Death is Not the Endby Greg Laurie
Before I became a Christian, it was my belief that when a person died, he or she simply ceased to exist. I had no hope at all of an eternal future, and, quite honestly, it was a terrifying concept. I thought, "How could I simply cease to exist?" It was so wonderful for me to realize one day that there was a God who loved me, and there also was promise of eternal life.
What sets the Christian faith apart from all other beliefs and religious systems really comes down to this: If you visit the tombs of any of the religious leaders in history, you will find them occupied. But if you visit the tomb of Jesus Christ, you will find it empty, because He is alive. We serve a living Savior. Jesus Christ was not a man who became God; He was God who became a man.
This is why the resurrection of Jesus is so important, and this is why it has been so opposed as the years have passed. I read about a group of lawyers who met in England with the purpose of refuting and disproving the biblical account of the resurrection of Jesus. They carefully searched the Scriptures to see if there was sufficient information to make a case for the Resurrection that would hold up in an English court of law. When their study was completed, they published the results of their investigation, concluding that Christ's resurrection was one of the most well established facts in history.
But in spite of all the overwhelming evidence, not everyone has believed. In fact, while the believers were worshipping the living Christ after His resurrection, the unbelievers were already devising ways to cover up the Resurrection. Matthew's Gospel tells us,
Some of the men who had been guarding the tomb went to the leading priests and told them what had happened. A meeting of all the religious leaders was called, and they decided to bribe the soldiers. They told the soldiers, "You must say, 'Jesus' disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.' If the governor hears about it, we'll stand up for you and everything will be all right." So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. (Matthew 28:11–15 NLT).
Even after amazing, supernatural events had unfolded before their eyes, they still refused to believe. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, a mysterious darkness had covered the earth, lasting from noon to 3:00 p.m. (see Matthew 27:45). It became midnight at midday.
Then, as Jesus hung on the cross, the veil in the temple that set apart the Holy of Holies was mysteriously ripped in two (see Matthew 27:51). But this veil, made of woven material some 36 inches thick, wasn't torn from bottom to top. It was torn from top to bottom! Referring to this, the writer of Hebrews said, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19 NLT). Gone was the need to approach God through animal sacrifices and high priests, because Jesus, the Lamb of God, had been sacrificed once and for all for the sins of the world.
There was darkness in the middle of the day. The veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. And if that were not enough, there was an earthquake. As the earth shook and rocks split open, certain holy people were raised from the dead and went into Jerusalem, where they appeared to many people (see Matthew 27:51–53)!
Most importantly, there was the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself, with angels appearing at the empty tomb and declaring, "He isn't here! He has risen from the dead!" (Luke 24:6 NLT). Then, Jesus started making appearances. No one knew where He would turn up next. On one occasion, more than 500 people saw Him at one time.
Through this incredible series of supernatural events, God was giving a preview of coming attractions. It was as though God was saying, "Because Jesus died and rose again, death is not the end." We who have put our faith in Him will have new, resurrected bodies one day. We have this great hope.
Some say, "If you would just show me, I would believe." But Jesus essentially says, "Believe, and I will show you." There must come a moment in which everyone must take that step of faith and say, "I want to know for myself."
For those who do not believe, there is a judgment waiting (see Acts 17:30–31). A day of reckoning is coming. That is why, in every outreach of Harvest's ministry, from our daily broadcasts on A New Beginning to Harvest Crusades and Harvest Online, we present the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
We take seriously our mission to Know God and Make Him Known. We want to mature you as a Christian through solid, relevant Bible teaching, while equipping you to present the gospel to the lost. Accepting the Good News and sharing the Good News just go hand in hand as you grow in Christian faith. |
