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. It has also been purported that Jesus’ disciples went to the wrong tomb – again in an attempt to nullify their claim to his resurrection. Some have even alleged 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 Saviour of the world and 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, Mary Magdalene and some other women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. However, the angel of the Lord who rolled back the stone from the tomb proclaimed, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come and see the place the Lord lay.” [Cf. Matthew 18:1-8]. 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.”
Revelation 1:18 clearly speaks of the resurrected Christ,
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
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 His salvation [that is, eternal life]?” Or, “Have you allowed yourself to be beguiled by Satan to reject Jesus Christ through your unbelief?” Remember, one day we will all 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?
