Josh started off chapter 8 with a question a student at the University of Uruguay asked him, "Why can't you refute Christianity?" His answer, in the book, was, "After more than 700 hours of studying this subject and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I came to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon people, or it is the most important fact of history."
He posed the question, "Is Christianity valid?" He said it is a question of history - Not philosophy. So he listed a number of historical facts about Jesus and asked, "Did the resurrection actually happen?"
He, then, wrote about the customs of burial; including how the Jews wrapped the body with cloths and covered them with a plaster of spices that dried solid making a cocoon. This cocoon was left intact in the tomb when Christ arose! That seems to be why the 2 disciples believed when they went to the tomb to see if it was true that the body was gone. He mentioned how a 2 ton rock was pried to cover the opening and a Roman guard placed before it to keep the disciples from stealing the body. These soldiers were under threat of death if they allowed the tomb to be robbed. Read it in Matt. 28, Luke 24, John 20:1-10.
He wrote about the empty tomb next. If Jesus' body wasn't missing, all the authorities would have to do was to parade it through the streets and the new sect called "The Way" which became Christianity would have been stopped right then.
The witnesses which numbered over 500 said that Jesus showed Himself to them by "Many infallible proofs". The fact that the empty tomb had been confirmed even by His enemies and His many appearances to them for 40 days gave the disciples confidence to preach His resurrection with faith and conviction.
Josh quoted Paul L. Maier, "If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter. And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that would disprove this statement."
The Roman soldiers said the tomb was empty. The women said it was empty and the men who went to see for themselves found it empty. With that many witnesses we can be sure the tomb was empty! No one ever showed the body of Jesus to prove that He was still dead! But He arose from the dead! He is alive!
It is impossible to believe that the women, disciples, and the Roman guard were all at the wrong tomb! Remember - they all said the tomb was empty. The Jewish authorities would certainly have corrected that mistake! Why didn't the authorities just show the body in the correct tomb? The answer is because Jesus arose from the dead and lives again! Praise His Name!
With all the evidence in favor of the resurrection of Christ and NONE opposed, why is it so hard for people to believe that it's true? There may be questions in the minds of people and opposing opinions but there is NO evidence against Christ's resurrection.
Why don't you believe in Jesus now, as God's Son, Who died in your place to pay your debt of sin so you can believe and go to heaven with Him when you die!
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
Sincerely,
Rick
He posed the question, "Is Christianity valid?" He said it is a question of history - Not philosophy. So he listed a number of historical facts about Jesus and asked, "Did the resurrection actually happen?"
He, then, wrote about the customs of burial; including how the Jews wrapped the body with cloths and covered them with a plaster of spices that dried solid making a cocoon. This cocoon was left intact in the tomb when Christ arose! That seems to be why the 2 disciples believed when they went to the tomb to see if it was true that the body was gone. He mentioned how a 2 ton rock was pried to cover the opening and a Roman guard placed before it to keep the disciples from stealing the body. These soldiers were under threat of death if they allowed the tomb to be robbed. Read it in Matt. 28, Luke 24, John 20:1-10.
He wrote about the empty tomb next. If Jesus' body wasn't missing, all the authorities would have to do was to parade it through the streets and the new sect called "The Way" which became Christianity would have been stopped right then.
The witnesses which numbered over 500 said that Jesus showed Himself to them by "Many infallible proofs". The fact that the empty tomb had been confirmed even by His enemies and His many appearances to them for 40 days gave the disciples confidence to preach His resurrection with faith and conviction.
Josh quoted Paul L. Maier, "If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter. And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that would disprove this statement."
The Roman soldiers said the tomb was empty. The women said it was empty and the men who went to see for themselves found it empty. With that many witnesses we can be sure the tomb was empty! No one ever showed the body of Jesus to prove that He was still dead! But He arose from the dead! He is alive!
It is impossible to believe that the women, disciples, and the Roman guard were all at the wrong tomb! Remember - they all said the tomb was empty. The Jewish authorities would certainly have corrected that mistake! Why didn't the authorities just show the body in the correct tomb? The answer is because Jesus arose from the dead and lives again! Praise His Name!
With all the evidence in favor of the resurrection of Christ and NONE opposed, why is it so hard for people to believe that it's true? There may be questions in the minds of people and opposing opinions but there is NO evidence against Christ's resurrection.
Why don't you believe in Jesus now, as God's Son, Who died in your place to pay your debt of sin so you can believe and go to heaven with Him when you die!
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
Sincerely,
Rick
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