1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “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.”
God invites us to examine the evidence…
Isaiah 1:18 “’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD.”
- Christianity is not a ‘blind faith,’ and we have “many convincing proofs” that Jesus’ Resurrection is documented and trustworthy (Acts 1:3).
- Scripture encourages us to make use of our minds as we faithfully seek answers to the questions of life that really matter most.
The significance of the historical truth of Christ’s Resurrection cannot be overstated…
1 Corinthians 15:17 “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins.”
The veracity of Jesus’ claims rests on the truth of His Resurrection…
Jesus Himself said that he would be killed in Jerusalem, but on the third day rise again.
Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
That Resurrection afternoon, Jesus taught two disciples on the road to Emmaus regarding the significance of His Resurrection…
Luke 24:26-27 “’Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
His Resurrection Was Foretold…
- The Old Testament foretold of Messiah’s mission, as well as His death and Resurrection. (Psalm 16:10; 22:16-17; Isaiah 53:10)
- Jesus often spoke of His pending death, and His rising from the tomb on the third day (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 27:63; Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34, 14:28; Luke 9:22, 18:31-33, 24:6-7; and John 2:19-22).
The Historical Fact of Jesus Death…
- Some skeptics have proposed the ‘swoon theory’— and that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross, but instead only passed out and later revived in the tomb (cf. *John 19:33-37).
- But He was brutally beaten, flogged with a cat-o’-nine-tails tearing His flesh away, and he hung on a cross with thick spikes driven through His hands and feet, and then, to ensure that He was dead, He was pierced [in His side, which went] into his heart by a Roman soldier with a spear (John 19:34).
- The soldiers were professional executioners who knew how to do a thorough job… and crucifixion was the death penalty in the Roman Empire (no one ever survived).
The Tomb Was Empty…
Even Jesus’ enemies did not dispute that the tomb was empty!
- Instead, they claimed that the body was stolen while the guards slept (Matthew 28:11-15), even though (under Roman law) the guards faced execution if they fell asleep on the job.
- The religious leaders certainly wouldn’t have stolen the body. It was obviously their goal to completely stop the spread of faith in Christ.
- If the body could have been found, surely the many antagonists would have produced it and put this so-called ‘new’ religion to rest.
He Was Seen Alive After The Resurrection…
These were not ‘hallucinations’ or brief sightings.
- Jesus ate, drank, and spoke at length with His many followers during those 40 post-resurrection days (1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Luke 24:13-53).
- It should be noted that Jesus appeared on at least 11 occasions over this time period, and to over 500 witnesses simultaneously one time, and the apostle Paul noted that “most of them remain to the present.”
- The cowardly disciples, who fled upon Jesus’ arrest, were radically transformed, being convinced after seeing the resurrected Jesus.
Lives Were Overwhelmingly Transformed…
Literally overnight, the church was born, becoming bold, courageous witnesses, proclaiming the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- The fact that there was the testimony of multiple, credible eyewitnesses to the Resurrection of Christ provides significant reason to believe they truly did see and experience this factually… and this claim brought them ultimately severe persecution and often torturous deaths (which could have been easily avoided if they denied Christ being resurrected).
- People may give their earthly life up for something untrue, but believe to be true… but people will not do this for what they know to be a lie.
- After seeing the ultimate proof of Jesus’ deity (his own Resurrection), countless numbers of traditional Jews abandoned centuries-old religious rituals and tradition to follow their promised Messiah.
The testimony of renowned legal expert Simon Greenleaf (founder of the Harvard Law School) as he examined the evidence…
- After a thorough investigation of the evidence, Dr. Greenleaf concluded that the Resurrection of Christ was one of the best supported events of history, according to the laws of legal evidence used in courtrooms, even to this day.
- He was so convinced by the overwhelming evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection that he committed his life to Christ (and strongly urged his students to put their faith in Jesus, the risen one!)
A Reasonable Conclusion…
Jesus is alive today and is willing to transform the life of anyone who humbly comes to Him in faith. This is the universal experience of all those who repent and place their trust in Him.
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
For more information, text Pastor James at 315-395-6102. Daily devotional ‘An Encouraging Word’@ https://www.facebook.com/james.pannafino
Website: PerspectiveInProphecy.com
The post The Case for The Resurrection :: By James Pannafino appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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