«　WEEK 16　DAY 4　»

　　Lev. 11:31 These are unclean to you among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.

　　1 Cor. 15:26 Death, the last enemy, is being abolished.

　　From Eden onwards, God's controversy with Satan has been on this issue of death and life....All of God is characterized by life, all of Satan by death....Life is one thing that cannot be simulated....Life is something deeper than thought, more real than feeling and doctrine. Where there is life there is God. The great difference between Christ and all others is that, whereas others are dead, He lives. Death could not touch Him. And God who destroyed death through Christ, now uses the Church for the same purpose. Today she is God's vessel of life, called to reveal the risen life of His Son, and to bring men to the knowledge of that life. (CWWN, vol. 40, p. 119)

　　All dead things are unclean. Uncleanness, therefore, equals death. Death is more defiling and abominable than sin. But according to our concept, sin is more serious than death....Because of our ethical and moral concepts, we know that lying is sinful. If someone lies to us, we shall condemn that lie as sinful. However, we may not realize that talk which is ethical may nevertheless be filled with death. For example, we may not realize talking with a brother about his family may involve death. Such talk may be ethical but still be filled with death.

　　Leviticus 5 reveals that through the trespass offering any sin shall be forgiven immediately (vv. 2, 17-18). From this we see that to deal with sin, to have sin forgiven, is easy. We simply offer the trespass offering, and then we are forgiven.

　　According to Leviticus 11, a person touching the carcass of any animal shall be unclean until the evening (vv. 24-25, 27b-28a, 31b, 39-40). "Until the evening" means until the end of one's daily life. This indicates that it takes time for us to be cleansed from the defilement of death. Our experience proves this. If we commit a trespass and then confess it to the Lord, we shall be forgiven immediately, and the matter is settled. But if we are defiled by death, we cannot be cleansed "until the evening." This means that a certain period of time must pass before we can be cleansed from the defilement of death.

　　Time is not a factor in being forgiven of our sins, but it is a factor in being cleansed from the defilement of death. We Christians deal with sins simply by confessing them and applying the Lord's precious blood to our case. As soon as we do this, we are forgiven and cleansed. However, if we touch a "carcass" and are thereby defiled by death, this defilement will remain with us for quite a period of time. Although it does not take time for us to be cleansed from sin, it does take time for us to be cleansed from the defilement of death. This proves that death defiles us more and longer than sin does.

　　Whereas a person who touches the carcass of an animal shall be unclean until the evening, a person who touches the carcass of a man shall be unclean seven days (Num. 19:11, 13). This indicates not only that death is more serious than sin, but also that the carcass of a man is more defiling than the carcass of an animal. In the sight of God, human beings are the most defiling element. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 324-326)

　　Death is an exceedingly great power in the universe. No one can withstand death. Apart from God, death is the greatest power in the universe. When death comes, no one can withstand it. Throughout history man has been searching for ways to overcome death, but no one has ever overcome it. Rather, all have been taken captive by death. (The Living God and the God of Resurrection, p. 17)

　　Death is allied with the devil. Since the devil is God's enemy, death is also God's enemy. Death is the last enemy that God will abolish. (Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, vol. 6, p. 1148)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 40, ch. 8; Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 37