The Easter Apocalypse and the Resurrection Pandemic
Notes
Transcript
What images come to mind when you think of the end of the world?
What images come to mind when you think of the end of the world?
Earthquakes? Wars? Hurricanes? Floods? Aliens? Zombies? Judgment Day? Pandemics, perhaps?
Perhaps you’re used to thinking of the Apocalypse being in the future. Maybe you feel like it’s upon us right now!
But I would like to suggest that the apocalypse was a historical event: it’s already happened!
The period between Good Friday and Easter is nothing short of the apocalypse!
The period between Good Friday and Easter is nothing short of the apocalypse!
At Jesus’ crucifixion:
Darkness covered the whole land in the middle of the day
The curtain of the Temple was torn from top to bottom
People rose from the dead and appeared to their families
An earthquake shook so that even rocks were split
While Jesus hung on that cross, the Apocalypse, the end of the world itself began. Jesus was bearing the full brunt of God’s Judgment against sin on himself.
Jesus dies and he storms the gates of hell like John Wayne bursting into a saloon
Jesus gobbles up Satan like Godzilla terrorizing the people of Tokyo
Jesus blows away sin and death like Luke Skywalker blows up the Death Star
And on the third day, and a great, apocalyptic earthquake splits open the tomb of Jesus and a violently-bright angel sits victoriously on the stone!
Jesus’ resurrection was apocalyptic
Jesus’ resurrection was apocalyptic
Sometimes folks think that Jesus’ resurrection was not a physical resurrection but a resurrection “in our hearts”
Sometimes folks think that Jesus died on the cross and rose straight into heaven and they think that’s what resurrection is
Friends, dying and going to heaven is not what the Bible calls “resurrection”
And Jesus’ resurrection was not like the resurrection of Lazarus, who rose only to die again
No, on that Easter morning, the women who met the risen Jesus touched the feet of the first human being who rose from the dead who could never die again!
Jesus’ resurrection wasn’t just spiritual, or a movement, or a feeling, or a phantom, or soul into heaven
Jesus was as dead as a turkey on Thanksgiving; his body was cold and stiff and getting smelly
And he rose physically, in the same body that was crucified, and he walked the earth for 40 days and he appeared to over 500 people! He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God!
Jesus’ resurrection was apocalyptic because in Jesus, humanity regained immortality and coronated Christ as the crucified, cosmic King! Easter is the apocalypse early!
Jesus accomplished the apocalypse on Easter, but what does that mean for us?
Jesus accomplished the apocalypse on Easter, but what does that mean for us?
Look what Jesus is quick tell the women on that Easter morning:
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Jesus sends the women to spread the news of Easter! Easter is the apocalypse, but it’s not just Jesus doing a cool trick. On Easter, Jesus begins the resurrection of all creation.
We have become very familiar with the word “pandemic” lately. We’ve all become experts on how pandemics spread and go global with terrifying speed and ease—
and I’d like to steal that word to us for something good.
Easter is not just a one-time apocalyptic event, but when Jesus rises from his grave, he unleashes the good, life-giving pandemic that we call “Resurrection”
Jesus sends the women to spread the Resurrection Pandemic that would start with the disciples and take the world by storm
The Resurrection Pandemic spreads in ways much more advanced than any virus; rather than through droplets and germs, Resurrection spreads through spoken Words, baptismal water, and bread and wine
Resurrection is highly contagious; it can travel through words on a page, Facebook live, through pictures, languages, and even windows of stained glass
Resurrection is condition where the infected person is given eternal life, even while they still have a mortal body
Resurrection is condition where the infected person is given eternal life, even while they still have a mortal body
Once infected, it swells up into an eternal, physical body that never dies, doesn’t feel pain, has immunity to every disease and injury, and is not even capable of sin
The Resurrection Pandemic contaminates relationships, so that when Jesus returns all wrongs will be made right, relationships restored, and families reunited.
And Resurrection wreaks havoc on creation itself, so that the whole world becomes infected with the life-giving restoration-power of Jesus
Jesus will come back again one day, and he will reign physically as King on Planet Earth.
The Resurrection Pandemic will reach full peak at His second coming, and Planet Earth will be the capital planet in all the cosmos because Earth will become Planet Jesus.
All of creation will out-perfect and out-shine even the Garden of Eden. Resurrection Cities under the reign of Christ will tower over what the Garden of Eden ever was.
Friends, Easter is the epicenter of a pandemic where Jesus brings to bear his resurrection power on the whole world and spreads through the wonderful germ of his Word.
Satan knows no cure against the pandemic power of the Resurrection and nothing can contaminate its promises!
The Resurrection Pandemic is the eucatastrophe, the good catastrophe, that crushes the world’s curse, and it is inevitable!
Friends, the Easter Apocalypse is for you.
Friends, the Easter Apocalypse is for you.
We live in a time of fear, and this life has plenty to be afraid of: pain and injury and disease and death.
Fear is an all-too-familiar feeling in our day, and there’s plenty to fear: tragedy strikes, loved ones die, and the news seems to only get worse.
But the Easter Apocalypse and the Resurrection Pandemic changes the equation.
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Fear may still exist, but Easter means that GREAT JOY now accompanies it. For the Christian, fear is never alone! The Resurrection Pandemic takes hold!
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
As Christians, we set our minds on things above: that Christ reigns and that he has defeated death. Sin and death on earth right now no longer define reality! We fear, but fear doesn’t extinguish our GREAT JOY!
For us, Coronavirus becomes a tickle, caskets become rentals, and death becomes a good night’s sleep.
Dear Christian, don’t let Satan rob you of your joy! The Devil is defeated!
Remember: the Easter Apocalypse has changed the world, and the Resurrection Pandemic runs rampant.
Alleluia, Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed! Amen.