He has Risen!

Okay, now the happier post. The purpose of the suffering (read the Suffering post first).

Alleluia! (that word has a lot of 'l's)
He has overcome death, beat the devil, and opened the gates of Heaven for us. (some secret password...I for sure would have never gotten through it).

Sooo...I could try to go on all about Jesus rising, and us rising...well, now that I wrote that I think I briefly may...since something came up.

I found out yesterday (Saturday) that someone I know died on Friday (along with Jesus I guess). He wasn't very old, middle-age I guess... someone who I saw every couple months or so. I hadn't seen him too long ago, only a couple weeks, and he seemed to be doing fine (he was recovering from a car accident a few months prior, but other than that he was doing 'normal'). But all so sudden...you know? I'm not even sure where I'm going here...I'm just completely putting down any sort of 'writing' shield I'm just typing out some thoughts here (not that that's not what I normally do...but I do attempt to have some clarity of thought). [sorry to throw this in the Easter post.] But during our Easter Vigil, and thinking about Jesus's death and resurrection, I thought of our own resurrection that came out of His. We shall rise again.

Death is not empty. I mean, why would it be? People really believe that we just go through our lives and then die and that's it? nothing? that's depressing. But I suppose that is why death is depressing to us. Okay, yes, death is very sad...it is a suffering...but only for us who have not lived through death...who have not passed. We mourn for ourselves...it's sad cause...we're left behind. It can also be sad when a person wasn't ready...but that isn't for us to determine. We just need to keep ourselves always ready, for the thief in the night. That way, when it comes, we may resurrect with Jesus, and we may celebrate our deaths.

Think about what dies. Our earthly bodies (which if our wait to pass is long, are old and wrinkly anyway) die, but only to gain new invincible, immortal, everlasting bodies.

"What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39"- 1 Corinthians 15:36-39

...we are just the seeds of our next bodies...

"The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."-1 Corinthians 15:42-44

"I, I'm invincible
I'm indestructible
It's my destiny

I, I'm invincible
I'm unshakeable
Through the truth in my soul

You know you just can't kill a man when he's dead
You know the spirit survives (invincible)
You can't stop the advance of the Kingdom to come
You know the truth is alive (invincible)

To be invincible
Is unattainable
Without sacrifice

Feel, feel the birth inside
The life that cannot die
Are you invincible
...
You know you can't kill a man when he's dead." ~"Invincible" by Skillet

[Sorry about the tangent. I heard this song as I read that Scripture, and like I said- I've dropped my shield that would usually stay a tad more focused]

But what else dies when we die? Our pride. I mean, we still may have some form of reputation, but people can say 'whatever' about us...the impression we've made is done. We can't exactly 'fight back' with our nasty prides. We're in complete humility.

Weakness dies. Our sin dies. Once in Heaven, we no longer are tempted to sin. We no longer fall. We are no longer weak- but invincible.

Suffering dies. Through Jesus's suffering and death, and then after passing through our own- suffering and death die themselves once and for all for us. We no longer suffer in Heaven, and there is no death. We rise from our deaths, because Christ rose from His.

He has risen indeed!