Illustrations

Some bones from one of Buddha’s fingers were sent as a gift to the emperor of China during the Tang dynasty. They were later forgotten about and then found in 1981. The finding was a sensation to Buddhists everywhere, and the bones are now visited by many Buddhists.

If someone claimed to find a finger that belonged to Christ no Christians would believe him because our faith is founded on the fact that there is no finger to find—Christ rose from the dead.

Source: Rough Guide to China, David Leffman, Simon Lewis, Jeremy Atiyah

On one occasion Michelangelo, the great artist, turned on his fellow artists in a spirit of indignation. He said: “Why do you keep filling gallery after gallery with endless pictures on the one theme of Christ in weakness, Christ on the Cross, and most of all, Christ hanging dead? Why do you concentrate on the passing episode as if it were the last work, as if the curtain dropped on Him with disaster and defeat? That dreadful scene lasted…a few hours. But to the unending eternity, Christ is alive; the stone has been rolled away and He rules and reigns and triumphs!”

A survey conducted April 3-4, 2012 shows that 77% of Americans believe Jesus rose from the dead, and 86% believe that He was a real historical figure.

Source: Rasmussenreports.com

Some folks are like Easter eggs—ornamented on the outside and hard-boiled on the inside!

Source: Unknown

“Christmas is the promise, and Easter is the proof.”

Source: Unknown

The best news the world has ever had came from a cemetery near Jerusalem—the tomb was empty!

Source: Unknown

Abraham Lincoln’s casket was opened in 1901 because it was feared that his body was not there. Christ’s tomb was opened to prove He is not there.

Source: Life Magazine, February 15, 1963

A man and his five-year old son were driving past a cemetery and noticed a large pile of dirt next to a freshly dug grave when the little boy said, “Look, Dad, one got out!”

Next time you drive past a cemetery, think of the One Whom the grave could not hold.

Source: Unknown

This year’s annual Easter egg hunt in Colorado Springs, Colorado was canceled because of misbehaving parents last year. Many parents entered the roped-off area reserved for the children and helped them collect the eggs. This ended the hunt in seconds and left many children with no eggs.

Dr. Al Fasol, a retired preaching professor, wrote about the true story of a man who experienced a rude awakening in church. He generally slept in church, so he dropped off like he always did, only this time a power outage left the auditorium in total darkness. The pastor did not use notes to preach and kept right on preaching.