He is risen indeed!
May the God of Israel bless you as you celebrate the day which He who holds the keys raised Himself from the dead. There is Biblical, empirical AND historical evidence for the resurrection. Josephus was commissioned by the Roman government to record historical events of the time; his account is jaw dropping and irrefutable.
Easter is not about a bunny!
In the Bible, we can read about other people that Jesus raised from the dead like Lazarus and Dorcas, but both of them eventually died again. The difference is Jesus rose himself in a glorified body. We who are in Christ will also receive a new body.
Other religions have leaders that died; Mohammed, Buddha, Gandhi and Joseph Smith (of Mormonism) all died. Christianity has a living God. A living God means a living hope. Below is the beginning of Luke chapter 24.
24 But very early on Sunday morning[a] the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man[b] must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
The gospel is simple, but men complicate it and add to it. Adding works pollutes the gospel into another gospel. Examples of polluting the gospel with works are penance like purgatory and praying the rosary. You cannot do ONE SINGLE THING to earn your salvation. The same holds true with 7th day Adventists dogmatic insistence of Sabbath observation. Paul made it clear in Hebrews chapter 8 that the old covenant is finished and in verse 13 he calls it obsolete. Dictionary.com says the definition of obsolete is no longer in use! The Adventist vows are another pollution of the gospel by adding works. You cannot add works to the cross. True faith without works is dead, but you can’t say it’s a condition for salvation and acceptance into God’s church.
It is finished. Tetelestai (Greek) it was paid in full. This word was written on paid in full receipts of the day. We are bought and paid for at a great price; we have such great value.
We have a choice for fair judgment or forgiveness. We can opt to live under all of the 613 old testament laws including sabbath observance and tithing. We can choose to be judged fairly under those laws, but it’s impossible to measure up. The new covenant is the better deal. We live under the new Testament forgiveness.
Under the new freedom we have the Holy Spirit who guides us into truth and writes God’s laws in our hearts. This does not mean we can soon because we know we’re covered by grace. It means when we eventually do screw up, and we will, that wonderful grace applies.
The real Easter story from the Bible project
Following Jesus 