1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

This weekend, we are celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of a risen Savior, Jesus Christ (not an Easter bunny)! Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins, that we may be reconciled back to the Father through His unmatchable sacrifice. Isaiah 53:1-5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The cat-of-nine-tails ripped across His back, and tore His flesh off of His bones. The crown of thorns was mashed into his head and pierced into His skull, as He was mocked as being hailed, “King of the Jews.” He was whipped, bruised, beaten and battered, as His veins emptied of the blood that were in them. He was so weak and in so much pain that He could not carry His cross all the way to the top of Golgotha’s Hill, but Simon the Cyrene had to finish the job. His own mother did not even recognize her own son after the resurrection because her last memory was of a man beaten to a bloody gore. His beard was plucked from His face, and the multitude spat upon Him, as though He was lower than dirt. His blood drained down His body like a river, and He was nailed to an old rugged cross. For those who persecuted Him, His prayer was, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” One thief joined the populace in verbal persecution, while the other thief said, “Remember me, when you come into your kingdom.” Through all of this, He was without sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. He became sin for us, that we find an eternal hope through HIm, for there is no other name under heaven, whereby men must be saved, than that name which is Jesus Christ. He did all of this for us, and none of this would make any difference, except for the fact that He is risen! If He was just another prophet, He would still be dead and buried in a tomb, but He has resurrected and is standing on the right hand of the Father! Thank God for His resurrection!

Shortly before He died, He looked at the one thief and said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” The time in between His death and resurrection are truly amazing. In that time, He took the keys of death, hell and the grave. 1 Peter 3:18-19 says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” His message was so convincing and powerful that Hell had to give up its keys! It truly broke hell’s chains! After people died in the Old Testament, people did not go to heaven, but they went into the heart of the earth to paradise. The reason is because when Lucifer sinned in heaven, it took the blood of a Lamb, Jesus Christ, to purge that sin. Why would we go to heaven if sin was in heaven? Instead, people would go to paradise, which could be seen from hell. It is the reason why Abel’s blood cried from the ground. It is also the reason why in Luke 16 that the rich man, while in hell, could lift up his eyes, in the middle of his torment, and see Lazarus, the ulcer-filled beggar that once sat at his gate, in paradise, which was known as Abraham’s bosom. That rich man did not want his rich mansion back, but rather just Lazarus to go dip his finger in water, cross the great gulf that separated paradise and hell, and cool his tongue, but their destiny was set in stone. Once the last breath leaves your body in this planet, there is not another chance!

Christ did not go preach to the souls that were tormenting in the flames of hell, but He went to preach to those in paradise, to the spirits that were in prison. He preached who He was and what He was there to do, to serve the devil an eviction notice on paradise. Abraham, Moses, Elisha, Joshua, all of the Old Testament saints and prophets were in that congregation, along with the spirits that kept them there. After His message was through, He took these saints with Him, as they were resurrected. That is the reason why “many saints that were in the grave arose,” and they walked down through the streets of Jerusalem, walking and talking with those on the wayside. It confirmed that Jesus was the firstly ripened of the harvest, along with the Old Testament saints, for the blood of a pure Lamb set them free! They would all ascend to heaven, and, trust me, we will see them soon!

Jesus Christ and those old saints are the first fruits of the resurrection, but we too will be resurrected with them at the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58). It is one of the many reasons why we celebrate what we celebrate at this time of the year. We will meet Him one day, and He will have the hole in His side and the holes in His hands and feet. However, He will never suffer like that again because when He returns to this planet, He will come back as a King! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and in this season, we should never slack in giving God the honor He so deserves, for the sacrifice He paid at Calvary!