The most fearsome enemy of man is death. Death implies a certain fear. The Bible says that "the sting of death is sin", and from the day the first couple put their son in a grave (Abel), people have feared death. It is the great mysterious monster whose long frozen fingers make you tremble with terror.
Death is between the rich and the poor, the educated and the ignorant. Death does not distinguish race, color or creed. Its shadows lurk day and night. We never know when the dreaded moment will come.
Many wonder: Is there any hope? Is there an escape door? Is there a possibility of immortality?
The answer to these questions is not in science, much less in philosophy in psychology. The answer is found in the "empty tomb of José Arimetea". It was there that Mary, Mary Magdalene and Salome had gone to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ crucified. They had been surprised to see the empty tomb. An angel stood by the grave and said: "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene." Then he added: "He has risen, he is not here."
Since then, this has been the best news the world has heard. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, as He had promised!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the primordial truth of the Christian faith. She rests at the very root of the gospel. Without a faith in the resurrection there can be no personal salvation. The Bible says: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." We have to believe this, or we can never be saved.
This is the great victory over death. The hope of the believer is that "the same one who raised Jesus from the dead will also resurrect those who sleep in Christ and will transform the believers who are alive at the time of his coming in the clouds".