CHRIST'S RESURRECTION

1. Perserverance of Apostles/Disciples Supports Ressurection
How can we be sure of Christ's ressurection? Very simple. Every predecessor of Jesus claiming to be either Messiah or some great prophet, was killed and all of his followers were scattered and never heard from again. The Apostles were even less faithful to Jesus, at first, compared to other claiming-to-be prophets' followers. Before Christ's death, they all abandoned and deserted him! But three days later, immediately after Christ's ressurection, they were out there boldly preaching the Gospel risking their lives! Had the ressurection been a hoax, the entire Christian faith would have crumbled long ago. Had the Ressurection never taken place, we would have never heard from these men again. In fact, the Apostles were persecuted, tortured, and killed for proclaiming Jesus as Messiah! Had the Ressurection been a lie, surely, these 12 men who deserted Jesus before his death would have renounced Him to save their lives. But they did not. They went through the most agonizing torture sessions and died in the msot painful, gruesome, and elongated fashions. These men would not give up what they preached, because they knew it to be truth.

  • Matthew was martyred by the sword in Ethiopia.
  • Mark was dragged by horses through the streets, being martyred in Alexandria, Egypt.
  • Luke was hanged in Greece.
  • Peter was crucified upside-down on an X-shaped cross (he was crucified upside-down by his own choice, because he felt unworthy to crucified in the upright position as his Savior was).
  • James the Just was thrown from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple and when they found him still alive, they beat him to death with a club.
  • James the Greater was beheaded in Jerusalem. (When the Roman officer who guarded James saw what great perseverance he had, the officer became a Christian).
  • Bartholomew (Nathanael) was flayed to death with a whip in Asia (Turkey).
  • Andrew was harshly whipped and then crucified on an X-shaped cross in Patras Greece.
  • Thomas was speared to death in India.
  • Jude was killed by arrows for refusing to renounce Christ.
  • Matthias was stoned, but when he was still alive, they beheaded him.
  • Barnabas was stoned to death in Salonica.
  • Paul was tortured and then beheaded in Rome by the Emporer Nero.
  • Polycarp was burnt alive before a large audience in the amphitheater in the city of Smyrna, being martyred at age 86.
  • John was put in a pot of boiling oil, but he would not die or even burn as God protected him! When the torturers realized this they sent him to prison on the isle of Patmos (he was given the revelation of Apocalypse there). He was finally freed and was the only one to die a normal death somewhere around the age of 101.

    2. Witnesses!
    There are over 500 documented accounts of people seeing Jesus alive after they saw Him dead! This might sound like a massive hoax, but it must be noted, that during that time, anyone who proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead was killed. 500 people willing to risk their lives by lying that Jesus had risen from the dead? The evidence speaks otherwise. These people knew the truth, and they were simply stating it: Christ rose from the dead.

    3. A Multitude Which No One Can Count
    "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us." Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)
    "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." Revelation 7:7 (NIV)
    There have been hundreds and hundreds of martyrs, people who have been tortured and killed in the name of Jesus. These people would not renounce Jesus even under the most agonizing torment and the most frightening threats and the longest, painful deaths. If these people truly did not believe deep down in their hearts, without a doubt, that their faith was true, how on earth were so many people fearlessly led to their deaths without even a thought of renouncing their Lord? And so many of them were miraculously saved from death as well... how can that be explained but by an act of God? If these martyrs didn't truly believe in their hearts that Jesus rose from the dead, they could never all have been able to do what they did.

    4. Transformed Lives
    As Grant R. Jeffrey said in his book, "Jesus: The Great Debate," "The most powerful evidence of Jesus' existence as the Son of God is the life-changing impact this truth has had on the lives of men and women who have placed their faith and trust in Him," (p.255) The evidence of the transformed lives of Christians all around the world--alone--is far more than enough evidence to come to a verdict: Jesus Christ rose from the dead.