EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?
We all wonder what will happen to us after we die. When a loved one dies, we long to see him or her again after our turn comes. Will we have a glorious reunion with those we love or is death the end of all consciousness?

Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die. He made this startling claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.” According to the eyewitnesses closest to him, Jesus then demonstrated his power over death by rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years.

But some people have no hope of life after death. The atheistic philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, “I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my own ego will survive.”[1] Russell obviously didn’t believe Jesus’ words.

Jesus’ followers wrote that he appeared alive to them after his crucifixion and burial. They claim not only to have seen him but also to have eaten with him, touched him, and spent 40 days with him.

So could this have been simply a story that grew over time, or is it based upon solid evidence? The answer to this question is foundational to Christianity. For if Jesus did rise from the dead, it would validate everything he said about himself, about the meaning of life, and about our destiny after death.

If Jesus did rise from the dead then he alone would have the answers to what life is about and what is facing us after we die. On the other hand, if the resurrection account of Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be founded upon a lie. Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way:

The claim of resurrection is vital to Christianity. If Christ has been raised from the dead by God, then He has the credentials and certification that no other religious leader possesses.[2]

All other religious leaders are dead, but, according to Christianity, Christ is alive.

Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the resurrection. Josh McDowell was one such skeptic who spent more than seven hundred hours researching the evidence for the resurrection. McDowell stated this regarding the importance of the resurrection:

I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history.[3] McDowell later wrote his classic work, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, documenting what he discovered.

So, is Jesus’ resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions. Let’s see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for themselves.

2    "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
Jesus Predicts His Own Death and Resurrection
Seven hundred years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah had written about a future Messiah, who would suffer and die for our sins, but later be restored to life. Echoing the prophecy in Isaiah 53, Jesus claimed that he was the Messiah who would be betrayed, arrested, condemned and killed. But then three days later he would come back to life. (See Mark 10:33). Everything Jesus taught and claimed depended on his resurrection from the dead. If Jesus didn’t rise as he promised, his message of forgiveness and hope for eternal life would be meaningless. Jesus was putting his words to the ultimate test of truth.

Bible scholar Wilbur Smith explains, “When he said He would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say if He expected the devotion of any disciples – unless He was sure He was going to rise.”[2]

A Horrific Death And Then . . . ?
Exactly as Jesus predicted, eyewitnesses report he was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot. Then in a mock trial under the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, he was condemned and crucified on a wooden cross.

Jesus suffered on the cross for approximately six hours. Then, at 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus cried out, “It is finished” and died.[3] Suddenly the sky went dark and an earthquake shook the land.[4]

Pilate wanted to verify that Jesus was dead before allowing his crucified body to be buried. So a Roman guard thrust a spear into Jesus’ side. The mixture of blood and water that flowed out, according to eyewitnesses, was a clear indication that Jesus was dead. Once his death was certified, Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross, tightly wrapped in linen and buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Roman guards then sealed the tomb with a large stone and were under strict orders to watch the tomb 24 hours a day.

Jesus’ disciples were so utterly devastated by his death on the cross that they fled for their lives, fearing they too would be captured and killed. But then something happened . . 

.

3  "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?"
Something Happened
According to a New York Times article,

“Shortly after Jesus was executed, his followers were suddenly galvanized from a baffled and cowering group into people whose message about a living Jesus and a coming kingdom, preached at the risk of their lives, eventually changed an empire. Something happened … But exactly what?”[5]

Morison Examines the Evidence
Morison wanted to know what actually happened that changed Jesus’ followers and started a movement that has made such a profound impact on our world. He realized there were five possible explanations:

1.     Jesus didn’t really die on the cross.

2.     Jesus’ body was stolen.

3.     The disciples were hallucinating.

4.     The account is legendary.

5.     It really happened.

Morison began examining the facts patiently and impartially to see where they would lead him.
 


4 "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
1. Was Jesus Dead?
Morison first wanted verification that Jesus was really dead when placed in the tomb. He learned that Jesus’ death was considered factual for nearly 1800 years. Then about 200 years ago, a few skeptics postulated that Jesus didn’t die on the cross, but merely lost consciousness, and was revived by the cool, damp air of the tomb. This became known as the “swoon theory.”

Morison wondered if Jesus could have survived the cross. He researched both Jewish and Roman contemporary history and discovered the following facts supporting Jesus’ death:

All the accounts affirm he died.
Pilate verified he died.
During the lifetime of the eyewitnesses no one disputes his death.
Secular and contemporary historians, (Lucian[6], Josephus[7], and Tacitus[8] cite his death as factual.
Morison became convinced that Jesus was truly dead, a fact almost universally accepted as true by trusted scholars and historians. Morison concludes, “That Jesus Christ died on the cross, in the full physical sense of the term…seems to me to be one of the certainties of history.”[9]

5  "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
. Was Jesus’ body stolen?
Morison wondered if the disciples faked the resurrection story by stealing Jesus’ body, and then claiming he was alive. That might be plausible if the tomb was in an obscure area where no one would see them.

However, the tomb belonged to a well-known member of the Sanhedrin Council, Joseph of Arimathea. Since Joseph’s tomb was at a well-known location and easily identifiable, any thoughts of Jesus being “lost in the graveyard” would need to be dismissed.

Not only was the location well known, but the Romans had assigned guards to watch the tomb 24 hours a day. This was a trained guard unit comprised of four to 16 soldiers. Josh McDowell notes, “The Roman Guard unit was committed to discipline and they feared failure in any way.”[10] It would have been impossible for anyone to have slipped by the guards unnoticed and then move the stone. Yet the stone was rolled away, making it possible for eyewitnesses to enter the tomb. And when they did, the body of Jesus was missing.

If Jesus’ body was anywhere to be found, his enemies would have quickly exposed the resurrection as a fraud. Tom Anderson, former president of the California Trial Lawyers Association, summarizes the strength of this argument:

“With an event so well publicized, don’t you think that it’s reasonable that one historian, one eye witness, one antagonist would record for all time that he had seen Christ’s body? … The silence of history is deafening when it comes to the testimony against the resurrection.”[11]

So, with no body of evidence, and with a known tomb clearly empty, Morison accepted that Jesus’ body had somehow disappeared from the tomb.



 6 "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
3. Were the Disciples Hallucinating?
Morison wondered if the disciples might have been so emotionally distraught that they hallucinated and imagined Jesus’ resurrection.

Psychologist Gary Collins, former president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, explains that, “Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature, only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren’t something which can be seen by a group of people.”[12]

Hallucination is not even a remote possibility, according to psychologist Thomas J. Thorburn. “It is absolutely inconceivable that … five hundred persons, of average soundness of mind … should experience all kinds of sensuous impressions – visual, auditory, tactual – and that all these … experiences should rest entirely upon … hallucination.”[13]

The hallucination theory, then, appears to be another dead end. What else could explain away the resurrection?

4. Is it just a Legend?
Some unconvinced skeptics attribute the resurrection story to a legend that began with one or more persons lying or thinking they saw the resurrected Jesus. Over time, the legend would have grown and been embellished as it was passed on. But there are three major problems with that theory.

Legends simply don’t develop while multiple eyewitnesses are alive to refute them. One historian of ancient Rome and Greece, A. N. Sherwin-White, argued that the resurrection news spread too soon and too quickly for it to have been a legend.[14] Even skeptical scholars admit that Christian hymns and creeds were recited in early churches within two to three years of Jesus’ crucifixion.[15]
Legends develop by oral tradition and are not supported with contemporary historical documents. Yet the Gospels were written within three decades of the resurrection.[16]
The legend theory doesn’t adequately explain either the empty tomb or the fervent conviction of the apostles that Jesus was alive.[17]
Morison’s original assumption that the resurrection account was mythical or legendary didn’t coincide with the facts.



 7 "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
5. Did the resurrection really happen?
Having eliminated the main arguments against Jesus’ resurrection due to their inconsistency with the facts, Morison began asking himself, “did it really happen?” Instead of looking for evidence against Jesus’ resurrection, he wondered how strong the case was for its actual occurrence. Several facts stood out.

Women First
Each eyewitness account reports that Jesus suddenly appeared bodily to his followers, the women first. Morison wondered why conspirators would make women central to the plot. In the first century, women had virtually no rights, personhood, or status. Morison reasoned that conspirators would have portrayed men, not women, as the first to see Jesus alive. And yet we read that women touched him, spoke with him, and were the first to find the empty tomb.

Multiple Eyewitnesses
The disciples claim they saw Jesus on more than ten separate occasions. They say he showed them his hands and feet and told them to touch him. He ate with them and later, on one occasion, appeared alive to more than 500 followers.

In Caesarea, Peter told a crowd why he and the other disciples were so convinced Jesus was alive.

“We apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by crucifying him, but God raised him to life three days later … We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”[18]
Morison realized that these early sightings of a risen Jesus by so many of his followers would have been virtually impossible to fake.



8 "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
Consistent to the End
As Morison continued his investigation, he began to examine the motives of Jesus’ followers. He reasoned that something extraordinary must have happened, because the followers of Jesus ceased mourning, ceased hiding, and began fearlessly proclaiming that they had seen Jesus alive.

As if the eyewitness reports were not enough to challenge Morison’s skepticism, he was also baffled by the disciples’ behavior. These eleven former cowards were suddenly willing to suffer humiliation, torture, and death. All but one of Jesus’ disciples were slain as martyrs. If they had taken the body, would they have sacrificed so much for a lie? Something happened that changed everything for these men and women.

It was this significant fact that persuaded Morison the resurrection must have really happened. He acknowledged, “Whoever comes to this problem has sooner or later to confront a fact that cannot be explained away … This fact is that … a profound conviction came to the little group of people – a change that attests to the fact that Jesus had risen from the grave.”[19]

Professor J. N. D. Anderson and author of “Evidence for the Resurrection” concurs, “Think of the psychological absurdity of picturing a little band of defeated cowards cowering in an upper room one day and a few days later transformed into a company that no persecution could silence – and then attempting to attribute this dramatic change to nothing more convincing than a miserable fabrication … That simply wouldn’t make sense.”[20]


 9  "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
vWhy Did it Win?
Finally, Morison was bewildered by the fact that “a tiny insignificant movement was able to prevail over the cunning grip of the Jewish establishment, as well as the might of Rome. He explains,

“Within twenty years, the claim of these Galilean peasants had disrupted the Jewish church… In less than fifty years it had begun to threaten the peace of the Roman Empire. When we have said everything that can be said… we stand confronted with the greatest mystery of all. Why did it win?”[21]

By all rights, if there were no resurrection, Christianity should have died out at the cross when the disciples fled for their lives. But the apostles went on to establish a growing Christian movement.

Whatever one believes about the validity of Jesus’ resurrection, clearly “something happened” after his death that has made a lasting impact on our world. When world historian H. G. Wells was asked who has left the greatest legacy on history, the non-Christian scholar replied, “By this test Jesus stands first.”[22] What is that legacy?

Let’s look at just some of Jesus’ impact:
Time is marked by his birth, B.C.– before Christ; A.D. – in the year of our Lord.
More books have been written about Jesus than about any other person.
About 100 great universities were established to spread his teaching — including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Oxford.[23]
Jesus’ teaching that all people are created equal laid the bedrock for human rights and democracy in more than 100 countries.[24]
The high value Jesus placed on each person regardless of sex or race led his followers to promote the rights of women as well as abolish slavery.
Humanitarian works such as the Red Cross, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Mercy Ships and the Salvation Army were founded by his followers.
A Surprise Conclusion
In the book he finally wrote, Who Moved the Stone, Morison documents the evidence that led him to a belief in the resurrection. Morison is not alone. Numerous other skeptics who examined the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, also became convinced and accepted it as the most astounding fact in all of human history.

Oxford professor and former skeptic C. S. Lewis, who had once doubted Jesus’ very existence, was also persuaded by the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. He writes,
“Something perfectly new in the history of the Universe had happened. Christ had defeated death. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open.”[25]
But there is even more. . .


 10 of 10 about "Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?"
Jesus on Trial
Dr. Simon Greenleaf decided to put Jesus’ resurrection on trial by examining the evidence. Greenleaf helped Harvard Law School gain widespread credibility. He also wrote the three-volume legal masterpiece A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which has been called the “greatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.”[26] The U.S. judicial system today still relies on rules of evidence established by Greenleaf.

Greenleaf wondered if Jesus’ resurrection would hold up in a court of law. Focusing his brilliant legal mind on the facts of history, Greenleaf began applying his rules of evidence to the case of Jesus’ resurrection. The more Greenleaf investigated the record of history, the more evidence he discovered supporting the claim that Jesus had indeed risen from the tomb.

He documents his case for Jesus’ resurrection in his book, Testimony of the Evangelists. So, what was that evidence? Greenleaf observed several dramatic changes that took place shortly after Jesus died, the most baffling being the behavior of the disciples. He argues, “it would have been impossible for the disciples to persist with their conviction that Jesus had risen if they hadn’t actually seen the risen Christ.”[27]  Applying his own rules of evidence to the facts, he accepted the resurrection as the best explanation for the events that took place immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion.[28]

Many other legal experts, including former Chief Justice of England, Lord Darling, agree with Greenleaf’s verdict on the case for Jesus’ resurrection. Darling writes,

“There exists such overwhelming evidence…factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.”[29]

So what does Jesus’ resurrection mean to you and me? Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus explained why his resurrection is so important to us. He told one of his followers, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”[30]

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, his words wouldn’t have any meaning to our lives. But if his resurrection really happened, then Jesus is the only one who can answer life’s most important questions:

“Who am I?”

“Why am I here?”

“Where am I going after I die?

If you would like to find out how Jesus answers these important questions, click the following link.

Click here to discover how Jesus answers the big questions about life’s meaning
https://y-jesus.com/wwrj/7-jesus-relevant-today/

the_sign wrote:This teaching of three comings avoids the Book of Revelation :

http://lmseastanglia.blogspot.com/2014/12/dom-guerangers-liturgical-year.html

Whatever teaching you know of may avoid the Book of Revelation but it is written. 
All scripture is written to prove ourselves to study God's Word to us in Christ Jesus.

I am not in agreement with your teaching. Also you stated: the Book of Revelation is for READ ONLY again this is not true. 


Berean Literal Bible
Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, IN CHRIST JESUS 


King James Bible
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: IN JESUS THE CHRIST YeshuaH'aMachiach

This teaching of three comings avoids the Book of Revelation :

http://lmseastanglia.blogspot.com/2014/12/dom-guerangers-liturgical-year.html

the_sign wrote:

Admin wrote:To the-sign

I have not brought The 3 Comings of Jesus as of the Book of Revelation The Graphic Clearly Shows From the New Testament of the 3 Times of Jesus appearance.

The third graphic, even as you quote it, is from the Book of Revelation, a read-only book.

You may not have been the first one to teach of such error, but it is heresy all the same.

Given your abuse of New Testament Scripture, one could hardly expect you to have any grasp of Old Testament prophecy, except in the demonic sense, which you exude like Legion into swine.

Your not the first to be a Time Setter either this is Heresy.  Take Notice  King James Bible  Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Clearly:  The New Testament Jesus Speaking said no one will know the Time of His coming.
 NOT READ ONLY The Book of Revelation teach us of what is to come and Christ's Return. 
King James Bible Revelation 1:1 
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Revelation 3:3
3Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you. 



Mark 13:32 King James Bible
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.


Matthew 24:36-42 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, 


2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Admin wrote:To the-sign

I have not brought The 3 Comings of Jesus as of the Book of Revelation The Graphic Clearly Shows From the New Testament of the 3 Times of Jesus appearance.

The third graphic, even as you quote it, is from the Book of Revelation, a read-only book.

You may not have been the first one to teach of such error, but it is heresy all the same.

Given your abuse of New Testament Scripture, one could hardly expect you to have any grasp of Old Testament prophecy, except in the demonic sense, which you exude like Legion into swine.

To the-sign

I have not brought The 3 Comings of Jesus as of the Book of Revelation The Graphic Clearly Shows From the New Testament of the 3 Times of Jesus appearance.

Jesus Ministry and to the Cross Golgotha
Mathew 4:23  Matthew 4:23 

 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 16
  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The Coming in the Lords Harpazo also called The Rapture when he will call those out of the Grave and those who are alive and  belong to him will take them out of what is to happen.

Revelation 19 11:16 From the Battle of Armageddon when Christ Returns to then the Millennial Reign in Jeresulem
--------------------------------------------------

I would remind you Jesus said No One will Know of his coming yet it is you who add to His Word.  With Date Setting. the_sign wrote:
The prophetic day of the Lord is December 30, 2018 A.D., the First Sunday of the General Resurrection of the Dead, the day following the 2,300th day of Daniel 8:14.
 But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.


Matthew 24:42,44 Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord does come…


Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein …


Zechariah 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, …


Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which …


Acts 1:7 And he said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, …


1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as …


2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the …


Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, …


Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps …






the_sign 
Your Time setting and you are wrong It is clear from scripture.


The Lord would not come on a Sunday.  Sunday is not God's Day of Rest.  There is no Palm Sunday, no Resurrection Sunday, no First Fruits Sunday and no Pentecost Sunday.


There is never a day on God's calendar when Nisan 10 - the date often called Palm Sunday can be on Sunday.  And, there is never a day on God's calendar when the day of the Resurrection - Nisan 17 - can be on Sunday.


The Roman Calendar is based on the sun.  God's calendar is based on the moon.  The pagan gods are sun gods.  It wouldn't be in line with what is known by the pattern set by God that His second coming would be on Sunday.  Based on His pattern His expected second coming is on the appointed time of His first coming - the Annual Sabbath that is the first day of Tabernacles which was the evening of Tishrei 15:14/15.



The Romans were the enemies of God's biological family - the Jewish people.  They followed pagan sun gods, set the Sabbath on Sunday and set the "true dates" to be on Sundays when they weren't and based their calendar on the sun.

Admin wrote:

the_sign wrote:The prophetic day of the Lord is December 30, 2018 A.D., the First Sunday of the General Resurrection of the Dead, the day following the 2,300th day of Daniel 8:14.

It is heresy to teach 3 comings as the Book of Revelation, the obvious attempted source for such heresy, includes the warning not to add nor to detract from its words.  On-line we call that 'READ ONLY'.

Regular updates to the countdown to the Day of the Lord by the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven at :

http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/

Don't forget to support the Day of the Lord Cruise :

http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/c14-the-day-of-the-lord-cruise-to-the-mount-of-olives-and-the-holy-land-in-jesus-name-we-pray

You are mistaken in what you have replied to.
You will notice The mention of Three comings of The Lord Scripture is given which can be found in the Bible. Two are the appearance on earth, the third in the clouds at the Harpazo (Rapture) Here the writing is not described as Book of Revelation. I don't know where you got that idea from.

That would be, 'you are mistaken to what you have replied', and there is no mistake on my part : the third graphic in your original post alludes to this : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon.

There is no mention of 3 comings in the Holy Bible.

There remain less than 253 days until the prophetic fulfillment (end) of what Jesus taught as the days of vengeance as regards the Book of Daniel (8:14).

I have been resurrected for more than 62 years, never to die again.

And you have needed my help to open and unseal the Book of Daniel so that you could understand this.

the_sign wrote:The prophetic day of the Lord is December 30, 2018 A.D., the First Sunday of the General Resurrection of the Dead, the day following the 2,300th day of Daniel 8:14.

It is heresy to teach 3 comings as the Book of Revelation, the obvious attempted source for such heresy, includes the warning not to add nor to detract from its words.  On-line we call that 'READ ONLY'.

Regular updates to the countdown to the Day of the Lord by the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven at :


Don't forget to support the Day of the Lord Cruise :

You are mistaken in what you have replied to.
You will notice The mention of Three comings of The Lord Scripture is given which can be found in the Bible. Two are the appearance on earth, the third in the clouds at the Harpazo (Rapture) Here the writing is not described as Book of Revelation. I don't know where you got that idea from.

The prophetic day of the Lord is December 30, 2018 A.D., the First Sunday of the General Resurrection of the Dead, the day following the 2,300th day of Daniel 8:14.

It is heresy to teach 3 comings as the Book of Revelation, the obvious attempted source for such heresy, includes the warning not to add nor to detract from its words. On-line we call that 'READ ONLY'.

Regular updates to the countdown to the Day of the Lord by the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven at :

http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/

Don't forget to support the Day of the Lord Cruise :

http://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/c14-the-day-of-the-lord-cruise-to-the-mount-of-olives-and-the-holy-land-in-jesus-name-we-pray