Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The following article was authored by I. S. Webley of Brisbane, Australia. It was originally published by the Australian B.I.W.F. (British-Israel World Federation), date unknown. We discovered it in our library collection of the Kingdom Digest in the April 1996 issue. The Kingdom Digest of Irving, Texas is now defunct. Emphasis by boldface and underlining is mine. Comments within [brackets] are mine also. Italic font is by the author. QUOTE:
It is said that the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the grave is one of the best attested facts of history. The sources of information on this subject are the Old Testament writings, the records of the Evangelists, the letters of the Apostles and the final Book in the Bible, the Book of the Revelation.
In all these records the claim is made that Christ’s Spirit some time before the dawn of a certain Sunday morning nineteen hundred odd years ago, again took possession of His body and raised it from the grave. Further, the records show that in the totality of His personality He came back to His disciples and manifested Himself to them.
The evidence testifying to Christ’s rising from the dead is conclusive. Three things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ are recorded with the utmost clearness and simplicity.
1. That He died on a cross.
2. That He was buried in Joseph’s tomb.
3. That three days later the tomb was empty, for Jesus had risen from the dead.
These claims are all on the same level of historic value, and their authenticity is conclusive. The evidence for the Resurrection is direct, indirect, and altogether convincing.
Let us examine some of the evidence.
1. The Lord Jesus Himself predicted it. Five times Jesus told His disciples that He would be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again. See Matt. 20:19; Mark 9:31; and 10:34; Luke 18:33 and 24:7. Jesus also told the Jews “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Remember the Lord Jesus Christ never spoke an untrue word.
2. The Lord being Who He was, necessitated it. If we can believe in Him we can believe in the Resurrection. In the light of His origin and character it is quite possible to believe that He did rise from the dead. With His Resurrection, everything that has been revealed of Him assumes proportion and order and harmony. Without it all is mystery. Christ told His disciples that He had power to lay down His life and to take it up again. (John 10:15-18). He also said ALL power is given unto Me both in Heaven and in earth. The Psalmist indicated that he would rise from the dead, for he wrote that Christ’s body would not see corruption. (Psalm 16:10). Christ’s victory over death fits in with the whole of His life and mission. The Resurrection is a vindication of the claims of the Lord Jesus. It put the seal of truth on all that He said and all that He did.
3. The empty tomb demonstrated it. If Christ’s foes had taken the body from the tomb, why did they not produce it to silence the apostles. They could not produce it because they did not possess it. If His friends had taken it, then they were deceivers, they have deceived the world, and on their deception the Christian Church — the greatest institution in the world — has been built and has flourished for over 1900 years. Further, men and women would not have suffered, bled and died to proclaim a lie.
However, one important fact should not be overlooked. The tomb was not completely empty. Only the body was missing. The grave clothes were still there. This is very strong evidence that the body was not stolen. (John 20:5-7).
4. The appearances of our Lord elaborate the certainty of it. There were ten appearances within forty days. These appearances were in a great variety of circumstances, to men and women, to individuals and to groups, in the house, on the street, to disciples both joyful and sad. Sometimes the appearances were momentary, sometimes protracted (John 21:4-21). All the people concerned in these appearances were not mistaken.
The resurrected Lord was seen by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve, later by more than 500 brethren at once. He was seen by James, the Lord’s brother, and last of all by St. Paul himself (Read 1 Cor. 15:4-8).
The Lord’s appearances converted many people, among them Jesus’ own brethren. Apparently, earlier His brethren did not believe in Him. (John 7:3-5). But something changed their opinion. It was the Resurrection. This fact so changed James he became a pillar of the Church. He is also the author of the Epistle bearing his name.
The disciples were at first terrified at the appearances of Jesus after His Resurrection (Luke 24:36-37). He proved Himself by showing them His hands and His feet. He then had a meal with them. What joy must have been present at that meal.
5. The testimony of the Angel certified it. “He is not here, He is risen” (Matt. 28:6). Again, at His ascension the angel spoke and said, “This same Jesus” would come back to earth in the same manner as they the disciples, had seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). To be seen going up into heaven He must have risen from the grave.
6. The testimony of the Apostle Paul endorses it. A man of Paul’s intellect, education and ability would not have accepted the Resurrection of Christ unless it were a fact. Paul served and suffered for Christ as few men have done, and the driving force in him was the absolutely irrefutable fact that Jesus his Lord had risen from the dead, that He was alive, and that He had seen Him in His body. Paul’s conversion is a mighty testimony to the reality of the Resurrection.
7. The primitive belief of the early Church is inexplicable if the Resurrection were not a fact. It is recorded that within 25 years of the event, the Resurrection of Christ was accepted as a fact by the whole Church in Jerusalem, Galatia, Corinth and Rome. The disciples did not expect Christ to rise from the dead, or they would not have embalmed the body. Their thoughts are reflected in the statement of one on the road to Emmaus. “We hoped that it was He Who should have redeemed Israel.” (Luke 24:21). Little did they know that the Resurrection completed the great work of redemption for Israel. However, within 6 weeks of His death they were declaring that they had seen and spoken to their Lord after His rising from the dead.
8. The work which Christ came to do required it. He came to give His life a ransom for many for the remission of sins. He came to shed His blood as an atonement for sin. The resurrection was an essential and integral part of Christ’s great saving work. His rising from the dead was the complement of His incarnation, of His ministry, and crucifixion. He came to bring redemption for Israel and salvation for the whole world. His great work is not yet complete. In the very near future now He will come again; this time as King of kings, and Lord of lords, with power and great glory. He will sit upon the throne of His father David and reign over the House of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:32-33). Truly our blessed Lord said: “I lay down my life that I may take it again” (John 10:17).
9. The existence of the early Church points to it. But for the resurrection there would be no Christian Church. The Church came out of belief in the resurrection, and is first and final proof of it. The resurrection is one thing that distinguishes the Lord’s Day from the Jewish Sabbath.
10. The experience of countless Christians for over 1900 years bears witness to it. There is a knowledge that is independent of logical reasoning and which constitutes an infallible proof of the resurrection. Nothing on earth nor in hell could induce millions of men and women not to believe in the fact of the resurrection. These firmly believe that Jesus did rise from the dead. The resurrection is the best attested fact in history. It is a rock from which all the hammers of criticism have never yet been able to chip the smallest fragment.
The Christian sings with assurance the hymn which simply throbs with confidence and joy:
“Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain.
And He lives, for ever with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose.”
11. The convicting and converting power of the Christian message proves it. Only a Living Christ can save. Faith in a dead man can save no one.
12. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is here with us. Jesus told His disciples that it was expedient for Him to go away so that the Holy Spirit might come. (John 16:7). He previously told them that if He went away He would come again. (John 14:3). His going away, therefore, did not mean His permanent death. He rose from the dead, is now the Great Mediator between God and man (I Tim. 2:5), and some day, soon, He will come again to earth.
The resurrection is so tremendous a fact that —
· It changed the calendar from B.C. to A.D.
· It changed the lives of men. Some very learned. Turned cowards into heroes.
· It proved Christ was God the Son sent into the world to save sinners.
· It changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, the Lord’s Day.
· It sealed the truth of Scripture.
· It proved that if you accept Christ as your Saviour, He will not eventually be your Judge. [? We would take issue with this statement because it says in Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And there are other Scriptures.]
· It reveals a grand and glorious destiny for all who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, for they, too, will experience a resurrection or a change, and be for ever with the Lord.
Now let us consider for a moment what would be the position if Christ had not risen from the dead. Would it have made any difference to us. The Christian Church as we know it would not have existed.
Suppose when Mary, Peter and John came to the tomb on that Easter Sunday morning, they had found the stone still lying sealed at the mouth of the sepulchre with the dead body of Jesus still inside. They might have said what the world thought, and what they thought when they first joined Him, that He was only a most attractive Rabbi and Teacher, and not in reality the Son of the Living God.
If Christ had not risen then —
· There would be no A.D. era. We would still be following the Jewish calendar.
· Paul says: “If Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain; Ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17).
· There would be no convicting and converting power in the Christian message, — if there were a Christian message. The Scriptures would be faulty. [!!!] His body would have seen corruption. Faith in God would have been badly shaken. Christ would have spoken untruths. On several occasions He told His disciples that He would rise from the dead on the third day. Had He not so risen, His words would have been proved untrue. What then of the Scriptures could we fully believe?
· Belief in immortality could never have been more than a vague hope or ardent desire.
· Peter and other disciples would never have become the great evangelists they did become.
· The great man Saul would never have been converted, and there would have been no Paul’s Epistles which are so valuable and blessed to us today.
· There would be no Lord’s Day. Worship, such as there might be would always be on Saturdays. [We ourselves do not see this as a great controversy for reasons we have published in articles heretofore. Not that the law of sabbath is not important; it certainly is. But debating about which day is the sabbath is futile, until the Lord returns to give us the unimpeachable answer. Meanwhile, choose a day and keep it.]
· We would not have the freedom we now possess. Christianity would have been no better than any other man-made religion.
· Death would not have been conquered for us.
What unspeakable blessings we would all have missed if Christ had not risen from the dead.
Praise the Lord! The resurrection is a reality, and is the best attested fact in history. The blessed Lord Jesus now awaits the day when He shall return to earth in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to reign over the House of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
Hallelujah! Christ arose. END QUOTE
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