”] will stand [6965- “to arise, stand up, come about, to establish”], and I will do all that I please.” (NIV) This is a declaration of the Lord that His predetermined plans will be established on earth.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,

24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

26 The last enemy that will be abolished [2673] is death.

NASU

NT:2673 katargeo (kat-arg-eh'-o)

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

from NT:2596 and NT:691; to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively:

KJV - abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

1.   to render idle, unemployed, inactive, inoperative (Luke 13:7)

2.   to cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish: ti (1 Cor. 6:13; 13:11)

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 – The mystery of the Lord is that not everyone will die. The last group on earth at the return of Christ for His bride will all be changed, without the process of death. Like their Lord, they will not suffer decay in their fleshly bodies, but will be transformed. When “this mortal will have put on immortality” through the resurrection power in Christ, death will be “swallowed up in victory,” and we will be transformed into the image of His resurrection. But this is all based upon our identification with Christ in our joining Him in the likeness of His death (Romans 6), through our bearing His cross (see the Bible study Simon of Cyrene and Cross Bearing).

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed [236- “to make different, to change, to cause one thing to cease and another to take its place”],

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed [236]. [For more on “the last trumpet,” see the Bible study The First Trump, The Last Trump, and The Great Trump.]

53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [over death] through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil [2873- “labor, trouble, toil, pains”] is not in vain [2756- “empty, vain, fruitless, without effect”] in the Lord. [In other words, remain in Christ, not moved away from Him with an apostate heart that will negate His victory for you over death. Our “toil” (“labor, trouble, toil, pains”) through our being identified with Christ (i.e. “in the Lord”) is not in vain.]

NASU

Revelation 21:1-7 – It is here in the new heaven and earth that our toil in the Lord will once and for all be removed. The “first things” have passed away, and “all things have been made new.” Death with mourning, crying, and pain are gone. This is the promised inheritance of God, not for everyone, but for those who “overcome” (“to conquer, prevail, overcome, come off victorious”) in Christ because they held fast to Him, choosing to walk by faith in the Spirit rather than the passing pleasures of sin through the flesh.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain [4192- “labor, toil, great trouble, pain”]; the first things [ have passed away."

5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

7 "He who overcomes [3528- “to conquer, prevail, overcome, come off victorious”] will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

NASU