Authentic Mission 05

by | Jul 29, 2021 | Authentic | 0 comments

Provide Reasonable Proof for Jesus’ Actual Bodily Resurrection from the Dead.

Proving Jesus’ death is one thing, but your fifth mission will take an extra level of dilligence to confirm the biblical claim of an actual, miraculous, bodily resurrection.

Mission 5: Provide Reasonable Proof for Jesus’ Actual Bodily Resurrection from the Dead.

1. Eyewitness Testimony

Debriefing

After thinking through the questions, click the Answers tab to see our thoughts.

⇒ How did Jesus’ followers first respond to the empty tomb?

⇒ What changed the minds of Mary and the Disciples?

⇒ How does 1st century negativity toward female testimony help validate the account as accurate?

⇒ How did Jesus’ followers first respond to the empty tomb?

⇒ A stolen body, disbelief, wanting to see for themselves.

⇒ What changed the minds of Mary and the Disciples?

⇒ Real, physical encounters with the risen Jesus.

⇒ How does 1st century negativity toward female testimony help validate the account as accurate?

⇒ To be more credible, a fabricated story would have used men, like the disciples, as the initial witnesses.

11. Prophecy

Old Testament Prophecy: Isaiah 53:11 (c. 750 B.C.) “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” Psalm 16:9-10 (c. 1044 B.C.) “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”
Debriefing

After thinking through the questions, click the Answers tab to see our thoughts.

⇒ How do the prophets metaphorically describe resurrection?

⇒ See Acts 13:35-38. Can Psalm 16:9-10 be about David?

⇒ How do the prophets metaphorically describe resurrection?

⇒ Seeing the light of life, not left in the grave to decay

⇒ See Acts 13:35-38. Can Psalm 16:9-10 be about David?

⇒ No, David’s body decayed in the tomb. Jesus’ did not.

111. Ancient Non-Christian Historical Accounts

Flavius Josephus (1st Century Jewish-Roman Historian: Once a Jewish priest, circumstances led him to serve Rome as an expert Jewish documentarian.) "At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon their loyalty to him. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. Accordingly they believed that he was the Messiah, concerning whom the Prophets have recounted wonders." (Antiquities 18.63, c. 93AD)
Phlegon of Tralles (2nd Century Roman Historian - His original works are lost, but they continue in quotes like this from Origen, Against Celsus, c. 220AD.) "Now Phlegon, in the thirteenth or fourteenth book, I think, of his Chronicles, not only ascribed to Jesus a knowledge of future events (although falling into confusion about some things which refer to Peter, as if they referred to Jesus), but also testified that the result corresponded to His predictions… And he goes on to say, that "Jesus, while alive, was of no assistance to himself, but that he arose after death, and exhibited the marks of his punishment, and showed how his hands had been pierced by nails." (Chronicles, as Quoted in Contra Celsum, c. 120AD)
Debriefing

After thinking through the questions, click the Answers tab to see our thoughts.

⇒ Name 6+ things these writers ascribe to Jesus.

⇒ Name 6+ things these writers ascribe to Jesus.

⇒ Virtuous, foretold the future, condemned by Pilate, crucified, resurrected in 3 days, showed physical nail scars, was the Messiah, & fulfilled prophecies.

1V. Archeology

Archeological Support: Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem, Israel) While the actual site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection cannot be known for certain, the Bible claims that his burial took place at a garden close to Golgotha (John 19:17,41) and outside the walls of the city (Hebrews 13:12). A few places fit this description, but only the Holy Sepulchre can claim any historical credibility. Its current structure dates back to the 19th century, but it was raised atop multiple ruins from the original church built by Constantine in the early 300s. Despite its long veneration, historians initially ruled out the site due to its location within the current city walls, but subsequent archeological evidence has shown it to actually lie outside the walls of early 1st century Jerusalem.
Debriefing

After thinking through the questions, click the Answers tab to see our thoughts.

⇒ How can the Holy Sepulchre’s history bolster our case?

⇒ How can the Holy Sepulchre’s history bolster our case?

⇒ It shows that corresponding historical places exist.

V. Science & Philosophy

Resurrection Theories - Swoon Theory: Jesus didn’t die but fainted and recovered in the tomb. There’s no record of anyone surviving a full Roman crucifixion. He was seen alive and in perfect health a few days later. How could he have completely recovered after being beaten and then crucified? Wrong Tomb Theory: Jesus’ followers visited the wrong tomb.The women actually followed along and watched as Jesus was buried. How many other tombs had guards and a Roman Imperial seal? Wouldn’t the authorities present the correct tomb and Jesus’ body. It doesn’t answer the disciples’ claim to have seen him resurrected. Stolen Body Theory: Jesus’ disciples secretly stole his body.This assumes the scared, scattered disciples were able to overtake the Roman guards, move the stone, and get away unnoticed. History tells us that all of Jesus’ followers were willing to die for their testimony. Why would they all persist for a known lie? Hallucination Theory: They merely imagined it in their extreme grief. This might be possible for one eyewitness, but the Bible claims that He appeared to the disciples and over 500 people at the same time. There is no evidence for mass or shared hallucinations. Hallucinations rarely involve more than one of the five senses, and we know the disciples saw him, heard him, and touched him. Actual Resurrection Theory: Jesus really did rise from the grave. The prophets, like Isaiah, foretold it 700+ years before it happened. The eyewitness recorded their accounts in the four gospels and included humiliating details like their unbelief and female testimony. The apostles all suffered persecution and most died for this belief.The event continues to change lives and the trajectory of history. Non-Christian, historical writers provide unbiased verification. Archeological evidence backs up the claim.
Debriefing

After thinking through the questions, click the Answers tab to see our thoughts.

⇒ Why do the naturalistic theories for the resurrection fail?

⇒ Why do the naturalistic theories for the resurrection fail?

⇒ They presuppose the impossibility of miracles and ultimately cannot account for all of the facts.

Deductions: Having seen for himself, the apostle John records the miraculous resurrection of Jesus from the dead and all the Disciples’ belief based on real, physical encounters with the risen Jesus. This matches the Old Testament prophecies that claimed the Messiah would not be abandoned to the grave or see decay, but see the light of life. While they do not conclude that resurrection actually happened, both Josephus and Phlegon recognize the event and at least believe that Jesus’ followers were fully convinced by his appearance, as proved by their loyalty. It cannot be 100% substantiated, but the Church of the Holy Sepulchre offers solid archeological backing for the physical location of the crucifixion and resurrection. Alternative, naturalistic theories ultimately fall short, and only the actual, bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead can account for all of the facts. Confirmed: As crazy as it sounds, it’s more rational to trust that Jesus rose from the dead than to believe in any other theory.
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