<TITLE>08. Par 39-42</TITLE>L-39 That first view of Easter made a prophet scream. And the thunders roared and the lightnings flashed. He saw Easter his first time. When did he see it? Not when he had his--his well-groomed clothes on, not when he had his hair combed, perhaps, to the dot, not when he was enjoying the very best of health, but when he was in trouble. When he was laying in trouble at the hour and almost of his death, that's when he saw Easter. That's where he saw the first resurrection.
Oh, it's been similar to you and I. It's been when we laid at a altar somewhere until we were ready to die and said, "Lord God, do something for me." It was then that God raised the curtain and we seen Easter. We see Easter, not in a way of theology so much. We never seen Easter as wearing new clothes. We never seen Easter as little rabbits and colored eggs. We see Easter in the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the real Easter. And when he screamed, God answered back with fire.

L-40 It was David, when he was rejected and exiled. It was David after he'd sinned and committed that horrible crime. It was David when he was perplexed and his son had been taken, the joy of his heart. It was David, the prophet and the king who cried when he seen that he was getting old, and he must go back to the dust of the earth. It was David that said, "Moreover my flesh shall rest in hope, because He will not suffer His holy One to see corruption, neither will He leave his soul in hell." It was when David was having his worst of time. It was when David was perplexed and distressed and at the very hour of death almost, that when God raised up the curtain, and said, "Look yonder, David."
David said, "My flesh will rest in hope. Because He will not leave His holy One see corruption; and neither will He leave His soul in hell. So my flesh shall rest in hope."

L-41 Oh, it's at that hour, friend. It's at that time. It's at those crucial, crucifying hours that we see the resurrection. It's in that time that when God loves to display His grace. It's in that time when God loves to comfort His children. The darkest hour this world ever seen was Good Friday when all hopes. All was written, all the hopes they had was what was written on paper. All the hopes they had was what some philosopher had said. And there was the Prince of Life dying at Calvary. It was the darkest hour the world ever seen.
But Easter produced the brightest hour that the world ever seen, because all superstitions, and all doubts, and all fears were taken away when God raised Him up.

L-42 Why was it dark? What makes it dark? Let's follow as I said a while ago about the birds, about the flowers, about why do the little Easter lilies bloom on Easter? Why does the birds sing in the spring of the year? Why does blossoms come forth? Is because it's coming summer.
What makes it in February, just about the worst month we have? Winter has been coming on, on, on, on till it takes its last strike. Then she moves back to give way for life.
Death has took her last strike. It must move back and let life have its place. What makes it dark before day? It's the darkest before day. We are told by scientists that it's the light pressing, coming on, moving down. The sun is coming up around the world. Its light is pressing the darkness; she's making her last strike. She can't stand no more. Darkness can never stand in the presence of light. It cannot do it. Light is ten million times stronger than darkness. So light and dark cannot dwell together.


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