Was=
the
Resurrection Really a Miracle ?
Revelation 1:17-18
HCSB
Introduction
During F= rench Revolution someone said to Talleyrand, Bishop of Auton:
“The Christian religion,--what is it?
It would= be easy to start a religion like that.”
“Oh yes,” Talleyrand replied,
“One would only have to get crucified and rise a= gain the 3rd day.”
It requires f=
aith to
believe that Jesus rose from the grave---right?
It is very normal and ordinary for us to think of the miracle required for Jesus to rise again.
It is very natural to think about almost the impossibi= lity of Christ overcoming death.
Honestly, our natural mind would almost question it th= is way:
Can it really =
be
possible that Jesus did rise from the dead?
However, many=
years
ago a very famous preacher made an amazing, shocking statement that was qui=
te
different from the normal way in which we think!
Let me read=
that
statement for you:
Acts 2:23-24
Though He was delivered up according to God̵=
7;s
determined plan and foreknowledge, you used Other mss read
Rather than t=
hinking
of the seeming impossibility of Christ rising from the dead, his conviction=
was
that it would be absolutely impossible for death to keep Him from rising!!!=
1. The
Incredible Person
A. “I am the Fir=
st and
the Last”
1. An Ascription of God
Isaiah 41:4
Who h=
as
performed and done [this]=
The b=
racketed
text has been added for clarity. , calling
the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord=
,
am the first, and with the last Rv 1:17; 22:13
—I am He.”
&=
nbsp; Isaiah 44:6
This =
is what
the Lord,
the King of
Isaiah 48:12
=
̶=
0;Listen
to Me, Jacob, and
2. Phrase
Found Three Times in Book of Revelation
Three equivalent titles:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> First & Last, Alpha & Omeg= a, Beginning & End
All thre= e found in 22:13
See also 1:8 and 1:11
=
; =
Revelation 1:17
&nbs= p; &= nbsp;
&=
nbsp; Revelation 2:8
“To
the angel of the church in
Revelation 22:12-13
“Look!
I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Isaiah 40:10; 62:11 to repay each person according to what he has done=
. I
am the A=
lpha and
the Omega, the First and t=
he
Last, the Beginning and the End.
Compare Revelation 1:8
&nbs=
p; 3.&nb=
sp; The
Significance of the Phrase
&=
nbsp; a. No God before and none after
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; b. Originator of all and = the end to which all comes
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; c. Death could never have= any power over such a one!
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; He is eternal!
&nbs=
p; B.&nb=
sp; “I
am the Living One”
&nbs= p; A literal translation from the Greek!
&nbs=
p; 1. Equivalent to the term, ̶=
0;the
living God”
=
; 2. Possessing infinite, =
inherent
life!
= ; = a. Underived
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; b. Inextinguishable
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; c. Unending
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; d. Enduring
= ; 3. Scriptures stating this fact<= o:p>
=
; =
John 1:4
=
; =
Life was in Hi=
m, =
Other punctuation is possible: =
;. . .
and that life was the light
of men.
&=
nbsp; John 5:21, 26
And just as the Father raises the =
dead
and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to - For
just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted to the Son to
have life in Himself.
John 14:6
Jesus
told him, “I am the w=
ay,
the truth, and the life.
&=
nbsp; 1 John 1:1-2
What =
was
from the beginning, what we have =
heard,
what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed,[1] Jn 1:14 and h=
ave
touched with our hands, concerning th=
e Word
of life— =
2 that life was revealed, and we have s=
een it
and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father <=
span
class=3Ddynamicprose>and was revealed to us—
&=
nbsp; 4.&nb=
sp; Conclusions
= ; = a. Death would be a virtual i= mpossibility!
&nbs=
p;
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; b. The resurrection of Christ ha= d to happen!
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; Death could not possibly have held him!
&nbs= p; &= nbsp; It was a foregone conclusion – it had to happen!
2. The
Incredible Event
“I was (Greek: literally – ‘became’)
dead”
The original language in its
tense, mood and voice says in effect: =
Christ,
by his own action, became dead!
Death did not seize =
him;
he voluntarily entered into death.
We might say that it requir= ed a miracle for Him to die, and no miracle at all for Him to rise again!
3. The
Incredible Results
“I am alive forever and ever and I hold the keys of death and
Hades.”
A.&n=
bsp; =
;
“=
;Alive
forever and ever”
1. =
He is the conqueror of death!
2. =
Because he lives, we also will =
live!
B.&n=
bsp; =
;
“=
;I
hold the keys”
1. =
He has authority over physic=
al
death.
He has authority over life= after death
He delivered the captives = of Death! (Ephesians 4:8)
He has opened the door for righteous (Hebrews 12:23)
Keeps unrighteous locked u= p for judgment
(2 Peter 2:9)
2. =
Our resurrection is a foregone =
conclusion
– it must happen!
CONCLUSION
When we understand who Jes= us was, it requires very little faith to believe that He could and did rise from de= ath.
For
one, I am as sure of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as I am of this life
itself.
Having
read of multitudes of brilliant people like Lord Littleton, Frank Morrison,=
Lee
Strobel and a host of other who set out to disprove the resurrection of Chr=
ist
and through their investigation became ardently believing Christians,
Having
read the testimonies of multitudes of the world’s most brilliant legal
minds and historians who state that the evidence for the resurrection of Ch=
rist
is evidence that has never failed to hold up under the most vicious opposit=
ion
in any court of law,
Men like
Lord
Lyndhurst, High Steward of
Cambridge University, regarded as one of the greatest legal minds in the
history of
Lord Caldecote, former Lord Chief Justice of
Thomas
Arnold noted historian and
author, appointed to the chair of modern history at
Simon
Greenlead, famous Royall
Professor of Law at
Pinchas
Lapide an Orthodox Jew, for=
mer
Associate Professor at the American College in Jerusalem, officer of the Je=
wish
Brigade, British Army WW II, diplomat for government of Israel, Head of Jer=
usalem
Press Bureau, and uthor of book:
The Resurrection of Jesus – A Jewish Persp=
ective
p.
15 he states:
“I
accept the resurrection of Easter Sunday not as an invention of the communi=
ty
of disciples, but as a historical fact.”
Everything about his life would po=
int
to the reality of his resurrection!
His
miraculous virgin birth
His
miracles of healing the blind, lepers and the lame
His
power over the forces of nature
His
power over the spirit-world
His
power to raise people from the dead
The
six miracles that occurred as he died!
Why would we even beg=
in to
think that his resurrection had to be a miracle overcoming great obstacles?=
The miracle would hav=
e been
if he had NOT risen!!!!!!