Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?
All of history is divided and marked by the life of Jesus of Nazareth. “B.C.” refers to Before Christ, and “A.D.” refers to Anno Domini (Latin for in the year of our Lord).
From the founding of the United States, for probably at least a hundred years, all official correspondence of the United States government — Presidential orders, treaties, etc. — were signed and dated with either “A.D.” or “in the year of our Lord” or even “in the year of our Lord Christ”. (Thomas Jefferson signed some documents with this phrase.) It was this way for all nations in Western Civilization. The current use by some of “B.C.E” (before current era) and “C.E.” (current era) is a sham. It’s a denial of fact and a denial of history. Honestly dealing with reality and actual history clearly demonstrates that all of history is marked by Jesus Christ, “our Lord”.
Why? What’s so special about Jesus? Why isn’t history marked by Caesar Augustus? or Alexander the Great? or Ramses the Great? or Nebuchadnezzar? or Cyrus the Great?
The Christian Gospel is what’s so special about Jesus. The Apostle Paul summed it up for us this way: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; he was buried; and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” You see the Christian Gospel is not only that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and not only that he rose again from the dead three days later, but also that those specific events were prophesied in the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) thousands of years before they happened. It is as Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled… Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Now that’s special. And if it’s true, it’s worthy of marking world history by it.
But sadly, in the “current era”, many people don’t even stop to seriously think about whether it’s true. They think of it as just a nice story — a myth or a legend — to go along with hunting for colored eggs and gathering together with family. But it’s not just a nice story. It’s history. Paul went to on to say, “he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” The first disciples of Jesus were eyewitnesses of his resurrection.
The early Christians suffered greatly for their testimony for about 300 years. They were stoned, crucified, beheaded, burned at the stake and fed to lions. But they endured and kept their faith, because they knew, “The Lord is risen.” Among the Romans, the early Christian martyrs had the reputation of dying well.
This “Easter” season (I like the term Resurrection Day much better), I urge you to take a break from the egg hunts, the gathering with friends, and the partying, and think about this: “Is it true?” It’s the most important question in all of history. It’s the most important question of your life.
