PagesStructures['id1775447656978'] = {"structures":[{"type":"page","id":"id1775447656978","elementProperties":{"tagName":"DIV","behaviours":null,"isLocked":false,"name":"EASTER 2026","baseName":"HOME PAGE","templateID":null,"templateName":null,"order":0,"customStates":null,"isElementWasEditedInMode":true,"showHoverEffects":true,"skinInformation":{},"isSupportsMobile":false,"isVisibleInMode":true,"isFixed":false,"topZIndex":0,"elementOpacity":1,"staticMargin":{"horizontalMargin":0,"verticalMargin":0},"sizeAndPosition":{"width":0,"height":1068,"top":0,"left":0},"lastResizingSize":{"width":0,"height":1068,"top":0,"left":0},"isVisibleInLastSection":true,"isVisibleInLastDataItem":true,"attributes":null,"metaProps":null,"metaItemType":null,"metaTitle":null,"styleBindingId":null,"styleBindingFields":null,"shadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"glow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"isParallaxBackground":false,"parallaxBackgroundSpeed":0.5,"isParallaxElement":{"isActive":false,"speed":1,"delay":0},"effectsOptions":{"isParallax":false,"oneTimeAnimation":false,"duration":1200,"startDistance":200,"startVisibility":0.8,"distance":300,"measureDistanceType":3,"delay":0,"distanceDelay":0,"runInLoop":false,"flyDirection":2,"direction":"horizontal","movementDistanceHorizontally":200,"movementDistanceVertically":0,"autoStartDistanceSettings":true,"autoDistanceSettings":true},"effects":null,"binding":null,"verticalAlign":"center","horizontalAlign":"center","horizontalContentAlign":"center","basicUserCanEdit":true,"overflow":false,"isGrowable":{"bottom":false,"right":false},"rowsItems":null,"childrenAnchor":"center","backgroundColor":"#fff","imageUrl":"","imageLayout":"stretchedToFill","imagePosition":{"horizontal":"right","vertical":"top"},"origImage":"","imageOpacity":1,"backgroundOverlay":"transparent","gridLines":[],"fixedBackground":false,"statesGroups":null},"metaData":{"position":{"left":-599.1666870117188,"top":0},"size":{"width":1198,"height":13584}},"childElements":[{"type":"SectionElement","id":"id1775447707953","elementProperties":{"tagName":"SECTION","behaviours":null,"isLocked":false,"name":"Section 4","baseName":null,"templateID":null,"templateName":null,"order":3,"customStates":null,"isElementWasEditedInMode":false,"showHoverEffects":true,"skinInformation":{},"isSupportsMobile":false,"isVisibleInMode":true,"isFixed":false,"topZIndex":0,"elementOpacity":1,"staticMargin":{"horizontalMargin":0,"verticalMargin":0},"sizeAndPosition":{"height":12985,"left":0,"width":1089,"top":0},"lastResizingSize":{"height":12985,"left":0,"width":1089,"top":0},"isVisibleInLastSection":true,"isVisibleInLastDataItem":true,"attributes":null,"metaProps":null,"metaItemType":null,"metaTitle":null,"styleBindingId":null,"styleBindingFields":null,"shadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"glow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"isParallaxBackground":false,"parallaxBackgroundSpeed":0.5,"isParallaxElement":{"isActive":false,"speed":1,"delay":0},"effectsOptions":{"isParallax":false,"oneTimeAnimation":false,"duration":1200,"startDistance":200,"startVisibility":0.8,"distance":300,"measureDistanceType":3,"delay":0,"distanceDelay":0,"runInLoop":false,"flyDirection":2,"direction":"horizontal","movementDistanceHorizontally":200,"movementDistanceVertically":0,"autoStartDistanceSettings":true,"autoDistanceSettings":true},"effects":null,"binding":null,"innerGlow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"innerShadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"padding":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"basicUserCanEdit":true,"backgroundColor":"transparent","imageUrl":"","imageLayout":"stretchedToFill","imagePosition":{"vertical":"center","horizontal":"center"},"origImage":"","imageOpacity":1,"backgroundOverlay":"transparent","verticalLayout":"normal","horizontalLayout":"normal","fillLayout":{"fillVertical":false,"fillHorizontal":false},"margin":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"overflow":false,"isGrowable":{"bottom":false,"right":false},"rowsItems":null,"childrenAnchor":"center","resizingGripPosiotion":"s","sectionName":"Section A","pageContentType":1,"borderWidth":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"roundness":{"topLeft":0,"bottomLeft":0,"topRight":0,"bottomRight":0},"borderColor":{"top":"Black","left":"Black","bottom":"Black","right":"Black"},"borderStyle":{"top":"solid","left":"solid","bottom":"solid","right":"solid"}},"metaData":{"position":{"left":-599.1666870117188,"top":594},"size":{"width":1198,"height":12985}},"childElements":[{"type":"freeText","id":"id1775447842097","elementProperties":{"tagName":"DIV","behaviours":null,"isLocked":false,"name":"Text 30","baseName":null,"templateID":"templateid1775447842098","templateName":null,"order":29,"customStates":null,"isElementWasEditedInMode":false,"showHoverEffects":true,"skinInformation":{},"isSupportsMobile":false,"isVisibleInMode":true,"isFixed":false,"topZIndex":0,"elementOpacity":1,"staticMargin":{"horizontalMargin":0,"verticalMargin":0},"sizeAndPosition":{"width":939,"height":12343,"left":-469,"top":510},"lastResizingSize":{"width":939,"height":12343,"left":-469,"top":510},"isVisibleInLastSection":true,"isVisibleInLastDataItem":true,"attributes":null,"metaProps":null,"metaItemType":null,"metaTitle":null,"styleBindingId":null,"styleBindingFields":null,"shadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"glow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"isParallaxBackground":false,"parallaxBackgroundSpeed":0.5,"isParallaxElement":{"isActive":false,"speed":1,"delay":0},"effectsOptions":{"isParallax":false,"oneTimeAnimation":false,"duration":1200,"startDistance":200,"startVisibility":0.8,"distance":300,"measureDistanceType":3,"delay":0,"distanceDelay":0,"runInLoop":false,"flyDirection":2,"direction":"horizontal","movementDistanceHorizontally":200,"movementDistanceVertically":0,"autoStartDistanceSettings":true,"autoDistanceSettings":true},"effects":null,"binding":null,"innerGlow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"innerShadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"display":"fixed","cellItem":null,"cellHorizontalAlignment":"none","basicUserCanEdit":true,"backgroundColor":"transparent","imageUrl":"","imageLayout":"stretchedToFill","imagePosition":{"vertical":"center","horizontal":"center"},"origImage":"","imageOpacity":1,"backgroundOverlay":"transparent","isVisible":true,"verticalLayout":"normal","horizontalLayout":"normal","fillLayout":{"fillHorizontal":false,"fillVertical":false},"margin":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"borderWidth":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"roundness":{"topLeft":0,"bottomLeft":0,"topRight":0,"bottomRight":0},"borderColor":{"top":"Black","left":"Black","bottom":"Black","right":"Black"},"borderStyle":{"top":"solid","left":"solid","bottom":"solid","right":"solid"},"padding":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"rotationAngle":0,"verticalAlign":"center","horizontalAlign":"left","horizontalContentAlign":"center","startSelected":false,"urlAddress":null,"openInNewTab":false,"openInTopWindow":false,"shouldUnderlineChildren":false,"namedTextStyle":null,"fontColor":{"mainColor":2,"opacity":1,"brightness":0},"textShadow":[],"lineHeight":{"pixels":14,"percentages":120,"unit":"percentages"},"letterSpacing":0,"fontSize":14,"font":{"themeFont":"body1"},"contentTextTransform":"none","isBold":false,"isItalic":false,"isUnderline":false,"textStyle":{"bold":false,"underline":false,"italic":false},"textDirection":2,"dataBinding":null,"formattedText":"

Easter According to Scripture

By Bruce Wood, BA, BS, MA, Founder of Theolog Creation Ministries

“God, if you exist, please let me know you are real. If you are real, I need to know who you are.” This was my two-part prayer request I spoke to an unknown god who answered me with theology, with science, and with profound patience and grace.

Fifty years later, I can attest that this God has given me a testimony that has been periodically tested, sometimes wavering, but always victorious as He has proven Himself faithful even when I had become faithless. And the anchor of my soul has nevertheless remained steadfast on the Rock who became the Foundation of Christianity when He rose from the dead on a Sunday morning some 2,000 years ago. But the death of Jesus Christ had been planned before the universe was created.

We read the following from the 18th chapter of Luke:

³¹ Then He [Jesus] took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. ³² For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked, and insulted, and spit upon. ³³ They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” (NKJV; same version throughout).

It is a wonder—if not astonishing, that none of Christ’s disciples asked Him why He sought to die. They “were exceedingly sorrowful” (Mt. 17:23), but did not try to persuade Him to abandon such a tragic ending to His life, except Peter: “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Mt. 16:23).

Nevertheless, it can be argued that questioning the theological purpose of Jesus’ conviction to die in Jerusalem was not allowed. That is, the planned sacrifice of “the Lamb of God” (John 1:36) included the intentional concealment of God’s salvation plan. For we read in verse 34, “But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.”

Think about it; attempting to explain God's plan to anyone willing to listen would have no doubt fallen on deaf ears. And honestly, none of the disciples—or anyone else, for that matter, would comprehend it. Why? Because it was beyond the human mind to comprehend the infinite complexities of God’s thinking? No. Did God’s plan require Scriptural knowledge to determine the meaning of those passages related to it? Yes. As the Apostle Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 2,

“¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God…¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Thus, the plan of God for redemption is found in Scripture through the accurate knowledge of Scripture. To be fair, the Lord Jesus Christ interpreted those passages of Scripture that applied to His plan of redemption that were obscure and not easily understood. Nevertheless, many other passages of Scripture in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms were clearly understood to identify who Jesus was.

When King Harold, for example “had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born” (Mt. 2:4), they informed him as to what was written in Micah 5:2, which says, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.”

It should be noted that these same religious leaders knew and understood the vast amount of Scripture that pertained to who the Christ was, when He would come, and how He was related to the God in Scripture. Jesus blatantly identified Himself as the Son of God, who Scripture declared to be God, the second Person of the Trinity. See, as examples, John 5:17-18, 7:58-59, and 10:30-33. In all three cases, the Jews sought to kill Jesus because they understood what He was saying in no uncertain terms: He was calling Himself God.

They had never expected to see God embody Himself in the flesh. This fact is celebrated in the Christmas songs that speak of “Emmanuel,” which means, “God with us.” Problem was, those who know what Scripture means often refuses to acknowledge its truth; as the idiom says, “Reality is…when you face it.”

Even Nicodemus, a Pharisees and ruler of the Jews (John 3 ff), should have known Scripture well enough to piece together God’s plan of salvation. He reacted with human reasoning to Jesus’ words in v3, “I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”, by replying in v4, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” But Jesus rebuked the Pharisee’s lack of spiritual application by saying in v 10, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”

Nicodemus KNEW what Scripture said. It was revealed in Israel’s history, prophetic writings, and Psalms as to who the Son of God was, His purpose for becoming human, and His plan to redeem all sinners, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He KNEW that the Messiah would be born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; NOTE: There were two Bethlehem locations; the prophecy specifies Ephrathah), suffering of the Servant (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53), and the resurrection of Jesus (Psalm 16:10). The “Chart of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus” will provide more information on this topic.

Nicodemus had faced Reality: Jesus Christ, God come in the flesh. Now, it was his decision as to how he would apply Scriptural truth to his own life. And we learn that Nicodemus eventually understood and applied the spiritual meaning of those passages related to God’s plan of salvation; he was one who helped bury the body of Jesus (John 19:39).

Therefore, we come to the main theme of this document, as stated in the opening paragraph: “The death of Jesus Christ had been agreed upon before the universe was created.” Easter Sunday was the culmination of all the prophesies throughout Scripture having to do with the plan God had devised to meet all of the require-ments necessary to fulfill all requirements necessary to attone for all sin for all humans in a singular act of offering the only sacrifiice required by the Holy Father. EVERY component had to take place according to Sriptural specifications.

Jesus gave the summation of His plan in John 17.

¹Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

No less than five times is the word, “glory” used by Jesus. In Isaiah 42:8, God declares an essential attribute as to His holiness: I am the Lord, which is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.” No mortal can make such a claim, except Jesus Christ; He was Emanual, God come in the flesh. Thus, He could be glorified as God, being the Son of God. This attribute is seen throughout Scripture, especially in the fourth chapter of Revelation:

⁸ The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

¹¹ “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Jesus Christ could not allow ANY impurity into His life. Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Thus, Jesus, before He began His earthly ministry, was subjected to the temptations of Satan for forty days in the wilderness in Luke 4:1-13. (NOTE: Luke emphasized the humanity of Jesus, thus showing how Jesus’ humanness was tempted.)

One could say Satan threw the book at Jesus, including the Holy book containing God's Scriptural prophecies about the Messiah. Satan knew the contentents of God's Word and even quoted Scriptural references (vv 9, 11). However, he used them out of context and thus twisted Scripture to force it to say what it did not mean. This lack of attention to correctly interpret Scripture is sadly repeated by many Christians—even sincere ones, who fail to properly interpret and understand what they read.

Through a co-protagonist in my novel, “The Seve Arks of Ararat,” Dr. Alethea Springfield, I point out the ramifications of what would happen if Jesus had failed to be vigilant in guarding His holy conduct in Part 4, Chp. 7, “To the Vigilant Belongs the Victory.” She is debating an atheist, Dr. Victor Brisbane, about the requirement for all humans to be vigilant in preventing the seeds of evil being planted in their respective fields. She illustrates the ultimate human who was able to do this, namely, Jesus Christ:

\"Nevertheless, God’s infinite knowledge and wisdom set in motion a plan that would deal with sin, redeem humankind, cleanse the universe, and eventually produce a brand-new heaven and Earth.

“Any human couple would have made the choices that Adam and Eve did; they would have willfully chosen to believe deceptive lies rather than obey God’s supreme commandment to leave the forbidden fruit uneaten, period!

“And since you blame Adam, I will compare Adam's decision to rebel against God's commandment as to that act being the original domino in human history referred to as the original sin. Sin, according to its biblical usage, means, ‘missing the mark.’ No human effort can obtain perfection or remove sin. Likewise, works or repentant lifestyle will ever achieve a state of holiness or salvation.

“To illustrate, if you squeeze toothpaste out of a new tube, you will find it impossible to get every atom of that substance back in its flattened container. Even if you managed to reinsert the physical portion of paste into the tube, there will still be some loss due to its absorption into its surroundings or evaporation of ingredients—even mere atoms.

“The least sin can be compared to a single drop of dark ink landing in an Olympic-size swimming pool filled with crystal clear, pure water. In time, the ink will dissipate and permeate the water. But will the water be one hundred percent pure? Absolutely not.

\"Theologically, the same can be said about the Ten Commandments. Can you keep any one of them twenty-four-seven? James 2:10 says. 'For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.' Thus, God’s holy Heaven would cease to be holy if He allowed even the least sin or sinner into it.

Dr. Springfield introduces the Redeemer, Jesus, who was able to overcome all evil, Satan, and temptation. To His praise, He fulfilled God’s plan to complete His ultimate goal: to become the perfect and acceptable sacrifice for all sin for all sinners in history. 2 Corinthians 5:21 verifies this accomplishment with the statement, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

But again, Jesus Christ would have ceased to be the holy substitute for all humanity had he had ceased to remain diligent in resisting any temptation. But He remained faithful in fulfilling His Father’s commandments during his entire earthly ministry. He would face the totality of forsaken by all, despised by spiritual and human enemies, without anyone to render assistance, and left to endure the wrath of all sin for hours—alone. Totally alone.

He endured the rejection of most of those who had sought Him for only His healing and other physical provisions, remained steadfast in his vigilance by foregoing any earthly greed, pleasure, or earthly sovereignty. For over thirty years, Jesus lived in a world of hell-bound sinners. But He was God and God is love (1 John 4:16) who desired above all to die for those who were made in His image (Genesis 1:27), “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

But the Father of Jesus knew that His Son would die alone on the cross, forsaken by all. That list included Himself, as acknowledged by Jesus as He hung on His cross in agony and cried out in Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” This was the severest test of the Son’s commitment to maintain vigilance; He was totally alone to have Satan’s minions mock Him and challenge Him to save Himself. Some of them are given in Mark 15:

²⁹ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. ³² Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

Satan failed to make Jesus sin after forty days in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). Did he give up? Absolutely not. Instead, we read in Luke 4:13, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” 1 Peter 5:8 gives us an oft practiced methodology in Satan’s tactic: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Thus, Satan is always waiting for opportune conditions to present themselves when his enemies are at their weakest. And Jesus was. But He remained vigilant in obeying His Father's commanments.

This axiom works in tandem with Satan’s relentless effort to induce priceless souls to join him in the Lake of Fire, the final place of torment where all unrepentant sinners will dwell, “with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). As the God who established the Lake of Fire for Satan and his angelic followers (Matthew 25:41) as well as unrepentant sinners, Jesus did all He could do to reach and save as many as possible from such a fiery end.

The message of the Christ’s resurrection from death is not just about His victory over Satan, sin, and all things evil. This completed act of incarnate Love’s sacrificial offering to pay the price of all sins for all sinners, once for all, permanently established God’s offered forgiveness to any who would accept this free gift. The price was God’s Son; but the gift of salvation can only be given to those who humbly bow before God’s Son and willingly submit all they are and have to His will.

What is the alternative? Mark 8:36 makes a blunt assessment: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Satan offered Jesus rulership over all earthly kingdoms if He but worship him. Oh, what a temporal reign that would be. Imagine God’s Son failing to be vigilant in fulfilling His given command to become the holy sacrifice to pay for the billions of lost souls destined to be consigned to eternal destruction.

For what? To reign over corrupted souls in a corrupted world in a corrupted universe destined for destruction, “in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). You and I would be destined to a present life of futility and an eternal damnation in the ravages of unquenchable flames.

The Apostle Paul summed up such a disastrous scenario in 1 Corinthians 15 thusly:

¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

If Christ had failed.

But Jesus did not fail. He rose victoriously as Paul continues his narrative in 1 Corinthians 15:

²⁰ But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says, “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ²⁸ Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

This is the God, the Son, the Creator, and the Saviour that I wish to share with you this Easter. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life for any who receives His precious gift by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul presents a succinct summation in Romans 10,

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

No theology other than that of Christianity can offer such a certain knowledge of knowing one is saved immediately after death by faith in the God who promised His eternal love, salvation, and security. What religion can make the following claim in 1 Corinthians 15:

⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵ “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And marvelous are God’s promises that abound with assurance for those who exchange temporal riches for eternal treasures, as exemplified by the following verses:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

“And I [Jesus] give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one” (John 10:28-30).

⁹ If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. ¹⁰ He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. ¹¹ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ₁₂ He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5).

I will end this message with a story I heard many years ago but have found it to be a good illustration that reveals the patience of God’s love towards us:

The father had raised his daughter with a love that had given all she needed to know about his kindness to her, his respect for her, and his deep devotion to her. At age five, she so enjoyed the many pleasant conversations she had with him, finding comfort in his assurances, wisdom in his instruction, and strength in his welcoming and protective arms.

But she had in her possession an expensive neckless of pearls that she wore in special occasions. They were not real pearls, but nevertheless brought envious looks from her girlfriends and added to her sense of importance among those who admired her fashionable presence. They were her possession, her source of pride, and her way of emphasizing her self-worth.

However, her father had asked her to do the unimaginable: he asked her to give him her strand of pearls. Why would he ask her to do such a thing? What purpose did he have in mind? To do such a thing meant giving up her most prized possession.

Each night her father asked her to give him her stand of pearls. At first, she found herself more resistant by limiting her time with him. She spurned his attempts to console her with his promises of love and desire to provide her with his assurances of unchanging protection. Her fear of giving up what she so coveted eventually kept her secluded in her room cherishing her pearls with a possessiveness that caused a separation from her father.

But her memories betrayed her. She yearned to be held again by the strong arms of her father. She longed to feel the comfort of his presence and the soothing words that penetrated her soul with an altruistic love. Nothing could match the sincerity of this man who would protect her with his life. Nothing. Not even her pearls could match such a meaningful relationship.

Her longing for her father’s embrace overwhelmed her. She ran to him and leaped into his welcoming arms with tears in her eyes. Through a voice choked with emotion, she cried out, “Oh father, I don’t want anything to keep us apart; I miss how you treat me with a patient love that wants only the best for me. And, and if it means giving you my pearls, then I will give them to you. Here.

His five year old daughter lifted her strand of pearls up, looked at them with a sense of regret, and handed the strand to her father.

Her father took his child’s strand of pearls and laid them down on a nearby end table. He then reached into a coat pocket and produced a strand of real pearls. As he placed them around her neck, he said, “Daughter, I could not give you this real set of pearls until you were willing to give me that which is not real.”

I trust that the application of this story can be seen in your life. It has certainly been applied to mine. Many times. I began this message with the opening sentence: “God, if you exist, please let me know you are real. If you are real, I need to know who you are.” For over fifty years, I have given God many things that I had thought were possessions too valuable to give God. But as I gave them up, He gave me precious gifts that changed my life. I have found that my God has supplied me everything I need to live a life that is vastly better than any that I couldn’t even imagine. You can know how He has changed me by reading my testimony.

And the greatest gift of all is that of KNOWING I will enter Heaven as a son in Jesus Christ. I have an imperishable gift of eternal life, a gift that you can have, paid for by my Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ. Perhaps the gifts of theological and scientific evidence that I offer on my website will help you give up what is holding you back from receiving what my God offers in exchange: His Way, His Truth, His Life.

Sincerely,

Bruce Wood, BA, BS, MA, Founder of Theolog Creation Ministries

","verticalAlignment":"top"},"metaData":{"position":{"left":-469,"top":1104},"size":{"width":939,"height":12343}}},{"type":"image","id":"id1775448015932","elementProperties":{"tagName":"DIV","behaviours":null,"isLocked":false,"name":"Image 38","baseName":null,"templateID":"templateid1775448015933","templateName":null,"order":30,"customStates":null,"isElementWasEditedInMode":false,"showHoverEffects":true,"skinInformation":{},"isSupportsMobile":false,"isVisibleInMode":true,"isFixed":false,"topZIndex":0,"elementOpacity":1,"staticMargin":{"horizontalMargin":0,"verticalMargin":0},"sizeAndPosition":{"width":798,"height":431,"left":-394,"top":40},"lastResizingSize":{"width":798,"height":431,"left":-394,"top":40},"isVisibleInLastSection":true,"isVisibleInLastDataItem":true,"attributes":null,"metaProps":null,"metaItemType":null,"metaTitle":null,"styleBindingId":null,"styleBindingFields":null,"shadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"glow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"isParallaxBackground":false,"parallaxBackgroundSpeed":0.5,"isParallaxElement":{"isActive":false,"speed":1,"delay":0},"effectsOptions":{"isParallax":false,"oneTimeAnimation":false,"duration":1200,"startDistance":200,"startVisibility":0.8,"distance":300,"measureDistanceType":3,"delay":0,"distanceDelay":0,"runInLoop":false,"flyDirection":2,"direction":"horizontal","movementDistanceHorizontally":200,"movementDistanceVertically":0,"autoStartDistanceSettings":true,"autoDistanceSettings":true},"effects":null,"binding":null,"innerGlow":{"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"innerShadow":{"top":0,"left":0,"spread":0,"blur":0,"color":"black"},"display":"fixed","cellItem":null,"cellHorizontalAlignment":"none","basicUserCanEdit":true,"isVisible":true,"backgroundColor":"transparent","verticalLayout":"normal","horizontalLayout":"normal","fillLayout":{"fillVertical":false,"fillHorizontal":false},"margin":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"startSelected":false,"urlAddress":null,"openInNewTab":false,"openInTopWindow":false,"shouldUnderlineChildren":false,"templateOpener":false,"popupType":"DefaultPopup","imageUrl":{"id":154901932,"imagePath":"https://storage.googleapis.com/production-sitebuilder-v1-0-1/091/1822091/tRabM3zB/f6f2ada4c81b461f8e4a156e819ea4f0","storageServer":0,"imageWidth":509,"imageHeight":275},"imageLayout":"stretchedToFill","imagePosition":{"vertical":"center","horizontal":"center"},"origImage":"","imageOpacity":1,"borderWidth":{"top":0,"left":0,"bottom":0,"right":0},"roundness":{"topLeft":0,"bottomLeft":0,"topRight":0,"bottomRight":0},"borderColor":{"top":"black","left":"black","bottom":"black","right":"black"},"borderStyle":{"top":"solid","left":"solid","bottom":"solid","right":"solid"},"rotationAngle":0,"backgroundOverlay":"transparent","dataBinding":null,"imageLoadingOverlay":{"background":"rgba(255,255,255,0.7)","imageInfo":{}},"imageLoadingSettings":{"hideImage":false,"showOverlay":false,"overlayBackground":"rgba(255,255,255,0.7)"},"alt":null},"metaData":{"position":{"left":-394,"top":634},"size":{"width":798,"height":431}}}]}],"offset":{"left":231,"top":-12590.06640625}}],"connections":{"targetConnections":{},"sourceConnections":{}},"customStatesProperties":{},"pageId":"id1775447656978","version":17.004,"id":"id1775511495094","relativePoint":{"left":231,"top":-12590.06640625}}