October 1, 2026
On Sunday, April 5, we celebrated Easter. “Easter” is a word of Saxon origin. Originally, the celebration was to honor Estra, the goddess of spring. It occurred around Passover time each year, but by the 8th century, the Anglo-Saxons had adopted the name as a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the single most important event the world has ever seen. Why? It validated Jesus of Nazareth as truly being the Christ. It proved He was the Son of God. His resurrection qualified Christ as our High Priest, and we will never have need of another.
Our materialistic society has corrupted Easter as it has Christmas. Society has made it into just another commercial opportunity. But Easter is not at all about eggs and bunnies. It is about our only opportunity to live forever in heaven. Unfortunately, there are many children, and even adults, who really have no idea of what Easter is all about.
The Apostle Paul told us, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Paul also declared that if Christ had not risen from death, our faith would be futile and we would be pitiful indeed. If Christ had not risen, we would all still be in our sins and destined for eternity in hell.
Not only did Christ truly rise from the dead, so will we who die believing in Him and trusting Him as our Savior. Paul goes on to tell us that all people still living at His return will be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. However, Paul also tells us that all the dead in Christ will rise first from their graves (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This is a wonderful promise from God. And God keeps ALL of His promises.
Those who die as believers leave behind family with the hope of seeing them again. It is so easy to preach the funeral of a believer. However, I always request permission to preach Jesus when asked to officiate. This is not only because I want to be a good witness for the Lord. There are usually people at all funerals who never attend church or hear the gospel at any other time. It distresses me how many of our people no longer believe God’s Word (the Bible) or even that God exists. Satan has really been able to make headway in most of the world today. What a great and tragic pity it is that most people will never see heaven!
I truly believe and constantly preach that trusting Christ is the single most important thing you can ever do on earth. I also preach that the opportunity to be saved and see heaven is limited to this earthly life. Once aa person dies, his opportunity to be saved is forever gone. God gives us many chances while we are on earth. Once we are dead, it’s all over. Hebrews 9:27 warns us, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” So don’t ever waste your breath praying for the dead. It will do no good at all.
We have far too many atheists living among us today. As I have already pointed out, Satan has really made headway with our modern society. You may even know some atheists. I do. And I pray often for them. My prayer is that they will wake up from Satan’s delusions and see the light of truth. Then they, too, could celebrate the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, as all Christians do.
Atheists will naturally deny the Lord’s resurrection. But the event is actually very logical and a valid conclusion, I believe, for everyone who thinks. According to the Bible, Jesus died and was buried, but rose from the dead on the third day. The event is recorded in the four Gospels and is supported by the eyewitness testimony of Christ’s disciples. He was seen by over 500 people, most of them living during the time the Gospels were written. None of this is actual, physical proof; but it is critically important for any Christian to accept it as absolute truth. A thing like this is not easily accepted as truth. We’ve never experienced anything even similar to this. So, it would be very helpful, if possible, to have a logical basis for believing that the resurrection did indeed happen.
I believe there is a basis for believing in the Resurrection as literally true. Consider how philosophers of genius have lived and worked for centuries. A few of them are known and remembered by most people. None of them, however, had such an impact on history and the whole world as did Jesus Christ. No other man in history has been so remembered, revered, and worshiped. Christ had only three years in which to do His work. Others worked for three decades. And His work also went against the grain of Jewish religious tradition.
The crucifixion should have laid to rest not only the founder of Christianity, but also Christianity itself. When the founder of most movements is put to death, then that movement is invariably stopped. When Christ was arrested, His disciples turned and ran. They went into hiding, fearing for their lives. These were the men who had known Jesus, friends who had walked, talked, and lived with Him. They were his closest and most loved friends. They had witnessed His many marvelous acts and miracles. And yet they ran.
Not having the courage or willingness to jeopardize their own lives, they would not go out to tell the world about Him. Logically, that should have been the end of Christianity. But something else happened. Something occurred that gave the disciples the courage to go out and tell others about Jesus at the peril of their lives. Some of them did die for Him. They would not have died for a lie. Something happened that revived the wilted, embryonic movement. It was necessarily an event of unprecedented momentum. It was earth-shaking. The Messiah delivered upon His promise and returned from the dead! Only an event of this magnitude could have saved an otherwise thoroughly squelched bud of a new religion. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was necessary to save Christianity from oblivion. Had it not occurred, we would never have heard of Christ. So, in this sense, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is entirely logical. It is also believable for all who would be saved.
Through Jesus, God has given believers the chance to be adopted into the family of God. Through Him, we have the sure promise of heaven. Because of Him, we have no need to ever worry about anything on earth, because we have done the most important thing of all. We have trusted our souls to Christ, which gave us the benefit of becoming children of God and the assurance of heaven.
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Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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