Only a few days ago, Christians celebrated Easter–and the strongest reason I can give you for believing in life after death is what took place on that first Easter: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Think about this a moment: How could we ever know beyond doubt that there was life beyond the grave? Philosophers might speculate about it; religious teachers might preach it–but how would we know they were right? Only one answer would suffice: if someone died, and then came back to life to tell us if there was anything beyond the grave. Anything else would be speculation.

And this is what happened when Jesus Christ died and rose again! Beyond question He was dead; the hardened soldiers who killed Him knew it, and so did His friends who claimed His body and placed it in a tomb. But on the third day the tomb was empty, and Jesus appeared to hundreds before being taken into heaven 40 days later. Peter declared only a few days later, “God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this” (Acts 3:15).

Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). This is the greatest news we can ever hear, because it tells us there is hope–hope for life right now, and hope for life beyond the grave. Don’t turn your back on Christ, but open your heart to Him and discover the joy and peace of His presence.