He Didn't Know the Real Meaning of Easter

Empty Tomb:  Powerful Evidence.

He was about 21 years old.  He took my order at a local custard shop.  They were slow, so I asked if he celebrated Easter.  "No," he said.  That surprised me.  I thougt everyone celebrated Easter in some way, even if it's just doing the eggs, chocolate, and bunny thing.

"Do you know the real meaning of Easter," I followed up?  "No," he replied.  Wow, I thought to myself.  That means he likely did not know Jesus as His personal Lord and Savior.  That also meant that he stood condemned for his sins, facing an eternity in hell (Jn 3).  "Would you like to know," I asked?  "Sure," he responded, "but you'll have to make it quick," as he turned to work on my ice cream order.  And I did make it quick.  This might be the only chance, the last chance he has to hear the life-saving Gospel and turn to Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior before it's too late.

We take it for granted in America that everyone knows the real meaning of Easter--that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Everlasting Father in the Flesh (Is. 9:6), came to Earth, lived a perfect life that we could never live without violating a single moral law of God, died in our place on the cross to bear the full weight of the punishment we deserve for our sins, took upon himself the pain, grief, sorrow, and suffering for the sins of the entire world, was buried in the tomb of a rich man (as had been prophesied), and victoriously rose from the dead on the third day and showed himself to hundreds of eyewitnesses (1 Cor. 15), just as Jesus had predicted, to prove He really is God and that He really does offer forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who heed His call to repent and believe in Him (Mk. 1:15).

We also seem to show little concern about the horrific eternal fate of those who die without repenting and trusting in Christ--who, according to Jesus--will spend eternity in the torments of hell suffering the punishment they deserve (Matt. 5:17-48, Mk. 9:48) for their countless sins against a holy, righteous, and just God, a fate God does not wish upon anyone.

"As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die ..." (Ezek. 33.11).

I handed the young man a gospel tract that explained how he could receive forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.  I pray he has acted upon God's word contained in that tract to make his destiny in heaven sure.

Will you urge your friends, family, and those around you to repent of their sins, turn to Jesus, the Risen Savior, the Creator of the Universe, and trust in Him by faith, like you'd trust in and cling to a parachute to save you from a fall, before it's too late?