In a message about five years ago, I started with, “He’s Risen! He’s Risen! The angels said, why seek the living among the dead? To Heaven, Jesus has opened the door! He’s risen forevermore!” (ESV, all emphasis is mine)
The news from nearly 2,000 years ago is just as fresh as if the given event happened just now. Other than some miraculous events when people who had died were raised to life by Our Savior, He is the only one whose resurrection was permanent.
There were two occasions where the Father “raptured” two people, Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), without either one ever tasting death. All the others except for Jesus that were brought back to life, their resurrection was temporary, as they eventually died again.
In order for His sacrifice to be acceptable to the Father, the sinless human Jesus had to bleed and die. Considering the pre-crucifixion torture and abuse and then physically being nailed to a cross, shock due to loss of blood would have set in fairly rapidly. Mark 15:25 states it was the third hour when He began His time on the cross. That would have been 9:00 a.m. in our time. It states in Mark 15:33 that when the sixth hour came (noon), there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour or 3:00 p.m.
Going to John 19:28-30, Jesus knew His time had come, and after having received some sour wine on a sponge, He stated, “It Is Finished!” He then bowed His head and gave up the Spirit. His human body died, but at that instant, His Spirit was fully God. He had completed His purpose for being here, as stated in John 10:17-18. “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
Jesus’ human body was entombed for three days, and on the third day, He again was in that body. However, it was now changed into an imperishable, immortal body. The accounts of him appearing to His disciples while they were in a locked room were to prove to them that all He had told them earlier had come to pass. He even showed Thomas the scars that were on His body as proof that it was really Him. In John 20:28-29, we read, “Thomas answered Him, My Lord and My God!’ Jesus said to him, have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.'”
We have to understand that our Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – have always existed. Likewise, they will exist forever. Our God is not restricted by any time restraints as all humans are. Time was made for us, as given in Genesis 1:3-5, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”
In John 1:1-3, we are told that Jesus has always been with the Father. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
There are some false prophets that say Jesus never claimed to be God. They try to say He was just a prophet who lived and died but did not rise up from the dead. As with Mohammad, Buddha, and other man-made gods, they believe He is still in His grave somewhere that is unmarked.
In John 10:30, Jesus plainly states, “I and the Father are One.” Romans 6:8-10, “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.”
In 1 Peter 1:3, we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
In 1884, Robert Lowry (1826-1899) wrote a hymn about the death and resurrection of Our Savior. This hymn is still popular today and has been recorded by many gospel singers as well as being a favorite church hymn, especially in the Easter Season. It’s titled “Low in The Grave He Lay.”
1.) Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior; waiting the coming day, Jesus, My Lord.
Ref.) Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes. He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He Arose! He Arose! Hallelujah, Christ Arose!
2.) Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus My Savior. Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus, My Lord. (ref)
3.) Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior. He tore the bars away, Jesus, My Lord. (ref)
When Jesus came to this earth, He was totally aware of what was required to provide a means of our receiving forgiveness and to be able to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. A fully sinless blood sacrifice of which He was the only “human” to ever accomplish this by living a totally sinless life.
The Father provided us with the Bible, which contains everything we need to make an informed choice about where we will spend our eternity. As some may say, there are not many ways to Heaven, and no other way than through Jesus the Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer.
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Then Acts 4:12, “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.”
For all who truly call out to Jesus to forgive them and be their Savior forever, they will be saved (Romans 10:13). We will never be perfect and sinless as long as we’re in these mortal sinful bodies, and our Heavenly Father knew this would be so. He gave us 1 John 1:8-10 as a means of asking and receiving forgiveness when, not if, we sin.
Likewise, God will force no one to receive and accept Jesus as their Savior. All who choose not to will join those from creation to Calvary who were out of the will of God, and all from Calvary to the end of this earth who did not receive and accept the free gift that Jesus so graciously gave us. There will be a very long line at a Great White Throne, where everyone in it will learn what their eternal punishment will be. That’s found in Revelation 20:11-15.
Please understand that having good intentions but never calling out to Jesus to be your Savior will not be an acceptable excuse. In fact, all in the line for the lake of fire will not be able to call out to be saved or to receive a pardon or reduced sentence. It will be forever!
Now is the time to consider your eternity, not after you take your last breath here. The only hard part of getting Salvation from our Savior is believing it is absolute truth. Our Father does not play games and would love for everyone to call on His Son and be saved. All earthly signs are showing that the event known as the Rapture could be very soon (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
God has promised that all who have received and accepted His Son will be kept from the wrath/tribulation. That’s found in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10.
Anyone who has not called out before the Rapture can possibly still be saved, but the price will most likely be martyrdom. Also, the wrath will be the worst seven-year period of time this earth has ever experienced.
It’s a choice each individual has to make for themselves. There are true translation Bibles that can be downloaded online. The New American Standard and English Standard Version are both good texts that are written for easier understanding. For new readers, the Book of John, followed by the Book of Romans, would be a good starting point.
No matter what, know that when Jesus was on that cross, the blood He shed was for you and me and every person on this earth. All who call on Him will not be rejected. Our Father truly loves each and every one of us and would love for His Son to prepare a place for each of us in Heaven with Him (John 14:1-3).
Remember, it is absolute truth that He Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed!
Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus
(raptureready.com and raptureforums.com Home/Featured Articles)