Transcript Slide 1

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus
Christ his only
The Creed
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
I BELIEVE in CHRIST’S
shall come to
judge theRESURRECTION
quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness
of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus
Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he
shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
What is the One Way to
Destroy Christianity
Once and for All?
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
“For if the dead are not raised, not even
Christ has been raised; and if Christ has
not been raised, your faith is worthless … If
we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we
are 
of all men most to be pitied.”
- 1 Cor. 15:16-17,19
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
“The insurance against death is to
have been created ex nihilo, which
keeps open the possibility of an
equally miraculous resurrection.”
– Jean Baudrillard,
secular postmodernist
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Key Question…
“Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?”
…and what did it accomplish?
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Historical Case for the Resurrection
1. Jesus was murdered and
buried
2. Three days afterward, His
body went missing
3. Jesus appeared alive to
various people over the
course of 40 days
4. Christ’s appearance
transformed His followers and
became the central focus of
their teaching
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence that Jesus was Buried…
" And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a
good and righteous man (he had not consented to their plan
and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was
waiting for the kingdom of God; this man went to Pilate and
asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down and
wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the
rock, where no one had ever lain. It was the preparation day,
and the Sabbath was about to begin. Now the women who had
come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and
how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared
spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested
according to the commandment."
(Luke 23:50-56)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence that Jesus was Buried…
• Burial recorded in all gospels
• Joseph of Arimathea petitioned
Pilate for body
• Joseph put Jesus in his own tomb
– Sanhedrin member: unlikely that
this would be a lie
• Burial witnessed by close friends
• Tomb guarded by soldiers
• Jews never denied that Jesus was
dead and buried
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence that Jesus’ Body Went Missing…
" But on the first day of the week, at early dawn,
they came to the tomb bringing the spices which
they had prepared. And they found the stone
rolled away from the tomb, but when they
entered, they did not find the body of the Lord
Jesus."
(Luke 24:1-3)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence that Jesus’ Body Went Missing…
• Empty tomb viewed by Mary
Magdalene, Mary mother of
James, Peter and John
• Jewish leaders devised lie to
cover up the resurrection; never
refuted claim that the body was
gone
• Non-Christian historians
record Christian’s claims of
Jesus being alive
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence that Jesus Appeared Alive…
"But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she
stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting,
one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been
lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to
them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where
they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw
Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her,
“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to
be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me
where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her,
“Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means,
Teacher)."
(John 20:11-16)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence that the Jesus Appeared to Witnesses…
POST- RESURRECTION APPEARANCES OF CHRIST
1. Very Early 1st Day.
Mary Magdalene
Mark 16:9; John 20:16 -18
2. Early 1st Day.
The Women
Matthew 28:5 - 10
3. Afternoon 1st Day.
Simon Peter (Cephas)
Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians
15:5
4. Late Afternoon
The Two on the Road to Emmaus Luke 24:31
5. Early Evening
The Eleven
Mark 16:14; Luke 24:33-39;
John 20:19
6. 1 week later
The Eleven
John 20:26
7. Exact time unknown
The seven by the Sea of Galilee
John 21:1
8. Exact time unknown
The 500 brethren
1 Corinthians 15:6
9. Exact time unknown
Half-brother James, now the family 1 Corinthians 15:7
head.
10. Exact time unknown The Eleven in Galilee
Matthew 28:16-17
11. Exact time unknown The Eleven in Jerusalem
Mark 16:14 -15
12. Exact time unknown Possible separate meeting of the
Luke 24:44; Acts 1:4
Eleven
13. During 40 days
The 12 who would be preaching this. Acts 1:3 - 8
14. After 40 days
The Ascension
Luke 24:50; Acts 1:9 - 12
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
"It is historically certain that
Peter and the other disciples
had experiences after Jesus'
death in which Jesus appeared
to them as the risen Christ."
-Gerd Ludeman, Atheist
Guttingen University, Germany
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence of Transformed Lives…
" As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard
and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were
teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And
they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already
evening. . . . On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered
together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and
John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. . . . Then Peter, filled
with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial
today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it
be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus
Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this
name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the stone which was
rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. “And there is
salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given
among men by which we must be saved.” Now as they observed the confidence of
Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they
were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing
the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in
reply."(Acts 4:1-14)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Evidence of Transformed Lives…
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Peter – crucified upside down
Andrew – crucified on an X-shaped cross
James (disciple) – beheaded by Herod
John (disciple) – banished to Patmos; died
natural death in Ephesus
Thomas – martyred in India
James (half-brother of Jesus) – thrown from
the top of the temple, then stoned
Bartholomew – filleted alive
Matthew – killed with sword in Ethiopia
Luke – hanged in Greece
Matthias – stoned and beheaded
Jude – murdered by archers
Barnabas – stoned at Salonica
Paul – beheaded in Rome
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Proposed Alternate Explanations
• Authorities moved the body – no motive for that
• Spiritual resurrection only – the tomb was empty and He did
physical things
• Mistaken identity – the tomb was empty, skeptics were
converted
• Swoon theory – Jesus did not survive the scourging and cross
• Hallucination theory – mass hallucination not possible
• Wrong tomb – just go to the right tomb and produce the body
• Disciples stole the body – no one dies for a lie they know to be
false
• Legend/myth – too early; no myth ever entered into history
where 2 generations had not passed. Gospels written during
lifetime of the eyewitnesses
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Habermas – Flew Debates
Anthony Flew, noted (now former) atheist debated Gary Habermas on the
historicity of the resurrection. In the end, Flew admitted that Habermas had
made an air-tight case – that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. What was
Flew’s answer to that?
It was a one-time physical anomaly…
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
My Favorite
Jesus must have had an unknown, identical twin brother
who was separated from him at birth, and who showed
up in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion, stole
Jesus’ body, and then showed himself to the disciples,
leading them to mistakenly infer that Jesus rose from
the dead.
Dr. Robert Greg Cavin
University of California Professor, Ph.D.
Dissertation on the Resurrection
(Noted by William Lane Craig in lecture)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Jesus’ Twin Brother…? C’mon!
“When we lack the will to see things as they really
are, there is nothing so mysterious as the
obvious.”
- Irving Kristol
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Resurrection is a Copy of Pagan Myths
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
“When the dust has soaked up a
person’s blood, once he is dead,
there is no resurrection."
-Apollo, founding of Areopagus
Aeschylus, Eumenides 647-48
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Resurrection is a Copy of Pagan Myths
• Horus – Not Resurrected: No account of
Horus coming out of the grave with the body
he went in with. Some accounts have
Horus/Osiris being brought back to life by
Isis (after being dismembered) and going to be
the lord of the underworld.
• Krishna – Not Resurrected: died and
ascended; no resurrection back in this life
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Resurrection is a Copy of Pagan Myths
• Attis – Not Resurrected: Cybele [the great mother
goddess] asks Zeus to preserve Attis and he does
with the only signs being that his hair continues to
grow and his little finger moves continuously. Only
supposed resurrection stories of Attis come AD
150, long after the start of Christianity
• Mithras – Not Resurrected: he completes his earthly
mission then is taken to paradise in a chariot alive and
well. Tertullian did write about Mithras believers reenacting resurrection scenes, but he wrote about this
occurring well after New Testament times.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Fallacy of the False Cause
What if I told you a story about a British ocean liner that was about 800 feet
long, weighed over 60,000 tons, and could carry about 3,000 passengers?
The ship had a top cruising speed of 24 knots, had three propellers, and
about 20 lifeboats. And what if I told you that this ocean liner hit an iceberg
on its maiden voyage in the month of April, tearing an opening in the starboard
side forward portion of the ship, and sinking along with about 2,000
passengers? What does that sound like?
It is a fictional story described in Robertson’s book called “the Wreck of the
Titan” or “Futility” (Buccaneer Books, Cutchogue, New York, 1898). This
book was written fourteen years BEFORE the Titanic disaster took place,
and several years before the construction was even begun on the Titanic. In
the 1880’s, the well known English journalist, W. T. Stead also wrote an
account of a sinking ocean liner in the mid-Atlantic, and by 1882 had added
the detail that an iceberg would be the cause of the disaster.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Cults on the Resurrection
“it could not be that the man Jesus
is the Second Adam, the new
father of the race instead of
Adam; for the man Jesus is dead,
forever dead” – Studies in the
Scriptures Vol. V, p.454
“in his resurrection he was no more
human. He was raised as a spirit
creature” – The Kingdom is at
Hand, p. 258.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Same Body that Died, Rose…
• The same body that vacated the tomb is
the same one that occupied it
• He had Crucifixion scars
• He had flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)
• He ate food (Luke 24:42)
• He was Tangible (Matt 28:9)
• The body raised is the one sown in
death (1 Cor. 15:42)
• Word soma always means physical
bodies
• Our lowly bodies are transformed to be
like His glorious one (Phil 3:21; 1 John
3:2-3)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Why the “Jesus Tomb” is False
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There is no DNA evidence that this is the historical Jesus
of Nazareth
The statistical analysis is untrustworthy
The name "Jesus" was a popular name in the first century,
appearing in 98 other tombs and on 21 other ossuaries
There is no historical evidence that Jesus was ever married
or had a child
The earliest followers of Jesus never called him "Jesus, son
of Joseph“. Jesus’ enemies taunted Him with “We were not
born of fornication…”
It is highly unlikely that Joseph, who died earlier in Galilee,
was buried in Jerusalem, since the historical record connects
him only to Nazareth or Bethlehem
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Why the “Jesus Tomb” is False
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The Talipot tomb and ossuaries are such that they would
have belonged to a rich family, which does not match the
historical record for Jesus, a guy who had to get his taxes
from the mouth of a fish
Fourth-century church historian Eusebius makes quite clear
that the body of James, the brother of Jesus, was buried
alone near the temple mount and that his tomb was visited in
the early centuries, making very unlikely that the Talipot tomb
was Jesus' "family tomb"
The two Mary ossuaries simply has the name Mary, one of
the most common names of that era
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
A Miracle in One of Three Ways
1. Psychological: The disciples and others imagined a risen
Christ, changed from unbelieving cowards into courageous
evangelists, and went to their deaths for something they
ultimately knew to be untrue.
2. Biological: Jesus survived the beatings, scourging, cross, and
spear thrust into the heart, fooled his executioners,
recuperated in the tomb, rolled away the stone, and had his
‘resurrection’ falsely proclaimed.
3. Theological: Christ’s resurrection was a true, historically valid,
and divine miracle where Jesus died and came back to life three
days later, which is in keeping with the theme of miracles in the
gospels.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
After examining everything from a
historical and rational perspective, the
best explanation to account for the
facts is that Jesus Christ rose from
the dead via a miracle by God.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
That being true, what are
the implications for us?
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The Biblical Basis for the Resurrection
"For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow
Your Holy One to undergo decay."
(Psalm 16:10)
"for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of
the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth."(Matthew 12:40)
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
(John 2:19)
“You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the
dead.”
(Acts 3:15)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Theological Implications
A Proof that Jesus is the Messiah
"concerning His Son, who was born of a
descendant of David according to the flesh, who
was declared the Son of God with power by the
resurrection from the dead, according to the
Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,"
(Romans 1:3-4)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Theological Implications
Necessary belief for salvation
"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as
Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved;"
(Romans 10:9)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Theological Implications
Necessary to Cancel Sin’s Effects
“For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ
has been raised; and if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is worthless; 
you are still in your
sins.” (1 Cor. 15:15-16)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
"For if while we were enemies we were
reconciled to God through the death
of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life."
(Romans 5:10)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Theological Implications
Provides Hope for Our Resurrection
“If a man dies, will he live again?”
(Job 14:14)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Theological Implications
Provides Hope for Our Resurrection
"For if we have become united with Him in the
likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be
in the likeness of His resurrection,"
(Romans 6:5)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
The German chancellor, Konrad Adeneur, once asked
Billy Graham this question: “Mr.Graham, do you really
believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead?” Billy
Graham somewhat taken aback by the question said,
“Sir, if I did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, I would have no gospel left to preach.” Graham
said Conrad Adeneur paused, walked over to the end
of the room, looked out of the window, at the post-war
ruins and said, “Mr. Graham, outside of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, I know of no other hope
for mankind.”
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
“But now Christ 
has been raised
from the dead, the 
first fruits of
those who 
are asleep.”
-1 Corinthians 15:20
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Christ’s Ascension
" And after He had said these things, He was
lifted up while they were looking on, and a
cloud received Him out of their sight. And as
they were gazing intently into the sky while He
was going, behold, two men in white clothing
stood beside them. They also said, “Men of
Galilee, why do you stand looking into the
sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from
you into heaven, will come in just the same way
as you have watched Him go into heaven.”"
(Acts 1:9-11)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Christ’s Place
"So then, when the Lord
Jesus had spoken to them,
He was received up into
heaven and sat down at the
right hand of God."
(Mark 16:19)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
God’s Right Hand
• The word “right” in the Bible is often used in the sense of “being straight”; it
is used to describe that which is just or righteous (cf. Gn 18:25).
• Figuratively speaking, God’s right hand is the means whereby victories are
obtained for the people of God (Ps. 17:7, 98:1); it is also an instrument of
punishment for the ungodly (Heb. 2:16). God’s right hand sustains his
children in the hour of need (Ps. 139:10). Furthermore, God promises to
strengthen the right hand of the person he purposes to help (Is 41:13).
• To be at the right hand of God is to occupy a place of the choicest
blessings (Ps. 16:11)
• To offer the right hand of fellowship is to extend the warmest and most
accepting type of camaraderie (Gal 2:9). Giving the right hand as the sign
of a pledge also has a biblical antecedent (2 Kgs 10:15).
• Although the left hand is often linked to blessings (Prv 3:16), it may also be
associated with treachery or other undesirable activity (Eccl 10:2).
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that
you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the
surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His
might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him
from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly
places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the
one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet,
and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His
body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
(Ephesians 1:18-23)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Buddha
All
Dead
and
Buried
VS.
Muhammad
Confucius
The Creed – I Believe in Christ’s Resurrection
Alive Forever!
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus
Christ his only
The Creed
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
I BELIEVE in CHRIST’S
shall come to
judge theRESURRECTION
quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness
of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen