#and on the third day Christ rose from the grave

[rambutanjpeg]

rejoice, boys 💥🔨

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Grand Proof of Christ’s Mission

by J.C. Ryle

Let us all thank God that we have such a cloud of witnesses to prove that our Lord rose again. The resurrection of Christ is the grand proof of Christ’s divine mission.

He told the Jews they need not believe He was the Messiah, if He did not rise again the third day. The resurrection of Christ is the top-stone of the work of redemption. It proved that He finished the work He came to do, and, as our Substitute, had overcome the grave. The resurrection of Christ is a miracle that no infidel can explain away. Men may carp and cavil at Balaam’s donkey, and Jonah in the whale’s belly, if they please, but until they can prove that Christ did not rise again we need not be moved. Above all, the resurrection of Christ is the pledge of our own. As the grave could not detain the Head, so it shall not detain the members. Well may we say with Peter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3.)

[404-found]

Blameless Before the Judge

John 18:10–11

[10] Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) [11] So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (ESV)

Luke 22:49–51

[49] And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” [50] And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. [51] But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. (ESV)

Jesus in all of his love, grace, and mercy healed him.

Why?

To be a nice guy? Sure! But I believe it goes even deeper.

As you read earlier Malchus was a servant of the high priest. It was a capital crime to harm a servant of the high priest in any form! Let alone lobbing an ear off. Peter would have been executed by law. However, when Jesus restored his ear he erased all evidence that Peter had ever transgressed. So if Malchus would have went before the council and accused Peter of the crime there was absolutely no evidence that Peter ever committed the crime.

That's what Jesus did for us. Ultimately we chose to sin against Him, to rebel against Him, to disobey Him, to in a sense substitute ourselves as god, attempting the de-goding of God, living our life by our own standards, and bringing ourselves glory instead of Him. Because we've done that, we've willingly separated ourselves from God, not wanting to relate to God, but to be god ourselves. In doing that, we've put ourselves under the judgment of God instead of the grace and mercy of God.

Even though we've done all of this, that God lovingly came into human history as the man Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. He was born of a virgin, without the affects of generational sin, and lived a life without sin, even though he was tempted in every way you and I are. Even though Jesus lived a sinless life, he willingly went to the cross to die a sinners death, and in doing so substituted Himself for us, the sinless One for the sinful ones. Our first parents in the garden substituted themselves for God, just as we would have, and do, and at the cross Jesus reversed that substitution and substituted Himself for sinners. So when Jesus went to the cross He willingly took upon Him the sin of those who would come to trust in Him. That means that Jesus Christ, God who was a man, died in our place for our sins, satisfying the justice of God toward sin and securing the grace and mercy of God for those who believe in Him. Jesus dead body was then put in a tomb, and for three days he was buried. But on the third day Jesus rose from the grave, proving his authority over sin, death, hell, Satan and demons. When we believe and are reborn in Jesus Christ we are washed clean by his blood. Jesus sacrifice takes away all evidence that we ever transgressed. And it doesn't matter who accuses or what evidence they say they have. When we stand before a holy judge who's a holy God and he looks at us he will see Jesus whose blood we have been cleansed by.

Jesus lived a life we could not live (a sinless life), He died a death we should have died (a sinner's death), He rose to give us a life we could never have otherwise (resurrected life), and He alone is the way, the truth and the life – the only way to God.

John 8:10–11

[10] Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] (ESV)

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Dropping some of the Paschal Canon in your inbox - hope you like it!

Magnify, o my soul, Him Who suffered willingly, and was buried, and rose from the grave on the third day!

Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee. Now dance for joy and be glad, O Zion! And thou, pure Mother of God, rejoice in the rising of Him Whom thou didst bear.

Magnify, o my soul, Christ the Giver of Life, Who arise from the grave on the third day!

Shine, shine...

Christ is the New Paschal, the living sacrificial victim, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.

Absolutely adoring this.

First off the harkening to the Magnificat with the opening “Magnify, o my soul”. I read the Magnificat (again) just last night.

“Shine, shine, O New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.” reminds me of the new creation poems in latter Isaiah. In particular there is this interesting bit where Matthew portrays the Christ Child as the New Jerusalem from Isaiah with the light shining above it that the nations go to worship. Super cool.

“And thou, pure Mother of God, rejoice in the rising of Him Whom thou didst bear.” OH MY GOSH SO THEY ARE REFERRING TO THE MAGNIFICAT!!!! At first I thought they might just be referencing a Psalm I couldn’t remember but the explicit Theotokos reference makes is clear. Also this idea of Mary giving birth to the sun — absolutely obsessed with that (plan to, eventually, write a poem called “Heliotokos”).

“Magnify, o my soul, Christ the Giver of Life, Who arise from the grave on the third day!” Something I really think is interesting and marvelous is the mix of language from the beginning of Jesus’ life — the Magnificat, the Isaiah poem — with language about the end —suffering, grave, sacrificial lamb. Which ofc it is because it’s a Pascal canon, where death brings forth the rebirth. Absolutely marvelous.

“Christ is the New Paschal, the living sacrificial victim, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.” THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD!!!! is something I say at least once a day (sometimes in prayer but mostly just as obsession). “the living sacrificial victim” is insane. Savage line. Again, because the mice of birthing and dying language just will not leave me: I’m thinking about the Resurrection happening in spring, and how fitting that is for the event that started the rebirth of the universe (inshallah); also how the Passover lamb is exactly that, a lamb, only one year old. Just that mix of life and death, whether of a person, a season, or the cosmos.

Wow this is definitely going to be a new favorite of mine and will return to this for meditation

[apilgrimpassingby]

So you're telling me it's not normal to daydream about celebrating Holy Week?

I mean, it's not, but when you've got "Magnify, o my soul, Him Who suffered willingly, and was buried and rose from the grave on the third day" and "Christ is the New Pascha, the living sacrificial, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world" bouncing around in your head, it's hard not to.

[numbersbythebook]

Enoch is a Type of Firstfruits

written by Will Schumacher

I have been posting about firstfruits lately. It is an important concept in the Bible.

The third feast of the Lord’s is called Firstfruits. A first ripening barley sheaf was brought to the priest and was waved before the Lord. The barley harvest could then commence. This is the day Christ rose from the grave. He is thought to be the firstfruits barley sheaf.

At Pentecost the firstfuits of the wheat harvest are brought and baked into two loaves with leaven and waved before the Lord. The wheat harvest then can commence. The Holy Spirit descended and filled the believers in Acts 2 starting the wheat harvest.

The firstfruits of the 7 species of Israel are commanded to be brought to the Lord beginning at Pentecost. They were marked or “sealed” just like the believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit.

The firstfruits are a representation of the whole harvest. They are given to God as a thank you for the promised harvest to come. They also are a confirmation of the promised covenant of the land that God originally made with Abraham.

Per my last post, I saw many numbers tied to both Enoch and firstfruits and stated that I have to believe that Enoch raptured was a type of firstfruits.

Enoch’s rapture can be seen in this verse:

Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

The gematria of the above verse is 1831. Strong’s H1831 is used 1 time in the Bible about God commanding Israel not to delay to bring the firstfruits in to Him. A perfect match if indeed Enoch is a picture of the firstfruits.

Exodus 22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.

In my last post I also stated that Revelation 7 is about the firstfruits of Israel. The unique list of the 12 tribes has a Hebrew gematria of 3207 matching the verse number of 3207 in the Bible which lists the 7 species of Israel that the firstfruits are to come from. So God seals the 144,000 firstfruits of the land of Israel and then we see the complete harvest in Revelation 7:9 -

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

This verse states the age Enoch was when he was raptured:

Genesis 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

The gematria of the above verse is 3022. Strongs G3022=”white” is used in the following verse:

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands

Again a perfect match.

Revelation 7:9 is also verse 283 from the end of the Bible. The 283rd prime number is 1831, the gematria of Genesis 5:24. 4:42 starts minute 283 (Enoch translated has a gematria of 442 in Hebrews 11:5). This 283 number is tied to Enoch.

I believe this verifies Enoch is a type of firstruits.

[afaithfulsower]

He Lives! Believe It or Not (Part 2)

The Bible teaches us that Christ, crucified and buried, rose from the grave on the third day and lives today. Do you believe it or not? Click/Tap the link to hear more.

The A Faithful Sower Podcast, with Pastor Darryl Orrell, provides relevant and engaging messages anchored in God’s word with practical life-application principles for daily living. He Lives! Believe It or Not (Part 2)” by Darryl Orrell© 2021-2024 A Faithful Sower Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright…

[yokefellows]

Easter Every Day

Today’s Saying

Three days after paying the penalty of our sins on the cross, the sinless Jesus conquered death by rising from the grave and breaking the power of sin.

Today’s Scripture

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. —Matthew 28:6

Today’s Sermonette

We know that Jesus died once for all (Rom. 6:10; Heb. 10:12) and, of course, rose from the dead once.

Three days after paying the penalty of our sins on the cross, the sinless Jesus conquered death by rising from the grave and breaking the power of sin.

It was this final sacrifice of blood that opened the only way for us to have a relationship with God now and a home with Him forevermore.

In Hebrews 10:14 we see this remarkable statement: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

How is this possible?

Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth answers this question. Since being “good enough” through personal effort is futile (Rom. 7), only a transfer of account from a righteous person to a sinner could remedy the problem.

“He made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”(2 Cor. 5:21).

Christ’s atoning death on the cross appeased the wrath of God (Rom. 3:24-26), and His righteousness was attributed to us that we might be declared justified before God

“Christ died for our sins, . . . He was buried, and . . . He rose again the third day” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

He has promised that He is preparing a place for us (John 14:1-4), and He will someday return.

One day we will be with our risen Savior.

That’s why every year at Eastertime—in fact, every day of the year—we have reason to celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1).

Christ’s resurrection is cause for our celebration.

Today’s Supplication

Father, thanks for the cross of Christ which affirmed his words, I am the way thanks for his burial and resurrection which attest to the veracity of his words I am the truth and the life.

[jdgo51]

Risen!

Today's inspiration comes from:

A Savior Is Risen

by Susan Hill

The empty tomb

Editor's note: HAPPY EASTER! The Lord is risen! It is finished. The debt is paid. Our King has conquered death! Praise Jesus! We pray you have a wonderful day celebrating resting in the truth of the Resurrection. Enjoy this reading from A Savior Is Risen.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" — Luke 24:5-6

"Epic, groundbreaking, world-changing. Every word falls short of capturing the magnitude of Easter Sunday. It’s the most significant event in world history and in the lives of Jesus followers.

Christ is risen from the dead! It was early Sunday morning when the women went to the tomb to tend to Jesus’ burial site. As they approached the tomb, they were shaken because they realized the stone had been rolled away, and when they entered the tomb, they couldn’t find the body. Two angels approached them and asked,

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! — Luke 24:5–6

Then they remembered Jesus had said,

The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. — Luke 24:7

Christ is risen from the dead!

The powers of darkness had taken their best shot at Jesus as He hung on the cross. And yet, things unfolded precisely the way Jesus said they would (Matthew 16:21). Death could not hold Jesus in the grave, and on the third day, He stepped out of the tomb. You serve a risen God who is as alive today as He was on that resurrection Sunday. No power of hell and no force of evil can prevail over Him!

Rejoice that you belong to Him and that with Him all things are possible! It is because of the physical resurrection of Christ that you can have hope. You can have faith. You can have freedom. Your life is altered because of what you’re celebrating today. This is not just a feel-good story. This is the story that rewrites your story. When Christ rose, He proved that He is Lord. His promises are true. His Word can be trusted. His relationship with you is ever-fixed and abounding in steadfast love. And you can walk freely in mission with Him forever.

Lord, I praise You, I worship You, and I thank You. I rejoice that You are alive and in control of all things."

Excerpted with permission from A Savior Is Risen by Susan Hill, copyright Zondervan.

[christianengineersblog]

IprayMinistry 🇨🇦 Canada/ChristianEngineer

2024 Bible Reading Plan:

Judges 1-Judges 21; Ruth 1-4;

1 Samuel 1-31

A Special Easter Presentation

JESUS DIED FOR ALL

Crucified, Died & Risen!

🙏Prayer Verse1 Peter3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. - 1Peter 3:18 (NIV)

READ Mathew 27 - Mathew 28

Whole Chapters

Let's Pray🙏

LORD Almighty, graciously come to us this Holy week and bless us this Easter.

Prepare our hearts to celebrate the greatest period in history.

EASTER reminds us when Our Lord Jesus Christ made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. - Luke 19:28-44

He was arrested, crucified and died on the cross to save the world of sin.

Jesus predicted His arrest, death sentence, crucifixion on the Cross and VICTORY over death.

"The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” - Luke 24:1-7

Thank You Father, for the Resurrection Power that rose Jesus from death.

JESUS IS RISEN! - Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6

He defeated darkness and bathed the world in a stunning RESURRECTION light.

Jesus conquered the grave to give us the hope of Easter.

Even in the grave He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. - Revelation 19:16; 1:5

May we forever live to praise You for the resurrection of Your Son Jesus Christ

Whoever believes in Him has a free gift of eternal life. - Romans 10:9; Acts 16:31

Jesus was obedient to do His Father’s will.

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” - Luke 22:41-42

In humility He came to give His life as a ransom to save all sinners.

May we all learn to do Your Will in meekness and obedience.

Jesus expressed "Seven Last Words" of agony on the cross.

He cried out with a loud voice, saying,

(1) “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? - Mathew 27:46

(2) Luke 23:34; (3) Luke 23:43; (4) Luke 23:46; (5) John 19:26-27; (6) John 19::28 and (7) “It is finished!” - John 19:30

Jesus’ final words before His death meant that His suffering was over and the whole work of His Father through Him was accomplished.

The blood of Jesus still works and never loses it's power.

Jesus died for us all and He will come back again. - Acts 1:11

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. --- WPT26MR2

PrayerEngineer

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sunday ,September 24, 2023

spetember 11_september 24

SAINT SALVIUS. BISHOP OF ALBI ( Gaul_584) Seer of Heavenly Mysteries

The first of these Lives is of a saint personally well-known to St. Gregory of Tours: St. Salvius, Bishop of Albi. His Life, contained in the History of the Franks (Book VII, 1 and V, 50), affords one of the classic examples in Christian literature of a saint who beheld heaven itself and returned to tell of it; it may well be placed beside such Eastern Lives as that of St. Andrew the Fool for Christ of Constantinople.

The feeling of reverence which I have for him compels me to say something about St. Salvius. He often used to tell how, during his years as a layman, while he was occupying himself with worldly affairs he never permitted himself to be ensnared by the carnal desires which so frequently fill the minds of young people. When the Holy Spirit finally found a place in his heart, he gave up the struggle of worldly existence and entered a monastery. As one now consecrated to Almighty God, he understood that it was better to serve the Lord in poverty and to humble oneself before Him, rather than to strive after the wealth of this transient world. He spent many years in his monastery and observed the rule instituted by the Fathers.

When the time came for the abbot of this monastery to die, Salvius took over the charge of feeding the flock, for he had by then reached the fullness of his physical and intellectual powers. Once he had been given this appointment, it was his duty to be more with the brethren, in order to maintain discipline; but instead he became even more withdrawn, and chose for himself a cell which was still more remote. Once he was elected abbot, he lived just as ascetically as before, devoting all his time to reading and prayer. He was persuaded that it was more fitting for him to remain secluded among his monks, than to appear in public and be addressed as abbot. Being thus persuaded, he bade farewell to the monks. He became a recluse, and in the solitude of his cell he subjected himself to even greater abstinence than before. At the same time he took good care to observe the law of Christian charity, offering up prayers for all who came to visit the monastery, and giving them the bread of offering with abundant grace. Again and again those who came with grave afflictions went away healed.

One day when Salvius lay in bed, gasping for breath and weakened by a high fever, his cell was suddenly filled with a bright light and the walls seemed to shake. He stretched out his hands to heaven, and as he gave thanks he breathed forth his spirit. The monks, together with his own mother carried his dead body out of the cell with lamentation; then they washed it, vested it and placed it upon a bier. They passed the long night in weeping and singing psalms.

When morning came and all was ready for the funeral, the corpse began to move on the bier. Salvius' cheeks became flushed, he stirred himself as if awakened from a deep sleep, opened his eyes, raised his hands and spoke: "Oh merciful Lord, why hast Thou done this to me? Why hast Thou decreed that I should return to this dark place where we dwell on earth? I would have been much happier in Thy compassion on high, rather than having to begin once again my profitless life here below." Those around him were in perplexity. When they asked him the meaning of the miracle which had occurred, he gave no reply. He rose from the bier, feeling no ill effects from the illness which he had suffered, and for three days he remained without food or drink.

On the third day he called the monks, together with his mother. "My most dear friends," he said, "hear what I am about to say. You must understand that all you see in this world is entirely without value. All is vanity, exactly as the prophet Solomon proclaimed. Blessed is he who behaves in such a way in this earthly existence that he is rewarded by beholding God in His glory in heaven."

As he said this, he wondered whether he should say more or stop with this. He was silent for a while, but the monks begged him to tell them what he had seen. "When my cell shook four days ago," he continued, "and you saw me lying dead, I was raised up by two angels and carried to the highest peak of heaven, until I seemed to have beneath my feet not only this miserable earth, but also the sun and moon, the clouds and stars. Then I was conducted through a gate that shone more brightly than the light of the sun and entered a building where the whole floor shone with gold and silver. The fight was impossible to describe. The place was filled with a multitude of people, neither male nor female, stretching so far in all directions that one could not see where it ended. The angels made a way for me through the crowd of people in front of me, and we came to the place towards which our gaze had been directed even when we had been far away. Over this place there hung a cloud more brilliant than any light, and yet no sun or moon or star could be seen; indeed, the cloud shone more brightly than any of these with its own brilliance. A voice came out of the cloud, as the voice of many waters. Sinner that I am, I was greeted with great respect by a number of beings, some dressed in priestly vestments and others in ordinary dress; my guides told me that these were the martyrs and other holy men whom we honor here on earth and to whom we pray with great devotion. As I stood here there was wafted over me a fragrance of such sweetness that, nourished by it, I have felt no need of food or drink until this very moment."

"Then I heard a voice which said: 'Let this man go back into the world, for our churches have need of him.' I heard the voice, but I could not see who was speaking. Then I prostrated myself on the ground and wept. 'Alas, alas, O Lord!' I said. 'Why hast Thou shown me these things only to take them away from me again? Thou dost cast me out today from before Thy face and send me back again to a worldly life without substance, since I am powerless to return on high. I entreat Thee, O Lord: turn not Thy mercy away from me. Let me remain here, I beseech Thee, lest, falling once more to earth, I perish.' The voice which had spoken to me said: 'Go in peace. I will watch over you until I bring you back once more to this place.' Then my guides left me and I turned back through the gate by which I had entered, weeping as I went."

As he said this, those who were with him were amazed. The holy man of God wept. Then he said: "Woe to me that I have dared to reveal such a mystery! The fragrance which I smelled in that holy place, and by which I have been nourished for three days without food or drink, has already left me. My tongue is covered with sores and has become so swollen that it fills my whole mouth. It is evident 'that it has not been pleasing in the eyes of my Lord God that these mysteries should be revealed. Thou knowest well, O Lord, that I did this in the simplicity of my heart, and not in a spirit of vainglory. Have mercy on me, I beseech Thee, and do not forsake me, according to Thy promise." When he had said this, Salvius became silent; then he began to eat and drink.

As I write these words, I fear that my account may seem quite incredible to some of my readers; and I am mindful of what the historian Sallust wrote: "When we record the virtue or glory of famous men, the reader will readily accept whatever he considers that he might have done himself; anything which exceeds these bounds of possibility he will regard as untrue." I call Almighty God to witness that everything that I have related here I have heard from the lips of Salvius himself.

Many years later Saint Salvius was forced to leave his cell in order to be elected and consecrated bishop against his will. According to my reckoning, he had held this position for 'ten years when the plague broke out in Albi and most of the people died of it. Only a few of the citizens remained alive, but Saint Salvius, as a good shepherd, refused to leave his city. He stayed there, exhorting those still among the living to pray without ceasing, not to grow faint in their vigils, and to concentrate their minds and bodies on doing only what was good. "Always act in such a way," he would say, "that if God should decide to call you from this world, you may enter not into His judgment, but into His peace."

After a certain council which Salvius and I attended together, I was about to depart for home when I realized that I could not leave without bidding farewell to Salvius and embracing him. I found him and told him that I was about to leave. We went a little way outside the house and stood there conversing. "Look at the roof of 'that building," he said; "do you see what I see?" I answered, "I see only the new tiling which the King has had put there not too long ago." "Can you see nothing else?" he asked. "No," I replied, "I can see nothing." I began to think that he was mocking me. "Tell me if you can see something else," I said. He sighed deeply and said: " I see the naked sword of the wrath of God hanging over that house." He was not wrong in his prophecy. Twenty days later the two sons of King Chilperic died.

When the time came that God revealed to Salvius the nearness of his own death, he prepared his own coffin, washed himself carefully, and put on his shroud. He died in blessed contemplation, with his thoughts turned towards heaven. He was an extremely holy man. He had no desire at all for possessions and refused to accept money; if anyone forced him to accept it, he would immediately give it to the poor.

While he was bishop, the patrician Mummolus carried into captivity many of the inhabitants of Albi, but Salvius followed him and persuaded him to free them all. The Lord gave him such influence over these people that the captors accepted a reduction in the ransom which they had asked and even gave presents to Salvius. In this way he liberated the people of his own diocese and restored them to their former condition.

I have heard many other edifying stories about him. He died in the ninth year of the reign of King Childebert (584 A.D.).

From The Orthodox Word, Vol. 13, No. 5 (76) (September-October, 1977), pp. 197-200. The book referred to in the opening remarks is Vita Patrum: The Life of the Fathers, by St. Gregory of Tours.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:1-10

1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 4But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

JOHN 3:13-17

13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Grand Proof of Christ’s Mission

by J.C. Ryle

Let us all thank God that we have such a cloud of witnesses to prove that our Lord rose again. The resurrection of Christ is the grand proof of Christ’s divine mission.

He told the Jews they need not believe He was the Messiah, if He did not rise again the third day. The resurrection of Christ is the top-stone of the work of redemption. It proved that He finished the work He came to do, and, as our Substitute, had overcome the grave. The resurrection of Christ is a miracle that no infidel can explain away. Men may carp and cavil at Balaam’s donkey, and Jonah in the whale’s belly, if they please, but until they can prove that Christ did not rise again we need not be moved. Above all, the resurrection of Christ is the pledge of our own. As the grave could not detain the Head, so it shall not detain the members. Well may we say with Peter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3.)

[carolap53]

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures

--1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Doesn’t it seem that bad news is all around us? It’s not only the top story on the news, the headline in the paper, or all over your feed…it seems to fill our day.

But as believers, we know the best news we could ever hear…and we celebrate it this week.

Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave. This is the event that conquered sin…that conquered death…and that made it possible for you and me to have a personal relationship with God!

Perhaps, today, this is the first time you’ve ever heard or understood this Good News.  

If so, I want to tell you something: Jesus died on the cross for you. He wore a crown of thorns and was nailed to a tree because He loves you.  And He wants to have a personal relationship with you today.

If you haven’t already, I pray you will you accept Jesus as your Savior today.  And if you have placed your faith in Christ, I challenge you to share that Good News with someone this week.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Easter this week!

THIS EASTER, SHARE THE GOOD NEWS WITH SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO HEAR IT!

[isaiahbie]

The Empty Tomb

According to the New Testament, Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of His women followers on the Sunday after His crucifixion. In this article, I want to consider six historical lines of evidence in support of this fact.

1. The account of the empty tomb was part of the source material used by Mark in his description of Jesus’ sufferings and death (Passion story) and is therefore very old.

Mark’s account of the empty tomb is found in Mark 16:1-8. Since Mark is the earliest of our Gospels, having been written prior to A. D. 70, Mark’s source material for his Passion story must be even older. Rudolf Pesch, a German expert on Mark, argues that the geographical references, personal names, and so forth, in the Gospel of Mark, point to Jerusalem as the place of origin of Mark’s source.¹ As to its age, Pesch contends that Paul’s account of the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 presupposes the account of this event in Mark’s source. Since Paul’s own account is quite old, the account in Mark’s source must be even older and stem from the very first years of the church in Jerusalem.

Pesch finds confirmation of this conclusion in the fact that Mark’s source speaks of “the high priest” without using his name (Mark 15:53, 54, 60, 61, 63). This implies that Caiaphas was still the high priest when Mark’s source story was being told, since there would be no need to mention his name. Since Caiaphas was high priest from A. D. 18 to 37, the latest date for the origin of Mark’s source is A. D. 37, or only seven years after Jesus’ death! If this is so, then any attempt to reduce the empty tomb to an unhistorical legend is doomed to failure. For given the age (even if not as old as Pesch argues) and the place of origin of Mark’s source, legend could not have accrued to produce a false story that people who knew better would believe. Therefore, the account must be historical.

2. Paul gives independent and early confirmation of Jesus’ empty tomb in the tradition handed on by him to the church he founded in Corinth.

It is now generally recognized that in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Paul is passing on an old Christian tradition:

“that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried,

and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

The second line of this tradition refers to the burial of Jesus. Therefore, when Paul says “He was raised,” this necessarily implies that the tomb was left empty. Even today, if someone claimed that a man was buried, rose from the dead and appeared to his friends, only a theologian would think to ask, “But was his body still in the grave?” How much more is this true of the Jews of Jesus’ day, who were much more physical in their understanding of the resurrection! The Jews of that time believed that at the end of the world, God would raise the bones of the people from the tombs and clothe them again with flesh and give them new life. Therefore, they were very careful to preserve the bones of their dead, collecting them in jars. When the Jews looked forward to the resurrection at the end of history, they were looking for a physical resurrection. The idea that there can be a resurrection while the body still lies amoldering in the grave is a subtlety of modern theology. E. E. Ellis comments:

“It is very unlikely that the earliest Palestinian Christians could conceive of any distinction between resurrection and physical, ‘grave-emptying’ resurrection. To them an anastasis (resurrection) without an empty grave would have been about as meaningful as a square circle.”²

Therefore, when Paul says that Jesus was buried and then was raised, he automatically assumes that an empty tomb was left behind.

Two other considerations support this conclusion. First, the third line, “He was raised,” is probably a summary statement of the story of the discovery of the empty tomb. When we compare the tradition with the sermons in Acts and with the Gospel accounts of the resurrection, the third line in the tradition corresponds to the story of the empty tomb. Second, the phrase “on the third day” is also indicative of Jesus’ empty tomb. Since no one actually saw Jesus rise from the dead, how did the early Christians know that He rose “on the third day”? The most obvious answer, explains William Lane Craig, is that they found His tomb empty on the third day after His crucifixion, so naturally the resurrection came to be dated on that day.³

As to the age of this tradition, we know that Paul became a Christian in A. D. 33 when he saw an appearance of Jesus on the way to Damascus in Syria. In Galatians 1:18, Paul mentions that three years after his conversion (thus, A. D. 36), he went to Jerusalem and visited Peter and James for two weeks. If Paul had not already received this tradition from Christians in Damascus (which I think is probable, as he spent three years there), then he must have received it during this visit in Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, the very word Paul uses to describe this visit (historesai) is a term used by Greek writers to designate fact-finding missions to well-known cities and sites of interest for the purpose of obtaining first-hand information about them. This suggests that Paul went to Jerusalem specifically in order to gain information about his faith from first-hand witnesses.

The upshot of all of this is that the Christian tradition quoted by Paul must have been in circulation prior to his visit in A. D. 36 and thus must have been formulated within the first five years after Jesus’ death! Given the age of this information, it cannot be dismissed as legendary, since the time span available was far too short for legendary tendencies to erase the hard historical core of the tradition.

3. The nature of the empty-tomb narrative itself is theologically unadorned and nonapologetic.

The resurrection is not described, and later theological motifs that a late legend might be expected to incorporate are wholly lacking. Even the radical critic Rudolf Bultmann admits, “Mark’s presentation is extremely reserved, insofar as the resurrection and the appearance of the risen Lord are not recounted.”⁴

Comparison of Mark’s account with those later apocryphal gospels like the Gospel of Peter underlines the simplicity of Mark’s story. The Gospel of Peter inserts between Jesus’ being sealed in the tomb and the visit of Mary Magdalene early Sunday morning, an account of the resurrection itself. According to this account, the tomb is surrounded not only by Roman guards but also by Jewish Pharisees and elders, as well as a multitude from the surrounding countryside. Suddenly in the night there rings a loud voice in heaven, and two men descend from heaven to the tomb. The stone over the door rolls back by itself, and they go into the tomb. Then three men come out of the tomb, two of them holding up the third man. The heads of the two men reach up into the clouds, but the head of the third man reaches up beyond the clouds. Then a cross came out of the tomb! And a voice from heaven asks, “Hast thou preached to them that sleep?” And the cross answers, “Yea!”

This is how legends look. They are colored by theological and other developments. The absence of such elements in Mark indicates once more that the account of the discovery of the empty tomb is a factual reporting of what occurred.

4. The discovery of the empty tomb by women is unlikely to be a Christian invention.

Given the low status of women in Jewish society and their lack of qualification to serve as legal witnesses, it is very likely that their discovery of the empty tomb is not a latter legendary development, but the truth. Otherwise men would have been used to discover the empty tomb. All the Gospels agree that the disciples remained in Jerusalem over the weekend and therefore could have been made to discover the empty tomb. The fact that women, whose witness counted for nothing, are said to have discovered the empty tomb, makes it very credible historically that such was the case.

This conclusion is supported further by the fact that there seems to be no reason why the later Christian church should wish to humiliate its leaders by portraying them as cowards hiding in Jerusalem while the women boldly carried out their last devotions to Jesus’ body, unless this was in fact the truth. Their motive of anointing the body by pouring oils over it is entirely plausible in light of contemporary custom. Furthermore, listing of the women’s names weighs against unhistorical legend at the story’s core, for these persons were known in the early Christian circle and so could not be easily associated with a false account.

5. It would have been impossible for the disciples to proclaim the resurrection in Jerusalem had the tomb not been empty.

It would have been impossible for a Jew to believe in a resurrection if the man’s body were still in the grave. The disciples could never have preached the resurrection, nor would anyone have believed them, if Jesus’ corpse were still in the tomb. Moreover, if the empty tomb story were totally false, it would not have been difficult for the Jewish authorities to just present the body. When therefore the disciples began to preach the resurrection in Jerusalem, and people believed them, and the Jewish authorities stood by helplessly, the tomb must have been empty. The fact that the Christian church, founded on belief in Jesus’ resurrection, could arise and flourish in the face of its enemies in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus had only recently been publicly executed and buried, is powerful evidence for the fact of the empty tomb.

6. The earliest Jewish polemic presupposes the empty tomb.

Based on information incidentally furnished by Matthew (28:15), we know that the Jewish opponents of the early disciples did not deny that Jesus’ empty tomb was empty. Instead they charged that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body. The earliest Jewish polemic to the disciples’ proclamation “He has been raised from the dead” (Matthew 27:24) was not “No, his body is still in the tomb in the garden” or “Jesus was thrown into the criminals’ graveyard and eaten by dogs.” No. They responded, “His disciples came by night and stole the body away” (Matthew 28:11-14). The fact that the Jewish polemic never denied that Jesus’ tomb was empty, but only tried to explain it away, is persuasive evidence that the tomb was in fact empty.

Conclusion

Taken together, these six historical lines of evidence constitute a powerful case for the fact that Jesus’ tomb was actually found empty by a small group of His women followers. As a simple historical fact, this seems to be amply attested. As D. H. Van Daalen has remarked, it is extremely difficult to object to the fact of the empty tomb on historical grounds; most objectors do so on the basis of theological or philosophical considerations.⁵ But these, of course, cannot change empirical facts. And interestingly, New Testament scholars increasingly recognize this. According to Jacob Kremer, “By far most exegetes hold firmly. . . to the reliability of the biblical statements about the empty tomb,” and he lists twenty-eight prominent scholars in support.⁶

Notes:

¹ Rudolf Pesch, Das Markusevangelium, 2 vols., HTKNT 2 (Freiburg: Herder, 1976-77), 2: 21. ² E. Earle Ellis, ed., The Gospel of Luke, New Century Bible (London: Nelson, 1966), p. 273. ³ William Lane Craig, Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus (Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen, 1989), p. 94. ⁴ Rudolf Bultmann, The History of the Synoptic Tradition, trans. John Marsh, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Basil Blackwell), p. 309. ⁵ D. H. Van Daalen, The Real Resurrection (London: Collins, 1972), p. 41. Paraphrase by William Lane Craig. ⁶ Jacob Kremer, Die Osterevangelien-Geschichten um Geschichte (Stuttgart: Katholisches Bibelwerk, 1977), pp. 49-50.

[apilgrimpassingby]

Magnify, o my soul, Him Who suffered willingly and was buried and rose from the grave on the third day.

Shine, shine, o New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee. Now dance for joy and be glad, o Zion! And thou, pure mother of God, rejoice in the rising of Him Who thou didst bear!

Magnify, o my soul, Christ the Life-Giver, Who rose from the grave on the third day

Shine, shine, o New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee. Now dance for joy and be glad, o Zion! And thou, pure mother of God, rejoice in the rising of Him Who thou didst bear!

Ode 9 of the Paschal Canon

[reformationcartoons]

“For the mountains shall depart,

and the hills be removed;

but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,

saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.”

—Isaiah 54:10–

Brethren, we believe the Gospel, which is the sure Promise of God Almighty to save us by His free grace in Christ alone.

The Gospel is God’s unconditional Covenant of Grace to us.

It is unconditional, for the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has met all the conditions necessary to justify us from our sins.

As our Surety in this Covenant of Grace, Jesus agreed to accomplish all of the requirements of the Covenant of Works (i.e., the Law) for us.

You see, Jesus legally took our place and did just that—He satisfied the Law in our stead.

Jesus had our guilt charged to His account, bore our transgressions, underwent the punishment and death we deserve by dying on the cross in our place, and made His grave with the wicked.

Having entirely satisfied the demands of the Law for us, our Redeemer and Mediator, rose from the dead the third day for our justification.

This perfect work of the Son of God is the only legal basis by which God our Father forgives all of our sins, accepts us as righteous in Christ, and freely pronounces us acquitted.

This perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ alone is imputed to us—reckoned to our accounts—and received by faith alone, a faith which is itself the free gift of God.

This means that our faith is passive in our justification, not active.

Saving faith is merely instrumental in justification—it only receives the righteousness of Christ alone—it does not achieve it.

This is why we say that it is only the object of faith that justifies—the righteousness of Christ alone freely credited to our accounts by God alone—never the act of our faith.

Listen carefully, we are not justified by anything in us—nor by anything done by us.

Our character and works cannot save us.

We are justified by a righteousness completely outside us—a righteousness that is not our own (i.e., a righteousness not done by us nor infused in us).

The righteousness that justifies us before God is an alien righteousness (i.e., a righteousness foreign to us).

This justifying righteousness covers us.

It covers all our debts and transgressions.

This justifying righteousness is the righteousness of our Surety Jesus Christ alone.

In performing this covenant righteousness, the Lamb without spot spilled His precious blood to reconcile us to the Father, to redeem us from sin and death, and to pay the ransom for us—entirely freeing us and delivering us from the condemnation of the Law!

This imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ comes to us freely by God’s unmerited kindness in His Covenant of Grace.

It brings such comfort and peace to us when we believe the Gospel that it is called here in Isaiah “The Covenant of My Peace.”

This gracious and justifying covenant cannot be removed, for God Almighty alone has established it.

So, it is a unilateral covenant. God alone made and keeps this covenant for us.

It is God’s free mercy to us in Christ alone—so it saves us and preserves us—and it cannot be removed!

God’s loving kindness will follow us all the days of our lives—the Lord promises that it will not depart from us.

Now let us rejoice in the Lord’s salvation, give thanks to and glorify His name, and help our fellow man—for this is God’s Promise:

“For the mountains shall depart,

and the hills be removed;

but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,

saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.”

—Isaiah 54:10–