Jesus: God, King, Judge

Much was settled when Jesus died that day;
The race was ransomed, their debt fully paid;
Yet, on He went, to conquer death's iron sway,
Leaving us no reason to be afraid!
He still was not done: To heaven He rose;
Was crowned King; given glory and power
To rule the universe, e'en as He chose;
And to judge all men, at time's final hour!
How now, Satan! You owned the souls of men;
It seemed you had Him, hamging on the tree,
But your 'triumph' turned into ashes when
He rolled the stone away and walked out free!
Sing! Hosts of heaven and redeemed He won;
Praise, honor and glory, for what He's done!

The fact that Jesus was resurrected from death is the linchpin of Christianity. Paul said, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Cor. 15:14) The unbelieving world began at once a relentless campaign to prevent the truth of the resurrection by posting Roman guards at the tomb the very first night; nevertheless, Jesus came back to life, rolled the hugs stone away from the entrance, and walked away without their knowledge. They saw or heard nothing. Despite 2000 years of unabated attempts to refute the truth, no proof of falsehood has ever been presented; on the other hand, much evidence of its truth has been revealed.

"After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them..." (Acts 1:3-4a)

Paul said that He was seen by as many as 500 people (remember that Paul was there as a Pharisee named Saul, a rabid antagonist, at the time Jesus was showing Himself alive). Apostle Thomas was permitted to touch Jesus on the scars of nails in His hands and feet and spear wound in His side. Many saw Jesus leave the earth from the Mount of Olives and ascend to heaven.

"In my vision I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, glory and universal power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

There can be little doubt that the "son of man" Daniel is describing in his vision is Jesus, for "son of man" was His favorite title for Himself. He used it 81 times in His words on earth, far more than any other. He surely wanted His Jewish listeners to link Him to this Old Testament prophesy. The prophesy describes what happened to Him upon His arrival back in heaven. The "Ancient of Days" refers to the Father, who crowned Jesus King and gave Him all authority, in essence turning all the powers of God over to Him. This is the mystery of the Trinity; remember , Jesus was with God from the beginning; He was Creator of the world and man; and He and the Father are one (See John 1:1; 14:9). He will judge men and angels at the end of the age, sitting on the white throne. He deserves every person's total love, praise, and gratitude, and all glory!

He rolled the stone away and walked out free!