The Victory of Christ!
“Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
1 Tim. 6:15
Dear friends! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
Greetings to you in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ! On behalf of Russian Evangelistic Ministries and the missionary families, I want to greet you with the words: “Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!” Once again, we are celebrating our Savior’s triumph and the beautiful season of Easter!
The wonderful resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ put an end to the total tyranny of death. Christ is raised from the dead to «deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage» (Heb 2:15). In the battle with the enemy, the Son of God cast him down and bruised his head (Gen. 3, 15). Only God could have delivered this victory to mankind! Jesus Christ is the only One who has immortality and life and the victory belongs to Him! He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
All those who have placed their faith in Christ enter into this victory over sin and death, and He has become «the firstborn among many brethren» (Rom. 8:29). Resurrection from the dead and eternal life has become the highest goal of millions of Christians (Phil. 3, 11). However, does Christ’s victory over death have anything to do with the last days into which we are entering?
It has a direct relationship! We read about it in the book of Revelation. Apostle John writes: «And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof» (Rev. 5:4-5).
Before John’s eyes appears the One Who is worthy and has the right, as the Lord and the King, to take the book and to remove the seal. Jesus Christ – the Lion from the tribe of Judah, defeated the prince of this world and deprived him of the right to determine the history of mankind. He is the only One Who has the right to take the book and remove the seal. This means that He, and only He, authorizes the beginning of an apocalyptic scenario that will end the history of the sinful world. The victorious and resurrected Christ not only gives a start to the Great Tribulation events, He in absolute terms will rule over everything that happens until the last second and then in eternity. And this is the result of His triumphant victory and resurrection! Truly, He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
This great biblical truth should comfort us, encourage us, and give our souls peace. The resurrected Lord reigns over everything and everything takes place according to His will. Towards His Church, towards His beloved, He is very gentle, because the Church «is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all» (Eph. 1:23).
For us, His followers, the Great Commission of our Lord remains in effect: « Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen» (Matt 28:19-20).
The victorious and resurrected Lord promised to stay until the end of the age with those who do not forget the sacred calling of all Christians to evangelize.
Dear friends, I wish you a Happy Easter! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
With love in Christ,
Rev. Vladimir A. Okhotin
REM’s Founder & President
2020-2-en
