Death Is Defeated

Today is Resurrection Sunday, the greatest day in history. Christ had been crucified on Friday; grief and despair had laid hold of His followers on Saturday, but Sunday has come!

“Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, has gone to see the tomb. And behold there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightening, and his clothing white as snow. He said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here for He has risen.’” (Matthew 28)

The women were filled with joy! Everything had changed! Death had been conquered! His words now made complete sense... "Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). He had done exactly as He said He would. But now what? What does this mean?

It means that , “through death He would destroy the one who holds the power of death, that is, the devil. And free those who all their lives were held in slavery to their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14, 15)

The fear of death affects everyone. But in Christ, we are eternal. Death has no permanent hold on us because our sins have been forgiven... "The sting that brings death is sin, and the seriousness of sin is revealed in the Law of God" (1 Corinthians 15:56).

May our hearts overflow with praise today, as we celebrate our Savior’s great love - a love so far reaching that it left the glories of heaven to enter the depths of suffering and death, to make a way for us to have righteousness and eternal life with Him. Nothing is more precious than this!

We can almost hear our Lion of Judah roar as He states the following... "O death I will be your plague! O grave, I will be your destruction!" (Hosea 13:14)

(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)