I want to show you some things that happened. Number one, there was an earthquake. Number two, the stone rolled back - so this is a supernatural thing, it's a huge boulder that was put in front, and sealed with the Roman Army seal. It was rolled back, just immediately like that. Here's the third thing that happened; Jesus rose. He rose. His body was completely changed. Now I want you to see something else. Go back to where we were in Verse 52 of the previous chapter; the graves were opened, and many bodies of the Saints who had fallen asleep were raised from the dead, and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, went into this holy city and appeared to many.
Now I want you to see what has happened now. Now there's another massive great earthquake, and something God is demonstrating, that death no longer has victory. He showed first of all that the devil no longer has the power, sin no longer has the power; but now He's demonstrating death no longer has victory and power. How do we know that? Because not only did Jesus rise from the dead. His body transformed completely, but also - notice this - many who were in the graves. That's bones of people who died through history. He probably - since it says many, and not everyone - it means God selected out of those who were dead, those people who had honoured Him in their lifetime; and at that point when Jesus rose from the dead, they also arose.
Now if all that's left of you is dead bones, you have to have His resurrection body; so not only did Jesus rise from the dead, but a whole company of people also arose from the dead. Now get this - they went into the city of Jerusalem, and began to appear to people, and talk with people. Now that is really freaky. That is really something else. Jesus is demonstrating for us that resurrection is not just about Jesus' resurrection from the dead. It's God's plan to raise all mankind out of this place of death, to free us from living afraid of the future, afraid of death, and to impart to us life.
Here's the amazing thing. The Bible says in Romans 8:11, it says: now the same spirit, that raised Jesus from the dead, has come to live inside you. When you become a believer, and a follower of Christ, He puts His spirit inside you. The Holy Spirit of God is the spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, that changed His body, and made it a glorious body. It's the same spirit that worked on those bones in the grave, reassembled them, put flesh on them, and they came to life; resurrected people, and went back into the city of Jerusalem to appear. After, when Jesus ascended to heaven, no doubt they all ascended with Him into heaven - so by this God gives a powerful witness of these things; number one, the devil is defeated. His power has been taken away. You don't need to live in fear, or in bondage to any demonic spirit. Number two, sin has been answered for at the cross. We don't need to live in sin. We don't need to live in bondage. We don't need to live bound to any habit, any addiction, any kind of thing; and three, death has lost its power, because if you are a believer in Christ, there's an absolute certainty of a resurrection, just like those men had.
For all of us, there is a life beyond the grave. The Bible's very, very clear. Life goes on after the point we call death. It goes on into another realm called the realm of the spirit. There is no need for any person to be afraid of death, to live in bondage to sin or demonic powers, because Christ has won the victory. How do we make it ours? It's through your believing. It's through your believing.