Our Blog

03/01/2008

Easter: Fact or Fiction?

For nearly two thousand years now, followers of Jesus Christ have celebrated, annually, the anniversary of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Most of us know this anniversary celebration as “Easter”, even though the term “easter” is not a Christian concept. Regardless of what it is called, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead remains the single-most-important event in all of history.

For nearly two thousand years skeptics have doubted the resurrection. There have been those throughout history that have taken some pretty serious shots at denying this event. Some of the greatest minds in history have studied this event, debated its authenticity, and argued over its veracity. But two thousand years later the historical reality of the resurrection of Christ from the dead remains intact.

Professor Thomas Arnold, who was the author of the famous three volume History of Rome, and an appointee to the chair of modern history at Oxford University wrote, “The evidence for our Lord’s life, death and resurrection is steadfast, according to the common rules for distinguishing good evidence from bad. Tens of thousands of experts have gone through the evidence piece by piece as carefully as every judge summing up a most important case. I have myself done it many times over, not to persuade others, but to satisfy myself! I have studied the histories of other times and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence than the great sign which God had given us that Christ died and rose again on the third day.
Our calendar today is a reflection of this historically cataclysmic event. The year 2008 looks back 2008 years to the person of Christ. What happened back then was so significant at that time that all history is referenced by this one event!

But the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is much more than an historical fact, it is a life-changing truth.

Because Christ rose from the dead, His resurrection verifies that His promises are true. His teachings are reliable, and His insights for life are dependable. God’s promise that we, too, can have victory over death and the promise of eternal life, through faith in the risen Jesus.

Please be our guest on Good Friday, March 21 and on Easter Sunday, March 23, as we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Join us as we discover the genuine hope that God offers to each and every one of us.

Pastor Tim