by
Pastor Mike Taylor
16For
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
18Then
they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19If
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable.
23 But
every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they
that are Christ's at his coming.”
(1st Corinthians
15:16-23)
During
the Passover season in the time of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus
Christ, is the most horrific event in all of human history....It is
the day when mankind turned on and murdered his Creator. But that
murder is not the event that brought our redemption. Instead it
sealed our guilt. His blood would have meant nothing, if Jesus had
died and that was it.
If
Jesus had remained in the grave, we would still be in our sins, and
mankind would have no hope for eternal life.
1 “Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1st Corinthians 15:1-4)
Reading down in this chapter, Paul makes the case that Jesus arose so when He comes, those in Christ will rise as well.
12 “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
15 Yea,
and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of
God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that
the dead rise not.
(1st
Corinthians 15:12-17)
The
crucifixion of Jesus and His burial was supposed to be the end of the
story, at least that is what Satan thought and what he intended. But
the fleeting victory of Satan, became his greatest defeat.
6 “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1st Corinthians 2:6-8)
The
death of our Lord Jesus was the greatest temporary victory for the
prince and power of the air, Satan the devil, but became his greatest
defeat because Jesus came out of the grave.
NO
PROOF OF A RESURRECTION?
A
few years back, then-Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey published
a book entitled, "Jesus 2000" in which the Archbishop
argued it wouldn't matter if that was where the story ends or not.
"Unlike the birth of Christ and the crucifixion," he says, "Christians cannot know with the same certainty that He was resurrected. . I can tell you frankly that while we can be absolutely sure that Jesus lived and that He was crucified on the Cross, we cannot know that He was raised by God from the dead."
Are
you shocked that a Anglican priest would say such a thing, that he
could not know for sure, if Jesus was actually resurrected? Was he
right? Is the Resurrection unknowable, apart from blind faith?
Was Jesus a man Who, in the words of secular historian
Josephus, 'did many amazing works' before being judged a political
criminal and executed by Crucifixion, but
wasn't literally resurrected?
We
have no problem believing that Socrates, or Plato, or even George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln who lived and died were real
historical figures, but when it comes to Jesus, there is a huge
amount of historical evidence that there was actually a historical
Jesus raised from the dead. . But then again, is it possible that
Jesus was just a wise man, a good teacher, or as the Koran claims,
even a prophet? Was the Resurrection just a legend tacked on by His
followers to deceive the world?
Sometime
in everybody life, they have a twinge of doubt, at least before they
were saved, if you be honest with yourself, at some point. You might
have wondered is it even possible that guys like this Archbishop
Carey might be right?
Let's
examine that for a little bit here and see if the Resurrection , if
not an outright hoax was an attempt by His disciples to shine a
spotlight on the teachings of Jesus after His shocking and early
death?
To
observant Jews is to revere the works of past sages and the great
Rabbis of history, but is it possible to be a Christian and question
whether Jesus was actually raised form the dead? If Jesus lived, died
and was not resurrected, would His death be enough to secure our
redemption? The answer is a resounding, NO....it is not. By His
resurrection His blood and His flesh were the supreme sacrifice that
saved us...and His resurrection was our guarantee of future glory and
the same as He received. Archbishop Carey is wrong when he says that
there is no way to know with certainty that He was resurrected. And
it makes a BIG difference.
"And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (1st Corinthians 15:14)
By
Paul's own admission, if Christ is not raise, our faith is worthless
and in vain. Jesus paid a terrible price for the purchase of our sins
by His own shed blood, because without blood there is no remission of
sins.
19 “For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are
the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us:
25 Nor
yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth
into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For
then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:
but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself.
28 So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation.”
(Hebrews 9:19-28)
But
every man who has ever lived will die, but if Jesus Christ has not
been raised from death, according to Paul, our faith is in vain. Our
faith is not only in power of His shed blood, but that He lived and
died and was raised to life:
JESUS, THE GREATEST LIFE THAT EVER LIVED.
There
is nothing special about a man dying...we all die. There is nothing
special about death.
The
fact that Jesus died on the Cross means, first and foremost, that
Jesus was fully man. He lived an extraordinary life. But
He died, which is the epitome of ordinary. But that is where it
stops....Jesus was more than just a man...He was God in the
Flesh....the perfect mirror image of God the Father in a fleshly
tabernacle.
When
Jesus died, Satan and the hounds of hell rejoiced because they felt
they had won. They had defeated the Son of God, reduced Jesus Christ,
the Lord of Glory, to the status of an ordinary human being. So if
this Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey is right, then the
greatest story every told on this earth, should have ended at the
grave.
And
since the two greatest earthly authorities in Judea in the Roman
occupation and the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Pharisees wanted it that
way, it should have ended there, but it didn't!!
The
Sanhedrin controlled every aspect of Jewish religious life, while the
Romans controlled every aspect of secular life. It was in both
of their interest to rid this “Jesus Movement” that the Jewish
authorities hated so much, and the Roman Governor found at that time,
Pontius Pilate had to prevent a rebellion. They both had to insist
that Jesus die on Calvary and bury their problems once and for all.
The
death of this Jewish Rabbi called Jesus the Christ, was the biggest
political event in their lives at the time. Everyone knew about it.
People talked about it, reasoned about, and mourned about it for a
long while. As a consequence, precautions were taken with the trial,
crucifixion, burial, entombment, sealing, and guarding of Christ's
tomb that the circumstances would be well publicized throughout the
Jewish community. Pilate and the Sanhedrin made sure that the tomb
was secured with a Roman seal that could not be broken on pain of
death by crucifixion.
The
Apostles had proven themselves no heroes as they had all scattered
when Jesus was arrested and went into hiding...Peter had denied his
Lord three times, so he sure was not going to lead a guerrilla band
to capture and move the body of Jesus. It is totally unthinkable that
any of them would dare break that seal and perpetuate a hoax by
removing the body of Jesus secretly by night...
When
Jesus arose from the dead and the women came to the tomb, the tomb
had been covered with a 2.5 ton boulder that they knew they could not
move. So how was the Apostles to steal a body away without making so
much noise, that even if the Roman soldiers would have to had been
asleep (which is unlikely, as it brought them certain death if they
failed in their duty) it would have not have been possible. But here
was the open tomb the women discovered. Jesus had long left a closed
up tomb, right through the walls. The stone was rolled back to allow
humans to see inside, but Jesus was already gone. And an angel
sitting on the top of the rolled back stone asking the women:
2 “And,
behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord
descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the
door, and sat upon it.3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as deadmen.
5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:2-6)
When
the Apostle hurried to the tomb after the women reported it to them,
they found the empty tomb, the disciples didn't fan out to the far
reaches of the Empire with their story. They went straight back
to Jerusalem. If their claim was false, it would be the last place to
try and preach it.
If
the report had not been true, then the story would not have lasted
but maybe a day or two, but the empty tomb was an established fact
and the whole city was in astonishment.
In
addition to the claims of the Apostles, both Romans and Jewish
records of antiquity admit that an empty tomb was indeed found and
that Jesus was no where to be found. They had to make up a story fast
that survives to this day. They paid the soldiers off to say that the
disciples of Jesus had stolen Him away. With what we just discussed,
logically, how was that possible? Would you mess with a Roman soldier
holding a sword who had no problem killing you for trying to retrieve
the Body of Jesus from a tomb? Let alone the size of this boulder
that covered the opening? Not hardly.
People
could come and see it was empty for themselves. They could see
the stone that had been rolled back. I”m sure many of those
who mourned the death of their Messiah, came and saw the tomb, and
the stone rolled back. I'm sure many came who were highly skeptical,
as were the Jewish authorities. But according to the historical
record that were so hostile to the events, it gives even a greater
weight to the evidence.
Inside
the tomb, all who came and looked inside, saw the grave clothes that
beared the resemblance of where a body had laid. If Jesus had been
emtombed alive and somehow escaped, why were the grave clothes still
lying as they were around a man, but no form was inside? It
eliminated that conspiracy theory to those who came to look.
It
also eliminated the theory that the body had been stolen, because the
grave clothes would have had to be unwrapped. But here they lay as if
the contents had suddenly disappeared and vanished. What was more
obvious to the those who came was the burial napkin that wrapped our
Lord's head. It was lying neatly folded at the head of the platform,
where His head would have been.
The
burial napkin sent a message all on its own. In local custom,
when the master of the house finished a meal, he would wad up his
napkin and throw it on the plate, signaling to his household staff
that the meal was over.
If
instead, he was excusing himself for some other reason before
finishing, he would fold his napkin neatly and lay it beside the
plate, signaling to his household staff that "I am coming back."
OH, Yes, He is...
THE
APOSTLES BEGIN TO PREACH JESUS FEARLESSLY
After
the events that transpired of the many people who saw our Lord alive,
into the thousands during the 40 days before His ascension back to
the right hand of the Majesty on High, the apostles preached Jesus
fearlessly, and without worrying about what the Jewish authorities,
the Romans, or the people thought. For preaching a resurrected Jesus
was social suicide. They were disowned by their families, their
friends and all who were disbelieving, because of their faith. They
were arrested, imprisoned, and ultimately given the choice to recant
their beliefs, or face a slow painful death by whatever means the
authorities could dream up for an execution. All they had to do was
admit they had made the whole story up. The Apostle Peter, this
uneducated, brusk of words fisherman became a spiritual powerhouse.
He who denied our Lord three times, became the leader of the 12
apostles, preaching Jesus Christ, Him crucified and raised from the
dead without thought of their own safety:
17For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:” (2nd Peter 1:16-19)
Think
with me here for a minute. If they knew that their preaching was a
lie, and in vain, why did they throw their lives away for a lie? If
you had been with them and saw what they saw and been in their shoes,
saw the Master heal the sick, give sight to the blind, make the lame
walk, raise the dead, and walk on water, what would you have done if
you had witnessed what they witnessed? And then you saw Him ascend
into heaven and He promised you no matter what happens, heaven awaits
and He would be with you till the end of this Age.
18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. “ (Matthew 28:18-20)
Then
along comes some despot and says, "if you don't deny what you
heard, saw, and experienced, we will send you to Heaven right now!"
So,
you KNOW that Jesus did all those things and that He is God. OR
-- and this is the big one -- you KNOW that He did not and is not.
But you were there. You KNOW.
So
there were the Apostles, who saw what they saw, heard what they heard
and they are given a choice...what would they do? What would you do?
Before
you answer, since you were a witness, remember there are TWO
possibilities. In the one possibility, you KNOW He is a fraud.
In the other, He MUST be God.
Looking
from that perspective, figuring out which possibility was the right
one is easy. Nobody dies to knowingly perpetuate a lie.
One guy? Well, maybe he is nuts.
But ALL of them? Not a chance...you don't die for a fraud.
Again,
Jesus Christ was executed at Golgotha in full view of thousands of
witnesses. Three days later, He was resurrected bodily and over
the course of the next forty days seen alive by thousands more
witnesses.
The
story of His resurrection was unchallenged by living eyewitnesses,
and so profoundly changed them that Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who
despised Christ and persecuted His followers, became the Apostle
Paul, the greatest witness to the truth of the Resurrected Jesus.
9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (1st Timothy 1:8-12)
THE
COMING AGE OF LAWLESSNESS
I
know I speak of this time a lot, but it is that important. For it is
a time I would not wish on my worst enemy. There is coming a time,
when millions of people will suddenly vanish from the face of this
earth, and you'll remember my words. If you are so unfortunate to be
reading these words and that event has taken place and you are
frightened, confused, but remember when you sat in a pew in your
local church and this “Jesus stuff” just didn't interest you at
the time....
You
will remember and your head will fall into your hands or falling to
your knees. Yes, my friend, you just missed the most important event
ever to happen in all of human history next to the death and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Looking back, and you wonder
why almost 2000 years ago, brave men of faith, of courage, and
conviction all went to their death, save one found in the Apostle
John, not for a lie, not for a fraud, but for the risen Son of God.
Some scoff at what the Bible professes and the Holy Spirit had men
who were moved to write what they heard and saw, but for a witness of
the Lord of Glory standing before them, in His glorious changed body
of flesh and bone. Seeing His nailed scarred hands, and His pierced
side and though at first doubting, the realization crashed in on
their minds, that Jesus IS GOD....He had risen.
JESUS,
THE FIRST BORN OF THE DEAD RETURNS
But
Jesus promised that He would come back and take His Bride home to be
with Him, forever.
2 In
my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
And
that promise is just over the horizon, when in Revelation 19, the
Lord makes good on that promise...
“6 And
I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let
us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of
the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And
he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true
sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:6-9)
Notice
that the sign of the saints in v. 8? Arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.....We
go to meet our Lord in the air at the rapture, and so shall we ever
be with the Lord..we will enjoy and praise the risen Lord God, our
Messiah, our King, for 7 years, as we receive rewards for service
upon this earth in His Name, as Paul so eloquently wrote about in 1st
Corinthians:
“10 According
to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let
every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
13 Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every
man's work of what sort it is.
15 If
any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1st Corinthians 3:
10-15)
To
even be at the feet of Jesus, praising and giving Him glory, is
reward enough for this simple preacher, but God has stated those who
lay on the foundation which is Himself, Jesus Christ, will receive a
reward, crowns of righteousness and other crowns for service and
becoming Kings and Priest to our God and we shall reign with Him:
“5 And
from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold,
he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because
of him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-7)
And
God gives John the promise of we, the children of the Most High will
reign with Jesus for a 1000 years on this earth.
8 “And
when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and
golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and
to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us
to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation;
11 And
I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne
and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory,
and blessing.
13 And
every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I
saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
(Revelation 5:8-13)
Jesus
will come back at His second coming to reign and rule for a 1000
years, and we will come with Him, the saints of the Most High...How
do I know? Because in the preceding portion of the chapter, it gives
the sign of the saints, “Linen, white and clean”...and the armies
of heaven come back with Him and watch as He makes quick work of
destroying all rebellion upon this earth.
“11 And
I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon
him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge
and make war.
12 His
eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
14 And
the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And
out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And
he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of
Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”(Revelation 19:11:16)
So
comes our Risen Lord God, our King in the flesh and we come with Him,
and God wants all of the world to be saved. God is not willing that
any should perish.
“The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing
that any should perish,
but that all should come
to repentance.” (2nd
Peter 3:9)
As
I have been watching a brother in Christ, speak of what this so
called “Plannedemic” I didn't say pandemic, but a planned event
of the Corona Virus, will possibly lead to the soon return of our
Lord Jesus to claim what is His, meaning those He has bought with His
own blood and guaranteeing our own glorification by His resurrection.
Paul
makes a most glorious promise from God our Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ in Romans 8:
17 And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
18 For
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
20 For
the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason
of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
23 And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:16-23)
When
you are thinking on these things, I pray you will make the choice
that you could have had before the missing millions hit your news
channels. Our resurrected and eternal God will soon come back for His
bride...the saints of the Most High. Jesus is the only choice if you
are wise and believe by faith.
17 God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved” (John 3:16-17)
--------->
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)
---------->
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
----------->
“8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
12 For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
(Romans 10:8-13)
I
pray you are a believer at this time, RIGHT NOW and have put your
faith in Jesus. My mission in this the rest of my life, is to preach
the soon coming of my Lord Jesus Christ. If I can lead someone to salvation found in Lord Jesus, or plant a seed in even one, from
going through that terrible period known as the Tribulation, then my
focus on prophecy and the Lord Jesus Christ soon return will not have
been in vain. Have you met my Jesus? Have you believed by faith on
what He did by dying, shedding His blood for you and me, and the
completing what made it possible for each of us to live with Him in
glory forever...He was raised to life in resurrection as First born
of the dead.
15For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God:
17And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together..” (Romans 8:14-17)
Don't
wait...the Tribulation could come crashing down on this world very
soon...It could happen tomorrow....the only chance to win Victory
over this world and avoid the soon coming wrath of God, and the
persecution that will envelop this whole world is to believe on what
I have just told you....Make that commitment today...it's
simple...Just ask Jesus to come into your heart right now...He will
honor your cry of repentance and save you to the uttermost.. FOR
JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD TO BE OUR SAVIOR.... History proves it and
eye witness testimony confirms it. And for me, and hopefully for you,
you have the witness of God's Holy Spirit residing within you that
says “this is Truth”.
This
is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying your receive the Truth found in my
Lord Jesus Christ...He will save you right now....If you need prayer,
or more explanation of what we have discussed, or counseling, or just
a listening ear. Email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com,
God bless you all,
TILL
WE MEET AT JESUS FEET
No comments:
Post a Comment