What happened on that Sunday morning? The first sunbeams broke the darkness that surrounded earth as a dense veil. "There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven . . . His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow" (Matt. 28:2, 3).* The great stone that sealed the tomb was removed as "a pebble"1 by the hand of a mighty angel. "The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men" (verse 4).

The air was filled with angels' melodious voices, welcoming the Lord of lords. Sadly, not a single believer welcomed Jesus on the day of His resurrection.

The Open Grave, the Empty Tomb
All the powers of earth wanted to keep Jesus in the grave. Priests and rulers wanted to keep Him there. Roman guards in great number were sent to keep Him there. A great stone had been placed there. Satan wanted to keep Jesus there. But no power in the whole universe was able to keep Him in the tomb.

Throughout the centuries many theories have been created to keep the resurrected Christ from the people. Scholars and skeptics have maintained that the Resurrection was just a plot of His disciples--they stole the body, and then began to preach His resurrection. Others insisted that Christ was not really dead when placed in the tomb--He had just lost consciousness and later revived from the smell of spices and the coolness of the tomb. Other voices insisted it was the hallucinations of the disciples, not the appearances of a risen Jesus.2

But the disciples had neither the strength nor the motivation to steal Christ's body. They were psychologically and mentally discouraged and demolished. Besides, it was impossible to steal the body unnoticed. The idea that Jesus was just unconscious was disproved by Roman soldiers who broke the ankles of two criminals, but didn't do this to Jesus because they saw Him dead (John 19:32). And Scripture disproves the assumption about hallucinations. Many people saw Jesus alive in different times and places after the Resurrection. The New Testament lists about 10 appearances of Jesus to various people, or groups.3 The largest group that saw Jesus alive was made up of more than 500 people (1 Cor. 15:6).

The New Testament devotes a great amount of space to the resurrection of Jesus. The Gospels contain about 150 verses about Jesus' resurrection, plus about another 160 additional notes to this theme in the book of Acts and the Epistles. In these passages there are notes to famous and known people of that time who could easily disprove the story. Besides, many eyewitnesses were still alive. In addition, this theme is mentioned 23 times by the apostle Paul.

The rapid growth of the Christian church in the city where all these events took place would be impossible if this event was just a myth. In addition, the radical transformation of the disciples is considered as a great proof of Jesus' resurrection. They underwent such a tremendous transformation in thinking, faith, and dedication that they were ready to lay down their lives for the risen Jesus.

Encounter With the Risen Jesus
On the Sunday evening after Christ's resurrection, the disciples were in a room with the doors locked (John 20:19). They believed He was the Messiah; they expected His coronation, not His crucifixion. Their disappointment and fear were so great that they could not even remember His words about these events (Mark 8:31; 9:9; 10:33, 34; 14:8, 22-24, 27, 28, 41). They found themselves in the dark hopeless pit of despair and fear.

The disciples had lost not only their Messiah; they lost their identity. And with the loss of identity came fear--fear of death and persecution. They were afraid they would share His destiny. That's why they hid and shut themselves behind closed doors (Mark 14:50; John 20:19). That's why none of them helped Him carry the cross (Luke 23:26). That's why most of them watched Him dying on the cross from a distance (verse 49). That's why only one of them was brave enough to stand close to the cross (John 19:26). That's why none of them were brave enough to ask Pilate to give them His body (Mark 15:43).

It was Sunday. The resurrection of Christ had already taken place. But the disciples were still living on Friday! Women had already seen Jesus alive. But the rest of the disciples were slow to believe. They shared the mood of their two colleagues going to Emmaus who explained, "Some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. . . . Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see" (Luke 24:22-24). God didn't need to roll the stone away in order to let His Son come out. In His new body, Jesus could walk through the walls and closed doors. Jon Paulien observes, "The entrance stone had not rolled away in order for Jesus to get out of the tomb but to let the disciples get in and verify He was gone!"4

The news of resurrection had come, but it was too good to be true. Their rational thinking was calling for facts. But then news had come that Peter saw the risen Jesus (verse 34)! A mixture of faith and doubt filled the room. At this critical moment, "Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you" (verse 36).

Jesus' mission to the disciples was not only to bring them peace. They had to return to Scripture and regain their identity. They had to rekindle their faith and receive His mission. Jesus reminded them, "'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day" (verse 44-46). The result of the Bible study was that they were transformed. Their hearts burned with a new vision and message they could not keep to themselves.

The main evidence of Christ's resurrection is the transformed lives of His followers. Disciples were transformed into bold witnesses. And all who believed in their message experienced a radical transformation.

The Meaning of the Resurrection
Charles Spurgeon, a great Christian preacher, said: "The fact of the resurrection is the key-stone of Christianity. If the resurrection of our Lord, were to be dispoved our . . . faith would be a mere fable. . . . All the great doctrines of our faith would fall away like the stones of an arch if the keystone were to be dislodged; . . . for all of our hope hinges upon that great fact."5

The Resurrection was a climax in the history of salvation. The resurrection also testifies to God's power over the devil and death. It reveals the final outcome of the great controversy. It brings forgiveness of sins to every human soul. It releases the power of the Holy Spirit. The Resurrection gives the hope of the second coming of Jesus and the guarantee of eternal life for everyone who believes in Him. It showed to the whole universe that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. Without the Resurrection, the cross would be meaningless.

The Resurrection brought the assurance and guarantee of eternal life to every believer. God has the keys of death. The enemy is already defeated!

That Sunday was one of the greatest days in the history of salvation--but the best is yet to come! The risen Jesus will come with the host of angels, graves will be opened, and the righteous will be called out.

The question is: How has the fact of Jesus' resurrection and the evidence of that empty grave influenced me? Have I had an encounter with the risen Jesus? Have I had a radical transformation as a result of this?

God is still taking the initiative to meet you and me on the roads of our lives. He says: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!" (Rev. 1:17, 18). What will be our response to the risen Jesus? For He is risen, indeed!
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*Unless otherwise noted, all texts in this article are taken from the New International Version of the Holy Scriptures.
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1 Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, p. 780.
2 See George E. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Publishing Company), pp. 321, 322.
3 See Matt. 28:8-10, 16-20; Mark 16:9-14; Luke 24:13-51; John 20:10-27; 21:11-23; Acts 1:8-11; 1 Cor. 15:5-7.
4 Jon Paulien, The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier: A Practical Guide to Abundant Christian Living in the Book of John (Boise, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1995), p. 267.
5 See C. H. Spurgeon, Jesus Rose for You, chapter 1.