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In a world that is constantly being bombarded with doubt and despair, there is a desperate need for some things that are solid and certain. More than anyone else in the world, the Christian can lay claim to numerous privileges and truths that fill this very need. God is alive and well and His promises cannot be thwarted. The Word of God will stand when the Heavens and earth have been burned up. Christ, our Lord, was God in every sense of the term. These are all matters of absolute certainty to the Christian.
The resurrection of Christ is also a matter of demonstrable certainty. Satan and his agents have for centuries attacked the account of Jesus’ resurrection, knowing full well that “if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). Yes, the resurrection is a pivotal point of the Christian faith. Undoubtedly, that is why God gave such detailed and numerous accounts of it in His Word and why He presented impregnable evidence that it occurred.
In the first place, the death of Jesus was a public spectacle, so it is beyond doubt that He actually died. The names of the men who buried Him were well-known, and the sight of His tomb was no secret either to His friends or His enemies. Even in the shadow of the cross, Satan foresaw the power of an empty tomb, and his agents sought and obtained an armed guard who officially sealed the tomb lest someone dare try to tamper with it. Despite this precaution, the tomb was discovered empty on the third day after Jesus died. Many and novel have been the “explanations” of unbelievers for this embarrassing phenomenon. The story the Roman guards were bribed to tell was that His friends stole the body. Others have said that He did not really die, but only “swooned” on the cross. Still others say that either His enemies or graverobbers took the body. However, each of these theories is amply foreseen and answered in the simple Scriptural descriptions of this marvelous event. Not only was the tomb found empty, the risen Lord was seen by hundreds during the 40 days He was on earth prior to His ascension (1 Cor. 15:6).
[Note: I wrote this article for, and it was published in the “Bible Thoughts” Column for the Hood County News, Granbury, Texas, February 5, 1978.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
