It seems so counter-intuitive that a dying man could conquer death. Wouldn't such a One be considered, instead, a victim of death?

The difference between our Lord and every other man is that He became Sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). What is the effect of Sin? We need only look to the Garden of Eden. When Adam sinned, He brought mortality to the race. Thus, the result of sin is death. Because death is so closely associated with sin, I contend to you that not only did our Lord become Sin, but He also became Death, that is, the dying process covered Him (tormented Him) more than any other man.

In the law of leprosy (Leviticus 13), when the disease buds upon a man's flesh, that man is considered unclean and is separated from the community. When the leprosy buds to its extremity, however, and covers the ENTIRE man, then that man is declared by the priest to be CLEAN. How could this possibly be? Because the disease has exhausted itself and can do no more harm.

On the cross, our Lord became as the leprous man in that death assaulted Him and covered Him completely in a way that no human had ever experienced it. (God passed over the full sin-effect [death; Romans 3:25) in past generations because no human in history up to that point could bear the FULL effect of Sin, that is, the full terrors of mortality.) Satan unleashed every agony that death could hold upon Christ. Thus, subsequent to the attack upon Him, death could do no more. Satan bet everything on this. As long as Jesus Christ stayed dead, then Satan's plan to engage every weapon upon Him would have been successful. All of us would then die and stay dead. But we know what happened.

After three days, our Lord rose from the dead. Thus, not even EVERYTHING DEATH COULD DO, could hold Him in its grasp. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, therefore, death could do no more. It had lost its sting. We still die, yes, but death holds no more terrors and no more sting because it exhausted its power upon the only Man able to bear it. And He did this FOR OUR SAKES.

Thus is demonstrated the righteousness of God, and the love of God.