Today’s youth would understand my question as have you ever been “punk’d”? We old folks would use the term “smoke and mirrors”, which is an expression referring to the performances of stage illusionists who use actual smoke and mirrors to deceive the audience. “Smoke and mirrors” is a term is commonly used to refer to the work of “spin-doctors” who craft their stories to obscure or embellish the truth in order to deceive the general public, by distorting or blurring facts and figures very much like a stage magician.
"Smoke and mirrors" sometimes refers to attempts to trick some unsuspecting prospect into believing that someone else has the capability necessary to deliver something; when they really don’t! “Smoke and mirrors” is often times used as a metaphor for situations that are deceptive, or when there is a fraudulent explanation or description of some situation, person, place, or thing.
Some skeptics to Christianity believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead never took place; that the whole thing was done by “smoke and mirrors” or that the early Christians were "punk'd". I have read explanations from unbelievers trying to make sense of this miraculous event by concluding that it had to been faked. Others would say that it really doesn’t matter whether or not Jesus was raised from the dead. The Apostle Paul had a good response to those statements:
“Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And face it—if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection.
If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because He was indeed dead. And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.
There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ. But we have to wait our turn: Christ is first, then those with him at his Coming, the grand consummation when, after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father. He won't let up until the last enemy is down—and the very last enemy is death! As the psalmist said, "He laid them low, one and all; he walked all over them." When Scripture says that "he walked all over them," it's obvious that he couldn't at the same time be walked on. When everything and everyone is finally under God's rule, the Son will step down, taking His place with everyone else, showing that God's rule is absolutely comprehensive—a perfect ending!” (1 Corinthians 15:12-22) From “The Message” Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
My friend, Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared to over 500 people who attested that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead! (See 1Corinthians 15:6). That is why we respond to the greeting of others on Easter or Resurrection Sunday; “He is Risen!” with the response; “He is Risen indeed!”
Easter Song by Annie Herring
Hear the bells rining
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead
The angel up on the tombstone
Said He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead
Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be healed right now
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ, He will reveal it now
The angels, they all surround us
And they are ministering Jesus' power
Quickly now, reach out and receive it
For this could be your glorious hour
Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
The angel up on the tombstone
Said He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead
Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
Hallelujah © Latter Rain Music
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