There is little dispute among Christians that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event of all time. It is through the resurrection that Christ declared His deity,

"Concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 1:4)

...that we have hope,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)

...that He proclaimed light to both Jew and Gentile alike,

"So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." (Acts 26:22-23)

...that He furnished proof to all men,

"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

...and that He guaranteed our own resurrection,

"But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." (Acts 2:24)

It stands to reason then, that we should assign the same level of importance to our preparation in defending the validity of the resurrection. It is an event worthy of study, evaluation, and knowledge. It is the very event by which Christ identifies His power to save us.

Christianity is an historic faith, clearly based on historical fact. If Confucius were to disappear from the pages of history, Confucianism could still exist. If Buddha were to be scratched out of the history books, Buddhism could still exist. If Christ, however, were to disappear from history, Christianity would crumble. Our faith rests squarely on the historical fact of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God loved us so much that Christ died for us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). But He didn't stay dead. He demonstrated His deity and power by coming forth from the tomb and presenting Himself alive again, putting an end to the agony of death (Romans 1:4, Acts 2:24). If we do not acknowledge, study, and understand this aspect of our Christian heritage in real time and space then we diminish, even negate, the love (seen in His death) and power (seen in His resurrection) of God.

The resurrection of Christ is also meaningful to non-Christians. To the non-believer it is powerful proof that God exists, and that He has the power to perform supernatural acts. When a dead man rises from the grave, walks and talks, one tends to take notice. I would go so far as to say that the historical fact of the resurrection renders much of the proof of God's existence nonessential. The resurrection clearly demonstrates the power of God and thus implies the existence of God.

Likewise, this great event is a testimony to the accuracy and divinity of the Bible. Dozens of prophecies were recorded about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus hundreds of years before they occurred. Amazingly these prophecies were fulfilled in chilling detail while He was present on earth.