Christ has conquered the grave. To defeat the grave is nothing short of miraculous. To conquer the grave is nothing short of divine. There is nothing within nature that constitutes the conquering of the grave. The naturalist cannot explain such an event. A box binds him, and he must throw up his hands and say, “I do not believe.” This is the only possible response for the one who sees the laws of nature as the only possible law in existence.
However, another law is in place which supersedes the law of nature. It is the law of God. When God sees fit, He can and will disrupt the laws of nature and inject a miracle. This is not a part of His regular routine, for even God has instituted the laws of nature and uses them as the general course and flow of things.
However, there is something outside the box. There is something outside of nature. It is the supernatural. How did this world get here? The only possibility is that something outside of nature created nature, for at the beginning, there was nothing. Nothing cannot create, for it is nothing, and neither could nature create itself.
Instead, God existed throughout all eternity and has existed outside of nature. But then God decided to create, and thus time began. A sure sign of the supernatural is Jesus conquering the grave.
The prophets
At the outset, knowing the prophets foretold the event is essential. Scripture says, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it” (KJV, Is. 25:8). Isaiah’s prophecy has been partially fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection and will be ultimately fulfilled at His second coming.
The prophet Isaiah looked ahead to the coming Messiah with certainty. He believed that although death came through the fall of man, God would reverse the effects of the fall.
The power
While the grave is an opposing force, Jesus has the power to overcome it. Jesus has said, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from the Father” (John 10:17-18). Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, came to lay down His life for the sheep. He came to meet the grave head-on. But unlike those who died before Him, Jesus also had the power to take up His life again.
The ransom
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, Paul delivered a message he had heard to the Corinthians. He told them a creed of the early church. The creed sums up the Gospel message and tells of the many witnesses of the resurrection. But the words at the beginning are important. He says, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received…” (1 Cor. 15:3). Thus, Paul thought that the Gospel was the central message of Christianity.
But then Paul tells of the Gospel and says, “…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Christ rose from the dead as an accepted and vindicated sacrifice. He atoned for sin; thus, the resurrection attests to the acceptance of the offering. But Christ was innocent; therefore, the resurrection boldly proclaims His innocence.
The rescue
While there were several times Jesus raised the dead, the most common was the raising of Lazarus. Lazarus was dead for four days and lay in a tomb. However, Jesus was and is the conqueror of the grave. As a result, when Jesus showed up, He called out to Lazarus to rise from the tomb. Lazarus rose from the dead and stepped out in his grave clothes. The man was dead, but Jesus had power over the grave.
Lazarus would proclaim this message unto his dying day. In actuality, His tomb still declares it. Around 900 A.D., archeologists went to Larnaca, which is in Cyprus, located off the coast of Israel. Lazarus likely fled to Cyprus to escape persecution, for the Scripture says, “But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus to death” (John 12:10). The archeologists excavated sites in Larnaca and eventually found a tomb inscribed, “Lazarus, Bishop of Larnaca, four days dead, friend of Jesus.” What an amazing testimony. Jesus has shown that He has power over the grave.
The resurrection
Clearly, Jesus has shown He has power over the grave through His resurrection of the dead. While the prophets said it, Jesus claimed it, and even showed it in Lazarus’ life, the astounding fact is that it actually happened. Scripture says, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). While Jesus was born into the line of David, He was declared the Son of God through His resurrection from the dead.
The keys
Jesus has secured the position of deciding who dies and when. He is not just the conqueror of the grave but now oversees it. Scripture says, “I am he that liveth, and was died; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Rev. 1:18). Death and Hades are relatively similar terms in this context. Death is spoken of in different ways in the Bible; one is the grave.
While death is the state, Hades is the place. In the New Testament, Hades always refers to the place where the wicked go when they die. Jesus has taken the keys and determines every entrance.
The call
All authority has been given to the Son. Jesus has fully submitted to the Father’s will and has shown that everything He does is in accordance with the Father’s desires. As a result, every decision Jesus makes glorifies the Father, and there is no distinction between the Son’s will and the Father’s, for they are One.
Jesus has said, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:26-29). Jesus was not teaching a theology of justification through personal effort.
To believe in the Son is to do that which is good. But to reject the Messiah is to do that which is evil. However, the reality is that all will rise. Everyone will stand before the One Who has conquered death and the grave.
The destruction
In the end, Jesus will destroy death. Death is the final enemy. Paul says, “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25-26). Jesus has defeated death through His resurrection. But the final battle is yet to be waged. He will rule and reign until all is accomplished and will remain the King of kings throughout all eternity.
The book of Hebrews has said, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:4). Jesus has dealt a fatal blow to Satan. However, while Jesus has broken Satan’s power, He has not eliminated Satan. Thus, Satan still uses death but is limited in its use.
Nevertheless, Jesus will return and finish what He has started.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for my conquering King. He has saved me and risen for my justification. I am thankful for His work and that He will return and triumph in the land. In Jesus’ name, Amen.