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Day 282, or October the 9th. Don't argue with

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the hard facts. Our thoughts today come from

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Matthew chapter 28, verse 6. He is not here.

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He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the

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place where he lay. And now the big picture surrounding

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this verse. The final actions now take place

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as Jesus is inevitably sentenced to death and

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Barabbas is freed. It's interesting to note that

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Jesus is the Son of God, and at the same time,

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the name Barabbas means Son of the Father. Jesus

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is scourged, crucified and buried before the

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beginning of Sabbath. On Sunday, visitors to

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the tomb find it empty, and the rest, as they

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say, is history. That first Sunday truly was

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the first Lord's Day, and for many that has remained

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its name ever since. And now today's action step.

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The fact that Christ is risen is the crux of

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the whole gospel, and a totally outlandish lie

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if Jesus did not rise from the dead. It was not

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wishful thinking from his followers, because

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they obviously fear the worst, and their world

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has already caved in, as they are riddled with

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doubt even when they see him alive in Galilee.

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All except John would die untimely deaths, most

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of them in great agony, and yet none of them

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broke the silence of a plot that pretended Jesus

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was still alive, because there was no plot, and

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he is still alive. Tombs in the days of Jesus

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were not made with an escape passage, like in

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ancient Egypt, where there was a tunnel that

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the workers used to leave after everything had

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been put in place for their beloved Pharaoh.

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Jesus was buried in a solid tomb, with one entrance

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that was the exit to. Sealed with a stone that

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could not be moved unless you happened to have

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a small army of volunteers. And even then, you

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couldn't do it without breaking the seals that

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were extra security against potential grave robbers.

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The first part of today's text is used to great

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effect on a board fixed to the security door

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in the garden tomb in Jerusalem today. Hard evidence.

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that demands some thought from everyone.