Resurrection On April 24th, we celebrate the resurrection of Yeshua Messiah with all Christians all over the world. Resurrection of our savior from the tomb after 3 days of His burial is a very important doctrine of our faith. Without resurrection, our faith is empty, in vain, foolish, and we are still in our sin, and we are the most pitiful people in the world. But thank God, He was risen. He was risen, He was no longer in the tomb, He left an empty tomb; for He only needed a tomb for 3 days, that was why He borrowed it. His resurrection from the tomb is our hope and the hope of mankind. Death is the most powerful and dreadful force in the world. When it comes to get you, you have to go with it no matter who you are. Alexander the Great conquered the world when he was only in his thirties, and when death came not too long after that, he had to go. Just as you came alone into this world, you shall also leave alone, if you have no faith in Christ. For I believe that just like that beggar Lazarus, when he died, Bible tells us that the angles came and ushered him to the bosom of Abraham. What is death? Where did it come from? Let’s go to Genesis 2:15-17 “15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Romans 5:12 “12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Death came to us because of our sin against God, we disobeyed Him. We did not believe what He says is true. We want to be our own god; we did not need Him even our creator anymore. We want to please ourselves rather than Him who gave life to us. Our world is living in sin and death. We can see death, helplessness, and hopelessness around us everyday. Die means depart into eternity, separation from God, eternal life. When we die our spirit departs from our body; our spirit separates from our body. Our body goes to the dust, because that is what our body was made of. Our spirit goes to be with Jesus or to hell waiting for judgment. When Adam and Eve sinned, they died spiritually right away, because the Spirit of God departed from them right away. And their physical death came about 900 years later. Physical death is a result of spiritual death. Everything dies after a long separation; fish from water, man from air, water, and food. Relationship dies after a long separation, like a divorce between a husband and wife. Tree and flower die after being uprooted from the soil. A house separated from any human activities dies and becomes a ghost and haunted house. A man who left a will to give his house to the devil after he died, the presiding judge ordered his house to be boarded up forbidding any trespass, sure enough after a few years that house is a haunted. The problem we are facing today is a separation from God. Our society has become secular, mentioning of God even His name is a taboo. We lust after our sinful lifestyle and are afraid to be exposed by the light of His truth. Our sin separates us from our God. We are born in sin as David said in Psalm 51. We are the slave of sin; we serve sin in our flesh without God all the days of our life. And consequently when we die we separate ourselves from Him in a place called hell, and wait there until the judgment day before the white throne of God. And then sinners spend eternity in the lake of fire. No return, no purgatory, no second chance. God does not send sinners to hell and lake of fire; sinners choose to go there themselves. Do not blame on God. He respects your will, There is a huge gap between God and sinners. Only by the cross of Jesus Christ can we cross to God. Only through repentance of our sin and receive His forgiveness through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, can we be saved by His grace through our faith. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He died in our place so we do not have to die and suffer the punishment of hell. He spent three days and three nights in hell for us. He died for our sin and resurrected for our righteousness. Many are saying there are many ways to go to heaven; yes, we all can go to heaven and see God before His white Throne of judgment. The question is will you see Him as your Father or as your Judge. You are not going to stay in His presence too long if He is your judge. Hebrews 9: 27 “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” John 5:29 “and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Resurrection is for everyone, to life or condemnation. Some people say if I do well, I can go to heaven. Well if that is the case, heaven will be populated with cows. Cow has done more good than man. They labor for men all the days of their life without complain and benefit, and finally make an ultimate sacrifice even at their death to provide a good meal for men. Can you do better work than a cow? Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can go to the Father except through me. Repent from your sins and receive Jesus toady as your personal savior and have eternal life, and death will have no power over you. You will join God when you depart from this world. Many Christians when they left the world had experienced great joy and peace, not fear and torment like the wicked. Rev. C M Ward a famous and popular radio preacher of the Assembly of God in the 1960’s descried in his autobiography the departure of his dear godly mother in the hospital; she shouted a big shout with a voice of joy and victory, like she always did when she knew she had experienced a victory, a breakthrough in her prayer and intercession. Bro. Ward knew what his dear mother saw on the other side. I can hardly wait when I see the glory on the other side, like Peter described in 1 Peter 1, full of glory and rejoice with joy inexpressible. And on that day of his mother’s passing away, everyone in the hospital heard that shout, what a testimony to Jesus Christ even in her death. Apostle Paul told the Christians in Philippi, how much he desired to leave this world and to be with the Lord. Phi 1:19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live be Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. When we depart from this world, we will be with Jesus right away. But that is not the end of the story. For There is a resurrection waiting for us. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. Jesus was resurrected by the power of the Spirit of God, which dwells in us. When He died on the cross, the veil of temple was split into half from top to bottom, and the Glory of the Spirit of God went out of Temple and caused the dead in tomb to resurrect with Jesus. Let’s go to 2Corinthians 15, a key chapter on resurrection. 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection were all prophesied in the Old Testament, which includes torah, books of prophets and psalms. 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of who are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ is lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turns: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. 35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh; animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting? "56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks are to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We will have a body like Jesus’ after resurrection, called heavenly body, which will never get sick, can eat and enjoy food, is not limited to physical dimension, can go through a wall, and be anywhere in an instant, etc. What a glorious hope for the believers in Christ. Firstfruits is a Jewish Feast, instituted after their entering the Promised Land, it is at the end of the third day after the Passover, signifying Yeshua’s resurrection. John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Acts 1:22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. There is a lie about Jesus’ resurrection still circulated among the Jewish community today, that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus. If that were true, the soldiers who guarded the tomb would have been executed under the strict law of Roman; no doubt they were spreading the lies by the bribery as recorded in the Gospel.