Jesus Christ is resurrected!
Birth
Over 2000 years ago, Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem, and the Lord's angel announced to the shepherds at night, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
His birth is the basis for our calendar in Western culture, and around the world, His birth is remembered in December.
Death
About 33 years later, Jesus Christ was crucified at Golgotha – a place known as the Skull Place – between two thieves. There, Jesus prayed for His crucifiers, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).
Resurrection
Three days later – on the first day of the week – women came to Jesus' tomb. The stone had been rolled away from the entrance, and the tomb was EMPTY! Then the two angels who were there said to the women: "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" (Luke 24:5-7)
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about the resurrection of Jesus: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Why was the resurrection important?
The crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most significant events for the salvation of our souls, where Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the entire world and bore the deserved punishment – death – on our behalf. In doing so, He secured reconciliation between God and humanity for all those who believe in Him and seek forgiveness for their sins.
"For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)
We are all sinners
The Bible says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
But the Bible also promises: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:9-10)
The salvation of our souls
Believing in Jesus' resurrection and confessing it is connected to the salvation of our souls:
"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
Jesus promises eternal life to every believer: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." (John 11:25-26).
Jesus is coming back
Jesus Christ has risen and gone to the Father God in Heaven to prepare a place for us. But He will come back once again. Before His departure, He said to His disciples:
"Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." (John 14:1-4)
To the Father only through Jesus
Ja tuo tie Isän luokse käy vain uskomalla Jeesukseen Kristukseen Jumalan Poikana, joka syntyi neitsyt Mariasta ja ristiinnaulittiin, kuoli syntiemme tähden ja nousi kolmantena päivänä kuolleista. Jeesus sanoo : "Minä olen tie ja totuus ja elämä; ei kukaan tule Isän tykö muutoin kuin minun kauttani." (Joh 14:6)
What happens at Jesus' second coming?
When Jesus comes a second time to gather His own, that is, those who believe in Him – the born-again children of God – the resurrection of all believers occurs, also referred to in the Bible as the first resurrection. Therefore, the holy believers eagerly await the return of Jesus, as at that time, the saints will receive a new resurrection body. They will live with Jesus first during the thousand years of the Kingdom of Peace on earth and then into eternity when new heavens and a new earth are created in place of the former.
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming." (1 Corinthians 15:19-23)
Apostle Paul provides a detailed description in his letter to the Thessalonians:
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)
Two resurrections!
But there will also be another resurrection – for those who do not believe in Jesus:
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned." (John 5:28-29)
"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2)
"The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:5-6)
Resurrection of judgment - second death
Concerning this second 'resurrection of judgment,' which the Book of Revelation refers to as the 'second death,' it is explained in more detail as follows:
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
Fiery lake or a name in the book of life?
Above it was told that all those who were not written in the book of life were thrown into the fiery lake. This will be the fate of all those who refuse to believe in Jesus.
However, it's good for you to know that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins, asks for forgiveness of their sins from God, receives grace to become a child of God. Then their name is written in the Book of Life, and they are on their way to the Kingdom of Heaven. The journey of faith does not end there; it only begins. And only those who maintain faith until the end and endure as victors in all the storms and persecutions of life for the sake of faith are spoken of in this way:
"The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels." (Revelation 3:5)
If we cling to Jesus until the end, He has promised to help us in everything so that we may have the strength to remain faithful to the end, if only we are willing to be obedient to Him:
"He will also strengthen you to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)
God's will?
The Bible declares that the will of God is: 'that all people would be saved and come to know the truth.' (1 Timothy 2:4)
'As surely as I live,' says the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their ways and live. Turn, turn away from your evil ways!' (Ezekiel 33:11)
When Adam and Eve fell into sin about 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden, all people became sinful as a result. In His love for humanity, God provided in His Son, Jesus Christ, an opportunity for everyone to be liberated from the power of sin and the devil. 'For the wages of sin is death' (Romans 6:23)
Sin leads to the fiery lake - believe in Jesus for eternal life
"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:43)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them." (John 3:36)
"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:40)
Two options
There are two options.
Do you also want to be part of the first resurrection?
Do you also want to, on the last day, share in Eternal Life with Jesus and avoid the damnation of sin – the fiery lake?
Do you want to have all your sins forgiven?
Make a decision today
If in your heart you now understand that you are a sinful person and know that you are on a journey to perdition without the atonement of your sins, then the Bible encourages you to reconciliation now:
"For Christ's sake, we are, therefore, ambassadors, and God exhorts through us. We implore on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God. As fellow workers with Him, we also urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says, 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation, I have helped you.' Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2)
God sees your heart and knows everything about you and your life – you cannot hide anything from Him. So, if in your heart you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins, and you believe that He rose from the grave on the third day and now lives at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven, then you can approach the Almighty God in your own words and ask Him for the forgiveness of your sins. He hears and forgives you of your sins because He has promised so in His Word:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
The Bible also promises that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved"
(Romans 10:13)."
A sinner's prayer
If you cannot formulate a prayer yourself right now, you can also pray the following prayer:
"God, Almighty, I know that I am a sinner. I acknowledge that I deserve punishment for my sins. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me on the cross at Golgotha and atoning for my sins as well. I believe that you are the Son of God and that You rose on the third day, overcoming death. Jesus, I want to repent of my sinful life and follow you. Forgive all my sins and cleanse my heart with your blood. Become the Lord of my life and guide my path. Make me a child of God and grant me eternal life. Thank you for hearing my prayer, amen."
If you prayed this prayer or your own prayer sincerely from your heart, you can be absolutely sure that God has heard your prayer and forgiven your sins. He will give you the strength to become a child of God and will guide you in the coming days into a new, holy, and pure life."
How to proceed from here?
It is important that you find a connection with fellow believers, where you receive healthy teaching and find believing friends. Also, read the Bible every day. If you don't have one, ask for a Bible from a local church. Start reading, for example, the Gospel of Mark. Pray daily to God in the name of Jesus, and He will hear and answer you in one way or another if your prayers are in accordance with His will. You are now a newborn child of God, so this marks the beginning of your growth that will last until the end of your temporal life.
May God guide, protect, and bless your life!