Rudyard Kipling in The Jungle Book has Mowgli, the man cub, asking the animals what's the most feared thing in the jungle. He is told that when two animals meet on a narrow path that one must step aside and let the other pass. The animal that steps aside for no one would then be the most feared.
Mowgli wants to know what kind of animal would that be? One tells him it's an elephant. Another tells him it's a lion. Finally the wise old owl exclaims, "The most feared thing in the jungle is death. It steps aside for no one."
Owl's statement appears so true. It does not matter how physically strong, financially rich, fantastically popular or overwhelmingly powerful -Death is an absolute truth for all of us.No one is exempt from death. "It is appointed to all men once to die and after that the judgment."
EXCEPT ONE - death was not the conqueror of Jesus Christ -death had to step aside for him! "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"
Like a coward steps aside for the brave, death cowered in the presence of the power of Jesus Christ. --Death could not keep the God-man down!
What is it that separates Jesus from all the other religious leaders of the world? --It's that death stepped aside for Him and not them. Death did not step aside for Muhammad or Buddha or Confucius. Their religious teachings made an impact on the world but they died never to be seen alive again. But Jesus was more than a great teacher, more than a man, He was God and He proved His superiority over all religious teachers by conquering the death, hell and the grave.
If the resurrection did not happen, then the claims of the New Testament are nothing more than a lie. No resurrection, no Christianity. Without the reality of the resurrection, our Bible is just a collection of good sayings and good advice.
If there is no resurrection then there is no life after death. If Jesus stayed in the grave, then so will we. If there was no resurrection then there is no meaning in life. This world is a pretty meaningless place without the hope of eternity.
1 Cor. 15:19 " If we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world."
If there was no resurrection then there is also no forgiveness of sins. --
1 Cor. 15:17 "If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for you sins."
OWL was wrong - DEATH DID STEP ASIDE FOR ONE AND ONLY ONE! Therefore we have LIFE only through the ONE that conquered death! That's why
Acts 2:38 is the epitome of death (repentance), burial (Jesus Name baptism) and the resurrection (Holy Ghost filled)!
Rom. 6:3-5 – “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”
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