THE RESURRECTION. HOAX OR HISTORY?
SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN?!?!
MCDOWELL CONCLUDES After more than seven hundred hours of studying the subject and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have came to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION RELIGIOUS LEADER 1. CONFUCIUS THEIR TOMB TODAY 1. OCCUPIED 2. BUDDHA 2. OCCUPIED 3. MOHAMMED 3. OCCUPIED 4. JESUS 4. EMPTY!!!
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION THE GOSPEL CONSIST OF THREE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS: 1. DEATH 2. BURIAL 3. RESURRECTION
1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-4 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
WHAT-IF GAME What if Jesus was not raised from the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 1. not even Christ has been raised 2. preaching is in vain 3. your faith is in vain 4. dead are not raised 5. you are sall in your sins 6. those who have fallen asleep are perished 7. BapAsm???
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION Mat 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
MATTHEW 27:57-58 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
JOHN 19:38-40 He [Joseph of Arimathea] came and Nicodemus also came bringing mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
THE STONE It usually required several men to remove it Ancient manuscript adds, a stone which twenty men could not move
THE SEAL Mt. 27:66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and senng a guard.
THE GRAVE CLOTHES John 20:3-8 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
THE APPEARANCES 1Cor. 15:5-8 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one Ame, most of whom are sall alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one unamely born, he appeared also to me [Paul].
OTHER APPEARANCES 1. MARY MAGDALENE 2. OTHER WOMEN AT TOMB 3. 2 EMMAUS DISCIPLES 4. THOMAS 5. THE OTHER 10 APOSTLES 6. SEVEN AT LAKE TIBERIAS 7. 120 AT ASCENSION 8. STEPHEN 9. JOHN AT PATMOS
THE SWOON THEORY Meaning that he never actually died
THE REFUTATION 1. Jesus died according to the judgments of the Roman soldiers, Joseph, and Nicodemus. 2. Jesus s disciples did not perceive Him as so 3. Jesus had to wiggle out of the grave clothes 4. Jesus rolled back the large stone alone 5. Walked seven miles from Jerusalem 6. Jesus was a liar 7. Then how did Jesus really die with a sudden disappearance.
THE THEFT THEORY The view that His disciples came during the night and stole the body from the tomb.
MATTHEW 28:11-15 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will saasfy him and keep you out of trouble." So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
THE REFUTATION 1. Disciples went from coward to courage. Disciples would be lunanc martyrs for a lie. 2. Soldiers were not sleeping or death plus much noise would have waken them up 3. The grave clothes folded nicely 4. Jesus had a nice burial why move him? 5. Disciples were not expecnng the resurrecnon gardener, ghost, etc. 6. All Jews had to do was show the body 7. Pilate wanted peace Romans didn t do it
THE HALLUCINATION THEORY
THE REFUTATION 1. Not consistent with laws of psychiatry 2. Extremely unlikely for two persons to have the same hallucinanon at the same Nme. Compare that to 500 people. 3. Luke says that Jesus appeared with many infallible proofs in Acts 1.
WRONG TOMB THEORY
THE REFUTATION 1. Women had been there less than 72 hours before. Many verses (Mt. 27:61, Mk. 15:47) 2. Peter and John ran straight to tomb 3. Angel said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Mt. 28:6) 4. If so, then Jews just had to go to right tomb and show the body inside. 5. It was Joseph of Arimathea s tomb 6. Not a public cemetery, but a private one
THE RESURRECTION FACT