I have read all kinds of dates and years but will go with this…  approximately 1,993 to 1,994 years have passed since the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In that time I would also estimate thousands have died, many nations have come and gone, many wars have been fought, my point here is to ask you to consider this. Why, when so many have willingly given their lives based only on the writings of prophets, Apostles, how has this, The Greatest Story Ever Told, stood the test of time? Again I play with time and people…How many actually saw the risen Christ. According to the historical record, after Jesus’ death on the cross and his subsequent burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea, he appeared alive to more than 500 people, on twelve (12) separate occasions… New Living Translation 1st Corinthians 15:6… After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 

Consider this…   The empty tomb is one of the most significant pieces of evidence that we have the tomb was empty when the ladies went there, it had been carefully protected and guarded by authorities because they were afraid that his disciples would steal the body and claimed that he had risen from the dead. The other thing we could look at is the transformation of his disciples. They had all been in hiding scared for their lives. They had run from the very start of this bad situation, but after they saw the risen, Christ, their faith was reaffirmed and and they went out among the people and told them what they had seen and then there’s the Apostle Paul. Paul was one of the greatest enemies of the Christian church and the Christian faith he had studied under Camille and was a devout Jew, however, on the road to Damascus, he had an experience which changed his whole life. He had encountered the risen Christ. Then we have James the brother of Jesus. James, who initially doubted Jesus became a believer after witnessing the resurrected Jesus adding weight to the claim there are numerous eye witnesses the Bible mentions that Jesus appeared to over 500 people at the same time, providing further support for the resurrection, but the biggest thing to me and the thing that I can’t pass over lightly, is that many people throughout history have died for their faith in the resurrection, demonstrating their belief in Christ, the cross and the resurrection. The best truth is the simple truth and I believe that to be best stated in the following…. 1 Corinthians 15:17 states, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” This points to the centrality of the resurrection as the bedrock of all Christian teaching and underscores why the eyewitness accounts were of paramount importance to the first-century church. That’s it! That’s all I got and I lay my life, my body and my soul at the foot of the cross…from whence comes my salvation. 

Life is Good

jk