Did you know that Jesus Christ publicly predicted His resurrection before He was crucified? Look at this quote from Matthew 27:62-64 that shows even His enemies knew about this:

“The chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Jesus’ prediction laid down a very simple test: three days after He was crucified He would forever be written off as a delusional self-promoting imposter (if He remained in the grave) – OR – (if He rose from the dead) His word would be confirmed as absolute truth.

Placing soldiers at the tomb was an effective measure to stop Jesus’ disciples stealing the body and faking a resurrection account. However, when the third day came, the soldiers who guarded the tomb reported back with news of a resurrection! Ironically, those who accused Jesus of being a deceiver now indulged in a spot of deception: they prepared the rumour of a stolen body (Matthew 28:11-13)!

Christianity stands or falls on this single historical fact: if Jesus Christ is still dead, then He was just another man, no different to us, but now dead.

But if He rose from the dead, then He is different. He has power over death. Everything He has ever said can be taken as, well, gospel!

Here is the central proclamation of Christianity – God has stepped into this broken world in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, who died a sin bearing death then rose from the dead. The resurrection demonstrates that His offering was accepted by God, and guarantees to all who stake their eternal destiny on the promises of Jesus Christ the assurance of eternal life in place of eternal misery. Don’t miss it; for there is no other offer like this (Acts 4:12)