The Resurrection and Remembering Daniel William Cruver, II

Earlier today my brother Stephen sent me this picture of his three children kneeling down beside Daniel’s grave. Melissa and I can hardly believe he died three years ago tomorrow (Saturday). One portion of Scripture I have meditated on the past few weeks to put our experience with Daniel in its proper perspective is the second half of Colossians 1:18. “Jesus is the beginning, the first born from the dead.” It's significant that just a few verses earlier Paul stated that “Jesus is the firstborn of all creation” in that it is by him that all things were created (Colossians 1:15-16). Verse 18 tells us that Christ is not only “the firstborn of creation” but also “the firstborn from the dead.” He is not only the one by whom all things were created at the beginning. Christ is also the one through whom all of his people will some yet future day be resurrected from the dead. In other words, Christ is also the one through whom the saints will experience re-creation when they are bodily raised from the dead. Daniel’s resurrection life is now hidden with the resurrected Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). But when the resurrected and exalted Christ, who is Daniel’s life, appears, then he also will appear with Christ in glory. When that day comes, Daniel’s currently hidden resurrection life will no longer be hidden. His lowly body which now rests in a South Carolina grave will be transformed to be like the resurrected Christ’s body of glory (Philippians 3:20-21). So as we think about the death of our son tomorrow, we will seek to set our minds on things above, that is, where “the firstborn from the dead” is, seated at the right hand of God(Colossians 3:1).