By Obinna Ejianya (9News Nigeria – Melbourne, Australia)
By divine design, it has become inevitably mandatory that everything that is living, including human beings, must die at some point in time. Death leads to an end, but resurrection brings about a changed newness, a better look and appearance. When a seed is buried, it dies, and that seems like the end of it. But if it happens to come back to life, it does not remain a seed—it transforms into a tree, which has glory, beauty, and even multiplies into countless other seeds. In the same way, when a man dies, that is the end of him in this life. But if he ever resurrects, there is no way such a man will remain the same—he appears in a better glory.
For man, resurrection to a better glory is in Christ. That is why the Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17. If anyone is in Christ, even when he dies on this earth and is buried, he still resurrects with Christ to a better glory and appearance, just like the seed of the Son of God. The Bible says that we shall appear like Jesus in glory: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” — 1 John 3:2.
If any man believes in Christ, he will live forever. Though he dies, he will still live forever in Christ, just as Christ died and still lives—King forever and ever. “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” — Psalm 45:6, Hebrews 1:8.
When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He began by calling God, “Our Father who art in heaven,” and prayed that “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” — Matthew 6:9-10.
Jesus Christ lived as a pure man like us on this earth, but His death and resurrection ushered in a new order that established the real Kingdom of God on earth, just as it is in heaven.
We now have a new order of life, peace, joy, freedom, light, and every other goodness according to God’s original plan for man. Man was created to remain in fellowship with God even while on earth, to be like the hosts of heaven and the angels who are with God in heaven. But the fall of the first man through sin truncated God’s plan and removed man from God’s glory, which flows freely from heaven.
But God, by His infinite wisdom and righteous power, through Christ, restored everything and made His plan stand again forever and ever. As it is written, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” — Psalm 33:11.
The question now is this: man still wants to remain in his old ways—in the old order, which is the order of law, bondage, sin, eternal death, darkness, and fear. These things are the opposite of what Jesus Christ brought to the earth through His death and resurrection. Through His sacrifice, He destroyed the power of death, and the key to hell was taken from Satan and handed over to Christ. “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” — Revelation 1:18.
The light came, but people chose darkness instead of light. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” — John 3:19. How can we reject the light and remain in darkness, living in the old order and bondage to evil and ungodliness? How can we say we want to go backward instead of moving forward?
It is like making a journey of 10,000 miles and continuing to walk toward your destination, even after aircraft and machines meant for such long journeys have been invented. You still insist on walking to your destination. It’s like when electricity has been invented, yet you say, “I want to stick to my old ways,” and continue using wood and stones to produce light—or even remain in darkness. It’s like when telephones and the internet have been invented, yet you insist on walking to deliver messages by shouting, even when your audience is in another country. It’s like when the technology of making clothes has been developed, yet you want to cover your body with leaves. Or when there is a new, modern way of building houses, but you still choose to continue living in mud and dirt houses.
There is now a new era, and we must embrace it. We must throw away the old way that leads to ungodliness, all manner of evil, eternal death, darkness, and backwardness.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” — John 14:6. He also said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” — John 8:12.
But refusal of the light leaves man still wallowing in darkness, and no one stays in darkness and bears good fruit. “He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.” (John 12:35b)
We must embrace the new divine order and live and operate in light, freedom, power and glory. – We must choose civilisation over barbarism and other primitive ways.
It is a new dawn—a new order. “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” — Isaiah 60:1.
Happy Easter—Christ is risen! 🙌
By Obinna Ejianya (9News Nigeria – Melbourne, Australia)
