New Testament – James G. Owen, Author

What does the word resurrection mean? It is the raising of the man, woman, or child from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is a person in the in the godhead (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) of the Father. God is a trichotomous God, yet he is One.

Is the resurrection real? In 1 Kings 17:17-24, I am reminded as I write this article of Elijah and the widow’s son. The widow’s son fell ill and died. The lady complained to Elijah saying she had to pay for her sin by her son’s death. I can imagine that Elijah was grieved by the complaint and learning of the boy’s death. He took the widow’s son to the bedroom and laid him there, and for three times he petitioned God the Father to raise up the boy. After the third time God permitted him to come to life, and the boy did live. Imagine the look on Elijah’s and the widow’s face. With Elijah it must have been the look of determination and of faith. With faith we can move mountains and in enacting our faith we have authority. Elijah’s authority at this time was with the Father, even though God’s Spirit raised the boy from the dead. Also, seeing is believing and the widow believed by sight, and by the word of God that came from Elijah which was truth.

“And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

1 Kings 17:24

In Ezekiel, we can read about the story of the dry bones coming together as an army to fight for the Lord. Many think this is a story of the Holocaust, and it could be, but as I have been thinking on my writings this week it could be the raising of an army to go forth to bring the gospel to every man on earth by those who believe in Jesus, the Church.

Also, the basis in the New Testament that the resurrection is not a fable, but truth lies in Jesus raising the body of Lazarus who was dead for four days. It is at this point in the degradation of the human body that it begins to have a stench. Jesus waited until this forth day to prove that the man was dead, I believe, for the people to believe. Jesus by the word of his mouth, just as in Elijah’s case, commanded Lazarus to come forth. Looking upon the sepulcher where Lazarus was laid the people watched as Lazarus came forth clothed in his grave clothes. Here, we see the Old Testament giving its account and the New Testament giving witness of the other.

On the third day after Jesus was crucified, he arose just like he told the disciples. On that same morning there is another account in the New Testament, and that is the saints in the graves of Jerusalem were resurrected and walked the streets. Imagine the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Father. In the Father there is all power and can do the impossible. Surely there were people who did not believe that Jesus was resurrected, but there were many who did because of his actions in his ministry prior to his death. Jesus, arose, folded the grave clothes as he came out of the grave with the gravestone having been rolled away by two angels. Was the sepulcher guarded? Yes, by Roman guards, but they fell asleep, being put to sleep by the angels.

“And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,”

Luke 24: 2-6

Imagine the scene as Mary Magdalene and others came to the grave and saw his grave empty and wondering who took him. They didn’t believe at this time, but there were two men at Jesus’s grave site and reminded those present of Jesus’s words. Even telling the apostles they did not believe but came to believe after being reminded, and in the days forward of Jesus coming to him before his ascension. He was seen by many over the land of Palestine before the feast of Pentecost. It was important for Jesus to die for us, and to be resurrected. It is by his death and resurrection that Satan was defeated, and those who choose life through Jesus, death can no longer sting or take hold.

Resurrection is real. Jesus’s resurrection is real and not a fable. Even today, we see a form of resurrection in the hospitals where people are given a shock to get their hearts beating and through resuscitation. Being Pentecostal, I have heard many stories of people being resurrected by the Holy Spirit in church services. We have been given the power through the Holy Spirit given to us, and the Holy Spirit came after Jesus’s death. Remember, Jesus said he would be with us always, and he is through the Holy Spirit.

Note: All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

In previous articles I have shown you the shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament, and that throughout the Old Testament we will continue to find Jesus through messianic prophecies. I have chosen two that prophesy and depict the coming scene many years later from the time of David and Isaiah.

As many have heard, and some may not, Jesus was crucified on a cross for our sins, having been rejected as Messiah and King by the Judeans, as a shepherd in some cases in Galilee. The Judeans sought to kill Jesus from the very start of his ministry by trying to push him off a cliff of which he escaped. Next, we see his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to show himself as Messiah and King, but knowing he is coming to his death. He enters the Garden of Gethsemane and goes to the millstone where olives were pressed, and there he pressed on in prayer trying to get relief from all he was feeling. It was here he prayed so hard in preparation to his sacrifice for man that drops of blood fell to the ground as sweat. The first drops of blood on the road to the cross.

He was arrested, presented before Pontius Pilate because it was against their law to kill a man, and told Pilate they wanted him crucified on the cross, yet Pilate saw no cause to kill an innocent man. To the Judeans insistence, Jesus was taken and flogged by a whip with sharp metal shard, and other pieces of sharp material. Blood was split there, and blood was split throughout Jerusalem. There Jesus was mocked having kingly garments placed on him, and with a crown of thorns as his diadem.

On the road to the cross, Jesus faltered under the burden of the cross he had to carry, and there standing on the side of the street stood Simon of Cyrene. He was there watching, and listening at the scene before him, his name fitting because of its meaning in Hebrew to hearken or listen. As he got under the cross for Jesus to carry the cross the verse comes to mind that Jesus said, “take up my cross and follow me.” As I look upon this scene recorded in the New Testament of Matthew 27, I see a Gentile and a Jew walking together on the road to salvation. The only way to salvation is to the cross, and it is a narrow way just as the streets of Jerusalem were narrow, and so were the road to Golgotha. This scene reminds me of the promise that the Gentiles would be included in prophecy for salvation as well in the Old Testament.

“And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” Matthew 27:32

The scene of the crucifixion is seen in Psalm 22 written by King David, who was a messiah type. There he makes the cry, My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me? In the New Testament record we see it spoken by Jesus in Aramaic.

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” Psalm 22:1

As we read further, we see other pieces of the shadow of the cross prophesied. The pieces are of trouble to come, and agony, of giants he had to face, his mouth becoming dry, and the mockery he endured. His strength is almost depleted, and they have pierced his hands and feet, having placed garments on him and have rolled the Roman dice for someone to win.

In Isaiah 53, we see more of the picture of the crucifixion. It is here that Jesus’s physical description is told. He is not a comely man, a man of plain facial features. Next is best described in scripture.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:3-5

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”

Isaiah 53: 7-9

“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Isaiah 53:11

Jesus bore all the pain, the sins of the world, and agonized on the cross. As I look through spiritual eyes imagining the scene, it would be a horrible site to see a man being treated cruelly, and innocent man, and a perfect sacrifice before the Lord. His side was pierced, and not any bones of his body was broken. He was taken off the cedar tree where he was offered vinegar, and a sign above his head that told the world for generations then and forward. The sign read, “Jesus the King of the Jews.” He was a Judean, and from the line of David, and that qualified him as King and Messiah. He came first to the world as a Shepherd, a minister to tell the world of what it would mean to be saved, just as he told Nicodemus. He told his disciples who asked what would happen in the last days on this earth, and today we are seeing his words come to pass.

Remember this man, a man who was the Son of God having been seeded into Mary by the Holy Spirit. Remember him and believe upon him as you look for love and salvation, and to be delivered of you sins. Those sins cannot be redeemed, cannot be shaken off by any other means besides going to Jesus in prayer. So, my last thought is, always remember Jesus and make a stand for him.

Other references: John 19.

Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

Tag: New Testament

The Resurrection of Jesus: Is the Resurrection Real, or is it a Fable?

The Messianic Prophecies of the Crucifixion of Jesus in the Old Testament