Early Sunday morning, and darkness still shrouds the Judean hills. The Roman guards stamp their feet and shiver against the chill, longing for the warmth of the sun’s first rays. It’s been a long night.
Then suddenly, out of the blackness, the Lion of Judah roars! The earth heaves and trembles with Resurrection power. Satan stares in horror as Death dies and Messiah turns the world right side up. And what is this that appears to the guards? A bolt of lightening? No… it’s a huge figure, glowing with light, white as snow.
“Look, Gaius…he’s going to the tomb! He thinks to roll that stone away? There it goes… I can’t stop shaking!” Down they go.
The women come, check out the empty tomb, hear the angel’s words. “He is not here; He is risen, just as He said”. Then suddenly, their Messiah stands before them. What can they do but worship Him? Then off they go to tell the others.
Meanwhile, the guards are once more on their feet, struggling to figure out how to cope with this disaster. Their lives are on the line for failing to prevent the event of the ages. “Best to tell the chief priests what we saw.”
Off they hurry to report to Satan’s henchmen, who respond to their eyewitness account by tasking them with a prefabricated lie. Not a surprising response, considering the source.
Their instructions? “Spread the rumor that his disciples came during the night and stole his body while you slept”. A bit of cash cements the guards’ resolve and the story takes on a life of its own. Possibly one of the biggest lies ever told. But it isn’t big enough. God’s Truth is greater than any lie of the enemy, and His Kingdom grows stronger every day.
Our God reigns! It’s good to remember this Truth on Resurrection Day, 2024.