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Chapter 8 HE IS ALIVE!

If Jesus of Nazareth had remained in the tomb, His death on the cross would have accomplished nothing. He would not be Who He claimed to be. For that reason His death would have been the ordinary death of a mere mortal. There would be no Christianity. Jesus would have lived, died, and been forgotten. And we would have no savior.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead as He said He would, nothing He said should be taken seriously. But if He did rise as He said He would, He is Who He claimed to be; therefore, everything He said is the truth and must be taken most seriously.

Jesus did not stay dead. He arose on the third day, proving that He is Who He claimed to be and that He accomplished what He said He was going to the cross to accomplish. Yes, we have a risen Savior!

Faith is honest. By its very nature it is willing to know and acknowledge the truth. Unbelief is biased. It starts with a conclusion. It asserts that the Resurrection did not happen because it could not happen. The conclusion is assumed without regard to evidence.

But intellectual honesty will not ignore evidence. Honest inquiry goes for the facts. It asks not, "Could it have happened?" but "Did it happen?" This takes the subject out of the philosophy department and puts it where it belongs--in the history department.

Paul testifies, "I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that 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, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also... (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NKJV).

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTRAL HISTORICAL FACT OF CHRISTIANITY.

The Christian faith is not merely another world religion developed by human imagination and tradition. On the contrary, it rests on and is the result of God's great redemptive acts in Jesus Christ in time-space human history. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the "north and south poles" of the gospel, forming the axis around which all saving truth revolves.

The story is told of a man who said to a friend, "I think I'll start a new religion." The friend replied, "First, get yourself crucified. Then rise again from the dead, and you'll have it made."

Jesus clearly predicted both His death and His resurrection. Here are His statements:

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life" (Matthew 16:21 NIV).

"After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee" (Matthew 26:32).

"I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father" (John 10:17,18 NIV). See also Matthew 20:19; Mark 9:9; John 2:19.

These statements were fulfilled literally and bodily. The facts are recorded in all four accounts of the gospel.

"Oh," someone says, "that's just a Bible story. That's no proof it really happened."

Please keep in mind that the Biblical records are primary sources. They are eye-witness accounts. Apart from divine inspiration and the fact that they are recorded in the Scriptures, they must be given the same weight as any other historical documentation. The rules of scientific historical methodology that are applied to other historical sources apply equally to these.

These primary documents were preceded by a precise oral and written declaration of the facts and their significance. The events were narrated by people who were personal participants in the events themselves. They were living guardians of the message, and any deviation from the facts would have been immediately corrected. The early Church never would have accepted the gospel record had it deviated in any way from the known facts.

Luke, a careful historian, prefaced his account of the gospel with this statement: "Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught" (Luke 1:1-4 NIV).

Later, Luke began his Acts Of The Apostles by this definite declaration: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:1-3 NIV).

Both the oral and written narrative and the primary documents that permanently recorded it were publicly preached and published during the lifetime of many eyewitnesses to the events themselves. The disciples were well aware of the hostility that existed toward the gospel. Had there been even one inaccuracy or inconsistency, and the enemies of Christ would have pounced on it and fully exploited it. The Gospels and the oral and written testimony that preceded them had to conform faithfully to the facts.

If the events did not take place exactly as reported, many people were still alive who had the opportunity and also the motive to dispute and refute the claims. The fact that they did not do so speaks for itself.

On the Day of Pentecost Peter proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus to thousands of Jews right there in Jerusalem. The tomb stood empty for all to see. The fact was not in question, only the reason. The only "refutation" was the feeble fiction that the disciples stole the body while the guards slept.

Unbelief has consistently demonstrated its inherent bias. It seeks to obscure what it denies. It will believe anything, no matter how unreasonable, in order to avoid the truth. This is clearly seen in the hypotheses that have been advanced to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

First is the theft hypothesis. This is as old as the soldiers' paid "testimony" that the disciples stole the body while they, the guards, slept (Matthew 28:11-15). This is nonsense. Roman soldiers did not sleep on guard duty. Even if they had, how could they know and testify about what happened while they were asleep? Besides, huddled in fear, the disciples hardly had the resolve to pull off such a daring caper.

Modern "explanations" also collapse under their own dead weight. The "swoon hypothesis," that a weakened, yet alive, Jesus revived in the cool air of the tomb, got out of his grave wrappings, pushed the huge stone aside, and slipped unnoticed by the guards, does not merit a refutation. Its sheer impossibility is obvious.

The hypothesis that Mary Magdalene and all the others were confused and went to the wrong tomb is ludicrous. As soon as the disciples proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus, the authorities would have pointed out the correct tomb and had a big laugh. No, the disciples were not ignorant. This was a private tomb in a garden area. Joseph of Arimathea knew where it was. After all, it belonged to him (Matthew 27:57-61).

The hallucination hypothesis asserts that the disciples were in a state of mind that made them susceptible to hallucination. Their intense desire for a resurrection self-induced the "appearances" of Jesus.

This one assumes too much. For one thing, the disciples were definitely not in an auto-suggestive frame of mind. They were hard-headed men who had forsaken all to follow Jesus. And now, so far as they were concerned, it was all over. They were disillusioned and certainly not in a believing mood. They refused to believe the early reports of the women.

No, the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ were not subjective impressions. They were events seen and shared objectively by numbers of people in various settings over a period of 40 days. Only the objective reality of His presence overcame their strong reluctance to believe.

No event of ancient history stands on more solid evidence than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are the facts. Jesus actually died and was buried. Afterward, everything humanly possible was done to prevent anything that would even appear to be a "resurrection." A huge stone was placed over the opening of the tomb and sealed by Roman authority. Guards were stationed.

Then suddenly Jesus was seen alive, first by individuals, then by groups. The disciples conversed with Him, ate with Him, touched Him. On one occasion He was seen by over 500 people at once, the majority of whom were still alive some 25 years later (1 Corinthians 15:6).

John wrote (John 20:3-8) that he and Peter went to the empty tomb and saw the grave wrappings would together like an empty cocoon. The resurrected Jesus had slipped out of them, leaving them undisturbed. Had the body of Jesus been removed physically, the grave wrappings would have given evidence of it. Powdered spices would have been scattered all over the floor, with telltale footprints in the powder. Peter and John saw nothing like that. They studied the scene carefully and everything they saw had only one logical explanation--the miraculous, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is noteworthy that the apostles did not try to prove that the tomb was empty. They did not need to. The fact was public knowledge. That is why the religious rulers bribed the soldiers. They could not deny the obvious.

So then, who moved the stone?

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only logical explanation for the profound change in the disciples. From self-centered position seekers whose hopes had been shattered, they became bold witnesses of what they had seen and heard, proclaiming it against all opposition and at the cost of everything including their very lives. Had the resurrection of Jesus been merely a story they concocted, they never would have given their lives to it and for it.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only logical explanation for the existence of the Church and the persistence and expansion of Christianity. Trace back the history of the Church step by step; the path leads directly to the empty tomb.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only logical explanation for the power of the gospel to transform lives. A dead Jesus could not do what He is doing today in the hearts and lives of those who believe and follow Him.

The evidence is both compelling and conclusive. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25). We have a living Savior and Lord. That is the good news!

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTRAL LIVING FACT OF CHRISTIANITY.

Paul the apostle expressed his deep, persistent yearning to know Christ "and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the divine declaration that He is the Son of God. He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). It was Heaven's exoneration of Him, clearing Him of any implied guilt of wrongdoing for having been "executed" on a cross. It fully validated His claims.

His resurrection completed the act of redemption by providing full justification. As we noted in Romans 4:25, Jesus "was raised again for our justification."

Jesus Christ rose from the dead to establish the firm hope, the certainty, of the believer's future resurrection. He assures us, "because I live, you shall live also" (John 14:19).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive of a coming judgment. Before a very critical audience in Athens, Paul did not deal with philosophical speculations but with the fact of human sinfulness before the true and living God. He drove the issue home by declaring, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all, by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30,31 NKJV).

Jesus rose from the dead to be the living Lord of all, and of all of life.

His resurrection means that we are lost if we ignore or reject Him. He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6 NKJV).

There is no other way. If we reject Him, we remain under the power of sin and death. Rejecting Jesus Christ is suicide.

Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (NIV).

There is only one reasonable course: do what Thomas did. When he met the risen Christ, he confessed, "My Lord and my God."

Chapter 9 CHRIST'S ASCENSION AND EXALTATION

What a glorious 40 days! Alive forevermore, Jesus was with them again--appearing suddenly, eating with them, allowing some to touch Him (Luke 24:39) but forbidding others to do so (John 20:17), talking with them, teaching them.

How the disciples would have desired to keep Him with them here on earth.

But Jesus had foretold them that He was going to go back to the Father.

"Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go to Him Who sent Me" (John 7:33).

"I go to the Father" (John 14:28). See also John 16:5-16,26.

As He faced the ordeal of the cross, Jesus knew that His earthly ministry was over. He prayed to the Father, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee." Calvary lay just ahead, but He was looking through that--through even His resurrection--to His return to the Father.

Here is the eye-witness account:

"So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19 NKJV).

"And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them.

And it came to pass, while He blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into

heaven" (Luke 24:50,51).

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their

sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men

dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here

looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will

come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:9-11 NIV).

Jesus Christ ascended to the Father for some very specific and vital reasons.

One reason was to restore Paradise to Heaven and give gifts to believers. Ephesians 4:8-10 informs us, "Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.' (Now this, 'He ascended'--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)" (NKJV).

Please notice that Jesus ascended to the Father "that He might fill all things." He did not sit down on a throne of exile and inactivity, but upon the highest throne of authority--the throne of power and action!

Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven to send the Holy Spirit. He had told His disciples, "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7 NASB).

Jesus ascended to the Father so that the Holy Spirit would come and take His place as the Person of the Trinity in charge "on location" here on earth. In this way Jesus would be closer to the disciples (and us) by His Spirit than He could be had He remained bodily here on earth, even in His glorified state.

When the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost, Peter announced to the amazed multitude, "Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, and has poured out what you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33 NIV).

The descent of the Holy Spirit was the grand announcement that Jesus Christ had arrived into Heaven, that His sacrifice on the cross was fully accepted and honored, that His high-priestly ministry was now inaugurated, and that His reign with all authority in heaven and on earth was now in full force.

Yes, He ascended to the highest throne of the universe, where He now rules and reigns!

During His trial Jesus gave the religious rulers fair warning: "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God" (Luke 22:69).

Later, Peter boldly declared to the same council, "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31 NASB).

Paul wrote that because Jesus obeyed the will of the Father, even to the death on the cross, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11 NIV).

As was previously stated, Christ ascended into Heaven also to enter into His office as our great High Priest. This is one of the truths featured in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son

of God, let us hold fast our profession" (Hebrews 4:14).

"We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the

heavens" (Hebrews 8:1).

"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the

true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24).

And let us not overlook another reason for His ascension, one that Jesus had previously announced to His disciples. He ascended to prepare a place for all who believe on Him to eternal life. He said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3 NKJV).

The fact that the living Christ now rules and reigns at the right hand of the Father has profound and far-reaching meaning for all believers. Remember that a living, vital relationship with Jesus Christ places the born-again believer into full personal fellowship and unity with Him in all that He is and all that He has accomplished for us.

His cross becomes our cross. As He died for sin, by that same death we died to sin (read Romans 6:1,2).

His resurrection becomes our resurrection. As He rose to a glorified, immortal life, by His resurrection we rise out of death in sin to a new life of power and purity. When He returns, even our bodies will be resurrected to immortal life.

His ascension becomes our ascension. As He took His place at the right hand of the Father, we also are blessed "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Right now in this present life Christians have "heavenly life for earthly living;" and at Christ's coming we shall be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

No wonder Paul prayed that God would grant us "a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:17-23 NASB).

The divine power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and placed Him at the right hand of God the Father is now fully operating on our behalf!

This establishes our goals and our values as we move victoriously in Christ through this earthly life.

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1,2 NKJV).

By so doing, we live life on the highest level. We view our present human state from the eternal vantage point. We see our present circumstances within the broad vista of God's grand design of the ages. So we live above the circumstances, not under them. Our heavenly view keeps our values correct and our priorities straight.

Chapter 10 CHRIST'S GREATNESS AND GLORY

Like a brilliant diamond encased in clay, the eternal glory of our Lord Jesus Christ was hidden from view by His humanity. Nevertheless, His greatness and glory were still His by right of His eternal deity as the Second Person of the Trinity.

When Christ emptied Himself to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins, He left the throne of glory, but He did not abdicate it. He merely held His position and powers of deity in abeyance.

Even while here on earth, Jesus affirmed His surpassing greatness. He declared, "In this place is one greater than the temple" (Matthew 12:6); "A greater than Solomon is here" (Luke 11:31).

Jesus Christ has "more glory than Moses" (Hebrews 3:3).

One day Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain and gave them a glimpse of His eternal glory. "His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:2 NIV. See also Mark 9:2,3).

Peter never forgot that awesome sight. Toward the end of his life and ministry he wrote, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the coming and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount" (2 Peter 1:16-18).

Many years later John also wrote about that glorious experience. "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14).

Peter and John were no second-hand witnesses of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Right at the end of His earthly ministry, just before His crucifixion, our Lord prayed to the Father, "Glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:5 NKJV).

Headstrong and venting his hatred toward Jesus Christ and His followers, Saul of Tarsus was headed toward Damascus to do all he could to stop "the followers of the way." Suddenly he crashed headlong into a revelation of the glory of the risen Savior, and it knocked him to the ground. Here is the account from Acts 9:4 and 5, NKJV.

"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

"Who are You, Lord?"

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

It was the same Jesus. Saul had heard about Him, but now he had an encounter with Him that transformed him completely and forever.

So this persecutor-turned-apostle wrote later, "Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer" (2 Corinthians 5:16 NKJV).

Let us turn again to the apostle John. Remember, he was one of the privileged three who got a preview of Christ's glory. Many years later, now an old man banished to the island of Patmos for the sake of Christ, he had a Sunday he never would forget. He wrote down his experience so we would not forget it, either.

"Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead (Revelation 1:12-17 NKJV).

It was the same Jesus. Only now He is seen in glory, not on the top of a hill in Palestine but in Heaven itself!

His glory is soon to be revealed "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

John Himself saw the dress rehearsal in Revelation 19:11-16. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

The eternal glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is total, complete, full, all-encompassing.

"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it has pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell (Colossians 1:17-19).

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have this fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority" (Colossians 2:9,10 NIV).

If we believe in Him, receive Him, and stay vitally bonded to Him, we become the living recipients of His fullness and enjoy the all-sufficient grace that He has to bestow on us. So John wrote, "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace" (John 1:16 NASB).

The Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to write about the glorious, abundant fullness of Christ that is ours, who are united with Him. The Ephesian epistle exults in its powerful dynamic.

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Ephesians 1:17-23 NIV).

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:17-19).

"(He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:10-13).

Because all believers are united with Christ and all fullness dwells in Him, He is our everything.

"But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30 NKJV).

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4 NKJV).

Christ's name embodies Who He is and what He does. It expresses the fullness of His person and work.

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV).

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 NKJV).

"And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations" (Luke 24:47).

When we pray in His name, we are invoking the highest authority in heaven and on earth. This is the assurance Jesus Himself gave us.

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13 NKJV).

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you" (John 15:16 NKJV).

In that very confidence Peter said to the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the temple, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" (Acts 4:6 NKJV). When the people crowded around to see the miracle, Peter informed them that the authority and power that performed it was none other than the name of Jesus Christ. "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong" (verse 16).

When the apostles were arrested and brought before the religious council, Peter boldly repeated the announcement: "Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole" (Acts 4:10 NKJV).

Jesus Christ is totally and completely victorious, having conquered even death itself. He is our all-conquering, all-vanquishing, all-victorious Lord. He encouraged His disciples, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

In Christ we not only shall overcome; we have overcome and therefore do overcome moment by moment in our daily lives. According to Galatians 2:20, the risen, glorified, all-powerful, totally victorious Overcomer lives in us as born-again believers. He is our victory!

The glorious triumph and heavenly reign of Jesus Christ was declared to Him by God the Father and was recorded by the psalmist in Psalm 110:1 "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

The apostle Paul elaborated on Christ's triumph in the inspired words of 1 Corinthians 15:24-26. "Then comes the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Later, Jesus Christ Himself spoke from heaven: "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21 NKJV).

In Revelation 5:5 one of the "four and twenty" elders comforts the weeping apostle: "Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."

Although Jesus Christ is reigning at the right hand of God the Father, this world seems to be out of control. Evil is universal, and seems to be triumphing. But we must keep in mind that this is a time of probation, the day of salvation. At His appointed time God will intervene, put a stop to rebellion, remove sin from orderly society, and set up His kingdom under Christ. The final outcome will not be determined by any superpower or any combination of earthly powers. God Himself has the final say. The Sovereign God is not at the mercy of puny man. He will not take what man has built and make it right. He will displace man's system with His own.

In the scene recorded in Revelation 17 we see the hostile world power mobilized against the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Of course, the outcome of this final confrontation is never in doubt. "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings" (verse 14).

Yes, the total victory of Jesus Christ will be established on earth. There will be righteousness and peace. Sin will not win; it has already lost. It is only a matter of time until all of its selfish activities will cease and their effects will be erased.

"Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7).

The time of His coming is unknown to man; so it is vitally important that we remain ready. Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knows no man, no not the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36). "Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man comes at an hour when you think not" (Luke 12:40).

Jesus Christ is precious above all else and worthy of total love, obedience, and adoration. In Psalm 45:2 God the Father speaks to Christ, "You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured into Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever" (NKJV).

The apostle Peter affirms, "To you therefore which believe, He is precious" (1 Peter 2:7).

Jesus Christ is worth everything. The vital personal question is: How much is He worth to you? If we are going to spend eternity with Jesus Christ, we must determine right now that He is worth more than anything and anybody else. If you allow anything to become more important to you than Jesus Christ, Satan has it "in stock," and he knows just when to offer it to you.

Hold fast what you have that no man take your crown! (Revelation 3:11).

If you do not know Jesus Christ in a personal relationship as your Savior and Lord, come to Him now. Open your heart to Him. Receive Him. Trust Him. Love and obey Him, forever and ever.

He is worthy!

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever" (Revelation 5:11-13).

AMEN AND AMEN!