THE EMPTY GRAVE

     It was terrible.  What used to be half-light became complete darkness.  And it was just morning!  There was a whisper, "He did it!"  Another picked it up and another and soon it became a low murmur.  "He really did it!"  "He pulled it off!"  And soon it came from every direction.  The blackness moved and oozed with grim delight.  The legions of evil and trolls and demons all the way up to principalities and powers and dominions began to cheer in victory and adulation.  He soaked it in.  It felt so good and he deserved every bit of it!  Not only had he killed the messengers, but he killed the One, the Only Son, HIS son!  He'd stolen dominion of the earth from the Man when he got him to doubt GOD.  And now, he foiled the perfect plan of GOD to redeem mankind because he disposed of GOD's only Son and had Him in his kingdom of darkness and pain and punishment now.  Fool, he took on the sins of all mankind for all time.  What did he expect?  The only One he'd ever have to deal with.  There would be no others.  It was the final victory!  He deserved the throne now.  He was Lucifer, Beelzebub, Satan, Baal, Molech, Asmodeus, and many other names.  The Deceiver Triumphant.  And he placed himself on the throne of death, hell, and the grave.  Evil itself became jubilant.  Control of earth!  Control of man!  Control of the universe!  Total control of the hosts of heaven!  Everything he'd wanted since his creation at the beginning of time!  He'd finally proved to the 'Old Man' what would happen because He had spited him and thrown him out.  His followers were beside themselves with glee and with utmost abandon.  The din could surely be heard on the earth itself!

     But what was this?  There was the beginning of a stir in the furthermost reaches of hell where he had imprisoned his precious possession.  There was a glow.  A light in the darkness.  Who was responsible for this?  And then fear gripped his dark heart.  The Light pierced the darkness and began to expose the shadows which receded into every crack.  The sound of jubilation quickly turned to moans and screams of agony as the Light permeated every nook and cranny.  Satan stood and coveted his eyes in pain as though looking into a bright sun.  Suddenly, his fear turned into horror as he recognized the Light.  "It's You!"  He screamed.  "How could this be?!!!  You are dead and part of my kingdom now!!!!"
     But Jesus pointed His finger at him and said, "You are a liar and the father of lies!  I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  I AM the Alpha and Omega.  I AM the same yesterday, today, and forever.  I AM the Lamb that was slain for the sins of all people, everywhere, for all time.  And whoever believes in Me and calls on My Name will be saved from you!  I AM the Creator and you are the creature.  You will henceforth be reserved in chains in the darkness and fire until the Judgement: humiliated, defeated, powerless.  You thought you were killing me, but I laid down my life willingly to take the Punishment that no one has to accept anymore!  See, I hold in my hands the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and I'm setting my people free!"  Then Jesus took everyone that satan had prisoner with Him to Paradise that very day!
     The LORD Jesus Himself has bridged the gap between His Paradise and your personal hell.  He loves you, so much that He gave His life as the payment of your sins and redeemed you from satan's clutches.  Will you accept this free gift?  It's up to you.  He loves you!  If you would like to be set free from your personal hell, and the lies that satan has whispered in your ears, you can be set FREE too!
     1)  Realize that we are all sinners and have served satan in one way or another and have not known the Truth of GOD's Love.
     2)  Believe that Jesus was GOD's only Son and that His death on the cross took the place of your punishment.  It is a free gift from Him to you.  He cares for you personally and individually.
     3)  Call on Jesus, and confess your belief!  Pray right now: "Jesus, I know now that I am a sinner and need to be saved from myself and satan.  I believe that you died for my sins.  Thank you for forgiving my sins and come into my heart and mt life right now and give me a new mind and heart to follow You.  Make my life brand new.  Thank you for setting me free from the lies of the enemy!  Direct me in my daily decisions so I can turn from sin.  Thank you for bringing me peace and giving me joy!  Thank you for hearing my prayer and saving me today!
     4)  Tell someone you are a new person!  Find a full gospel church to fellowship in and make new friends.  The old ones will pull you down.  Pick up an English Standard Bible and start with the Gospel of John.  Then read Psalms and Proverbs.  The more you read, the more you'll grow.  And the more you will learn.  In this day and age even some so-called churches are in error in some form or fashion and only relying on the written Word of GOD can give you the truth.  satan still spreads half-truths and you need to know the truth so you know when you are being confronted with a counterfeit.