Every year, at Easter, we commemorate and celebrate the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This write-up aims at unveiling the mystery behind the power of His resurrection so believers will have a better understanding of why they celebrate and what encounters to expect.
In Mark 16:1-8, the Bible says:
‘’And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.’’
That Jesus rose from the dead is a historical fact… a fact that cannot be denied. The grave could not hold him down because God would never allow His Holy One to see corruption in the grave. (Psalm 16:10)
It is not fiction and certainly not the imagination of men.
Do you know, people of God, that the enemy has been fighting since the days of Christ to refute the fact of the resurrection?
In Matthew 28:11-15, the Bible says:
‘’Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.’’
Who would you believe? The report of those who dispute the resurrection, or the report of eye-witnesses of the resurrection?
In Acts 4:20, the Apostles said:
‘For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’
Should we then believe the report of someone who was born several centuries after the resurrection of Christ or the report of the eyewitnesses of his resurrection, reports which are carefully documented in the Word of God?
In Acts 1:1-4, the Bible further confirms the events after the resurrection:
‘The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.’
Infallible proofs relate to the reality of his resurrection; the evidence of undeniable manifestations.
Here is the Biblical perspective of the power that raised Jesus from the dead.
In Ephesians 1:15-19, the Bible says:
‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,’
The Bible makes it clear that the resurrection of Christ is the ultimate demonstration of the exceeding greatness of God’s power.
Human wisdom, philosophy, science… even the denial of others cannot refute this fact. The resurrection is the ultimate expression of the great power of God.
Not only did Christ rise from the dead, but he also showed himself to many after his resurrection.
In Matthew 27:51-53, the Word of God declares:
‘And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
The graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints that slept arose from the grave. They also appeared to many.’
The question we should ask is this: Did the saints that arose go back to the grave? The answer is no. If they went back to the grave, that means that death has not been defeated. They rose from the grave forever!
So, what encounters should we expect this season? Remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has not changed.
We should expect an encounter with this great power at Easter. In Rom 8:11, the Word of God declares:
‘But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.’
The Holy Ghost that is indwelling, the Bible says it is a Spirit that can quicken. The word ‘quicken’ means to give life, to revive,or to make something come alive. The Holy Ghost has the power to give life to our mortal bodies: every tissue, every nerve, every cell and every muscle. The Holy Ghost can quicken them all.
Expect to encounter the power that can open up the grave.
In Matthew 27:52-53, the Word declares:
‘And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.’
The grave represents captivity. This means we should expect freedom from captivity. The ‘grave’ also symbolises limitation. We should expect an encounter with the power that can break every limitation.
We should also expect an encounter with the power that can destroy death.
In 1 Corinthians 15:55, the Bible says:
‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’
The resurrection of Christ is a demonstration of victory over death. It is what assures us of victory over death. In Hebrews 2:14, the Bible says:
‘Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;’
Death, the one that tormented people with the spirit of fear, has been destroyed.
Furthermore, we should expect to encounter the power that illuminates us in His Word.
In Luke 24:27, the Bible says:
‘And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Also in Luke 24:32, the Bible says:
‘And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?’
We must expect supernatural revelation and illumination in the word.
Expect an encounter with the resurrection power that grants the believer victory on every side.
In Matthew 28:18, the Bible says:
‘And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’
When Jesus says all power has been delivered to him, he means power over every situation. Remember: He is the Resurrection and the Life.
Also, expect an encounter with the Power that can supply your needs supernaturally.
In John 21:3-6, the Bible records that Jesus appeared to the disciples whilst they went fishing.
‘Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
Then Jesus saith unto them, ‘Children, have ye any meat?’ They answered him: No.
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.’
He asked them this question: ‘Children, have ye any meat?’ They responded: no.
Jesus instructed them to cast their net on the right side and they caught a multitude of fish.
That is evidence of supernatural supply. This season, expect that God will supply your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
We must expect an encounter with the Power that can usher believers into higher levels of authority by the Holy Ghost.
In Ephesians 1:21, the Bible explains:
‘Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.’
By the resurrection of Christ, we are placed in the heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers.
Finally, here’s what Paul the Apostle said in Philippians 3:10-11:
‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.’
The power of His resurrection guarantees victory for the believers. Victory is our testimony. Death is swallowed up in victory; therefore, according to Jesus, ‘Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
The resurrection of Christ is what guarantees eternal life for all believers. For if Christ did not rise from the dead, our faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14)
Therefore, let us not approach this season without expectations. We are talking of expectations of divine visitations after the order of Acts 1:3.
It is good to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it is better to do so with the expectation of divine visitation.
Bro Ify Onabu
April 2025
