Proof of the Resurrection – The Empty Tomb

In addition to the motives of followers of Christ and secular corrborating evidence for the crucifixion and resurrection, we have a third proof, indeed the most compelling and irrefutable – the empty tomb! As in the last two posts, we present only a small amount of the available historical data to support the proof presented.

Justyn Martyr, 165 AD, cites a letter circulated by Jews in Jerusalem that were antagonistic to Jesus.

“A godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb, where he was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.” (Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter 108 –Apologetic Press)

Here we have a record of Jewish unbelievers, unwittingly affirming what was written in Matthew 28:13 (Chief priests to the soldiers): “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’”

Toledoth Yeshua, a derogatory account of the life of Jesus, written around 600 A.D, records:

“Diligent search was made and he (Jesus) was not found in the grave where he had been buried. A gardener had taken him from the grave and had brought him into his garden and buried him in the sand over which the waters flowed into the garden. (Apologetic Press.org)”

Jesus enemies didn’t even refute the resurrection empty tomb!

Additional food for thought:

1. If the disciples stole the body, and grave robbing was a crime under roman law, why no arrests?

2. If, on resurrection morning, the women went to wrong tomb, why didn’t the Jews produce the body?

4. If a gardner stole body, why did the Jews initially claim that disciples stole the body?

5. If Jesus didn’t really die, what about the blood and water pouring from the spear wound? 

Peter preaches in Jerusalem during Pentecost

If the above questions don’t arouse your curiosity, consider Peter’s sermon (Acts 2) in the streets of Jerusalem to a large crowd of what had to be nearly all Jews:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know– this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (vv 22-24)

Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (29-36)

The response of the crowd accused of sending Christ to his death:

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (v 37)

A final question:

If the death and bodily resurrection of Christ was not true, why would even a single person in the listening crowd be cut to the heart and cry “…what shall we do?”

___________

It is our hope that in reading these last few posts, you have been encouraged to conduct your own research into proofs for the resurrection of our Savior, both for personal edification and to become better equipped to defend your faith in the ‘marketplace’.

God Bless!

Proof of the Resurrection – Corroborating Evidence

Sounds like a TV crime show, doesn’t it?

Corroborating evidence is evidence that tends to support a proposition that is already supported by some evidence. For example, W, a witness, testifies that she saw X drive his automobile into a green car. Y, another witness, testifies that when he examined X’s car later that day he noticed green paint on its fender.

There are Secular sources that corroborate the Biblical account of the resurrection :

Tacitus senator and historian of Rome (56-117 AD)

“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome…” (Tacitus, Annals, 15.44).

What do we learn from the above excerpt from Tacitus’ Annals?

1. Christ existed

2. Christ was crucified

3. Christians followed Him

4. During reign of Tiberius

5. Pontius Pilate Existed

6. Resurrection mentioned (mischievous persistent ’superstition)

Titus Flavius Josephus (Joseph son of Matthias)

“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” (Josephus, The Antiquities, 18.63-64).

Phlegon and the Darkness on the day of Christ’s Crucifixion

Phlegon wrote Olympiads which chronicles the Greek games from 776 B.C. to 137 A.D. in 16 books. He also wrote of the darkness and earthquake that occurred on the day Christ was crucified recorded in Matthew 27, Luke 23, and Mark 15.

This phenomenon, evidently, was visible in Rome, Athens, and other Mediterranean cities. According to Tertullian…it was a “cosmic” or “world event.” Phlegon, a Greek author from Caria writing a chronology soon after 137 A.D. reported that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., 33 A.D.) there was “the greatest eclipse of the sun” and that “it became night in the sixth hour of the day (noon) so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea” (Paul Maier, Pontius Pilate, 101).

That darkness occured is not in question. What exactly it was became a question, solar eclipse being a common and still held belief. Wikipedia actually had an interesting article about the events that includes the statement”

“. . .it was known in medieval times that a solar eclipse could not take place during Passover when there is a full moon, it was considered a miraculous sign rather than a naturally occurring event. The astronomer Johannes de Sacrobosco wrote, in his The Sphere of the World, “the eclipse was not natural, but, rather, miraculous and contrary to nature”.

 

NOTE: The above is only a sample of corroborating evidence from secular sources for the Biblical accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I hope it has aroused your curiosity to find more!

Proof of the Resurrection of Christ – Motive

The simple Gospel Message that the Apostle Paul preached:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” – 1 Cor 15:3-8

The previous post, concerning the motive of Jewish followers of Christ,  asked the question: 

Why would so many Jews follow a crucified man?

Those to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection that are mentioned by Paul was merely the beginning of a ‘religious’ movement that turned the world upside down. History books are full of the accounts of of those who have been martyred simply because they believed in and proclaimed as Savior and Lord the One who died for their sins and was raised up again, according to Scripture. Perhaps more significant to a discussion of motive are not those who were Jesus’ constant followers during His life, but those who did not believe, but having seen Him after His death and resurrection, they came to belief. Two are mentioned in the 1 Corinthians passage; James and Paul himself.

James was one of Jesus’ half-brothers, who did not initially believe in Him as Messiah (John 7:5). Josephus records that the same James, the brother of Jesus, was put to death by Annas and the Sanhedrin during the reign of Nero (62 AD). (Antiquities, book 20, chapter 9) In James’ instance, we have the Biblical record and a bit of reputable historical record that a man who before the resurrection did not believe Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, and came to believe exactly that after seeing the risen Christ, and was martyred for his belief.   

What accounts for the change?

Then we have Saul, who became Paul after his Damascus Road experience. it is important to note that six major things separated the Jews from other segments of society (pagans as well as believers in Christ): the Sabbath, circumcision, sacrifices, dietary laws, Messiah of Glory (non-suffering Messiah), and monotheism

Later, after his conversion and encounter with the risen Christ, Saul became Paul and had these things to say:

Colossians 2:16-17 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a feast day or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

1st Corinthians 1:23 …but we preach Christ crucified….

Philippians 3:4b-7 If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

What accounts for the change?

The change from a position of non-belief (James and Paul), and even from being a persecutor of Christians to becoming one (Paul), are effects pf a cause. In this case, the cause is having seen the risen Lord!

Is this proposed proof of the resurrection of Jesus completely irrefutable by those who do not want to believe it? No, but it should give a person cause to at least think about it and ask the question:

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE CHANGE?

How Reliable are Biblical Accounts of Christ’s Resurrection?

One of the reasons we can trust the reliability of biblical accounts are supernatural acts of God (miracles) that are not only recorded in Scripture, but that also have historical and archeological evidence. The intent of this blog post is to peak your interest and encourage personal Bible study and research. In addition to increasing personal confidence in the truth of Scripture, such endeavors will serve to equip the believer for conversation/debate with non-believers.

There are two events in the Old Testament that are significant examples; the fall of the walls of Jericho, and the defeat/destruction  of  Sennacherib’s army, which had beseiged Jerusalem. I’ll leave further investigation to those interested in history and archeology, and ask that research be done without any agenda (pro or con). So if you are curious, go for it! You can just perform an online search for “historical/archeological evidence of ___________” for either, and have a lot of information to filter through and research.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is second of three events recorded by Paul as integral to the Gospel message:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” – 1 Cor 15:1-8

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was raised according to the Scriptures, and was seen by many after the resurrection. The first two events were prophesied in previously recorded Scripture, and the third provides evidence that the first two had to be either a hoax or a supernatural miracle.

Three possible proofs for a supernatural act of God are these:

1. Motive: Why would so many Jews follow a crucified man?

2. Corroborating evidence of gospel accounts: If all other historical facts prove to be true, why not the resurrection?

3. The empty tomb: Even the greatest antagonists to the resurrection of Jesus affirm His tomb was empty!

All three possible proofs fall into the arena of human logic. At the same time, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so critical to our Christian faith, that Paul emphatically declared in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15, that if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not true, our faith is in vain!

Does this writer have a personal opinion? Of course, but his ‘opinion’ is not the issue. As open, professing believers in Christ, we eventually are engaged in discussion about the genuineness and reality of our faith, with other believers, as well as non-believers (unless we are ashamed of the gospel).

Such discussions with non-believers are more than just ‘words’ deep, they are engagements in spiritual warfare and opportunities to present logical intellectual arguments to those who ostensibly appeal to logic and rational thinking in order to prove our faith illogical and irrational.

Hopefully the next few posts will encourage greater development of the Christian ‘mind’ and equip readers to defend their faith on the enemy’s terms.

If you are reading this, stay tuned for separate posts addressing the aforementioned proposed proofs of the Resurrection!

Who Saved You?

A small group of believers I know here in Blogland engage in discussion about certain portions of scripture and are currently blogging through Paul’s letter to the Galatians, with it’s central theme of Justification by Faith. One of the two Monday contributors made a couple of comments that simply beg for thoughtful consideration. Thanks Dale! I encourage you to read Dale’s blog post.

The thought provoking comments that invite serious thought and discussion are these:

“I am not saved because I accepted Jesus. I am saved because Jesus died for my sins!!! I was saved 2000 years ago!”

We are not saved because we made a decision to accept Jesus. We are saved because Christ died for our sins. The death and resurrection of Christ is the core of the gospel message (1 Cor 15:1-4), and it was Christ’s death 2000 years ago, in our place, that secured the salvation all those would believe in Christ and become the true children of God spoken of in John 1:12-23.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” – Jesus

So we have the fact that 2,000 years ago Jesus paid the price for our sin, as well as a point in time when a person comes to faith in Christ and is “born of God”. We also have John 3:16 that tells us that those who believe will inherit eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” -  Jesus

Here we have a picture of both the sovereignty of God in salvation and our responsibility to believe and make a decision out of our human will. We are not “born again” because of our decision, but it is only from the moment one believes (requiring an operation of human will), that we are truly a child of God.

How is it that we are not saved because we accepted Christ by an act of human decision/will, yet we must believe, (a real decision is involved) in order to be born of the Spirit of God and become His children? Assume both halves of the question to be true.

This is an open discussion. If you read this and have a question, even if it’s “What does it matter, as long as we are saved?”

 

 

 

Bible Study Question

What do we know with scriptural certainty about what we call the ‘rapture’ of the church (1 Thess 4:17) ?

Can a Christian be God’s Enemy?

The following scripture absolutely begs the question.

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

Discuss.