THE RESURRECTION DID NOT HAPPEN?
England
According to a survey recently, of people surveyed a quarter who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus , and 31 % said they did not believe in life after death. I ask, how can they call themselves Christians if they do not believe the reason Christ came in the first place ? The Resurrection is the core of the Christian Faith, as St. of Paul says If there is no resurrection our faith is futile or pointless.
As I read the article I thought if this is the case it is no wonder that the “Christian” faith or rather , ” the Faith once delivered to the saints” is on the decline , and Jesus implied this would happen at His return : Luke 18:8: Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find (the) faith on the earth? When Jesus said this He was talking about the whole body of the faith, not an individual’s interpretation of it.
St. Paul says:
I Corinthians 15: 14- 20: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, (futile, pointless) and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up,  if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And 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 . If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them  that slept.
King David in his psalm in anticipation of our Lord’s death says:
Acts 2:25- 27: For David speaketh concerning Him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope : Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2:29 -31: Men and brethren, let me  freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up  Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. (Psalm 16 .)
And again St. Paul says:
Acts 2:32: This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
He says they are actual witnesses of the resurrection , and let ‘s not forget the risen Jesus actually spoke to Paul, (who was then Saul) , from heaven when he was on the road to Damascus.
Jesus mentions the Resurrection 6 times .
Matthew 22:30: For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Matthew 22:31, 32: But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Luke 14:14: And thou shaft be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shaft be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luke 20:36: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
John 5:29: And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
He mentions rising again twice:
Matthew 20:19: And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Mark 8:31: And he began to teach them, that the Son  of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
While Jesus was with the disciples He told them things which they didn’t at first understand:
John 20:9: For as yet they knew (understood) not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Martha believed in the resurrection: John 11:24: Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus’ reply was unequivocal:
John 11:25: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he  live:
Since none of us were there what more do you need when our dear Lord Himself speaks of His death and rising again so pointedly? The disciples may not have understood before Jesus died but they certainly understood after: John 12:16: These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
St. Paul mentions the resurrection 20 times and was mocked for his belief rather like today:
Acts 17:32: And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said: We will hear thee again of this
In Acts we have witnesses of  the resurrection:
Acts 4:33: And with great power gave the apostles witness of  the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
and St. Peter, now understanding mentions it twice:
l Peter 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
I Peter 3:21: The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
St. John in Revelation on the instructions of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ, talks of the first resurrection which is the resurrection of the just, showing that there is a second resurrection, after Christ’s thousand year reign on earth, the resurrection of the damned. Not only are there 2 resurrections there is also a second DEATH:
Revelation 20:5, 6: But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:13, 14: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
With all these people as witnesses and Jesus Himself talking about what He came to do, His purpose for being incarnated – to redeem Israel and be the Salvation of all who would come to Him in faith, don’t tell me there is no resurrection and no life after death!
Praise and thanks be to the Lord God Almighty for His great love towards us in giving His only begotten Son to die and rise again for us making a way for us to be able to enter into everlasting life with Him.
There is a resurrection and there is a life after  death for those who believe and trust in Him.
Repent and believe for the time is short!
