Easter? The Lord is Risen!

Historically there can be no doubt the first Easter occured very much as recorded in the Bible, because

• Isaiah's scroll is dated several hundred years before Christ, and multiple partial copies of it have been recovered among the Dead Sea scrolls - clearly written and read before the birth of Christ. Isaiah says that the Messiah will be worshipped as God and rule forever on earth.
  
  "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, ^[a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)

• Other prophecy says clearly that Messiah must come to Jerusalem on that Passover that year in Jerusalem. Which is why the city celebrated Christ's foretold entry on a donkey (Matthew 21), expecting Messiah to rule forever beginning then with overthrowing the Roman occupation. What they did not want to remember is the prophecy that the Messiah must first be God's sacrifice for the sake of all men, as in David's Psalm 22 and Isaiah's chapter 53.
  
  "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,so he did not open his mouth". (Isaiah 53:4-7)
  
  
• At the very scene of arrest Christ gave the arresting mob two miracles. When they approached, He asked who they were looking for, and they answered "Jesus of Nazareth". His response is the very Name of God given to Moses at the burning bush, "I AM", at which the mob fell to the ground on their faces. (John 19:3-7). Perhaps while they were still somewhat stunned from that demonstration, Peter mistook the moment for when Messiah would seize power to begin ruling and drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the mob. Then Jesus, fully in control of everyone there, then took time to heal the man's ear (Luke 22:47-51) before he surrendered to them.
  
  
• Many skeptics have questioned whether the Christ died on that cross that first Easter.
  
  The Jewish ruling council was in an uproar over Christ's attack on their schemes to profit from Temple users (John 2:13-16), and their false teachings about who could know God's truth (Matthew 23), which is a common lie of false teachers today. They would have every reason to identify the man they hated, whom they subjected to illegal trials without witnesses after darkness, and who identified himself as the Messiah who would be worshipped (Matthew 26:63-66). Christ's proofs were his miracles which no contemporary enemies ever denied.
  
  The nature of crucifixion is that the victim visibly suffocates when he becomes too exhausted to lift himself up so he can empty his lungs. Death by crucifixion is impossible to mistake because it is visible and audible. Nonetheless when it was time to ensure they were dead, a Roman guard pierced the side of Jesus with a spear, and "water" flowed from the heart wound, medically showing the blood had already begun changing due to death (John 19:31-37) The entire city of Jerusalem, including many who travelled far to be there for the Passover that same day were witnesses to the certain death of the three men on Golgotha. (Luke 23).
  
  
• How clear is the evidence Jesus was resurrected? It is in the fact women who were the humblest of servents (andt could not legally be witnesses) were the first to discover it (Luke 24:5-6, Mark 16:9-12); and the unmistakable fear of the disciples before they believed. They met behind locked doors in secret, and He appeared to them physically to be touched, talk with them, and eat with them (Luke 24:36-48). It is also in the unmistakable boldness of the disciples about speaking the truth of Jesus even when it meant death by torture. Ten of the eleven faithful disciples died for testifying that Jesus was the true Messiah, risen to eventually rule as the Lord of all the earth for eternity.