The living dead!

There is a verse in Hebrews chapter 2 that needs careful unpacking. There are many verses like this in the Scriptures and only those who are willing to look closely will be able to unravel its blessed mysteries. The Word of God is rich and deep and it yields more treasures only to the diligent.
Here we read that through death. Jesus rendered him powerless he who had the power of death, that is the devil. Now this verse cannot be used to claim that the devil could destroy people whenever he wanted. We cannot give the devil more than his due. Mankind came under the clutches of death because he sinned. The power of death is over all who sinned including the devil. The devil cannot control death. He can only utilize it to further terrorize people. He has no mastery over it. But he entered into it first. In that sense he is its father, just like he is the father of lies. The spectre of death does not haunt him because he has no conscience. However he uses it to haunt humanity. He takes pleasure over it. Jesus freed his people from this bane because death no longer holds sway over His own. He broke its power over us and in that sense, we are released from the devil because we are free from the bondage of death. We were subject to slavery because we were walking in death and couldn't escape its influence. We were the living dead.