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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
April, 1935
/goth Peter and Paul evidently believed in the inspira tion o f the Old Testament, which they freely used in their preaching. But if Christ did not rise from the dead in a physical sense, then the Old Testament, with its many as sertions that such an event, would occur, is shown to have come from some source other than God. The God-inspired .character of the Old Testament therefore stands or falls with the physical resurrection o f Jesus ChrisjT^vO . H istoricity of the G ospels The historical accuracy of the four Gospels is a myth if Jesus Christ did not rise in the body from the dead. Each of the four Evangelists records the resurrection as having taken place in fact. “ He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matt. 28 :6 ). “ Y e seek Jesus o f Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him” (Mk. 16:6 ). “ He Is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee” (Lk. 2 4 :6 ). And when Peter and John ran to the sepulcher to see for themselves what the women had reported concerning the empty tomb, they found the state ment actually true and were astounded beyond measure be cause “ as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead” (John 20:1 -9 ). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John declare that Jesus Christ rose in the body from the dead. If their accounts concerning our Lord’s early life, His young manhood, His years o f ministry, His crucifixion, and many other events have any factual basis, there is no sound reason for say ing that His resurrection, as reported by them, was not a physical event. Apart from two or three very brief notices found in contemporary writings concerning Jesus o f Nazareth, we have no sources o f information for anything connected with His life and ministry except those found in the four Gospels. It is universally acknowledged that His life was actually lived and that. His death was actually accom plished upon the cross o f Calvary. The same pages that record His life and death bear record o f His resurrection. T o believe in the historicity o f His life and death and si multaneously to deny the historicity o f His resurrection is illogical in the extreme; and the historical character of all that is recorded in the four Gospels stands impeached by the one who denies the physical resurrection o f Jesus Christ, ; T ruthfulness of the A cts A t the very opening o f the book o f Acts, it is written that Jesus was speaking to His disciples, “ to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen o f them forty days” (Acts-1 :3 ). These disciples heard Him speak, their eyes beheld His. bodily form, their hands handled His person, and all their senses bore witness to the fact that He was present with them in the body. He gave them many proofs—and infallible proofs— o f this great event; and, from that time on, these disciples speak'of His resurrection as being a literal fact. If what they speak Concerning that resurrection can be shown to be untrue, then of course the book o f the Acts is untrustworthy. Many times in this book there are ref erences to the event, Peter and Paul as well as others speak ing o f it as being as much a fact as the life or death of Christ. They build their arguments upon it, they plead with the people in the light o f it, and their personal testimony as well as their preaching is based upon it. It should be remembered that these disciples had need of the infallible proofs that were given them. The cross had appalled them; the Lord’s death had shattered their hopes. When their Leader was crucified, panic had seized them; and when He died, dread and consternation reigned among them. Filled with dismay, disappointment, and des-
mute testimony to the terrible increase of lawlessness among the nations. America needs to be reminded con tinually of the words o f President Coolidge, spoken in his Memorial Day address, May 30, 1925 : If we cannot govern ourselves, if we cannot observe the law, nothing remains but to have some one else gov ern us, to have the law enforced against us, and to step down from the honorable abiding place o f freedom to the ignominious abode of servitude. Lawlessness brings dictatorship, and dictatorship brings loss o f liberty, and the day dawns when no man shall be able to buy or sell without the mark o f the beast (Rev. 13:16). O ur H ope and E xpectation A little lad, on his way home from school, was passing through a graveyard. A lady accosted him and asked him if he were not afraid to be walking through a graveyard as the dark shadows of the evening were coming on. The lad replied: “ Oh, n o ! I just cross it to get home!” Christian, the days are evil. Darkness comes on apace. Death seems to be hemming us in on all sides. But, were not these days foretold ? Were we not long ago told that we would have to walk these present pathways on our homeward journey? Nineteen centuries ago, the mighty ■ pen o f inspiration wrote o f “ God sending his own Son . . . that the righteousness o f the law might be fulfilled” (Rom. 8 :3 ,4 ). It is to be in the world’s darkest hour, when law lessness will have brought forth the world’s last great dic tator, even “ that man o f sin” who will enthrall men with the most galling chains that they have ever borne, that God will again send forth His Son, that righteousness may ¡pre vail on earth; and man in that righteousness shall be free. Men may grow discouraged in waiting. Nevertheless, our God “ shall noffa il nor be discouraged, till he have set judg ment in the earth” (Isa. 42 :4 ). “ Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people” (Isa. 60: 2 ). “ But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings” (Mai. 4 :2 ). In that day, leaving their chains, “ Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness o f thy rising” (Isa. 6 0 :3). Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee,” thus quoting from Psalm 2 :7. Further on in this same address, Paul, referring to Isaiah 5 5 :3, 4, says: “ As concerning that he [God] raised him up from the dead, . . . . he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies o f David.” Once more in the same address, Paul appeals to the Old Testa ment when he says: “ Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corrup tion,” thus quoting from Psalm 16:10 ( c f . Acts 13:29-37 ). Moreover, when Paul was pleading his own case before King Agrippa, the apostle declared that he had been preach ing “ none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should com e: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead” (Acts 26:22, 23 ). I f the physical resurrection o f Jesus Christ did not occur, the prophets and Moses are shown to be false in their statements, and their writings, in such an event, could not be inspired by God. The sermon preached by Peter on the day o f Pentecost and recorded in the second chapter of the Acts declared that David was a prophet and that, as such, he “ spake of the resurrection o f Christ” (Acts 2 :3-33). EASTER AND THE BIBLE [Continued from page 123]
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