Historicity Of Jesus Lesson 7 The Resurrection I (cont’d)

The Resurrection Christianity stands or falls on the reality of the resurrection of Christ.

Looking At The Facts 1. The New Testament is historically accurate. 2. It is beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus is a real person that walked on this Earth. 3. The story of His resurrection has had a profound impact on mankind.

The Swoon Theory Theory that Jesus really did not die at the time of the crucifixion. Some claim that He later recovered from His ordeal and announced His resurrection. First advanced by Peter Annet in In the The Passover Plot Hough Shonfield claims that Jesus faked His death and resurrection.

The Swoon Theory “But also we can not ignore that in the interest of theological doctrine, contemporary circumstances, and effective story telling, nothing wrong was seen in creating views for Jesus to express.” J. Schoenfield – The Passover Plot

The Stolen Body Theory Thought that the followers of Jesus stole the body from the tomb. It would have been hard to pull off. Matthew 27: 63 – 66.

The Missing Body Theory Thought that someone else took the body of Jesus. Or His followers go to the wrong tomb and it was empty. Does not answer the fact that many people saw Jesus and spoke to Him after He was crucified.

Thoughts Advanced From The Ancient Jewish Community “ …and now deceived men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven”. “ … a gardener had taken him (Jesus) from his grave and buried him….” Toledoth Yeshu as reported by Justin Martyr

Thoughts On The Resurrection “ It passes the bounds of credibility that the early church could have manufactured such a tale and then preached it among those who might easily have refuted it simply by producing the body of Jesus”. John Warrick Montgomery

It’s Empty ! Whether friend or foe, it is undeniable that the tomb was empty. There is no evidence that anyone searched for the body of Jesus, or took it out of the tomb. If the Romans or the Jews had the body, they would have produced it.

Jesus Physically Rose From The Dead The apostles preached that they saw Jesus after He physically rose from the dead. Acts 1:22 Acts 3:15 Acts 2:24 Acts 3:26 Acts 2:31 Acts 4:2

From Hostile Sources “ Paul was absolutely convinced of the resurrection; and this proves that it was widely believed not many years after the death of Jesus”. - Joseph McCabe

What About The Apostles? 1. Were they conmen ? 2. Did they hallucinate? 3. Were they crazy? 4. Was it peer pressure?

What About The Apostles? 1. Could it have been desire for wealth? 2. Could it have been a desire for a reputation? 3. Could it have been for a desire of power? 4. Could it have been due to some fear?

Implications Of His Resurrection Implies His Godhead Romans 1:4 Jesus is trustworthy to keep His promises. John 11:25 1 Peter 1:3-4 Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus. If Christ has not been resurrected, then all is futile. 1 Cor. 15:12-17