Up From the Grave He Arose

As this Resurrection Sunday comes to an end, I feel compelled to at least pay tribute to this celebratory day. It should be the most important holiday for Christians. 2,006 years ago, Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, separated from God, and bore the burden of our sins. The Jews and Pharisees thought they had destroyed Jesus forever.

Throughout my walk with God, Christ's resurrection from the dead becomes increasingly more meaningful to me. It is a pivotal part of the Christian faith. It was there on the cross, there in the tomb, that Christ's words were tested. Would the old prophesies be fulfilled? Could death destroy God?

The Crucifixion
Although I try, I can't imagine what it must have been like for those who loved Jesus to watch Him die on the cross. All their hopes, everything they had put faith in, must have felt shattered. Even though Jesus explained many times that He would rise from the dead on the third day, nobody seemed to believe it.

On the third day, to the disbelief of the apostles and Jews, Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

The Resurrection and Supremacy Over Death
Luke 24:5 says, "Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they [the angels standing by the tomb] said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen!"

To pagans, death seems like the end. There isn't anything else. Just like that, life is over. However, Christ conquered death.

"O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?"-1 Corinthians 15:55

Jesus Christ demonstrated that He was supreme over everything, including death. This gives us all the more reason to worship God.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."-Matthew 10:28

The End Result: Salvation and Inheritance
Ultimately, Christ's resurrection from the dead saved His elect from their sins and gave them eternal life.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."-1 Peter 1:3-5

Eternal Life
Because Christ conquered death and saved His elect, we are to spend eternity with Him in heaven. There is no way that we could have earned such an existence, but God in His great mercy gave us the free gift of eternal life.

"They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."-Revelation 7:16-17

I can't wait to enter into heaven and hope to hear my Savior say as He did to John,

"Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."