One of the leading and fundamental truths of Christianity is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; so much so, that it is written, "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished" (i Cor. 15:17, 18). The living and the dead are left without hope if Christ be not raised. But at the very start we can with triumph say, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept" (ver. 20).

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is established as a great historic fact. A great number of competent witnesses are prepared to testify to His actual resurrection. The apostle Paul says in i Cor. 15:3, 4, " For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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." Were His death and burial realities ? If so, then His resurrection was a reality also, for the Scriptures declare all three.

But where are the witnesses ? It is instructive to notice how God has placed on record the witnesses of the Lord's resurrection, for man will question everything in connection with God. Some are active in Satan's service to-day who deny the actual resurrection of Christ. 'No one knows what became of His body," they say; "most likely it went off into its different gases," and, as a spirit-being, was "exalted to the divine nature."

But the witnesses are too many, and their testimony too conclusive for any one truly subject to Holy Scripture to accept such blasphemous statements.

1st. "And that He was seen of Cephas."

2d." Then of the twelve."

3d. "After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once," the most of whom still lived to bear witness when this was written.

4th. " After that, He was seen of James."

5th." Then of all the apostles."

6th. "And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time" (i Cor. 15:5-8).

So, at least, here are 513 witnesses of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Of course, there are many more, such as Mary Magdalene, and others, but these will suffice as establishing the great historic fact of our Lord's resurrection.

In the preaching and teaching of the apostles of our Lord, His resurrection occupied a very conspicuous place for obvious reasons. We read, "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus:and great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33). As the Holy Spirit filled them, their constant testimony was, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:because it was not possible that He should be holden of it " (Acts 2 :23, 24). Again:" This Jesus hath God raised up, -whereof we all are witnesses. . . . Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:32-36). Again:"But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 3:14,.15).

It was this that brought conviction to the hearts of the listening multitude, and brought forth the Cry, "Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" (Acts 2:37.) Three thousand souls accepted the divine testimony, and owned their allegiance to the risen and exalted Jesus. A little later, enough more to make five thousand. With such power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

When our Lord was here, the uppermost thought in His mind was the glory of God; and the night before His betrayal, after Judas had gone out, He said, " Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him " (John 13:31, 32).

The Lord had undertaken the. work by which God should be glorified about sin, in putting it away by the sacrifice of Himself. And His resurrection is the proof of God having been glorified, for " He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father " (Rom. 6:4). "If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him." The very glory of the Father demanded the resurrection of Him who had glorified God about sin, and put God in a position where He could righteously act according to the desires of His own heart. That which straitened Him before, was removed by the death of the cross, and now love can have its own way in the blessing of man. To this the Saviour alludes when He said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:50). What that "baptism " was we learn in such scriptures as John 12 :27, 28; Luke 22 :39-44; Matt. 26 :45-50. His sufferings were a deep that no creature could fathom. God only could sound the depths of the sorrows of the divine Sufferer, or fully appreciate the work accomplished by Him when under His afflictive hand. One need hardly say, not for His own sins did He suffer, for His manhood was as sinless as His divinity, but He had taken the sinner's place, and suffered because of our sins.

"Oh groundless deep,
Oh love beyond degree !
The Offended dies,
To set the offender free ! "

When our Lord rose from the dead, it was a proof to the universe that God was glorified about sin. "And shall straightway glorify Him." His place at God's right hand, as a glorified Man, proves that God has been glorified, and that His nature and character and attributes work in righteous harmony for the blessing of man. God having been glorified is the joy of the Christian's heart.

But more:when Christ came forth from the tomb, when He rose, it demonstrated the fact that Satan was a defeated foe. "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out" had the Lord said in John 12:31, in view of His approaching death. And the Holy Spirit, commenting upon the incarnation and death of the Son of God, in Heb. 2:14, 15, says, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of (in) the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

As Goliath had marched up and down the valley of Elah for forty days, terrifying the hearts of Israel, so had Satan for forty centuries held over the consciences of men the terrors of death; and as David went down into the valley of Elah and slew the giant, and with his own weapon cut off his head, and came up out of the valley with the head of the giant in his hand, so did our Lord enter the dark domain of death, Satan's last stronghold, and with his own weapon, death, overcame him – destroyed, or annulled, him who had the power of death, and rose, the mighty Victor, "and delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Glorious victory! Blessed and eternal deliverance! To Him be the praise and glory forever! His resurrection then is the proof of Satan being a defeated foe, and that death is no longer "the king of terrors" for the humble believer, but falling asleep in Jesus and waking up in Paradise. How mighty the change! Now it is " to depart and be with Christ, which is far better" (Phil, i:23); "absent from the body, and present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8); and, " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord" (Rev. 14:13). "Death is ours," and waits upon us, and becomes the door of exit from this pain-stricken body, and the door of entrance into the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. " There is not a smell of death here," said a dying and suffering saint. '' There is no dark river here," said another dying saint. "Are you not afraid to die ?" was asked an aged, dying saint. '' The character of God is between me and all fear of death," was her happy reply. She was in the present good of the victory gained by her Saviour on the cross. '' What is your passport into heaven ? " was asked of another dying saint. "Victory through the blood of the Lamb," was his immediate and blissful reply. He was enjoying the fruits of the. victory of a once dead but now risen and glorified Redeemer.

We should always remember that Satan is a defeated foe, and that Christ risen and glorified is the proof of it. We have only to look up into the face of that glorified Man at God's right hand to be assured that Satan is defeated, and that we are delivered from the fear of death. The risen and glorified Christ has the keys of hades and of death (Rev. i:17, 18).

But more:when our Lord was here, He met all the hatred and rejection of a hostile world. He was "a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." " He was despised and rejected of men." " His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men" (Isa. 52:14; 53:1-4). He could say, "They that hate Me without a cause are more than the hairs of My head." " Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach, shame hath covered My face." "They that sit in the gate speak against Me; and I was the song of the drunkards." "Thou hast known My reproach, and My shame, and My dishonor:Mine adversaries are all before Thee. Reproach hath broken My heart; and I am full of heaviness:and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave Me also gall for My meat; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink" (Ps. 69:1-21).

Yet man took advantage of His voluntary humiliation, of His patient, unresisting, lamb-like character, to persecute and afflict Him. He not only "saw no beauty" in Him, who in God's estimation was the expression of every perfection, but' the hostility of his heart toward God was awakened, and vented itself upon Him who had come from God to bear witness of Him. "He was despised and rejected of men." Sad exhibition of man's nature, that had through sin become polluted and alienated from God! And yet man, in spite of his treatment of the Son of God, can speak of his goodness, and "go about to establish his own righteousness ! "

Nor was this the case with Israel only; but the whole world was involved in the matter. " God . . . who by the mouth of Thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen (nations) rage, and the people imagine vain things ? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done" (Acts 4:24-29). "The princes of this world crucified the Lord of glory" (i Cor. 2:7, 8) Oh, how sinful and depraved the condition, how desperately wicked his heart, and how opposed to all that God is, when man, because He resisted not, could nail to the cross of wood the Son of God, the Lord of glory, the rightful Heir of all, and send the answer back to heaven, "We will not have this Man to reign over us"! (Luke 19:12-14).

But what has God done with the One that man so deeply dishonored ? Has He not vindicated Him? Yes, indeed. If the cross of shame was man's estimate of God's Son, the highest place in glory is God's estimate of Him. If man put upon Him all the shame, contempt and ignominy that his wicked heart could devise, exulting in His shame, sorrow and suffering, God took Him from the tomb where man put Him, and exalted Him to the right hand of His Majesty. As He ascended to heaven, God said to Him, "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool" (Ps. no:i; Acts 2:32-35).

Thus the resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of God is God's vindication of the Lord Jesus; all power, and all things, and all judgment, being committed to His hand (John 5:17-29). Man put upon His blessed brow the crown of thorns. God has put upon it the crown of glory. All this shows how matters stand between man and God, and where they will end if man does not repent and believe the gospel. How awful will be God's retribution in the day that is fast hastening, when the earth-rejected One will take to Himself His great power, and reign!

The question of the believer's justification is settled by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is written, "He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 4:25; 5:1).

To any who are troubled, and cannot see that they are justified, this is of the greatest value. Was He delivered for our offences ? Yes, blessed be His name, He was. Then it is equally true that "He was raised again for our justification." A risen Christ is the proof that every believer is justified. Could we have a more striking proof ? Look at a risen and now ascended Christ, and you have the proof of your justification. The glory of God shines in His face, and shows that your sins are gone, and gone forever. The stone was rolled away from the sepulcher, not to let the Saviour out, but to let us in to see that He was risen. " He is not here, but is risen," said the angel. " Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 28 :5, 6). An empty tomb and an occupied throne in heaven prove beyond question the believer's justification. On the ground of Christ's death and resurrection God declares Himself "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). He is gloriously consistent with His holiness and justice in justifying those who trust His beloved Son. See Acts 13:38, 39. The Holy Spirit says, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17).
E. A.

(To be concluded, D. V., in next issue.)