The subject of hope has often been overheard in political speeches in the past few months, but there is a different and more important kind of hope that is available to all of mankind who seeks it. That hope will be celebrated this weekend as we attend services for Easter and remember Good Friday. Jesus Christ gave us that hope when He saw that mankind needed saving from its own sin and obeyed the Father's will that He be born of a Virgin, be crucified, and rise again.
Luke 24:1-8(NIV)reads:
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his words.
The celebration of Easter is not celebrating the death of Christ but the resurrection of Christ. He was raised from death just as He said He would and just like the prophet Isaiah said that He would. Jesus was the sinless Son of God who died in the place of all who would believe in Him, therefore insuring eternal life for those followers.
This hope happened 2008 years ago and we still await His glorious return to defeat evil once and for all and establish His reign forever where there will be no more death, tears, war, agony, and suffering. One day He will return. The first time that Jesus came, He was a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. He led a simple human life as a carpenter until He started his ministry. He healed the sick, made the blind see, made the lame to walk again, raised the dead, died, and was resurrected.
Next time He comes will not be to save people, but will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will come to judge. Yes there will be healing again. Death and evil will be defeated. Sickness, war, and pain will be no more. Hope will arrive in the form of a trumpet sound one day and the Lord will return. I look for that day to be soon simply because of the end times signs that are so strongly evident around the world. Of course these signs have always been here and the "last days" started after Christ ascended into Heaven after the resurrection. His return is looked forward to by Christians everywhere and that return could be today or a million years from now, but one thing is for sure: No human or angel knows the time of His return.
Hope came to mankind some 2000 years ago and that hope still provides the answers to every problem if one will just seek what was freely given when the Lord gave up His life on that rugged, painful cross (crucifixion is the most painful way to die). Are you ready for His return? Or do you dread His judgment? Salvation came long ago, but the invitation still remains as long as you are ready to receive it.
Happy Easter and God Bless!
For more information about Christianity see:
Jesus Christ
How to Become a Christian
http://www.become-a-christian.com
Salvation
http://www.standfortruthonline.com/planofsalvation.htm
Why I believe
http://www.whyibelieve.org/Tour/Tour.htm
