Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: Numbers 15-17
     New Testament Reading: John 20

On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb (John 20:1).

God the Father worked for six days creating the world, then rested. God the Son suffered for six hours on the cross, then He rested in the grave. Then, early in the morning on the first day of the week, Christ arose. The tomb was empty. It was not just the start of a new week; it was the dawn of a new age for humanity. The Sabbath commemorates God’s finished work of creation. The Lord’s Day commemorates Christ’s finished work of redemption, the new creation.

The Empty Tomb is the most significant, meaningful symbol of the Christian Faith. It is what separates Christianity from all other philosophies and religions of man. For through the empty tomb Jesus did what no human has ever done before or since, He overcame death. Certainly, Jesus and the Apostles raised some people from death. But they were raised only to die again. Jesus arose from the grave to live for evermore! By it he proved He is not a Messiah, but the Messiah!

Because Jesus overcame death, everyone who through faith believes in Him, will also overcome death and experience eternal life with Him. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor. 15:55).

Christians often decorate our places of worship with crosses, we wear crosses as jewelry, and many of our favorite hymns focus on the cross. Such as: The Old Rugged Cross, Beneath the Cross of Jesus, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, and many more. Not to diminish the importance of the work that Jesus did on the cross, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22),but without the empty tomb, the cross would be meaningless. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins (1 Cor 15:17).

The early Christians began meeting together on Sunday, the first day of the week, and called it ‘The Lord’s Day’. They did so to honor the day their Lord arose from the grave. They did not choose to gather to worship on Friday, the day of crucifixion, or any other day of the week. For two thousand years, Christians around the world have continued that practice.

The world celebrates Easter once a year in the Spring. However, Christians celebrate their Lord’s Resurrection every week! Every Sunday is Easter for those who are followers of Christ Jesus.