“He is not here” were the words spoken to the women by the heavenly messenger outside the tomb of Jesus. The truth behind these words is the focal point of the eternal plan of God to save the world. If there is no empty tomb, there is no redemption, no salvation and the gates of heaven are closed to us forever and ever.
I vividly remember these words when they were spoken at the Holy Land Experience Theme Park in Orlando just a few years ago. While that park closed its doors during Covid and has since been demolished, the force of these Biblical words still impacts my soul.
They were spoken at the reenactment of the events surrounding Jesus’ death. He walked toward Golgotha carrying His cross and was lifted up on the cross. At the park, his tomb was below the cross. As the story developed, the time frame shifted to early Sunday morning and the arrival of the empty sepulture. As the program ended, the narrator pointed toward the tomb and invited the audience to come and look inside. As I entered the tomb, it was as I knew it would be, but the force of the words I had heard really impacted me. “Come and see, He is not here.” Profound truth in four words—He is not here!
I do not know if Annas and Caiaphas ever passed by that tomb, but they knew the truth. They had lied about Him and given Him a mockery of a trial, but the truth remained—He is not here. I do not know if those soldiers who were paid to accuse the apostles as being grave robbers ever went by that tomb and knew what they had discovered—He is not here. I do not know how many in that mob who cried out for Him to be crucified ever passed the tomb, but the truth remains—He is not here.
If He were still in the tomb, then death is more powerful than God! There is no salvation and there is no resurrection. There is no hope and life is just a miserable journey ending in annihilation. Life is meaningless, and the Epicureans were right when they said, “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die.” Satisfy every fleshly desire, have no compassion on others and live your own life to the fullest. There is no tomorrow. You are an animal, and there is no God.
“He is not here” changes all of this self-centered philosophy of many Americans today. God is. God is love. God is deeply concerned about us. He is always with us and will never forsake us. He loves us so much He gave His only Son to remove the consequences of sin. He loves us so much he opens the gates of heaven and eternal joy and happiness await is. How can we know this? The answer is, “He is not here.”