George Eldon Ladd on The Gospel & Death

“This is the good news about the kingdom of God. How men need this gospel! Everywhere one
goes he finds the gaping graves swallowing up the dying. Tears of loss, of separation, of final
departure stain every face. Every table sooner or later has an empty chair, every fireside its
vacant place. Death is the great leveller. Wealth or poverty, fame or oblivion, power or futility,
success or failure, race, creed or culture — all our human distinctions mean nothing before the
ultimate irresistible sweep of the scythe of death which cuts us all down. And whether the
mausoleum is a fabulous Taj Mahal, a massive pyramid, an unmarked spot of ragged grass or
the unplotted depths of the sea one fact stands: death reigns.

“Apart from the gospel of the kingdom, death is the mighty conqueror before whom we are all
helpless. We can only beat our fists in utter futility against this unyielding and unresponding
tomb. But the good news is this: death has been defeated; our conqueror has been conquered.
In the face of the power of the kingdom of God in Christ, death was helpless. It could not hold
him, death has been defeated; life and immortality have been brought to life. An empty tomb in
Jerusalem is proof of it. This is the gospel of the kingdom.”

‐ from The Gospel of the Kingdom

From GOSPEL DEFINITIONS Compiled by Trevin Wax www.trevinwax.com Last Updated: June 2011