The Marks of Death that God Chose Never to Erase

Have you ever found yourself working hard to remove signs and evidence of your failures? Deleting those “wrong” chats? Throwing away those tunics that remind you of your failed relationships? Or disowning that cert that reminds you that you’re a failure?

But God seems to work differently. While we cannot erase all the marks of failure and death, God can, yet always chooses not to. 

Throughout Scripture, we see that while God has the power to restore and renew completely, He sometimes leaves marks that remind us of unpleasant experiences.  

Why that? We will look at some marks of death that God chose never to erase, and we will culminate with the greatest of them all—the mars of Christ’s crucifixion. 

We’ll cover:

1. 1. The Curse on the Earth (Genesis 3:17-19)
2. 2. The Mark on Cain (Genesis 4:15)
3. 3. The Rainbow After the Flood (Genesis 9:13-16)
4. 5. The Scars of Jesus (John 20:27)
5. 6. The Marks of Persecution on God’s People (Galatians 6:17)
6. Final Thought: The Ultimate Erasure of Death

1. The Curse on the Earth (Genesis 3:17-19)

After the fall of Adam and Eve, God pronounced a curse on the ground:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:17, NKJV)

Having realised the terrible mistake they made, Adam and his wife repented and lived in the hope of the coming Redeemer. Christ came, lived with us, and died, yet even after Christ’s sacrifice, we still see the effects of this curse—death, suffering, and the struggle for survival.

And this mark will remain until the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1-4).

 I know we struggle to wrap our minds around a sinless, painless, and deathless world. We are so used to suffering, decay, disease, and destruction that we tend to doubt a world without them. Yet, in all this, we get a constant reminder that sin brings death and that we are safer to listen to God and not satan. 

2. The Mark on Cain (Genesis 4:15)

Living in the hope of a coming redeemer, Adam and Eve looked forward to its speedy fulfilment. They thought he was the promised redeemer when they got their firstborn, Cain. 

But Cain demonstrated he was not because he was unwilling to obey the LORD’s voice. When his offering was rejected, he got angry with his righteous brother, Abel, who followed the sacrificial principle established after the fall that demanded blood for the remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). 

After Cain killed Abel, God marked him:

“And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.” (Genesis 4:15, NKJV)

This mark symbolised judgment and mercy—Cain would bear the consequence of his sin, but God also prevented others from taking vengeance.

3. The Rainbow After the Flood (Genesis 9:13-16)

During the time of Noah, the Flood was employed as an act of divine judgment. but God placed a perpetual mark in the sky as a reminder of His covenant never to destroy the earth by water again:

“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13, NKJV)

In the modern world, when we see a Rainbow, we get back to our science classes and talk about the refraction, depression, and reflection of light. 

Not so with the Noachian world. In a world without rain, a rainbow was a sign of God’s mercy despite human sinfulness. The first time this generation witnessed rain, it became a deluge and destroyed all life on land. Future rains would cause distress, so God gave them a rainbow to remind them that deluge would never be employed again to punish sinners. 

The world may misrepresent it in sociological discourses and pressure groups. Yet, to the faithful, the Rainbow in the sky is a token of God’s love and everlasting promises. It is a rainbow of love.

5. The Scars of Jesus (John 20:27)

The Scars of Jesus Christ is what made me write this post. I have had a moment of reflection on this post for almost 6 Months after listening to The King’s Heralds Quartet sing it in their ‘Honor the Lord’ Album. 

Let’s pause and enjoy the music that has moved me to work on this post. 

Michael Card gave us this piece of music in 1983. I will be kind enough to provide you with the entire lyrics here:

Known by the Scars

Song by Michael Card ‧ 1983

Mother Mary cried as she held heaven in her arms
For the shadow of the cross she saw was clear
As her own bewildered baby lay weeping for the world
Whose frightened tears would free us all from fear
The marks of death that God chose never to erase
The wounds of love’s eternal war
When the kingdom comes with its perfected sons
He will be known by the scars
For a time He sought to tell the world He was the Way
That God the Father had a human heart
With His own holy hands He sought
To touch and heal their scars
But they chose to tear those gentle hands apart
No one was there to wipe away the tears
That burned the holy eyes of God
As He looked upon His one and only Son
Who’d never sinned, nor lied, yet was crucified
The marks of death that God chose never to erase
The wounds of love’s eternal war
When the kingdom comes with its perfected sons
He will be known by the scars
And after they had slain Him and laid Him in the grave
And the ones He loved had fled into the dark
Then His love and power raised Him
And God won the victory
But they only recognised Him by the scars
The marks of death that God chose never to erase
The wounds of love’s eternal war
When the kingdom comes with its perfected sons
He will be known by the scars

After Jesus’ resurrection, He kept the scars from His crucifixion:

“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’” (John 20:27, NKJV)

And it doesn’t end here. Although Christ’s body was glorified, His scars remained an eternal testimony of His sacrifice. 

Perhaps this is the most significant mark of death that God never erased—it declares His love and victory over sin forever. We will spend some time gleaning over the marks of Christ’s death. 

Like many people, you could be wondering why Jesus keeps His scars. We could talk about a few: 

• Irrefutable evidence of His resurrection – The disciples were fearful and doubting. His scars confirmed that He was the same Jesus who was crucified and that He had truly conquered death.
• A powerful testimony of divine love – The marks in His hands, feet, and side are an everlasting testimony that our salvation was purchased at infinite cost.
• A reminder of the cost of sin – Even in eternity, we will see the scars that prove God’s justice and mercy met at the cross.

Ellen G. White beautifully captures this moment:

“To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the life. In our Saviour the life that was lost through sin is restored; for He has life in Himself to quicken whom He will. He is invested with the right to give immortality.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 786)

And did you know that Jesus’ scars in heaven will be the only reminder of sin?

After Jesus ascended to heaven, He carried His scars with Him. This is a remarkable truth: In a universe where sin will ultimately be erased, Jesus’ scars will be the only lasting reminder of sin’s terrible cost.

“And one shall say to him, ‘What are these wounds in your hands?’ Then he shall answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’” (Zechariah 13:6, NKJV)

Ellen G. White confirms that Christ will bear these scars for eternity:

“One reminder alone remains: our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought.”

— The Great Controversy, p. 674

Even as He intercedes for us, Jesus still bears these marks as evidence of His atonement. By his wounds, we are healed and secured for eternity. All that we lost in Adam, and much more, are ours in Christ. 

6. The Marks of Persecution on God’s People (Galatians 6:17)

God’s people also endure persecution and tribulations this side of eternity. And this will continue till Christ comes to eradicate sin and its consequences. 

Paul refers to the scars and sufferings he suffered for Christ:

“From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17, NKJV)

The faithful throughout history have borne the marks of suffering for their faith. Yet God uses these as a testimony of faithfulness. In the present, these marks by occasion for shame and dishonour, but in the sweet by and by, all the pains and losses we have undergone for the sake of Christ will be changed into glory. 

Final Thought: The Ultimate Erasure of Death

While these marks remain, for now, death itself will one day be erased:

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, NKJV)

Until then, God allows some marks to remain—not as signs of defeat but as reminders of His grace, justice, and redemption. All the scars that we have endured for the glory of God and the growth of his kingdom will be honoured and glorified when Christ comes.