As a Wikitree Genealogist, one of the things I love most about Wikitree is unlike many other family tree programs it recognizes the importance of people's stories and each profile has space for these and encourages them. The facts are important, Birthdate, birthplace, marriage, death, even occupation but these are dry facts compared to the information and insights we can get about a person from stories about them. Humans are complex. God fully understands this and I believe the Book of Life holds far more than just the dry facts about us all. After all the Bible is full of stories about the patriarchs, which don't just tell the "winners" stories but also there flaws and foibles, and Jesus taught a great deal in parables (stories).

When you look at Jesus own story however, it does not begin with his birth in Bethlehem, it begins in the Old Testament. If you only read the New Testament you miss a wealth of understanding and nuance that come from the fact that he was Jewish and the full meaning of his being the Messiah.

In the Harry Potter series you have to watch all the previous movies or read all the books, not just the last one, to realize why Harry doesn't die permanently at the end. It only makes sense if you understand the deep magical laws that have been established throughout the earlier books/movies. In the Narnia series: Aslan gives up his life for Edmond. As she wields the knife the White Witch stoops down and says to him:

"And now, who has won? Fool, did you think that by all of this you would save the human traitor? Now I will kill you instead of him, as our pact was, and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead, what will prevent me from killing him as well?... - The White Witch, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Narnia Series by C.S.Lewis

Both have 'deep magic' going on in their worlds. Watch what stopped the White Witch in our Lunchtime (Sext) video clip. The Bible is not a fantasy book and we look at it more in terms of mystery and holiness than 'magic' but there are things lurking in its pages that are as unlikely as wizards on broomsticks and talking lions. If we don't ferret them out and understand them we could miss the 'deep magic' God is wielding which makes full sense of what Jesus achieved with his death.

What he achieved is ATONEMENT. As with Aslan he willing sacrificed himself taking our place, to appease the Laws of God, which I tend to think of as Universal Laws. At that point, just like the White Witch, Satan thought he won! But like Aslan, Jesus didn't stay dead! He beat death and gained us a way into Heaven. Is that Good News - I think it is the ultimate Good News.