The next day the High Priest and the Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to secure the tomb, because Jesus had promised to rise on the third day, and they feared that the disciples would come and remove the body and claim that Jesus had risen. Pilate ordered his men to make the tomb as "secure as they know how". So the men went and sealed the front of the tomb, and then posted guards all around it.

The next day Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James went to bring spices to the tomb, but when they arrived they were surprised to find the tomb open and an angel sitting by it. The guards saw the angel and were frightened nearly to death, but the angel told Mary not to be frightened, for Jesus had risen just as He had promised. Scared, but also filled with joy, they ran to tell the disciples the news.

The Messiah's resurrection was foretold in a number of Old Testament prophecies. It's no wonder that the Jewish leaders were afraid of Jesus' promise and attempted to prevent it by using the Roman military.

Prophecy - "I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay." (Psalms 16:8-10)

Fulfillment -

• "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:6)
• "So it is stated elsewhere: 'You will not let your Holy One see decay.' For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay." (Acts 13:35-37)

Prophecy - "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand." (Isaiah 53:10)

Fulfillment - "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)

Prophecy - "Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David." (Isaiah 55:3)

Fulfillment - "The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'" (Acts 13:34)

Prophecy - "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead." (Isaiah 26:19)

Fulfillment - "The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matthew 27:52-53)

Prophecy - "I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth." (Psalms 89:27)

Fulfillment - "'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.'" (Mark 16:6)

Prophecy - "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 25:8)

Fulfillment - "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

Prophecy - "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? I will have no compassion," (Hosea 13:14)

Fulfillment - "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1^st Corinthians 15:55-57)

Prophecy - "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)

Fulfillment - "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1^st John 3:8)

Prophecy - "He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!" (Isaiah 50:8)

Fulfillment - "Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory." (1^st Timothy 3:16)

Prophecy - "When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious-- that you, O LORD God, might dwell there." (Psalms 68:18)

Fulfillment - "While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven." (Luke 24:51)

Prophecy - "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

Fulfillment -

• "After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" (Acts 1:9-11)
• "which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church," (Ephesians 1:20-22)

Prophecy - "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!" (Proverbs 30:4)

Fulfillment - "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man." (John 3:13)

Prophecy - "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalms 16:11)

Fulfillment - "David said about him: 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

'Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.'" (Acts 2:25-33)

Prophecy - "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'" (Psalms 2:7)

Fulfillment - "But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'" (Acts 13:30-33)

Prophecies -

• "those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. 'He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.'" (1^st Samuel 2:10)
• "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12)
• "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalms 2:8)
• "You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:" (Psalms 8:6)

Fulfillment - "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'" (Matthew 28:18)

Prophecy - "Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself." (Psalms 80:17)

Fulfillment - "God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel." (Acts 5:31)

Prophecy - "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'" (Psalms 110:1)

Fulfillment - "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God." (Mark 16:19)

Prophecy - "The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath." (Psalms 110:5)

Fulfillment - "and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1^st Peter 3:21-22)

Prophecies -

• "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." (Psalms 45:6-7)
• "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
• "When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever." (1^st Chronicles 17:11-12)

Fulfillment - "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." (Luke 1:32-33)

Prophecies - "See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted." (Isaiah 52:13)

Fulfillment - "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

Prophecy - "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand." (Isaiah 53:10)

Fulfillment - "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.'" (John 17:1-5)

Prophecy - "I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude." (Daniel 10:5-6)

Fulfillment - "and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man,' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." (Revelation 1:13-16)

Jesus resurrection was important for several reasons. First it verified that He was exactly who He said He was, God in human form. If He were just a man He would have died and that would have been all we heard of Him, but He said that God gave Him power over His own life (see ), and He proved this by rising on the third day. Then after He rose, His disciples and hundreds of other witnesses saw Him.

The resurrection was also important because it signifies a new beginning. The whole point of the resurrection is that God can resurrect your life too. God can take your life, and no matter who you are or where you've been, He can give you a new beginning.

The resurrection is important because it shows us the awesome power of God, and that through His power we can alter our lives (see ). Millions of Christians will testify to the fact that their lives have been altered through the power of God. We can read all of the self help books, and listen to all of the new age mumbo jumbo, but none of them can give us the power to actually change our lives; but through Jesus Christ God can give us the power to actually change our lives.

The Bible says that when Jesus returns to judge the earth the dead will rise from their graves. Jesus being the first to rise from the dead is able to proclaim light to His own people and the to the Gentiles (see ), and the fact that He rose proves that there is life after death. If Jesus had not risen as He promised, there would be no hope of life after death, and our lives would therefore be completely hopeless.

You can have the power of God's Holy Spirit in your life by making a simple decision to follow Jesus. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please click HERE and go to the 5 steps to salvation. You too can conquer death. You can have the assurance of eternal life after death, and spiritual life with God in heaven, but you must make the choice to accept what Christ did for you on the cross, and from the grave. He does not force salvation on anyone; instead He allows you to make your own decision, but you only have a limited amount of time in order to make that decision. If you are convinced that Jesus is the Son of God click Next' and see what the actual eyewitnesses to Jesus life had to say about Him.