by In Hebrews 2:9, Jesus was “made a little lower than the angels.” His nemesis angel whom He was made lower than, Satan, thought he finally had an upper hand to take out Almighty God. This created being saw the cross as his victory. He taunted the crowds to cheer, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” (Matthew 20:19), as he applauded at each thud of the hammer. The demons of Hell surely cried out, “WE DID IT!” They celebrate as Jesus was “suffering of death,” not understanding that He was tasting death for every man. Satan assumed his victory as Jesus took His last breath, was taken down off the cross and sealed in a tomb with guards stationed to ensure His body would not come out alive.
The story does not end there. The devils claimed only what they could see. They claimed victory, yet the battle was not over. Victory was already secured by Almighty God (Matthew 8:1-7), revealed as “the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door.” Before the stone was rolled away, Jesus had already “risen, as he said.” How could they (Satan, the devils, the guards, the disciples, all of Jerusalem, etc.) have missed this marvelous event? Now, 2,000 years later we ask the same question, how can so many today miss seeing this same victory, miss seeing this key ingredient to their salvation, the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9). Since Satan could not have the victory at the cross, he does his utmost to keep the resurrection from man’s sight (2 Corinthians 4:4). His weapon of choice is religion, and his strategy is to keep Jesus on the cross. Sadly, many will die with their faith in a religious artifact and not the risen Savior.
At any rate, the victory has been won. We’ve been given a glorious promise that “the gates of hell shall not prevail” (Matthew 16:18) against the body of Christ they have been fighting against since the cross. This promise is guaranteed by Jesus’ bodily resurrection that offers us victory over death, hell and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). This promise is possible because the “man Christ Jesus”, “the one mediator between God and men,” not Satan, is the One who holds “the keys of hell and of death” (1 Timothy 2:5; Revelation 1:18).
Let’s celebrate this Easter like never before, not looking to a man still hanging on a cross but to Almighty God who has “risen, as he said!”
