The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ What would you think, if you attended the funeral of a very dear friend on a Friday, and you met him walking down the street alive and well the following Sunday, and he informed you that he had risen from the dead that very morning? Such an occurrence would doubtless give you a tremendous shake. It would not be surprising, if you fell down in a swoon, and, when you recovered, your mind would be in a state of indescribable agitation.
And further, having met your friend more than once during the succeeding days, so that no doubt remained in your mind of the reality of his resurrection, what would your feelings be, if you were told that whilst he was talking to a group of friends, he suddenly began to leave this earth, the friends testifying how they saw him disappear in a cloud? Your mind would certainly be left in a state of whirling tumult.
You reply that such an occurrence could not possibly take place. You are quite right in your reply, save with
ONE GREAT EXCEPTION,
besides which there can be none other. Such an incident did really happen. It is an historical fact that the Lord Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead, and ascended up to heaven.
We use the above illustration with the deepest reverence, seeking to prepare the minds of our readers to realize the stupendous character of the resurrection of our Lord; and further to give them some little sympathy with the disciples in their slowness to receive the testimony that our Lord had risen from the dead, seeing there was nothing like His resurrection in past history. And nothing quite like it will ever happen again. It stands out in all its divine significance, opening the door of hope to a sin-blighted, death-ridden world of sinful men.
The Bible gives instances of two men—Enoch and Elijah—being translated to heaven without dying at all; of some dead people, who were raised to life, only to die again; but we never read of a resurrected man ascending to heaven, save in the one exception of our Lord. He died, and was raised the third day, and having abundantly proved His resurrection to His doubting disciples, He ascended to glory, and set Himself down at the right hand of God. Such a claim is stupendous. Prove it, and you prove Christianity. Disprove it, and you disprove Christianity. The truth of Christianity hinges on the fact of the resurrection of our Lord.
This was seen in the remarkable case of Lord Lyttleton, a brilliant literary man, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his friend, Gilbert West. They lived in the early part of the eighteenth century, were both lawyers, and, as the fashion then was, were deists. Deists admit the fact of a Creator, but hold that once the creation is effected, the Creator retired from any further activity in this world's concerns. They therefore did not believe in revealed religion, in the Bible, in Christ, in the need-for salvation.
These gentlemen conceived the idea, that if they could succeed in disproving the resurrection of Christ, it would administer an absolute death-blow to Christianity, that it could not possibly survive the é exposure. Lord Lyttleton therefore attempted to prove that the alleged conversion of the Apostle Paul was a fraud, whilst Gilbert West sought to prove that the resurrection of Christ never occurred.
These two lawyers set to work to study what the Scriptures have to say on these subjects. It can safely be affirmed that generally speaking destructive critics of the Bible are very ignorant of its contents, upon which they dare to sit in judgment. Not only so, but some start with a strong contrary bias, that blinds them, wishing to put the Bibl& in the wrong. It was so in this case, Lord Lyttleton and Gilbert West hoping to overthrow Christianity, and to exult over the discomfiture of the Christians.
Being lawyers, and well trained in the weighing of evidence, they found to their astonishment the evidence as to the resurrection of Christ unassailable, the conversion of the Apostle Paul manifestly true. How often has it been that men, who come to scoff, remain to pray. It was so in this case, for instead of writing to disprove the truth of the resurrection of Christ, they wrote as being fully convinced of its truth, carrying with it their acknowledgment of the great truths of the Christian faith.
The writer hopes in the latter part of this pamphlet to reproduce in his own language some of Lord Lyttleton's arguments, which will convince the reader of his wisdom in the selection of the subject he chose; or rather, as we think, that the Spirit of God guided him unwittingly to choose with such happy result.
Another striking illustration comes to hand. A Mohammedan was seeking to prove to a Christians the superiority of Mohammedanism over Christianity. He explained that the great event in the life of every Mohammedan is to make the pilgrimage to Medina to see the tomb of Mohammed, their great prophet It is said that the most fanatical of the followers of Mohammed, once having seen their great prophet's tomb, will put out their own eyes in order afterward to see nothing else.
The Mohammedan said to the Christian, " We, Mohammedans, go to Medina, and see there the tomb of our great prophet, Mohammed; but you Christians, have no tomb." He thought to have scored a great point, but to his surprise the tables were completely turned against him when the Christian replied, " Yes, it is quite true, you can see the tomb of your great prophet, for Mohammed is dead, and his bones lie mouldering in the grave;. but we Christians, have no tomb, for we have no corpse. Our Lord and Savior rose from the dead, and is alive for evermore." Herein is the triumph of Christianity.
We trust these incidents will prepare the mind of the reader to give the closest attention to what we shall bring forward from the Word of God on this vital theme.