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Session 4 - Foundations for the resurrection Pt.2

Session 4 - Foundations for the resurrection Pt.2. In this session we will continue looking at evidence that is best explained by the resurrection.

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Session 4 - Foundations for the resurrection Pt.2

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  1. Session 4 - Foundations for the resurrection Pt.2 In this session we will continue looking at evidence that is best explained by the resurrection The resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings--or it is the most remarkable fact of history.

  2. *Jesus Burial Story is trustworthy* New Testament scholars agree that he burial story is one of the best established facts about Jesus. One reason for this is because of the inclusion of Joseph of Arimethea as the one who buried Christ.

  3. Joseph was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrein, basically the Jewish Supreme Court. People on this ruling class were too well known for fictitious stories about them to be pulled off. I the disciples were lying about the burial story, they wouldn’t use a popular figure to do so… he would hear about it and easy correct it

  4. *Broken Roman Seal* The tomb of Jesus had the Roman seal over it, which stood for the power and authority of the Roman Empire Matthew 27:66: “So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.” It was unusual though for someone crucified to be buried like Jesus

  5. Most crucified victims in ancient Rome were left on the cross even after they were dead, and the elements and the animals took care of the mess that was left. It was not unusual, however, for Roman authorities to grant the body of a crucified person to his friends or family, provided he was not guilty of high treason. 

  6. The fact that Joseph of Arimathaea was allowed the body of Jesus shows us that he was a man who was well known and respected Everyone would know who he is, where his tomb is, and how to find it if they needed to Back to the Roman seal though and the implications it has on the resurrection

  7. The consequences of breaking the seal were extremely severe. The FBI and CIA of the Roman Empire were called into action to find the man or men who were responsible. If they were apprehended, it meant automatic execution by crucifixion upside down. People feared the breaking of the seal

  8. *Roman Guards go Awol* Not only is the Roman seal on the tomb, there are soldiers posted to make sure no one touches it Matthew 27:62-66: “On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise…

  9. Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.”

  10. How many roman guards? We are not told for sure, but it very likely could have been four soldiers Acts 12:4: “So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.”

  11. While we don’t know the exact number, we do know that the authorities were aware that Jesus had a large following, and they put enough guards there to be confident nothing would happen The Romans were not ammeters about what they did, they were smart, especially when it came to war and military

  12. That being said, the Roman guards fled. They left their place of responsibility. How can their abandonment be explained when Roman military discipline was so exceptional? Justin, in Digest #49, mentions the offenses that required the death penalty. The fear of their superiors' wrath and the possibility of death meant that they paid close attention to the minutest details of their jobs.

  13. One way a guard could be put to death was by being stripped of his clothes and then burned alive in a fire started with his garments.

  14. If the authorities didn’t know which soldier had failed in his duties, the would cast lots to see which one would be punished with death for the unit’s failure. Certainly the entire unit would not have fallen asleep with that kind of threat over their heads. Dr. George Currie, a student of Roman military discipline, wrote that fear of punishment "produced flawless attention to duty, especially in the night watches."

  15. *Large Stone Removed* Matthew 27:60: “And laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.” When the women and disciples arrive at the tomb on the third day, the stone has been rolled away… How?

  16. This stone is no small rock Generally speaking, the rolling stone was set inside a groove in front of the entrance, and secured from falling over by a stone wall that stood in front of tomb opening Often, the groove was not level, but slightly sloped.

  17. To close the tomb, the stone would be rolled down the groove at a decline and come to rest in front of the entrance.  To open the tomb, the stone would have to be rolled up the groove at an incline. 2000-4000 pounds was the weight of a smaller sized tomb stone, Joseph of Arimathaea was a wealthy individual though, and probably had a nice tomb with a large rock (6-7,000 pounds)

  18. The idea was that once the stone was rolled into it’s place, it couldn’t be removed by anyone One reason was to prevent grave robbers from going in and taking what you buried with the individual Historically, we know the stone was removed, because we know the tomb was empty

  19. *Grave clothes left* In a literal sense, against all statements to the contrary, the tomb was not totally empty--because of an amazing phenomenon.

  20. John, a disciple of Jesus, looked over to the place where the body of Jesus had lain, and there were the grave clothes, in the form of the body, slightly caved in and empty--like an empty cocoon of a caterpillar John 20:7: “And the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.”

  21. That's enough to make a believer out of anybody. John never did get over it. The first thing that stuck in the minds of the disciples was not the empty tomb, but rather the empty grave clothes--undisturbed in form and position. This brings us to a topic we will address on the last week, the Shroud of Turin

  22. *OVER 500 WITNESSES* Not only do you have to explain Paul and James like we mentioned last week, you have to explain the hundreds of other eyewitnesses to the resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…

  23. and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”

  24. Many of them went on to be martyred for their faith in the resurrection How do you explain the eyewitnesses? The Disciples, and the 500, and more? You only have about three options: They were lying They hallucinated They really saw the risen Christ

  25. *Jesus' tomb wasn’t venerated as a shrine* This is striking because it was the 1st century custom to set up a shrine at the site of a holy man's bones. There were at least 50 such cites in Jesus' day. Since there was no such shrine for Jesus, it suggests that his bones weren't there. Many other religions have done this

  26. Buddhist worship remains of their founder, the buddha The temple holds what Buddhist believe to be a tooth of Buddha, and they worship it

  27. *No signs of legendary development* Mark's account of the empty tomb is simple and shows no signs of legendary development. Mark 16:1-7: “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him….

  28. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed…

  29. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” When we look at the resurrection story we don’t see embellishment

  30. This is very apparent when we compare it with the gospel of Peter, a forgery from about 125. This legend has all of the Jewish leaders, Roman guards, and many people from the countryside gathered to watch the resurrection. Then three men come out of the tomb, with their heads reaching up to the clouds.

  31. Then a talking cross comes out of the tomb! This is what legend looks like, and we see none of that in Mark's account of the empty tomb--or anywhere else in the gospels for that matter! This is an actual example of what making the story up would look like! It’s clear the disciples did not

  32. What can we know from history when we put all the facts together that we have looked at over the past two sessions? 1. Jesus died by crucifixion 2. Jesus Burial Story is trustworthy 3. The empty tomb 4. Grave clothes left 5. Broken Roman Seal

  33. 6. Roman Guards go Awol 7. Large Stone Removed 8. The Disciples Sincerely Believed He Rose from the Dead and Appeared to Them 9. The Conversion of the Skeptic James 10. OVER 500 WITNESSES

  34. 11. The conversion of Paul 12. Jesus' tomb wasn’t venerated as a shrine 13. No signs of legendary development Any naturalistic theory that tries to explain away Christianity has to be able to account for all of these facts about history

  35. Memory Verse Matthew 27:66: “So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.”

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