welcome home.

By Pastor Johnie Akers

In the early hours following the 1948 presidential election, newspapers rushed to print a headline declaring that Thomas E. Dewey had defeated the incumbent, Harry S. Truman. It looked certain. It sounded official. It was printed in bold ink for the world to see. But it was wrong. Before all the votes were counted, the story had already been written. The next day, Truman held up that now-famous paper with a smile, exposing the error. What had been reported as fact was nothing more than premature and false.  In today’s terms, we would call that “fake news.”

Something similar unfolded in the first century. Many believed the Messiah would come to restore Israel’s political power and reign like David or Solomon. Even Jesus’ own followers struggled with this expectation. On the road to Emmaus, they confessed their disappointment: “We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel” (Luke 24:21). From their perspective, the cross was the end of the story. Their hopes had been nailed to a Roman tree.

But they had read the headlines too soon.

Jesus was not merely a teacher or a prophet—He was God manifested in the flesh, come to reconcile sinful humanity to a holy God. He healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sinners, and brought hope to the hopeless. Yet His enemies twisted His words, mocked His identity, and condemned Him as a blasphemer. They scourged Him, crowned Him with thorns, and nailed Him to a cross. When He breathed His last and was laid in a borrowed tomb, it appeared that darkness had won.

Hell rejoiced. The disciples fled. The religious leaders celebrated the headlines: “Christ Defeated.” But it was fake news.

The truth is revealed in 1 Corinthians 2:8: “For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” What looked like defeat was actually the greatest victory ever accomplished. The cross was not the end—it was the turning point. The grave was not permanent—it was only temporary.

On that third day, the earth shook, the stone rolled away, and Jesus rose in triumph. The real headline was finally revealed: “Christ Defeated Death and Hell.”

And that truth still speaks today.

If the enemy is telling you that your situation is hopeless, it’s fake news. If fear declares that you will never recover, never overcome, never rise again—it’s fake news. God has not finished writing your story. The votes are not all counted. The headline is not final.

The same God who turned the cross into victory is still changing headlines. What looks like defeat today may very well become tomorrow’s testimony. Wait for the final report—because with God, victory always has the last word.