Matthew 28:6 - "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
Two British men, Lyttleton and West, set out to disprove Christianity once and for all. Having met to discuss their plans, they decided what each should do to fulfil their task. Lyttleton agreed to study the conversion of Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus; West decided to study the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They would study these topics for a year, then meet again to discuss their findings. They would then show once and for all the hoax of Saul's so-called conversion, and the fraud of Christ's apparent resurrection.
A year came and went. The two met again as planned. Lyttleton revealed his findings - the conversion of Saul of Tarsus had to be real, and Lyttleton himself had converted to Christianity. Then, West showed his conclusion - that the resurrection of Jesus Christ must have occurred as it is written in the Holy Bible, and he too had become a Christian.
The Fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
This subject is similar to other Bible doctrines in the sense that one's opinion regarding its actuality does not alter the fact of its occurrence. I am not debating the fact of Christ's resurrection; I am declaring the fact of His resurrection. Your feelings concerning the matter are completley irrelevant. I am not conducting a poll. I am not hosting a debate. I am declaring what the Bible, the Word of God, says concerning the matter. And, what the Bible declares is the final authority on every issue.
The Prophets Foretold Christ's Resurrection
Psalm 16:10 - "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
Peter quoted this passage in Acts 2:27-31 - "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
Note this - the prophets foretold the birth of Christ - and every detail was fulfilled to perfection. The Old Testament prophets foretold the death of Christ, and every detail occurred exactly as it was written. And the prophets were not wrong in declaring that Christ would rise from the dead. And that is exactly what Jesus Christ did. He died, was buried with the rich, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
Jesus Himself Foretold His Resurrection
In the opening illustration of this post - the story of Lyttleton and West, although they were unsuccessful in disproving Christianity (which no one has been able to do), they were at least on the right track. They knew that if they were to bring Christianity to a screeching halt, they would have to prove that Jesus Christ is still dead, and no one has proven such a claim! True Christians have witnessed the power of a resurrected Saviour numerous times, but never has anyone been able to prove that Jesus Christ did not come out of the tomb that third and glorious morning after His death!
If the resurrection of Christ could be proven to be a hoax, then Christianity would certainly topple! Christ Himself told us before He died that He would rise again. If He indeed did so, then He is Lord, and every reader will bow before Him, either in this world, or in the world to come! If He did not come out of the tomb, then He is not Lord; rather, He would be a liar. But the Bible declares boldly, "Let God be true, but every man a liar." And look what Jesus said:
Matthew 16:21 - "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."
Mark 8:31 - "And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."
Jesus foretold His own death and resurrection - if He did not rise, then that would make Him a liar - but He is risen as He said!
The Apostles Preached the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Throughout the book of Acts, it is clear that the apostles' message was that of the resurrection of Jesus Christ! They were brought before rulers because they preached that Jesus Christ not only died and was buried, but that He rose from the dead.
The skeptic does not believe that Christ rose from the dead because they do not believe the Bible over "science," they say (Then they'll turn right around and believe in evolution, which has neither been observed nor proven; or in manmade global warming, the hoax of the millennium). I would ask the skeptic, "Do you believe in secular history?" Surely, they're not so dense as to refuse secular history. Secular history contains within it the fact that there was a man who existed named Jesus Christ. It would entertain the reader to know that there are atheists who deny that Jesus Christ ever existed. It is good to know that, when we deal with atheists, we are not dealing with intelligent life. All you need is a calendar to show you that Jesus Christ existed. This year is called "2011." That is, "2011 A.D." "A.D." stands for "anno domini," which means, "in the year of our Lord." Those who hate the thought of Christ's existence are trying to change those letters to "C.E." - "Common Era;" and "B.C. (Before Christ)" to "B.C.E." - "Before the Common Era." Those sorry idiots can try to erase Jesus Christ out of secular history, but they'll never get it done. He existed.
Jesus Christ not only existed, but He lived and died. And, He not only died - He rose from the grave. The eleven apostles who walked with Christ while He walked upon the earth (there were originally twelve, but Judas hanged himself before Christ died, you'll remember) witnessed Christ's resurrection, claimed to have seen Him after He rose from the dead, and physically suffered for that fact.
Peter was crucified upside-down. The Bible does not say that; secular history says that. Do you know why he was crucified upside-down? Because he would not deny the Christ who he claimed to have seen after He rose from the dead! Paul the Apostle fought against Christianity, until He saw the resurrected Saviour on the road to Damascus. Secular history tells us that Paul ran to the chopping block to have his head severed from his body - still affirming that he had witnessed the resurrected Lord! John was boiled in oil, but wouldn't die (according to secular history; not the Bible). John was then sent to the Isle of Patmos to die in exile. But he was later freed and became the only apostle to die a peaceful death. But he did suffer, according to history. Matthew was killed with the sword. Mark was dragged to death by horses. James the Less was clubbed to death; James the Greater was beheaded. Bartholomew was whipped to death. ALL THE APOSTLES suffered for their faith in the resurrected Saviour! Again, not according to the Bible; according to history. Dear reader, you may claim that one man who dies for a hoax is a lunatic - but when every apostle who saw Christ after His resurrection suffered physically for the fact - it then becomes clear to any honest person that there is only one reasonable explanation - Christ rose from the dead, and the apostles who claimed to have seen Him suffered for that fact!
In the next couple posts, I intend to reveal two main points - 1) How that Christians are in trouble if Christ had not risen from the dead; and 2) How atheists, skeptics, agnostics, and those who reject Christ are in trouble if Christ did indeed rise from the dead.
