Christ nullified death and made it of none effect through His death on the cross

In Matthew 12:38-41 we have a very interesting story, where the scribes and the Pharisees come to the Lord Jesus seeking a sign, a miracle, and the Lord tells them that the only sign He can give them is the sign of Jonah.

Today people are seeking for signs and miracles, and many religions boast in their miracles.

The Muslims boast in the prophet Mohamed riding on a white flying horse in a dream on his way to Jerusalem, the Catholic church talks about the house of Mary being borne by an angel all the way to Rome, and the Rabbi’s teach the Jewish people many miracles that happened in their history…

But the Lord Jesus told us that there’s ONLY ONE miracle or sign He can give people: the sign of Jonah!

Is this just “the story of the big fish”? No, it is so much more. The Son of Man was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights!

In this sign we see something related to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection – with many implications and rich meanings! This whole week we will spend just enjoying and exploring “The Sign of Jonah”, since Christ is the Greater Jonah!

Christ nullified death through the cross

The Lord Jesus partook of the blood and flesh, having the likeness of the flesh of sin, and through death He destroyed him who has the might of death, the devil (Rom. 6:6). Through His death on the cross Christ nullified death, making it of none effect (Heb. 2:14; 2 Tim. 1:10).

Through the death of Christ, death’s sting has been pulled, and now – even though it still exists – death is sterilized, detoxified, and has no more poison! In His death Christ destroyed the one who has the might of death and He nullified death, causing it to lose its power, its sting, and its poison!

He caused death to be inoperative, to lose its effectiveness and its force, and now death has no more influence and power on us! We are NOT afraid of death because death has lost its power through the death of Christ!

On the one hand death is STILL HERE, operating in us until the Lord will return to finally throw it in the lake of fire, but on the other hand as believers in Christ we should NOT be afraid of death – death has lost its sting, its power, and is of no effect! Hallelujah!

Christ through death destroyed the devil

Right after man’s fall, God pronounced the sentence: the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent on the head, and the serpent will bruise his heel (Gen. 3:15). The Lord Jesus came as the seed of the woman, as prophesied in Isa. 7:14, fulfilled in Matt. 1:23 and confirmed in Gal. 4:4.

Now this is a fact: Christ as the seed of the woman destroyed Satan on the cross, and Satan bruised His heel (nailed His feet to the cross – Psa. 22:16).

Rom. 8:3 tells us that Christ put on the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, and He condemned sin in the flesh. Why did Christ take on “the likeness of the flesh of sin”?

First of all, Christ never had sin in Himself, He never sinned, and all He took upon Himself was the likeness of the flesh of sin. He was the fulfillment of the brass serpent raised up by Moses in the wilderness, which was in the form of the serpent biting the Israelites but it didn’t have its poison.

Christ on the cross did not only deal with sin but with all things related to sin!

Sin is the nature of Satan, and in Rom. 7 we see that sin is Satan personified, having power over us by dwelling in our flesh.

In Christ, Satan had nothing – no way, no hope, no ground in anything.

But when Christ went to the cross, He took the flesh, the likeness of the flesh of sin, and that sin has something to do with Satan! Christ took the flesh on the cross and crucified it – when the flesh was crucified, the head of the serpent was bruised!

Satan thought, YESSS! NOW, I can get Christ and kill Him on the cross, and terminate Him! But guess what – BOOOOM! Satan got trapped on the cross and Christ destroyed the devil, annulling death and making it of none effect! Wow, how wonderful!

This One was prophesied of and He came as the seed of the woman and as the brass serpent, and He bruised Satan’s head, destroying him and annulling his power on the cross! Hallelujah!

NOW: the corporate seed of the woman!

There is a very good footnote in Genesis 3:15 in the Recovery Version, and since it is not online I want to quote part of it – especially the part concerning the corporate seed of the woman!

Christ is the First One who was the Seed of the Woman, and we can be the many overcomers who are one with Him to be the corporate seed of the woman!

… Ultimately, the seed of the woman is enlarged to include the overcoming believers, the stronger part of God’s people, signified by the man-child in Revelation 12:5 (see footnote 2 there). The man-child, the corporate seed of the woman, includes the Lord Jesus, the individual seed of the woman. Psalm 2:8-9, Revelation 2:26-27, and Revelation 12:5 indicate that the Lord Jesus as God’s Anointed, the overcomers in the churches, and the man-child will rule the nations with an iron rod, thus proving that the Lord Jesus, the overcomers, and the man-child are one. The Lord as the leading Overcomer (Rev. 3:21) is the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the man-child, and the man-child as the following overcomers is the Lord’s Body. (Gen. 3:15, footnote 3)

How wonderful! I am looking forward to get deeper into the truths in the entire Scriptures concerning the Type of Jonah, and Christ as the Greater Jonah. As Christians, this is the only sign or miracle that we have – the sign of Jonah.

May the Lord open our eyes more to see the deeper significance and the hidden meaning of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Lord Jesus, we praise You for Your death and resurrection! Open our eyes to see what happened in the divine and mystical realm when You were crucified. Hallelujah, You destroyed the devil and annulled death! Death has lost its sting, its power, and its effectiveness! We stand with You today, Lord, based on this fact: the seed of the woman has already bruised the head of the serpent! Hallelujah to Jesus!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from brother A. Yu’s sharing in this message and portions in, The Conclusion of the New Testament (msg. 270), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of the Minor Prophets, week 8 (entitled, The Greater Jonah).
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Lord, Thou art the “Seed of woman,” / Born to bruise the enemy; / Thou didst take the human nature, / Die to win the victory.
  # Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring seed, / Bruise in us the serpent’s head; / Adam’s likeness now efface, / Stamp Thine image in its place.
  # He through death destroyed the devil; / Risen now, the Son of Man!