According to the National Earthquake Information Center about 20,000 earthquakes occur around the globe each year, or approximately fifty-five per day. Matthew 28:2a reads, “And behold, there was a great earthquake.” This message has a threefold purpose.

First, you must affirm the historical fact of the Easter earthquake. It literally happened! Remember this earthquake took place hundreds of years before the Richter Scale for measuring seismic activity. This would have been off the charts since Matthew describes it as “a great earthquake.” There was a lesser earthquake when Jesus was crucified. Matthew 27:51-53 reads, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” There have been earthquakes at Easter in subsequent years, but this one is in a special category. The earthquake that occurred at the time of Jesus’ gruesome crucifixion shows how the earth convulsed in sad despair, compared with the great earthquaking in sheer delight at His glorious resurrection.

Second, you must address the metaphorical figure of the Easter earthquake. A metaphor is a comparison using like or as. William Willimon preached a sermon titled, “Easter as an Earthquake.” There have been aftershocks and shockwaves emanating from that evangelical event. That event dramatically changed history, but has it dynamically changed you?

Third, you must apply the biblical focus of the Easter earthquake. Someone asks, “Have we become so content with Easter that it no longer shakes us?” A fresh look at Easter from a biblical perspective can shake some of your faulty assumptions about yourself and God. Have you been shaken by the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Remember He was not merely resuscitated He was the firstfruits of the resurrection. Paul writes, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Paul explains, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Make certain you believe and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, of Robertsdale, is the author of "Don't Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival and Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah.