Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it. Acts 2:24
Remember how the Lord Jesus was warned against the opening of Lazarus’ grave because of the stench of decomposition. That was never an issue when the Lord Jesus was in Joseph’s tomb, because, unlike Lazarus, He was entirely without sin, so His body could never see corruption. Remember how Martha told Jesus that her dead brother would rise again in the resurrection at the last day (John 11:24). And if Jesus had not stepped into the situation, Lazarus would be still awaiting that resurrection. But that could not happen with the Lord Jesus when He was buried. As He told Martha, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’. As our text declares, death could not hold him. And eventually, death will not be able to hold His people either.
We all have to accept that we are dying. Those of us with grey and/or little hair and creaky joints know it won’t be much longer. Those of you who are young don’t really grasp the reality of your mortality. I know; a short time ago I was young and oblivious to the certainty of dying. But unless we are taken to be with the Lord by way of the Rapture, we must die. Does that sound final and fatalistic? Oh, but for us Christians, death has lost that bitter sting. Death may seem inevitable, but it is not final. While we live, we have the hope of the Rapture and avoiding death altogether. If we die, we know that, like the apostle Paul could say, we will be with Christ, which is far better (Philippians 1:23).
It was never possible for death to hold the Lord Jesus. And it will not be possible for death to hold us for long either. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/6tYPlA-imiM