Over 200 years ago, as the light of the morning was breaking over Jerusalem, there were guards around a sepulcher in a small garden just outside the walls of the city. They were guarding a grave! Some strange things had occurred just three days before. While the man from Galilee had been hanging on the cross, crucified as a malefactor, strange signs appeared in the heavens, on the earth and even in the Temple. It was rumored that He had said He would rise on the third day. The morning of the third day had arrived! Two women, silently, sadly, were wending their way among the tents pitched all around Jerusalem, for it was Passover time. The buried man s circle of friends, whom He had loved deeply, had all fled These women were on their way to see the sepulcher. They were bringing spices to see if they might anoint the body. There had been curses upon Him as He hung on the cross; curses from the bystanders, the soldiers, and many of the people who dared to come near the cross. They had shouted, Away with Him. His blood be on us and on our children. On this morning, only a few, feeble, obscure, heart-broken friends dared to come near the grave. Now, over 2000 years have passed and, on the anniversary of that day on the morning of the first day of the week after full moon of the vernal equinox on this day, the whole world celebrates that empty tomb! The hearts of all the world are turned to that sepulcher. Throughout the whole world, men and women are thinking of that grave this morning and Him that lay in it! All across America, on mountain tops and in the valleys, across broad prairies and deep ravines from ocean to ocean the thoughts of the multitudes are focused on that grave. In the darkness of Africa, here and there, there are hearts stretching out toward that grave. The Chinese, laying aside prejudices, turn their attention westward, gazing toward that sepulcher. All over the world, along the shores of seas and across the continents, the hearts of people have, not only given attention to that grave, but they have caught a glimpse of the rising inmate! Giving our attention, again, to those two women advancing toward that grave, let s read Luke 24:2-3, They found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. A song of Jubilee goes forth, The Lord is risen from the dead! Generation after generation catch the glowing theme children, scarcely able to comprehend the source of their joy, but their glad hearts are joyful because, Jesus is risen from the dead! All over the earth tidings of joy go forth as hearts are singing, He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! Why this change? What has produced such a wonderful difference in public feelings? This malefactor, once cursed, now honored; once despised, now sought after; once not regarded by man, now so universally worshipped what brought about this great change? Page 1
Not only is He remembered in the annals of the Church, the whole world celebrates His resurrection. Our faith rests on the fact of His resurrection. When we believe in His resurrection, we are standing on firm ground. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our Christianity. As Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 15, If Christ be not raised your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins, then they also which are dead in Christ will perish. If Christ did not rise from the dead, we will never see our loved ones who have died we will never see them again! Let s take notice how God arranged the evidence of Christ s death and resurrection in order to give clear knowledge of this fact. 1. Look at the fact of Christ death It stands to reason, if the fact of Christ s death is not clearly established, it is vain to try and prove His resurrection from the dead. If it cannot be proven that He did, indeed, die, how can anyone prove His resurrection? Christ might have suffered in some obscure place. He could have laid down His life, a ransom for many, however, there would not be any legal evidence of it. God allowed the wrath of man to become an instrument of praising Him. Page 2 First, Jesus was arrested by the Great Council of the Jews, then, by the authority of the Roman Governor and, even though the trial was unfair and unjust, there would be a legal document of it. The highest powers, both Jewish and the Roman Empire, united in the fact of Jesus arrest, trial and death are a matter of public knowledge, a legal transaction is on record. 2. God wisely arranged the time of Jesus death. Jesus death was during Passover, when all the Jews came back to Jerusalem from all the countries where they had been scattered. There were thousands upon thousands of them gathered in Jerusalem at this season of the year some commentaries say, hundreds of thousands be that as it may there was a very large crowd! Jerusalem could not hold all that came together for Passover. The throngs that gathered, pitched their tents all over the hills in valleys, around the city. God saw to it that the multitudes would be there to witness the scene, so that Jesus death would be attested to by peoples from all parts of the country. Also it was in the brightness of night. at the time of full moon. God did not overlook anything in His planning! 3. The manner of Jesus death was foreordained by God Jesus death was not sudden, but one taking hours of torture. Had Jesus execution been sudden, the result might have been the same, but, it would not have been witnessed by so many. As Jesus hung those dreadful hours, it gave ample opportunity for the mass passing by to be significantly impressed by this scene. Jesus crucifixion was near the city; the crowds were there; the
Temple worship was in process; strangers were there; great streams of men, women and children passed by that cross that day. The circumstances attending Jesus death were such as to invite universal attention. God designed that Jesus death would not be a private one. It would not be a matter soon over, but would be a protracted, agonizing spectacle one that would be seen by the multitudes. In olden times, before a coronation of a prince took place, a herald was sent out three days in advance, to issue a challenge to anyone who would claim the kingdom to come and prove his right, to announce his own coronation to take place. God gave such a challenge to all the powers of humanity and darkness. In order that man s attention be drawn to that scene, God called upon the heavens, the earth, the air, the grave, even the Temple to give testimony to the coronation of His Son, Jesus Christ! There, hanging on the cross, God s son was dying for humanity. God was about to crown Him King of kings and Lord of lords! Matthew 27:51 says, The earth did quake and the rocks rent. God sends forth His voice of challenge and, as He speaks the earth rocks, the ground shakes and convulsions take place. It was a call to man to witness what was taking place. Matthew 27:45 says, There was darkness over all the land from the sixth hour unto the ninth hour. Not only the voice of the earth was heard, but the sun clothed herself in sackcloth for three hours in the middle of the day. The orbs of heaven were saying, Give attention to what is happening here! Not only the voice of earth and the heavens proclaimed the challenge, but over in the valley, where the tombs of the prophets have been buried. The hillside is full of the resting places of the dead. Generation after generation have been buried there. Matthew 27:52-53 says, The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life and came out of the tombs. After Jesus resurrection, we are told that they went into holy city and appeared to many. The earthquake s tread was heard, the tombs were torn open, the graves gave up their dead, the herald s voice calls from the very depth of the grave, Here, O sons of men, the coronation of the Prince, the Son of God, is taking place this day! Can you even begin to image the feelings that must have stirred in the hearts of those who stood by those monuments and saw the graves thrown wide open, the doors busting, rocks giving way, and forms of the dead coming forth? It certainly would be a scene that would not soon be forgotten! There is more! The voice of the Temple is heard. Matthew 27:52 says, At that moment, the curtain of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. It was three o clock in the afternoon when Jesus died. At that precious moment, the sacrifice was being offered and a multitude of pious people were gathered around the Temple. The outer court would have been full of spectators. The doors and gates, that led into the Sanctuary would be crowded. The lamb Page 3
was before the altar, just in front of the veil leading into the holy place. The priest, in his colorful vestments, had taken the sacrificial knife. The blood of the lamb was to be shed at the hour of three o clock! The multitude was looking on. Beyond the priest hangs the veil that hides the inner sanctuary with the cherubim with wings spread over the mercy-seat. God, Himself, manifested in His Shekinah glory, was there! The people were bending to look upon the veil, with its brilliant colors scarlet, gold and deep blue! No one could enter the veil, save the High Priest, with blood once a year. One thing was sure, the eye of every pious Jew was directed toward that veil. At the hour of three o clock, the Priest takes the sacrificial knife in his hand. He is about the slay the sacrificial lamb. When, behold, an unseen hand, at that precious moment, tears the veil in two, from top to bottom. There were two veils: one at the entrance of the Holy Place and the other between this and the Holy of Holies into which the high priest alone went once a year to atone for the sins of the people These veils were 60 feet high from the ceiling to the floor and 6 inches thick. Scripture is not absolutely clear as to which of the veils were rent in two, most scholars believe it was the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies never before seen by man where cherubim spread their wings over the Mercy Seat. Here was the holy Altar to be sprinkled with blood. However, I can t help but wonder, since God was arranging for as many as possible to witness His heralds, could the rending of the veil have been the veil that all participants in the ceremony would be able to see. I m inclined to believe that it was the outer veil, just behind the High Priest and the Sacrifice Brazen Altar. The rending of the veil happened at the very moment the High Priest was to slay the lamb. Did the Priest drop the knife? Did the lamb go free? I don t know, but this I do know. The Lamb of God, who came to bare the sins of the whole world, was, at that very moment, dying for mankind. The way into the presence of God was open!. It was a New, Living way! No one could ever close the way to God. Never again would God s divine presence be just for priests alone! A way whereby humanity, oppressed and downtrodden from all over the world could find its way to the Mercy-Seat of God! A voice was crying out, An end to all the Old Testament sacrifices! An end to all the suffering victims of the old way! The way to God WAS NOW opened for WHOSOEVR WILL! All these announced this great transaction that was taking place on Golgotha While all this was occurring, Christ, on the cross, was suffering the agony of crucifixion. How deep was that agony, I need not attempt to tell you. This we know, Christ s death demanded public investigation and it certainly received it! To all this was added the proof of the fact of His death. John 19:34 records, When the legs of the others were broken, He [Jesus] was found to be already dead! Page 4
Jesus body was taken down from the cross and put in a sepulcher. His friends had given Him up, even His disciples had forsaken Him. But, His enemies, remembering He had said, I will rise the third day, put a guard around Him. Roman soldiers were there to guard the tomb; the king s seal was on the stone rolled over the mouth of the sepulcher. Pilate had told them, Make it as secure as you can, and everything was made as secure as any human could possibly do. Here, again, God worked through man, so that abundant proof of Christ s crucifixion, that He was, indeed, dead and placed in a tomb, so secure, that no one could take His body away. Then, came the first day of the week. Heaven had been watching that grave. Angels watched the Roman guard with their shining spears and polished shields. Christ was held a prisoner by the greatest powers on earth. Did the angelic host gather around God s throne and ask, How long will You allow human power exalt itself? How long will You allow man to triumph? How long will You allow the powers of darkness to hold their jubilee? Just let us frighten away the Roman guards and roll away the stone! The angelic host waited until permission was given. Then, they stepped down the steps of glory and hastened to the sepulcher. That s all that was needed! When the guards see the angel, they were struck with fear the Bible tells us, The guards became as dead men, The angel rolled away the stone and set himself by the mouth of the sepulcher. Jesus girds Himself with all power of deity and rises from the grave! Up from the grave He arose A Mighty Conqueror ore His foes Jesus tears the crown from the head of death, conquering death, hell, and the grave! Oh, what a moment that was! Hell was preparing for a jubilee; the powers of earth were preparing for a triumph but, as the grave yields its prey, Christ, charged as an imposter, proved, once and for all that He was, indeed, the Son of God! To give ample proof of His resurrection, Christ Jesus lingered on earth to be seen of men. There was Mary Magdalene Mary, the mother of Jesus John and Peter the disciples then, the 500 on Mount Ascension. In fact, Jesus had at least a dozen appearances before He ascended back into Heaven. Christ became the first fruits of the resurrection! Jesus was the first to rise from the dead (See 1 Corinthians 15:23). Because He rose, we, too, will rise they that are Christ s at His return. HALLELUJAH! Death is not cold, because Jesus Christ warmed it! We shall come forth, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him, as He is! It is glorious to be changed from a sinner to a saint, transform into the image of the Son of God. And, because of Christ s life within, we can look calmly at death and face it with confidence, all because Jesus Christ overcame deaths strength. Father, or mother, may be taken from us. But, we will see them again. Little ones may taken from our arms, but we will see them again - in that glorious morning, when Jesus Christ returns to earth. Page 5