Introduction
“The Two Deaths of Mankind” is a topic that many do not fully understand. As we read the Scriptures, we see that God pronounced a death sentence in Eden, but we also see that all human beings die regardless of that sentence. The Apostle Paul states that sin brings death, while the Book of Revelation mentions a second death. How do these ideas connect? What does the death that God has declared really mean? Does everyone experience both deaths? Throughout this study, I will explore these questions and unravel the biblical meaning behind the existence of these two deaths.
The Instruction Given in the Garden of Eden
In the Garden of Eden, after the creation of Adam and Eve, the Lord God gave the following instructions to both of them:
Genesis 2:16,17 – “And the Lord God commanded him, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.“
God had created countless trees that produced their various fruits. God gave them all for the couple to eat. There was, however, one tree called “Tree of the knowledge of good and evil” that they should not eat of its fruit. The Lord had given a warning of what would happen if they disobeyed and ate it: “you will surely die(Genesis 2:17). However, the enemy deceived them both, and they disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit. Because of this, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and death came to all men. What would be the two deaths of human beings?
Genesis 3:19 – “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return.“
Genesis 3:22-24 – “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever; therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. And he drove the man forth; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.“
Misunderstanding
There is great confusion regarding the death pronounced by God and the death that all men have come to receive. But biblically there is a difference.
Understand that the fruit of the Tree of Life allowed human beings to live eternally. God did not create human beings as immortal beings, but their eternal life depended on the consumption of the fruit of this Tree. If Adam or Eve had remained faithful to God and had not eaten the forbidden fruit, they would both have continued to live eternally, since they would still have access to the fruit of the Tree of Life. However, supposing that this had happened, what would you imagine would happen if they both stopped eating the fruit of the Tree of Life? They would certainly die, since it was the fruit of this Tree that kept them alive eternally. Human life was conditional and depended on the consumption of this fruit. With this, we can conclude that the death sentenced by God is not the same death caused by not eating the fruit of the Tree of Life.
The apostle Paul says that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). All who commit sin are destined to receive their “wage” as payment, that is, death! And given that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), we must all receive death as the price we deserve.
We are talking here about the existence of two deaths! The first is the natural death caused by not eating the fruit of the Tree of Life. And the second is death as payment for the transgression of the law given by God. The first death, as being the one of natural cause for not eating the fruit, cannot be the same death sentenced by God, because as Paul said, ‘all have sinned’ and this implies that everyone must receive death as payment for transgression.
The Second Death
Revelation 20:6 – “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: over 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.“
In the Book of Revelation, we find mention of a second death. Regarding this, the Scriptures state that the group of saved people who will be resurrected at the time of Jesus’ second coming will not experience it. Only those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will receive it:
Revelation 20:14 – “And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the lake of fire.“
In other words, those who will experience the second death are all those who are not saved, and this will happen after the thousand-year period and the descent of the New Jerusalem on this planet. All the lost will be resurrected to receive the “wages of sin” that they committed while they were alive, and as we saw earlier the “wages of sin is death“. The second death will be nothing more than the payment for the sin that we all committed, payment which was sentenced by God in the Garden of Eden: “you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17), and it will not happen naturally, as occurs in relation to the first death, since its end is described with a “lake of fire“. These are the two deaths of human beings!
Pay for the Death of the Son of God
And what about the living saints who were resurrected and those who will be alive when Jesus returns? Didn’t they commit sins that are worthy of receiving payment for? Of course they did! However, their condemnation was already paid with the death of the Son of God on the cross of Calvary! In the Plan of Salvation, Christ took on human form and lived on this earth in the same conditions in which we live. He was subject to the obedience of God’s Law, just as Adam and Eve were, and so are we. In his life, he lived a victorious life and committed no sin. However, the authorities unjustly condemned him to death, treating him as an evildoer.
His earthly life ended on the cross, and up until that moment he had committed no sin. He lived a life in complete obedience to the will of His Father, but in the end, He lost His life. The Full Righteousness that Christ lived on this earth, He credits to the “account” of all those who seek Him as their personal Savior. Our condemnation was paid by Christ! That is why we read that such people are blessed, for they will not experience the second death! The death that Jesus died on the cross in place of those who are saved was precisely the second death, that is, the death of condemnation!
Conclusion
Therefore, we can conclude that there are two deaths for human beings. The first is the natural death, which occurs when we no longer consume the fruit of the Tree of Life. Everyone faces this death, whether they are saved or not. The second death is the payment for the transgression of God’s law, that is, the consequence of the sin that we have lived. We should all receive this second death, but the Son of God gave His life to ransom us. Those who accept Him as Savior will not need to go through it, because Christ has already paid the price for us! Only the wicked and unjust will have to go through this second death.
May we surrender our lives to Christ and accept Him as the Savior of our lives! He will grant saving grace to all who seek Him with faith and repentance!
May God bless us!
