"The evidence cannot be denied!"
By: Joyce Picker
Although the world may celebrate the Resurrection as Easter, this is not the true meaning of the Resurrection. It’s not about bunnies, easter egg hunts and all the commercialization that goes on during Resurrection week. Messiah died for all our sins and transgressions so we could have life and life more abundantly.
What is it really about? What’s all the fuss? The truth is that His resurrection becomes critical to fulfilling God's promises, which go back to the Book of Genesis to the creation of Adam and Eve and there is a common thread throughout the whole Book. The prophet Isaiah also prophesied his resurrection—“he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:10
Why is the Resurrection so important? I will give you a few but I'm sure there are many many more!
❖ It Authenticates Yeshua’s Claims As The Son Of God
Romans 1:4 says: And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. The Deity of Messiah is proven by the fact that Yeshua has risen.
❖ It Demonstrates that Yeshua Is A Prophet
Matthew 16:21: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Yeshua is a prophet and a priest.
❖ The Resurrection Shows That He Is The Promised Messiah
Acts 2:36: Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Yeshua, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah . Everything that the Messiah says He is, was validated by His Resurrection.
❖ It Demonstrates The Truth Of The Believer’s Faith
The resurrection proves the truth of the Believer's faith as opposed to every other belief system that claims to be true. The resurrection of Messiah from the dead settles the matter as to which of these beliefs is true. It is the Believer's faith! Therefore, there is only one God who exists, and only one way to reach the one God, through Yeshua.
❖ It Acknowledges The Acceptance Of Messiah’s Death For Sin
Romans 4:25: He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. This was God's Magnicent plan all along and it totally baffled the devil.
❖ It Answers The Three Big Questions About Life
The fact that Yeshua rose from the dead, gives humanity the answers to the three basic questions about life, "Who am I? Why am I alive? What will happen to me when I die?"
❖ It Provides An Identity For People
The resurrection of Yeshua solves our identity problem. We need no longer wonder who we are. We now realize that we are created in the image of God. This means we have the ability to think, love and communicate. We have the chance to know the one true God because He has given us these abilities. We now know that we are special because we are King's kids.
❖ It Gives Purpose To Life
Along with identity comes a genuine purpose for living. Instead of living life without any real purpose, we can now know the reason we have been created - to love God and enjoy Him forever. Messiah Yeshua, and His resurrection from the dead, has provided the answer to what our purpose is here upon the earth. We not only know who we are, and we know why we are here.
❖ It Shows We Will Have A Destiny
I feel great sorrow for people walking around on this Earth who cannot find their purpose of life. It's heartbreaking to me. However, the truth of the resurrection of Yeshua provides us with an answer about our future destiny. We now know that this life is not all there is. We are beings made for eternity, and belief in Yeshua allows us to spend eternity in the presence of God. Thus, the grave has no ultimate terror for us because we know there is a better existence beyond this life. Belief in Yeshua gives us a destiny to which we can look forward.
❖ It Is The Guarantee Of Everlasting Life For The Believer
The resurrection of Yeshua is the factual basis for everlasting life for those who believe in Him. If a person believes in the Messiah, then one of the provisions is eternal life. Yeshua said: John 15:19: Because I live, you will live also. This everlasting life is based upon His resurrection.Yeshua said: John 11:25: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. 1 Thessalonians 4:14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. It’s amazing to watch two people who are dying. One, believes and has assurance of life everlasting and the other who does not believe and has no hope. The difference is very obvious.
❖ He Is The First Of Many
Messiah’s resurrection is the first in a long line of resurrections of those who believe in Him. 1 Corinthians 15:20: But now the Messiah has risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. The resurrection body of Yeshua serves to set the precedent of the resurrection body of believers.
He Is Firstborn, Or preeminent among the dead over those who have died.
Colossians 1:18: He is also head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that he himself might come to have first place in everything. Revelation 1:5: Messiah Yeshua, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. This means that He was the first to have an eternal resurrected body. 1 Corinthians 15:35-41: Our resurrection bodies, like His, will be different from our earthly bodies. Rav Shaul says our resurrection bodies will be related to our former ones.
❖ There Is Genuine Hope For The Future
Because the Messiah has risen from the dead and granted eternal life to those who put their trust in Him, there is hope for the future.
❖ We All Need Hope
It has been said that a human being can live eight minutes without air, three days without water, and about thirty days without food, but a person cannot live one second without hope. We all need to hope for something better than what this life offers. The resurrection of the Messiah provides the basis for that hope.
❖ It Gives Believers A High Priest
The resurrection of Messiah Yeshua gives the Believer a High Priest who lives forever to make intercession for them with God the Father. Hebrews 7:25: Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 1 John 2:1: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Messiah, Yeshua the Righteous One. The believer has continual access to Yeshua the Great High Priest who pleads the case before God the Father for each Believer.
❖ It Provides A Satisfying Life Right Now
Another benefit of the resurrection is that it provides the believer with the basis to live a satisfying life. Ephesians 1:19,20: What is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, which he worked in Messiah when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. Abundant life is available right now because the Messiah has risen. The power of the resurrected Yeshua is experienced in the life of the believer. What does it all mean?
The title of this blog is: Yeshua is the Resurrected Messiah. I have given you many points to think about. These are things you probably already know but it’s nice to have a reminder and to go back to the basics and see what we have that makes this life so special for us and to all who believe.
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Yeshua to die for our sins so we could have everlasting life with you. During this Resurrection Season and Passover, let us reflect upon what it truly means to be a Believer in Yeshua. Let us not get wrapped up in what the world considers Easter but instead let us celebrate the true meaning of the Resurrection. In Yeshua's name. Amen.
Just a P.S. for everyone, over the past years I have written numerous teachings on the Biblical Feasts and Festivals and some of them are Blog’s. The Feasts are sprinkled throughout the calendar. If you want to read about them, please feel free to do so on the HHH website under blogs. Thanks!
[i] The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
[ii] Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.