The Resurrection Revisited
There is a disturbing trend in these last days to diminish the glory of the Christian faith.
Of course, it is a part of the one world initiative, one world government and one world religion. Some prominent Christians have taken the position that Christ is not the only way to God. In fact, on a recent interview with the CBC, a former British Prime Minister spoke of his faith, his conversion to the Roman Catholic church and his work to find common elements to the world’s religions to bring about a reconciliation and a unity among them. Even while this is going on, Christians are dying in the Middle-East or being viciously attacked while they are worshipping in church or while leaving church. We know that Satan has been unrelenting in his attacks on Christ and His people since he tried to have the baby Jesus killed in Bethlehem.
So, as of to-day, what makes Christ the stumbling bloc to the plans of the one worlders? It is the resurrection and the resulting promise of eternal life with Christ as King, High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and Prince of Peace. The resurrection is unique to Christianity and is the foundation of our faith. Jesus told Nicodemus two things; first, no man goes to heaven but the Son of Man and second, we must be born again. The church interprets the born-again part as a spiritual awakening making us new creatures, having the Comforter within us. But, in my opinion, Jesus was referring to the resurrection as rebirth when we can expect to inherit bodies like His glorious body, being filled with His spirit, His laws being written on our new hearts of flesh and in our minds. That is why He says that we will not be teaching others of the Lord, for we will all know Him and His glory will fill the earth.
This truth was known from the beginning following the fall of Adam. Job’s faith is recorded in the oldest book of the Bible. Job 19: 25 – 27, “For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold and not another; though my reins shall be consumed within me.” Then we have King David’s testimony roughly one thousand years before Christ’s resurrection. We read in Psalm 17: 15, “As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.”
Jesus claimed to be the resurrection! Did He back up this claim? Yes, He did so in two ways. First, He raised Lazarus from the grave in the great demonstration of His power. After seeing this miracle, the attending Jews were determined to put Jesus to death. You could say, He signed His own death warrant by showing this supernatural power. Second, He forecast His own death, burial and resurrection. During the forty days following his resurrection, He was seen by His disciples and as Paul mentions in one of his letters, by five hundred others who were still living at the time of his letter.
St. Paul made the resurrection the corner stone of his preaching. We are all aware of his statements that, if Christ be not risen, then we are the most miserable of men because there would be no resurrection for us and we should die in our sins. It seems almost redundant to write it here, since it is fundamental to all Christians, that Christ died to save sinners. He was the perfect sacrifice, being unblemished by sin Himself, He took on our sins and endured the justice and wrath of God, allowing God to show us mercy and giving truth to the prophecy of Isaiah, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be as crimson, they shall be as wool.” Jesus made it very clear that no man taketh His life but He laid it down, a sacrifice. He explained to His disciples, “No man hath greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” And at that last supper, He even explained to them how they were not His servants (because they did not have a master servant relationship) but His friends. Yes, this is the love that passes understanding. And what did Jesus say unto us? If ye love me, keep my commandments. And He summarized them for us; Love your God with all your heart, soul and strength and love your neighbour as yourself. Yes, Jesus is the God of love.
Finally, John in his gospel, goes to great lengths to establish the fact that God sent Jesus to rescue us from sin so we might be reconciled to God. He emphatically states that if we believe not in the Son, we have not the Father. But if we believe in the Son, we have the Father. For all those who do not believe in Christ Jesus, their god or gods are not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator of heaven, earth and all that is in them, both visible and invisible. Like Paul said, they are the most miserable of men having no redeemer from sin. We must defend our faith vigorously, trying to bring all people to our God while resisting the temptation to allow our faith to be rolled into a universal religion with no Christ Jesus.
Jesus proclaimed, “I am way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father except by Me.”
We better believe it!!
