Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3 (NASB, 1995 update)
What is the one thing that sets Christianity apart from any other religion? The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Christ rose from the dead, Christians know that they have an advocate before God the Father. Christians also know that when they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they have an eternal home set aside for them in Heaven. It is for these reasons that Christians have hope. Heaven is real, and because of my advocate, I am assured that I will reside there.
However, how do I know that Jesus was actually God and not just another holy man? How can I be assured that He is in Heaven sitting next to God the Father and advocating for me? These are two important questions. The answer lies in knowing about the empty tomb. Christians believe that Jesus died, was placed in a tomb, and rose again. The foundation of Christianity stands on the tomb is empty.
I want to quickly provide a very short presentation of facts about Jesus’ death and burial and resurrection. If anyone would like a more detailed explanation of this, please contact Moments With Yahweh. You can use a Facebook post, messenger, or contact us at contact@mwy4chuck.com. Here are the facts:
- Over 600 people witnessed his arrest including officers of the chief priest and Pharisees.
- The Roman soldiers-maintained control of Him. This included his arrest, trials, and death.
- He was taken to a tomb and placed in it.
- The tomb was sealed and a Roman seal was placed on it. To break the seal meant incurring the wrath of Roam.
- A Roman guard equivalent to seal team 6 was placed at the tomb to guard it.
- The Roman guard was composed of sixteen battle-hardened veterans. They guarded the tomb in shifts of four. While four remained awake the twelve others slept.
- The tomb was empty the next morning.
- The Roman guards who were told to lie about being asleep were never disciplined for sleeping. When a Roman guard was caught sleeping on duty, he was burned in his clothes.
- Christ was seen by over 500 people before He bodily ascended into heaven.
- His resurrection was written about and never disputed by those who were alive when the gospels were published.
- No one has ever found His body.
I have hope as a Christian because I know that Christ died for my sins and rose again. He now resides with His Father in heaven and advocates for me.