Although some may want to argue about whether Jesus’ resurrection was physical or not, Jesus Himself answered that question plainly. If He was only a spirit after the resurrection, they could not have handled (touched) Him.

To ensure that they knew that He was not merely an immaterial Being, He invited them to touch Him and look at His hands and feet. Showing them His hands and feet, which certainly had large scars on them, enabled them to see that He was the same One Who was crucified.

A physical resurrection is our hope for the future. John said, in I John 3:2: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Every believer – past and present – will one day be united with a new body and it will be like His glorious Body. Sickness, sorrow, and weakness will be gone – forever! “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption” (I Corinthians 15:42).

We do not know all about it yet, but we are promised it will be glorious! Christian, keep on following our Lord, and one day soon, you will be glad you did!

Now that Easter is past, some may wonder whether the resurrection is all that important. The truth is that all the teachings of the Bible are meaningless unless Christ rose from the dead.

God declared two very significant things in the Bible that affect our salvation. The first is that sin separates us from God – eternally. The Bible declares in Romans 6:23 that the “wages” [pricetag] “of sin is death” in Hell.

The second very significant thing that every person on earth must know is that only blood (death) can atone for our sin. God demonstrated this to Adam and Eve in the Garden when He provided them with skins – to cover them after they sinned and their own efforts to please God with leaves had failed. The Bible clearly declares this fact in Hebrews 9:22: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

These two Biblical principles mean that if people are ever to be accepted by God and allowed to enter His holy Heaven, then Someone must take our place and die for us. Only by a substitution could the sinner ever be allowed to go unpunished.

Jesus Christ became the willing Substitute for all mankind. Although sinless, He came to die for “the sins of the world” (John 1:29). He had to die if we were to go free. But if He never came back, it would be impossible to know that our sins were forgiven by God.

Jesus’ resurrection proved that God was satisfied with His death for us. Otherwise, He would have remained in the grave – and in Hell continuing to pay for our sins.

Isaiah 53:11 – written centuries before Christ, predicted that God would be “satisfied” with what Christ did on the Cross for us. The verse says: “He” [God the Father] “shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Because Jesus Christ paid the full price of what we owe, all that is left is for us to receive His gift of forgiveness and eternal life. John 3:16 states it very clearly: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Have you called on Jesus to forgive and save you yet? Will you believe today before it is too late?

The Bible is the source of truth for every Christian. It repeatedly speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the dead and then declares that He gave them many “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of His resurrection during the next forty days.

Everything the Christian believes depends on the fact of the resurrection. The Bible records it accurately in each of the Gospels, with each one bearing slightly different testimony as each witness saw it. Identical accounts would point to collusion.

The text verse for today says the Bible can be believed. You trusted it for your salvation – now trust it to guide your life. The promises are yours to claim – once it is seen who they are for and any conditions that might apply. They are all there to enable believers to trust Him and to get victory.

God is looking for overcomers with His help. With God’s armor and the promises, you can do His will and run your course. Remember His promise: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Years ago, early on this Easter morning, the women arrived first at the tomb, thinking that they would have to get someone to help them move the stone away. The stone served as both a covering for the tomb and a seal.

There was also a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb and they were ordered to keep it secure. A “guard” would normally consist of 24 Roman soldiers, which would take part in shifts. The unexpected appearance of the angel whose face was “like lightning” (vs. 4) had them terrified and frozen with fear. He moved the stone away – not to let Christ out, but to let others in to see that He was already gone.

While none of the 11 remaining Apostles, or any other disciples, were expecting a resurrection despite Jesus repeatedly telling them about it, the heavenly messenger delivered the shocking news to these women. The message was short and simple. He told them: “he is risen from the dead.”

If Jesus had stayed in the grave, we would never have known if God had forgiven our sins or not. He would have had to pay for them in Hell. His resurrection proves that all that Jesus said about salvation and eternal life is true. In Him is life, and simply trusting in Him to save us will result in a real pardon from God with eternal life in Heaven – all at the expense of Christ for us.

Since He arose from the dead – and He is the only religious leader to have done so – we can be certain of Who He was (the Son of God) and that His words truly are from God. In John 5:24, He said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

He is risen indeed!, and all who truly know Him know very well that He is alive – with power!

Near the end of His earthly life, when the leaders of Israel were determined to put Jesus to death, He spoke these words. Because of the impossibility, they are words that no mere human can utter.

Considering Who Jesus was, He had great power to do miracles. He commanded the wind and the waves and even death was no match for Him. Earlier, the Bible tells us that the Son of God was the One Who created all things, as seen in John 1:3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” It is also seen in Colossians 1:16: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.”

Without a doubt, there was no force on earth – or outside of it, that could overpower the Creator. The only way Jesus could ever die was for Him to permit it to happen. Even if He did not do it, He still had power over the angels, and they could have prevented it – if He wanted them to.

In John 10:15, Jesus prophesied that He would die for His sheep (disciples). He said: “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” In this same verse, He also prophesied that He would come back to life – by His power.

Jesus soon coming crucifixion, burial, and resurrection were all planned before the earth was created. God would show His love for the world through what Jesus would do for us on the Cross and coming back to life – with a new and immortal Body.

You only have one chance to get God’s forgiveness. If you miss it and die without getting saved, there is no second chance. Trust God’s willingness to forgive and love for you and make Him your Savior today.

As we approach Easter, it must be remembered that Christ’s crucifixion was not an accident, nor was it an unexpected event in His life. Instead, it was the very reason He came to earth.

Jesus’ death on the Cross was predicted hundreds of years before He ever came. Isaiah 53 was written 700 years before Christ’s birth. David wrote Psalm 22 about 1,000 years before Jesus was born.

John the Baptist, in the text verse above, spoke these words at the very commencement of Christ’s ministry. He knew that Jesus came to be God’s special Lamb to die in our place. No other person could die for the sins of another and have their blood cover their sins in the eyes of God. The Bible declares, in Ezekiel 18:4, and again in verse 20 of the same chapter: “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

If we, as sinners, were to go free from the punishment of our sin, God would have to do it. Thank God, it is what He did through Christ’s crucifixion. He paid our full debt. And because He paid our full debt – there is nothing left for us to pay! It is why salvation is free to anyone. We can go free because of Jesus’ death and resurrection!

All that anyone needs to do to be saved from Hell is to turn from sin in your heart and believe on Christ’s payment for you. Although salvation is by faith, if you were serious about getting forgiven for your sin and disobedience to God, it is time to start living for Him and obeying the Bible.