Why can a death 2,000 years ago affect us today?
A death 2,000 years ago can affect us today because time means nothing to God; He is just as aware of believers now as He was then. When we believe, we identify with Christ's death, and as He was resurrected, we are raised to new life.
Les explains that to the Creator God, 2,000 years is only a snap of the finger. Time means nothing to God, so He is just as aware of us today as He was in His own time or in the time of Adam. The Holy Spirit convicts us that we are sinners, sons of Adam, and that the gospel is the only remedy. When we believe, we identify with the death of Christ even though it was 2,000 years ago. As He was buried, signifying complete death, and then resurrected, we also are resurrected to that new life. Paul is talking about this, and the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will also quicken our mortal bodies.