EL DESTRUCTOR DE LA

MUERTE
1. He Himself likewise
shared in the same: For
Jesus to truly fulfill the role of
"Elder Brother" for the family
of the redeemed, He had
to take on flesh and blood.
He had to enter into the
prison to free the captives.
2. Through death He might
destroy him who had the
power of death, that is, the
devil: Some take this as
meaning that Jesus
destroyed Satan's "right" to

rule over man, which was

presumably given to him in
the garden of Eden through
Adam's rebellion. The idea is
that Jesus took away
Satan's "right" to rule by
allowing Satan to
"unlawfully" take Jesus' life
on the cross, and Satan's
"unlawful" action against
Jesus forfeited his right to
rule over man. In this
thinking, the end result is
that the devil has no right
over those who come to God

through Jesus' work on the

cross.
3. i. Since death only has
dominion over those who are
born sinners or who have
sinned (Romans 5:12),
Satan had no "right" to take
the life of Jesus, who had
never sinned nor was born a
sinner - and the devil then
committed an "unlawful"
murder, according to his
nature (John 8:44). Jesus
allowed the devil to bruise
His heel so that He

could bruise his

head(Genesis 3:15).
4. ii. The problem with this
approach is that we know
the devil did not take Jesus'
life. Jesus laid it down of His
own accord, and no one took
it from Him (John 10:17-18).
5. iii. However, one might
say the devil is guilty of
"attempted unlawful murder"
over someone he had no
rights over because there
was no stain of sin on Jesus.
Satan certainly wanted to

murder Jesus and tried to,

and Satan is guilty of that.
6. iv. We know that the devil
loves death and murder. "I
think death is the devil's
masterpiece. With the
solitary exception of hell,
death is certainly the most
Satanic mischief that sin
hath accomplished. Nothing
ever delighted the heart of
the devil so much as when
he found that the threatening
would be fulfilled, 'In the day
that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die.' "

7. v. Satan repeatedly tried

to kill Jesus. He tried
through the murderous intent
of Herod when Jesus was a
baby. He tried at a
synagogue where they tried
to kill Jesus. He tried to
starve Jesus and tried to
drown Him. None of these
plans worked, until Jesus
stood before Pilate and
received the sentence of
execution - what joy there
was in the counsels of Hell!
They were convinced they
finally had Jesus where they

wanted Him. Yet the death of

Jesus became defeat for the
devil.
8. c. Release those who
through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to
bondage: The fear of death
rules as a tyrant over
humanity. Some try to make
peace with death by calling it
their friend. But Christians
have no fear of death
(though perhaps a fear
of dying), not because death
is their friend but because it
is a defeated enemy that

now serves God's purpose in

the believer's life.
9. (14,15) Did Satan ever
have the power of death?
(I say no)
10. 1. He surely didnt in
Job 1:12 Behold, all that
he has is in your power;
only do not laya hand on
his person
11. 2. Rev.1:18 I am He
who lives, and was dead,
and behold, I am alive
forevermore.

12. Amen. And I have the

keys of Hades and of
Death.
13. 3. Satan, via the sin in
the garden, brings about
mans spiritual
death...but cannot bring
about physical death.
14.