Listen to the voice of the One who once lay in a borrowed tomb, now speaking with the thunder of eternity. Jesus identifies Himself not with human strength or earthly titles, but with a paradox that defines the gospel: “I was dead… and behold, now I am alive forever.” That one word—behold—calls us to stop and stare, to consider this wonder with reverence. He was dead. Truly. Not faint, not sleeping, but dead. And now? Alive, glorified, eternal.

Revelation 1:18 (BSB) records the words of the risen Christ:
“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.”

As dying, and behold, He lives (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:9). This is more than poetic—it is the bedrock of Christian hope. The cross was not the end. It was the turning point. What seemed like defeat was divine design. The Son of God submitted to death—not by force, but by love. And then, on the third day, He rose—not as a ghost, but as the Firstborn from the dead. Alive in body. Glorious in power. Never to die again.

And now, He says, “I hold the keys.” Death is no longer the master—it is mastered. Hades is no longer the gatekeeper—Christ is. What once terrified men now bows before the Living One. The final enemy has been disarmed by the pierced and risen King.

This verse reminds us that the glory of Christ shines most brightly through the path of suffering. He was dead—as dying, rejected, beaten, crucified. The world turned its face. Hell thought it had triumphed. But behold—He lives. Not merely returned, but reigning. Not only alive, but holding the keys. The suffering Servant is now the Sovereign Lord.

And this changes everything. For those in Christ, the fear of death is broken. Because He lives, we who follow Him shall live also (John 14:19). The Christian life may look like dying—daily surrender, loss, weakness—but behold, it is laced with resurrection power. We die with Him, that we may also live with Him.

Have you grasped that? Not just that He lived, but that He died—and rose—and still lives? Are you trusting Him not only in your joy, but in your trials, in your losses, even in the face of death? Because the tomb is empty, and Christ is holding the keys.

Let the world say what it will. Let it count us as dying. We know better. Behold, He lives.

Cross References:
2 Corinthians 6:9 – “as dying, and yet we live on…”
Romans 6:9 – “We know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again…”
John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”