1. Fact #1: Large Stone Removed.
On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the stone that had been lodged on the doorway. Ask yourself this, if the disciples came in and tiptoed around the sleeping guards, and then roll the stone over and steal Jesus' body, how could they have done that without the guards' waking up?
2. Fact #2. The Empty Tomb.
The Women who went to his tomb that morning, found that the his body was not there, and to their surprise, two angels stood by them in shining garments, and said “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:4-6). Both Jewish and Roman sources and traditions admit an empty tomb. Paul Maier observes that " . . . if all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea, in which Jesus was buried, was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter.
3. Fact #3 Roman Guard gone Awol.
Roman military discipline was so exceptional, how can anyone explain the guards fleeing from their place of responsibility. The fear of their superiors' wrath and the possibility of death meant that they paid close attention to the minutest details of their jobs. Them fleeing, meant that they had seen an angel of God, when he came to remove the stone on the tomb. “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it……. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:2-4).
4. Fact #4 Jesus appearance confirmed by over 500 people
Christ appeared alive on several occasions after his death and burial. “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:17-18). Today I come to tell you that the Jesus is alive, believest thou this?
