Morrow said of that, "You've got living history. And you can trace it back to the beginning, that there was never a Christianity without that at the heart of it.". 1621-1622(Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman, 20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists: Discover Why Believing In God Makes so Much Sense, pgs. The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus are the reported earthly appearances of Jesus to his followers after his death and burial. You must note that Jesus did not say, “flesh and blood.” He said, “flesh and bones.” This … Jesus calls us to follow and abide in him. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. Ten disciples and others (not including Thomas aka Didymus). "If you're going around preaching Jesus was physically raised from the dead and people knew where He was buried and knew where they could find His bones, that message wouldn't even get off the ground," insisted Bock, author of Truth Matters. Believers point to them as evidence of his resurrection and identity as Messiah, seated in Heaven on the right hand of God (the doctrine of the Exaltation of Christ). Proponents say that explains His many appearances after His supposed death. And not only that. To try to answer this question, we first need to look at what each gospel says about the matter. Christianity's core belief is that the Son of God took on human form, died for our sins and then rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Speaking of miracles, Morrow called on people to not dismiss them as casually as most folks do these days. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. He does this in order to argue that we can be quite sure that the original forms of the New Testament w… But biblical apologists insist when you examine it all the way through, it's actually easier to believe in the Resurrection than its alternatives. Jonathan Morrow and Josh McDowell share more of their insights regarding eyewitness testimony below: Could 500 People Have the Same Hallucination? They also believe the Bible. They said 'How do we know this is true?' Jesus also appeared to at least two skeptics, James the Just and Paul fka Saul. ), For information on how to know God personally, go. This story was originally published on April 1, 2018. ", The Resurrection Proves Jesus Was Who He Said He Was, Morrow said of Paul, "He understood why Jesus of Nazareth was different in the unique claims that He made, but that then those claims were authenticated through His Resurrection that said 'What I said is what is real. Greatest Murderer Turned to Greatest Missionary, "Saul of Tarsus was anything but a follower who believed in Jesus," McDowell said. Acts 1:22. In response to the assertion that the resurrection best explains the multiple post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus, skeptics offer a variety of alternative explanations to attempt to explain away the appearances. Cold-Case Investigator Turns to Science to Disprove Christ's Resurrection, Gets Shocked by the Evidence, 'There's actually good evidence': Former Atheist Makes 'Case for Miracles', This Is Where Archaeologists Believe Jesus Died and Rose Again, 'Ignite Houses of Revival': How to Pray for 2021 and What to Expect from the New Year, 'We Want God': Trump Issues Proclamation Packed with Powerful Quotes on Faith and Freedom, President Trump Takes Action to Expand School Choice Options as Pandemic Closures Persist, In New Year's Speech, Trump Touts America's Bright Future: 'As Long as We Remain Faithful to Almighty God', Sen. David Perdue Forced to Quarantine After COVID Exposure Just Days Before Crucial Senate Runoff Vote, Joel Osteen's Online Easter Service Will Include Kanye West, Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry», «High-Risk COVID-19 Patients Show 100% Chance of Survival After New Israeli Medical Treatment. (John 11:47) Also, many people went to visit Lazarus, and as a result, they started to believe that Jesus had been sent by God. LOL. And it doesn't explain why He'd suddenly disappear after several weeks among His disciples, never to be seen again. Jesus’ Resurrection. All but one of the appearances (the appearance to Paul fka Saul) occurred within the first 40 day period following Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. So, it's not as though these things could have been invented and no one would have challenged it. Well, why? 15:3). After his death on the cross, which was confirmed by the Romans, Jesus was kept inside the tomb which was covered by a large stone. They had the ring of truth to them.". My Witness – The Resurrection 4-12-20. "'We're going to sell this difficult idea, and the people we're going to get to sell it are people that the culture doesn't believe have the right to be witnesses,'" Bock imagined them saying. It is a popular theme for movies and books. xiv (New York Harper & Row, 1987)]. The first century Jews believed women were second-class citizens. So that's the first thing. They believe He rose from the dead because that's what the earliest and best historical documents show, and that's what's the best explanation of the data.". "When historians investigate this, in our modern mindset, there's this idea that 'Look, miracles are out of bounds.' As he put it, "So the main thing is just explaining how someone like a Saul who becomes Paul even exists. In Luke 3, in the first three verses, there are 17 historical references. Conspiracies break down under pressure. In four instances, witnesses responded to their encounter with Jesus by worshiping him. This is who I am. Women first to witness the resurrection. ", McDowell said of such eyewitness testimony, "I put a lot of weight on this. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Verse Concepts. This is another radical departure from historic Christian teaching. Because it's all internal; subjective. Even more so than today because they were dying for it. Christ Is Risen. Alleluia!" ", Morrow returned to how Paul pushed his readers in I Corinthians 15 to gather proof that Jesus rose from the dead: "He says, 'It's not a matter of wishful thinking. And how could they have slept through the disciples rolling away the huge stone that covered the entrance to the tomb, a stone some have suggested was so heavy, it may have taken more than a dozen men to push it away? ", Morrow added, "One of the fascinating things about New Testament manuscripts: We have over 5,700 Greek manuscripts alone. Anyone doubt Caesar existed? And if the disciples were making up Jesus' Resurrection, would they have lived and died for Him and a fiction they themselves made up? And so all the time that's often spent on the Resurrection makes sense because that really is the hub of the discussion. Did Jesus really do this? And in this context He showed them His hands and side. And you can't get much better evidence historically than that. There are, however, an awful lot of pages left after His resurrection. They trust in the Savior and His atoning work for their redemption at Calvary. As pointed out by Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman, even Gerd Lüdemann, a skeptic and New Testament scholar, agrees Paul’s confessional statement recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 dates back to within two years of Jesus’ death. Thus we see them testifying, time and time again, to the fact they were eyewitnesses of His resurrection. '", He added about this call in I Corinthians to talk to witnesses, "Ancient historians loved eyewitness testimony. And then Jesus appeared to him in James' own word, and he became the leader of the church of Jerusalem. You've got this idea that 'there are witnesses; go investigate them. Well, they had the same question in the New Testament times. How is He Different than Us? Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. This is why no two people ever have the same hallucination. Bottom Line: The resurrection is our primary story to believe, live, and witness to. And more manuscripts are being discovered all the time. Indeed, following a two day debate over the evidence of the resurrection between Dr. [Ankerberg & Weldon, Ready With an Answer, pgs. The Gospel of John presents the apostles after Jesus’ resurrection as getting on with their lives, even after he had appeared to them, in as normal a way as one could expect. How do you know He did that?' 219-283 (River Oak Publishing, 2002), William Lane Craig, Knowing the Truth About the Resurrection: Our Response to the Empty Tomb(Servant, 1988), Norman L. Geisler, BAKER ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS(Baker Books, 1999), Norman L. Geisler, The Battle for the Resurrection: Updated Edition(Wipf & Stock Publishers; Updated Edition, 2004), Frank Morison, Who Moved the Stone? They accompanied Him to the cross and stood by during the Crucifixion. They rejoiced after Jesus showed him his hands and feet. After all, he is essentially inviting members of the Corinthian church to travel to Jerusalem and speak to these witnesses, investigating for themselves what it was like to see the risen Jesus. The second thing is the Gospels, the earliest historical record we have, don't show the tales of being doctored to say the same thing, like they got their stories straight. Jesus presented Himself alive on a number of different occasions to His followers. Another of the judges stated: Since the case against the resurrection was no stronger than that presented by Dr. Flew, I would think it was time I began to take the resurrection seriously. And so they reflect a theological development coming down the road.' Luke’s insistence on recording the incident in detail three times in Acts highlights the importan… Short of the risen Jesus appearing to Paul, Bock believes it's an unfathomable transformation. Debunking this conspiracy idea, Morrow said, "Conspiracy theories unravel very quickly because people will eventually tell what they know. ", "He was writing within a few years of the time of Christ," McDowell added. They should embrace it and let it change their lives just like it changed the ancient world. "You can push the earliest core teaching of Jesus - His death, deity, and Resurrection - within months of the Resurrection. PST700_The_Resurrection_is_True_AM_v1_HD1080_5.833_444, Why You Can Believe the Resurrection is True. You've got that radical transformation right at the heart of what's going on around that earliest Christian movement.". But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Thought He was embarrassing the family. And then he became a Christian. Some theorize that Jesus didn't die on the cross but just went into a death-like state that fooled everyone who checked His body. Mary Magdalene and … Some doubters try to do away with all the post-Resurrection appearances by saying those who thought they were seeing, talking to and touching Jesus were all hallucinating, even the 500 Paul discussed in I Corinthians. And Paul is probably our earliest and best witness to that. Morrow explained, "You see Peter with this radical transformation, going from coward to this courageous champion who's saying 'Look, here I stand, this is what I'm saying, this is what's true. The resurrection best explains the historical evidence of Jesus being seen alive in a resurrected body on at least twelve (12) separate occasions by more than 500 witnesses, including at least two skeptics (James the Just and Paul fka Saul) (See article above) ", Morrow added, "So when it comes to the Resurrection, we say 'Well, how do we know Jesus existed?' This is the core message. ", Morrow added, "Christians don't believe that Jesus rose from the dead because the Bible says so. Then under this theory, He awoke in the tomb, got up and walked out. For some people, they might be ready to believe the Bible is legitimate, but they have a hard time believing Jesus Christ could have actually risen from the dead. 253 (2002); Lee Strobel, The Case For Easter, “Interview with Gary Habermas, Ph.D., D.D.”, pg. "You're talking about over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, over 8,000 Latin manuscripts. ", McDowell concluded, "Something happened in Paul's life that I've never found any other explanation that even comes close to satisfying me intellectually except: 'And Jesus appeared to Paul after the Resurrection. Nor does it explain how so many people saw Him ascending up into the heavens. Beginning Of Salvation Contemporary Witness To Christ. ", Morrow concluded, "It has all the ring of truth and not the ring of that conspiracy theory where they just made this thing up to invent their own religion.". 94-139 (Harvest House Publishers, 1997), Douglas K. Blount, The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe, “Can Naturalistic Theories Account for the Resurrection?” pgs. The First Witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus "Christ is risen! The writer explained, "Here's the key: what is a hallucination? © 2021 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. People tend to think or act like the Bible simply comes to a stop after Jesus is raised from the dead. ", McDowell concluded, "If the Resurrection was a lie, they had to know it. He wanted them to know it was Jesus, the one who was crucified and died. 2. ), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? There are 4 opinions on this “500 witnesses event”: Never Happened: Liberal scholars say that Saint Paul made this up to make it sound like there were plenty of witnesses to the resurrection. Jesus referred to this principle when urging believers to maintain good relationships within the Church (Matthew 18:16-17), a… However, as set forth in the linked-articles below, Christian apologists maintain none of the alternative explanations are rationally compelling because none of the explanations adequately explain the totality of the evidence in the historical record: Since there are good reasons to believe God exists (more>>) and, therefore, could have supernaturally raised Jesus from the dead, and since none of the proffered alternative explanations adequately explain the historically documented accounts of Jesus being seen alive by multiple eyewitnesses after he had been crucified and buried, Christian apologists maintain it is reasonable to look for an explanation that does adequately explain all of the historical evidence, including the explanation that God supernaturally raised Jesus from the dead. (Zondervan,1958), Lee Strobel, The Case for Easter: Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection (Zondervan, 2004), Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Cleopas and another disciple on the road to, Jesus’ wounds seen; may have eaten food (, The apostle Paul made this claim to people living in, Notwithstanding the fact the apostle Paul knew his claims could be and most probably would be investigated, he stated he was passing on the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection as a matter of “first importance” (, In response to the assertion that the resurrection best explains the multiple post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus, skeptics offer a variety of alternative explanations to attempt to explain away the appearances. A voice for truth in the chart below, on witnesses of jesus after resurrection twelve ( 12 ) occasions Jesus seen. 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