The Gates of Death

Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
Job 38:16–18
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The Gates of Death
We live in a world that still holds many secret places.  Most of our planet has not even been explored due to the inhospitable conditions of those places. The recesses of the deep and the springs of the sea remain a mystery to us.  There may come a day when all is explored; better equipment and technology make this more and more likely each day. Yet no matter how much of our planet or universe we explore, there are some places we cannot explore and come back to tell others about.  All of us are currently on this side of the gates of death. They have not been opened to us.  We cannot form a scientific expedition to explore this realm.  Yet all of us will one day pass through them.  We are to remain faithful to the One who has successfully passed through those gates and has come to save us until that time. Christ Jesus broke the gates of death as He defeated sin, death, and the devil.  He has made it possible for us to walk through those same gates one day in confidence, not due to our merit but solely on the merits of Christ Jesus our Lord.  And so we can confidently ask, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).