He is Risen

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. (died)--1 Corinthians 15:20

The greatest single event that occurred in human history is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Not only did that defy nature, it defied death and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Christ's resurrection wasn't some rumor or myth concocted by His disciples and followers; it was witnessed by over 500 people, and accepted by many who didn't follow Him such as Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus and Jewish scholar Flavius Josephus.

In fact, the evidence for Christ's resurrection is so overwhelming that it convinced a hardened atheist named Simon Greenleaf to become a Christian. Who was Greenleaf? He was a 19th Century Harvard Law professor and he was also Jewish.

Greenleaf, who was a stickler for evidence, was asked by his students one day if he would believe in God and Jesus Christ if they could provide the evidence. When Greenleaf balked, the students accused Greenleaf of hypocrisy. The professor relented and challenged his students to furnish the evidence. When they did, Greenleaf became a believer and said this: "Based upon the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there isn't a court of law in the world that could deny that this resurrection took place."

If an educated man such as Greenleaf could come to believe in Christ and His resurrection, then anyone can if they would just put aside the cultural and religious biases and look at the evidence. But that's often the problem. Many cultures are set up to promote their own false gods. And those who are born into these cultures are required to either follow these belief systems or be ostracized. Religious cults aren't the only groups that can be brutal to those who question and refute their doctrines.

I can speak from experience. I'm Jewish and I was told from childhood that Christ was our enemy and we didn't believe in Him. Later, as a young adult, I decided to find out who Christ really was. Was He just a rebel from Judaism as I was taught as a youngster? Or was He in fact the Jewish Messiah that the ancient Hebrew prophets revealed hundreds and thousands of years before He came into the world?

When I looked at the evidence for Christ, it was overwhelming. Like Greenleaf, I came to believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins on a Roman Cross, just as the ancient prophet Isaiah had prophesied in the 8th Century B.C. (Isaiah 53:5) and that He rose from the dead, just as the prophets had revealed the Jewish Messiah would do. (Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 52:13, Isaiah 53:11-12)

Because I became a born-again Jewish believer in Christ, I automatically became persona non-grata. I was accused of committing the ultimate sin against Judaism--I came to believe in Jesus Christ. As such, I was no longer welcome among family and I lost many friends.

Whether you're a Jew or not, or you belong to a culture or a religion that doesn't recognize Christ as God's true Messiah, I ask you to consider the evidence. If you put aside the cultural bias and examine the historical, prophetic evidence for Christ and His resurrection, you'll come to the same conclusion that Simon Greenleaf and I came to--that Christ is God's One and Only Messiah. There is no one else. Religion can't save you, nor your good deeds, achievements, charity etc. Only faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ can save you from eternal death and damnation.

That may cost you friends and family members as it did me and countless others who made that decision, but it will bring you eternal life in the kingdom of God that no religion or friends and family members could ever bring.

Think about the cost, and then think about the evidence for Christ.