This matter was closely scrutinized by Paul the Apostle. He was a shrewd and very astute thinker, a sharp legal mind, and so he addressed this matter in a very clear, candid, logical and objective manner.

1 Corinthians 15: 12-20

12. Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up-if in fact the dead do not rise. 16. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

It is very clear from the passage above that the Resurrection is an essential truth of the Christian Faith, without which our Faith and entire belief system crumbles, loses its credibility, and would be unable to withstand any critical scrutiny. Christianity, without the resurrection will be reduced to rubble and fall into the category of ancient religious relics that have all died, and are almost forgotten over the passage of time. In Jesus' day there were the two major ecclesiastical sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It is said that the latter did not believe in the resurrection, hence the reason they were (Sad-U-See). Thank God Christianity and Faith and belief in Jesus Christ, is alive and well; and it's all because of the resurrection. The doctrine of the resurrection is the Keystone, the Capstone, the zenith, the ultimate and definitive victory over satan, the devil, restoring hope to all fallen humanity.

Jesus had prepared his disciples through His teachings of the fact that He would rise again. He had said at one time, destroy this body and in three days I will rebuild it. Though they thought His saying to be preposterous, as they were thinking of the magnificent Jewish temple that had taken some 40 years to be constructed, But He was referring to His physical death and resurrection. Jesus had also said, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will He be. This again referred to his death, burial and resurrection. All through the Bible, with special reference to the Old Testament, there was the implicit belief of the resurrection. Abraham in faith believed if he sacrificed his son, Isaac, in obedience to God's command, God would have raised him from the dead, for how else would God have fulfilled His promised, through this promised seed, Isaac. We see (Jacob) Israel instructing his sons, that at his death he must not be buried in Egypt, but must be taken to Canaan, the promise land. Also Joseph when coming to the end of his days, he also requested that his bones be taken to the promise land. In the case of Joseph, with all the wanderings of the children of Israel, in the wilderness, his corpse travelled with them. His intent also implies that when he opens his eyes again, in that great getting-up morning, in the resurrection, he will be with his people. Even Job faced with the prospect of death and dying, as a result of his intense suffering, stated, JOB 19:25-27 "For I know thot my redeemer lives, and He shall stand in the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for myself. And my eves shall behold and not another, though my reins be consumed within me." Each of these biblical characters expressed a firm and unwavering belief in the resurrection.

PS 16:9-10 "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices, my flesh also shall rest in hope, for thou will not leave my soul in hell, neither will thou suffer your Holy One to see corruption."

PS 17:15 "As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness."

PS 49:15 "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave."

The devil in his arsenal of weaponry had death as his ultimate weapon. Heb. 2:14-15 "For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime, subject to bondage. Matthew 10:28. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." No longer are we subjugated through fear and bondage, we have now been set free, liberated through Christ who rose again from the dead. This world has seen its share of mighty and great leaders, but all have been subject to death. We have sought to immortalize them, garland them with jewellery of gold, pearls and precious stones. Shrines and monuments have been erected to others, their tombs have be reckoned, holy places and destinations for pilgrimages, but these so called 'larger than life' personalities have all succumbed to death. You can go to the tomb of Mohammed, visit the tomb of Buddha, and that of the many Gurus of the Sikhs. There are tombs and elaborate structures for deceased Popes and Cardinals, monarchs and other great people of history, but the fact remains they are all corpses, very dead, to this day. When we go to the borrowed tomb of Jesus, we hear, "He is not here He is risen just as He said. My Jesus did not need to buy a burial place as Abraham did, when he purchased the cave of Machpelah in Hebron at Cannan, for four hundred shekels of silver. He needed the use of the tomb, for a time just long enough to wrap up some business in that domain of death and the dead, only three days and three nights.

On the third day, very early that Sunday morning, there was a stirring as angels rolled the stone away and the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, changed, transformed and resurrected. Indeed the corruptible, had put on in corruption, and the mortal, immortality, clearly demonstrating to everyone that death was defeated and indeed swallowed up in victory. 1 Cor.15:55-57 "0 death where is thy sting? 0 grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives to us the victory, through Our Lord Jesus Christ." In the resurrection, Jesus has wrought for us a mighty victory. Of whom else can it be said, that Sin could not defeat Him, Death could not hold him, the grave could not keep Him. Jesus is the all-time unequalled, undisputed, undefeated champion. Because of Christ's Victory at the resurrection, all believers in Christ can claim the promise of Rom. 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by His Spirit that dwells in us." We remember the words of the Gospel Song, "Because He Lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, All fear is gone, Because I know who holds the future, My life is worth the living, just because He lives"( Bill Gaither).

Without the resurrection there would have been no Church, as the Church was birthed in the blood of Christ's suffering, and upheld and sustained through His life. The Church is not a man made organization or institution, but is the body of the Blood bought, Blood washed, redeemed Saints, of God. Because Jesus is alive, He is able to lead, direct, preserve and protect the members of His Church. Yes indeed, the Resurrected Christ Jesus is the leader of His Church', and all through the ages, although the Church has been under serious attack, by the forces of darkness and evil, the Church has never suffered defeat. Jesus continues to lead His people from victory to victory. We thank God for the resurrection, and all it means for us knowing that we too will be transformed, by that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, and just as He promised, He has gone to prepare a place for us, and is coming back to take us unto himself, where we shall ever be with Him.

All Bible Verses: KJV