The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry 
Two of the greatest Halloween stories ever told are found in the Bible. The first one is recorded in John 11: 38-44. A friend of Jesus named Lazarus had passed away. He had been dead for four days. Jesus approached the tomb where he had been laid and said, “ Lazarus come forth.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “ Unbind him and let him go.”
Shortly after this, a group of people came to a home for dinner. One of those present was Lazarus. Imagine having supper with one who had just risen from the dead. In fact, the dinner was in his honor (John 12:1-2)!
The other story relates to the death of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, “The earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had died were raised. Coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many (John 27:51-53). Imagine being in a cemetery when the deceased are coming out of the graves, then walking into the city. That would be enough to frighten anyone!
Jesus rose from the grave three days after his death. He was seen by many, including more than 500 people at once. The apostle, who wrote much of the New Testament, also claimed to have seen him after his resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3:8). Acts 1:1-3 also mentions Jesus appearing to and speaking with the apostles.
These might be scary “Halloween stories,” but they are recorded in history as actually happening, combined with eyewitnesses. Jesus was and is God in human flesh, capable of doing the supernatural. No one has ever explained the empty tomb where Jesus had been laid. His body could not have been stolen because the tomb was heavily guarded by many Roman soldiers. The tomb was also sealed with a giant boulder, but when some people went to see the tomb, the bolder had been displaced, which would have been impossible to do so by human means because of its weight. They looked inside but Jesus was not there. An angel told them “He is not here for he is risen.” This is recorded in Mark 16:1-8.
The question is- does the risen Christ live within your heart through His Holy Spirit? If not, consider inviting Him into your life today for forgiveness of your sins and to have eternal life based upon His resurrection. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even though he dies yet shall he live (John 11:25).
An attention getting title and good, thought-provoking article! Thanks, John.
Ingenious article with a “fabulous title.” Nicely done John – great word!
God Bless~
excellent john
These true events would have seemed spooky to the average person receiving such news but for those who believed in Christ, it was a joyous surprise. One where multitudes would be celebrating both events.
It certainly sent shockwaves to unbelievers that wanted to get rid of Jesus and even to kill Lazarus because he was a living testimony for their enemy the Lord Jesus. They thought they defeated Jesus and now they had to contend with His reappearance by the witnesses preaching His resurrection.
See how threatened these priest were to the point of making threats to the disciples even to the point of beating them to silence the good news. Now that was a real scare they had to take on when they thought that they buried the body for good.
Good article!