He is Risen
God has already won. In November 2022, I did a special event series with Pastor Doug van Dorn, author of “Giants: Sons of gods.” This is one of my favorite books. After our series, he was inspired to release an updated, 10th Anniversary Edition. Find it here. – The link to the series on the Giants is here.
In Week 2 of that 4-part series, Pastor Doug expanded on the death and resurrection of Jesus, calling it the “greatest story never really told” – I’ve paraphrased part of our conversation here:
This is the Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
And a lot of people don't understand the magnitude of what this means.
This doesn't mean that Jesus went to Hell to be punished. It literally means that He went down into the place called Hades to proclaim victory over the evil powers of hell and the gods of the underworld, including Satan himself...
Jesus had done everything that the Prophets prophesied would occur and everything the Law demanded be done. The only thing left to do: defeat them on their own grounds and in their form as demons.
What started in Genesis 3:15 ended when Jesus descended into Hades. He declared victory over satan, the demon remains of the Nephelium, the spirits of the Watchers. He then freed the souls that had been captives since the beginning of time. These souls were the Old Testament saints who went to heaven to be with Him. Everyone who had been held captive were freed. You see in Luke 16, there seems to be two parts to Hades – a place where some are punished by fire and a place where others simply exist. This is where Lazarus the beggar was comforted by Abraham.
When Jesus descended to Hell, he paid the penalty for EVERYONE who had previously lived and died on Earth – they were part of satan’s seed (Genesis 3:15). They were held in captivity and couldn’t be freed until the penalty for their sin had been paid.
The disciples understood this. It’s why they began to proclaim that everyone in this world had been born into sin and slavery. People understood that Jesus freed them from the legal bondage of being born here on Earth and into Satan’s kingdom. People could gain freedom for ALL ETERNITY through belief in Jesus.
If each person turns to Jesus in faith, trusts that He is God made flesh, and knows unequivocally that He has done all that is necessary for us to be saved, we will have freedom from all things, and that includes freedom from the snares of Satan himself.
When Jesus said on the cross, It is finished, He meant it. It’s the greatest story EVER told, the fulfillment of His promise. His victory is not in the future: it has already been done!
I hope you made this story real all week long. Remember what God was willing to do to get His world back that was snared away in the Garden.
People often say, “I’ve read the book, I know God wins in the end.” We need to change that: GOD HAS ALREADY WON through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Today’s Prayer:
Dear Lord, we know the story well of Your last weeks, days, and hours as a human being on this earth. We’ve heard it over and over since we were children, and we commemorate it each year with the rituals that come with Holy Week.
With more understanding, we can even more broadly celebrate what Your descent into hell really accomplished. The War of All Wars has already been won: Victory over Satan and his demons and his earthly minions. We have nothing to fear! Ever! We live powerfully, gratefully, and joyfully knowing We are Yours. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all You have done to solidify our Eternal Life as a free gift. In praise, we say hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah – in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
Original Here
|
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
