The Last Enemy

On the cross, Jesus of Nazareth faced what the Bible calls “the last enemy”–God’s greatest foe–death, the child of sin (Rom. 5:12; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Cor. 15:26).

And here was the battle of the ages.

Death, the antithesis of God. Death, the archenemy of God, darkened the wood of that cross, ready to take the Son of God into his hopeless domain.

And death won for a time. Behold the body of God’s Son lying in a tomb. Death was victorious.

But the fight wasn’t over. Three days later God the Father stepped in. He got involved.

And the greatest two powers of the universe squared off:

Death vs. Divine Life.

And on one Sunday morning, God the Father concentrated all of His infinite power . . . and He drew all the powers of the heavens bringing them straight toward a tomb.

It was the greatest display of power since the visible creation.

And the earth shook. And the heavens shook. And the body of Jesus of Nazareth came to life. And on that day, death died. For death could not hold the Son of God. And Jesus Christ rose again from the grave, victorious over death.

And He became the firstborn from the dead.

And when He shook off His chains, He was no longer bound by space or time. For He became a “life-giving Spirit” as Paul calls Him in 1 Corinthians 15. And He breathed His own life into His disciples.

And the only begotten Son became the first born among many brethren–and they became the sons and daughters of God.

The grave turned into a garden. And we’re back to Genesis 2. Jesus is the Tree of Life returned to earth again.

(Remember when Mary saw Him in His resurrected state? She thought He was the gardener.)

And from the womb of death He brought forth an unprecedented creation—a new humanity.

And in that new humanity, there is no Jew or Gentile . . . there is no male or female . . . there is no slave or free . . . there is no black or white . . . there is no Hispanic or Asian . . . and there is no rich or poor.

All earthly barriers have been erased.

Behold: This is a new humanity . . . a new race . . . a new creation . . . a new kingdom from another realm with the life of God beating within it. And Jesus Christ is the head of this new creation, and He alone is all in all.

What is this?

It’s the ekklesia of God, the church. Bone of his bone and flesh of His flesh—kin to divinity—and you are part of her.

And because of that hill, and because of that blood, and because of that cross, you stand holy, blameless, and without accusation in the sight of a holy God.

Adapted from Epic Jesus: The Christ You Never Knew

If you missed it: Things Aren’t Always What They Seem

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