The resurrection—God’s “sting” operation 

In a “sting” operation, law enforcement agents set the bad guy up in order to bring him down. That’s what God did to Satan at the cross. For three day, it seemed as though Satan had won. Then Jesus rose from the dead and turned his plans upside down: “He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them at the cross” (Colossians 2:15 NLT). The thing Satan feared most, the birth of a church with the power to change the world through the gospel, had come to pass. “The rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord” (1 Corinthians 2:8 NLT). Christ’s enemies even tried to stop the truth of the resurrection from getting out: “They decided to give the soldiers a large bribe…‘You must say, “Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body”’…So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say” (Matthew 28:12-15 NLT). Normally hatred for a person ends when they die. So why then do some people hate Jesus? Because the resurrection is the ultimate proof that He is Lord! Indeed, you cannot be saved unless you believe in the resurrection: “For if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10 NKJV).