Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash
Sunday, March 31, 2024, is a day of Christian celebration. It represents the day Jesus, the Messiah, rose from the dead.
After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb.
Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it.
Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white.
The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.
The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross.
He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.
Matthew 28:1-6 The Message
The news of the resurrection started a wildfire of conversions as people of all walks of life and religious backgrounds accepted Jesus as their savior.
But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas.
When they couldn’t find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, “These people are out to destroy the world, and now they’ve shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear!
Acts 17:5-6 The Message
That was then…this is now
These are some recent headlines:
“Outrage as Biden declares solemn Christian holiday ‘Transgender Day Visibility”
“Religious-theme designs banned from White House Easter egg art contest”
“Starbucks, Walgreens in California vandalized in anti-Israel protest”
“US antisemitic incidents up about 400% since Israel-Hamas war began”
“Jews ‘under siege’ in Trudeau’s Canada amid soaring antisemitism”
“Israel’s global isolation is caused by antisemitism, not bad policies”
“A new wave of antisemitism threatens to rock an already unstable world”
What is going on?
It doesn’t sound like Jesus is alive.
If he is alive, it seems like he has gone on vacation while the world races toward Hell.
But then there is this:
The skeptic swore, “There is no God! No God! – I can do anything I want!
I’m more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me.
“I flunked ‘wisdom.’ I see no evidence of a holy God.
Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now – tell me!”
The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help.
So don’t second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.”
Proverbs 30:1-6 The Message
Jesus has this to say about the end of times:
Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers.
Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people.
When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end.
Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places.
This is nothing compared to what is coming.
“They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name.
And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other.
“In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people.
For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in – nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.
“Staying with it – that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved.
Matthew 24:4-13 The Message
Is Jesus alive?
Write this to Smyrna, to the Angel of the church. The Beginning and Ending, the First and Final One, the Once Dead and Then Come Alive, speaks:
Revelation 2:8 The Message
These were his [Jesus] last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud.
They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared – in white robes!
They said, “You Galileans! – why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly – and mysteriously – as he left.”
Acts 1:9-11 The Message
I suppose the question of Jesus being alive is up to you to decide. However, the Bible makes it clear that he is. Jesus outlined what the world would be like prior to his return.
Perhaps you think the few headlines mentioned are coincidental and have nothing to do with the end of time.
As for me, (and my family) Jesus is certainly alive, and soon to return.
“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve – and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”
Joshua 24:15 The Message
Forgiveness is given once it is asked for, however, it does not negate the consequences. But, the consequences do not forfeit the Lord’s blessings on a repentant heart.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you a living hope. It is a living anticipation that is full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
You must be logged in to post a comment.