The resurrection of Jesus Christ is

fundamental to Christian faith

1 Corinthians 15:14-19

faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14);

preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14);

all the witnesses and preachers of the

resurrection would be liars (v. 15);

no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17);

all former believers would have perished

(v.18); &

Believers of Jesus Christ will be the most

pitiable people on the earth (v. 19).

there were no resurrection:

Jesus was murdered and buried

1

Three days later, his

body went missing

Jesus appeared to various

people

Christ’s appearances

transformed his followers as well as his skeptics

Jesus’ Resurrection – is it true?

2

3

4

These four facts about Jesus’ resurrection are agreed to by the vast majority of historians, Christian and non-Christian.

Evidence

For Jesus’

Death

• Journal of American Medical Society, Mar. ’86• “Clearly, the weight of historical and

medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was inflicted … “

• Predicted centuries earlier & documented by many ancient sources• Josephus, 1st century Jewish historian

• Tacitus, early 2nd century Roman historian

• Lucian, mid 2nd century Greek historian

• Mara bar Serapion, 2nd to 3rd century writing to his son from prison

Did Jesus’

come back to

life after His

Death? • It’s only a Legend

• People only Hallucinating to have seen

Jesus alive

• Jesus’ disciples must have Stolen His

body

• People went to the Wrong Tomb

• The Resurrection of Jesus is only

Spiritual not physical

• Mistaken Identity - Jesus may have a

dupe

Some Objections

Will anyone die for a Legend?

Almost everyone of His disciples

died for the Christian cause

Can two people hallucinate

together? Jesus appeared to

groups of people each time

Jewish or Roman authorities would

have pointed to the right tomb if people

were going to the wrong one

There was a Roman seal on the tomb and

the tomb was guarded by Roman

soldiers.

The risen Jesus ate with His disciples

each time. Could it be spiritual or

physical?

Jesus never had a twin or a look-alike.

Even if there was one, who would

mutilate themselves to have the same wounds

as Jesus

God raised him up,

loosing the pangs of

death, because it

was not possible for

him to be held by it.

Acts 2:24

Appeared to Where References

1 Mary Magdalene Jerusalem Mark 6:9-11; John 20:11-18

2 Other Women Jerusalem Matt 28:9-10

3 Peter Jerusalem Luke 24:32; 1 Cor. 15:5

4 Emmaus disciples Emmaus Luke 24:13-35; Mark 16:12

5 10 disciples Jerusalem Mark 16:14; Luke 24:26-42; John

20:19-25

6 11 disciples Jerusalem John 20:26-31; 1 Cor. 15:5

7 7 disciples Galilee John 21:1-25

8 500 brethren Galilee 1 Cor. 15:6

9 James ? 1 Cor. 15:7

10 11 disciples Galilee Matt 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18

11 11 disciples Jerusalem Acts 1:3-12

12 Paul Road

Emmaus

Acts 9

Did People Experience Appearances of Jesus?

What

Happened

to Jesus’

Followers

After His

Death? The New Testament records

the embarrassing details of

how Jesus’ disciples

abandoned Him and fled

during His arrest.

What happened

to Jesus’

Followers

After His

Resurrection?

• The writer of Acts records how

these same disciples stood before

the exact same leaders who

murdered Jesus (Annas and

Caiaphas) after His death and

proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection

from the dead.

• Various accounts record that the

disciples and Paul were martyred

for their proclamation that Jesus

was alive.

James (executed along with his executioner in 44–45 A.D.)

Peter (crucified head-down in 64 A.D.)

Andrew (was hanged from an olive tree in 70 A.D.)

Thomas (thrust through with pine spears in 70 A.D.)

Philip (tortured & crucified in 54 A.D.)

Matthew (beheaded at Nad-Daar in 60–70 A.D.)

Nathanael (was flayed and crucified in 70 A.D.)

James the Lesser (beaten to death with a fuller’s club in 63 A.D.)

Simon the Zealot (Martyred: 74 A.D.)

Judas Thaddeus (beaten to death in 72 A.D.)

Matthias (stoned to death while hanging on a cross in 70 A.D.)

John (fried in boiling oil in 95 A.D.)

Paul (beheaded in Rome in 67 A.D.)

This is what happened to Jesus’ Disciples

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/How_The_12_Apostles_Died.png

Hebrews 11:35-38

There were others who were

tortured, refusing to be

released so that they might

gain an even better

resurrection. Some faced

jeers and flogging, and even

chains and imprisonment.

Hebrews 11:35-38

They were put to death by

stoning; they were sawed

in two; they were killed by

the sword. They went

about in sheepskins and

goatskins, destitute,

persecuted and mistreated

the world was not worthy of

them. They wandered in

deserts and mountains,

living in caves and in holes

in the ground.

The stone was rolled

away from the door,

not to let Christ come

out, but to enable the

disciples to go in.

Would you like to go in

too?

Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection assure us:

•His purpose is to “rescue us” from sin

•His power will give us “eternal life”

•His suffering demonstrates the extent of His love for us

•His resurrection is the evidence of who He is – the Human Face of God

I am the resurrection and

the life. He who believes

in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

John 11:25

If you confess with your

mouth that Jesus is

Lord and believe in your

heart that God raised

him from the dead, you

will be saved.

Romans 10:9

Ecclesiastes 12:1