500 EYE WITNESSES TO JESUS CHRIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD - MOST WERE STILL ALIVE IN APOSTLE PAUL'S DAY

HAPPY EASTER, OR, SOME SAY HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

The joyful words we say are, “He is risen!” The joyful response, “Christ is risen indeed!

”Believers understand the Resurrection is proof God accepted Jesus Christ’s atonement on behalf of all believers.

Thus, the tremendous joyousness of the occasion.

It seems to me Christianity has taken over a large part of the world, without military conquest.

This is remarkable since the world has been under the firm control of pagan priests as well as Roman, and other, unfriendly military and political powers.

The Apostle Paul says, in the passage below, that the main part of 500 eye witnesses to the post Resurrection Jesus Christ were still alive in his day.

No doubt that great confidence in the fact of the Resurrection in the hearts of early believers gave them tremendous boldness, power and zeal.

There certainly was genuine power from God causing all this.

New Testament 1 Corinthians 15 says:

1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

6After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

7After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

I have the entire chapter and link to commentary later on this page.

Also see my other pages, the Resurrection, Jesus' Family Tomb, and Cremation.

Many people are worried about the direction of our nation and world – and with very good reasons.

Psalm 2, penned by the great King David gives us a concise overview of the actual, truthful situation.

As crazy as it seems, the Kings of the Earth and their demon handlers (Rulers) are engaged in a determined effort to throw off God’s rule (Old Testament Prophet, Daniel chapter 2 gives more details).

God’s first response is to laugh at them, but this quickly turns to serious anger.

He seriously advices all to turn to the Lord, who is God’s Son, sincerely trusting in him.

So the Resurrection is an important part of all of this.

See my pages, Woodrow Wilson's Words and Daniel the Prophet's 4th Kingdom for more details.

Psalm 2:

¹Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

²The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

³Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

⁴He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

⁵Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

⁶Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

⁷I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

⁸Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

⁹Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

¹⁰Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

There is no telling what mischief the next U. S. A. Presidential election will bring to us and the world.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY Golden Parachute there is.

The King James Bible uses the word Easter in Acts 12:4, modern versions use the word Passover.

The Geneva Bible - 6 Very Early English New Testaments Compared. (22mb, page 755/1475)

Wycliff and Purvey/Wycliff use "pask" in Acts 12:4 - This is the untranslated Latin.

Tyndale and King James use "Easter."

Geneva Bible uses "Passover."

The King James Bible Page has an excellent article Easter or Passover, by Jack Moorman.

Moorman well points out that the Passover came right BEFORE the days of unleavened bread.

His quote:

"And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast of unleavened bread--seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten" (Num. 28:16,17; see also Mark 14:12; 1 Cor. 5:7,8, etc.)."

He says "Passover" was used to refer to that one day only, not to the whole period as some contend.

Thus the King James Bible's use of Easter is, in fact, correct.

Jack Moorman's article has a lot of great information about pagan Easter, and also about Rome's efforts to merge Passover and Easter, in order to merge pagan worshipers and true God believers together.

His article is a page and a half and well worth reading.

We do, of course, see this blending of Pagan and Judeo-Christian things in the Roman Catholic Church.

Moorman notes that King Herod was an Edomite, and thus very much into the practice of Easter.

Acts 12:

¹Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

²And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

³And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

⁴And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

⁵Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

⁶And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

⁷And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

⁸And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

⁹And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

¹⁰When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

¹¹And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

¹²And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

¹³And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

¹⁴And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

¹⁵And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

¹⁶But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

¹⁷But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

¹⁸Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.

¹⁹And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.

²⁰And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country.

²¹And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

²²And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

²³And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

²⁴But the word of God grew and multiplied.

²⁵And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

I include the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 in the next section, but here I want to look at the last part.

The last 18 verses of this chapter are so wonderful, so comforting, with a glorious view of the Rapture.

God, through Paul, so greatly encourages us with the tremendously hopeful view of complete, sinless, victory.

I Corinthians 15:

⁵⁰Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

First Corinthians 15: JFB Commentary

¹Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

⁵And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

⁶After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

⁷After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

⁸And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

⁹For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

¹¹Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

¹²Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

¹³But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

¹⁴And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

¹⁵Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

¹⁶For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

¹⁷And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

¹⁸Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

²⁰But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

²¹For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

²³But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

²⁴Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

²⁵For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

²⁷For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

²⁸And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

²⁹Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

³⁰And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?

³¹I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

³²If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

³³Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

³⁴Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

³⁵But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

³⁶Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

³⁷And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

³⁸But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

³⁹All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

⁴⁰There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

⁴²So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

⁴³It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

⁴⁴It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

⁴⁵And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

⁴⁶Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

⁴⁷The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

⁴⁸As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

⁴⁹And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.