He conquered death, went through the grave and arose on the other side, the heavenly side. Therefore death, which is the result of sin, can no longer hold Him captive. It means not only that He is no longer in this grave, but also that He is no longer in this world of death. The broader and deeper implication of the words to the women is that they never have to be afraid, because Christ arose. 10:26,27, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment." "The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion" (Prov. All of this is the result of sin, and the wicked have special fears. Paul speaks of fear as a power that takes hold of us and enslaves us (Romans 8:15). We are afraid of serious illness, of bad weather, and of an infinite number of other adversities and finally of death. But they don't have to be afraid, because Jesus arose.įear is a common experience which haunts everybody coming into this world. Not surprisingly, the women were gripped with fear when they saw something as unusual as an angel. This pervasive fear is a part of the result of sin. Why did the angel at the tomb say first of all, "Do not be afraid?" The older versions have, "Fear not."įirst of all, because we live in a world of fear. He conquered death and arose from the grave! In the light of the Scripture He comes to us every day and in all circumstances, comforting and assuring us that we really never had to be afraid. The risen Christ makes His people new creatures by His Spirit, and gives us the blessings of the resurrection in all of our lives. In a way, the whole New Testament period can be called the seventh day of the great work of our God. In a sense, every day is resurrection day. Finally, there is the resurrection we may celebrate every day of the week. During the week we live in a world in which death may overshadow our experiences, but every Sunday we are reminded that Christ has conquered death. We celebrate the resurrection of Christ every Sunday. We have our rest on the first day of the week because that is the day on which Christ arose. The third one is the enjoyment and blessings of every Sunday. The second Easter we have when we celebrate the resurrection every year as a day of rejoicing for believers. First, there is the resurrection of Christ, basic to all the rest. He meant that the Christian has the blessing and benefit of the resurrection of Christ in four different ways. Someone once wrote that the Christian really has four Easters. He is not here he has risen, just as he said. Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
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