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Sooner or later, we are all faced with death and are left asking whether death has the last word.
The Bible does not pretend that death is not a problem, but instead views it as an enemy that has invaded God's world and torments humankind. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ has triumphed over death, but there is debate about when that triumph will be realized. The apostle Paul says that death will be "the last enemy to be destroyed" (1 Cor 15:26), and the author of the letter to the Hebrews says that, ironically, it was "by his death" that Jesus "broke the power of death" (Heb 2:14). The Last Enemy to Be Destroyed will take readers on a guided tour of the progressive revelation from the garden of Eden, where the fall occurred and death first entered the world, to the last days, when the general resurrection will occur and death will finally be defeated once and for all. It will encourage anyone who has either lost a loved one or received a frightening diagnosis themselves. Readers will be assured that there will come a day when the last enemy, death, will be defeated, and we will be redeemed.
About the author
Ralph K. Hawkins is professor of religion at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. He is the author of several books, including How Israel Became a People (2013), Discovering Exodus (2021), and Ancient Wisdom for the Good Life (2023). He is also a priest in the Anglican Church in North America.
