Ever since Jesus died on the cross of Calvary and was placed in the borrowed tomb, men have attempted to disprove that He arose from the grave. In Matthew 27:62-66 we find that the chief priests and the Pharisees were afraid that Jesus’ disciples would steal his body – thus claiming, “He is risen from the dead.” So they requested that armed soldiers be posted outside the tomb. Some have gone so far as to distort the truth by claiming Jesus’ disciples went to the wrong tomb – again in an attempt to nullify His disciples’ claim to His resurrection. Some have also claimed that Jesus did not really die on the cross, in that he recovered after being taken down. Therefore, he just walked out of the tomb.
Now one might logically ask, “Why has so much effort been expended to ‘keep Jesus in the grave’? Why not trust that the Biblical account of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is true?” The answer can be summed up as follows: “Satan will do whatever he can to cover and/or hide the work of Jesus Christ. He continues to beguile [mislead, deceive] man into believing that Jesus was just a mere man; that you and I are not sinners destined for a devil’s hell; that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God; that Jesus Christ is not the Savior of the world; that we do not need to trust in Jesus Christ to save us unto eternal life.” Thus, we can conclude that those who attempt to disprove Jesus’ resurrection and those who reject Jesus Christ as the Son of God the Saviour of the world really are Satan’s servants.
In John 11 we read where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. However, before He did so, He stated to Martha [Lazarus’ sister], “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Martha responded with, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world“. [Cf. John 11:25-27].
On the first day of the week following Jesus’ crucifixion and burial in the borrowed tomb, Mary Magdalene and some other women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. However, the angel of the Lord – who had rolled back the stone from the tomb – proclaimed, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” [Cf. Matthew 28:1-8]. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, the apostle Paul rendered a list of witnesses who had seen the Lord following His resurrection. For the passage states,
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
Now, we ask you to consider the following questions, “Have you repented of your sins, placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ the risen Savior of the world unto God’s salvation [that is, eternal life]?” Or, “Have you allowed yourself to be beguiled by Satan to reject Jesus Christ through your unbelief?” The Scriptures teach that one day you will appear before the Lord. If you trust in Jesus Christ the risen Saviour to save you before you die, you will spend eternity with the Lord. If you reject Jesus Christ the risen Saviour and die in your unbelief, you will spend eternity separated from the Lord. Why not trust in Jesus Christ today?
Romans 10:13 states,
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
