"I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am
alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death
and Hades" (Revelation 1:18 NIV). No doubt you
might have at one point in time come across this
kind of a vehicle sticker that says: "If your God is
crucified, try Allah." This is apparently referring to
the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ thinking that
is the end of the story on the cross. In fact it was the
beginning of His triumph over death and Satan.
In one of his epistle Paul put it this way: "Which
none of the princes of this world knew: for had they
known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory " (1 Corinthians 2:8 KJV). It is of historical fact
according to the record that Jesus Christ was
crucified outside the city of Jerusalem. He died on
the cross according the Scriptures. He was buried in
a tomb. But was raised up on the third day!
Hallelujah!! To erase or remove any doubt about His
resurrection, He appeared to many of His disciples
and others for forty days before He ascended to
heaven (Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20, 21
and Acts 1).
In one of His appearances He told John the apostle:
"I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am
alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death
and Hades" (Revelation 1:18 NIV). He is now at the
right hand of God interceding for us (Rom. 8:34;
Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1). From available records and
witnesses we can conveniently proclaim that Jesus
Christ is alive! “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto
you the gospel which I preached unto you, which
also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By
which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I
preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how 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 of Cephas, then of
the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five
hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part
remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the
apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of
one born out of due time. For I am the least of the
apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God. But by the
grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which
[was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I
laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I,
but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore
whether [it were] I or they, so we preach, and so ye
believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose
from the dead, how say some among you that there
is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching
vain, and your faith [is] also vain. Yea, and we are
found false witnesses of God; because we have
testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he
raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if
the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if
Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in
your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in
Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now
is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the
firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Cor. 15: 1-20 KJV).
He was the only religious leader that died and was
raised again. This is a great assurance that
Christians are not serving a dead God as we read
from above scripture. It is a great hope that when
Christians die, they also will be raised with Him at
the end of the age. "Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live: And
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?" (John 11:25-26 KJV). Indeed
our own Jesus is alive and at the right hand of God
advocating for us there.
That is assurance of our salvation, believe it and be
saved.

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