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From: dan@scgvaxd.UUCP (Dan Boskovich)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Evidences for Religion
Message-ID: <333@scgvaxd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 30-May-85 15:02:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: scgvaxd.333
Posted: Thu May 30 15:02:45 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Jun-85 02:01:43 EDT
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Summary: 


			   The Resurrection

 Presupposing the reliability of scripture, it has been suggested that the
 gospel writers may have been mistaken concerning the Resurrection, or
 even purposely perpetrated such a hoax. In discussing the possibility
 of such theories, several questions remain unanswered.


 Where did his body go?

 Did the disciples steal it?  Shortly before the crucifixion, the disciples
 fled away like scared rabbits. Peter denied even knowing Jesus for
 fear of his life. What is the probability that these 12 frightened sheep,
 ruined and dejected at the loss of their shephard, would go to the tomb of
 Jesus, face the Roman guards and all their weapons, move the stone and take
 the body.

 These 12 men, mostly fisherman, country boys, strangers to the city-life,
 would hardly be cast as the dirty dozen, ready to take on the Roman
 guards.

 Did the soldiers fall asleep while guarding the tomb?

 To do so would have meant death for these highly trained soldiers.
 The Roman soldiers were under the very strictest of discipline and
 training.

 Did someone else steal His body?

 Who? The Jewish leaders hated him and wanted him dead. They knew of his
 claims to be King of the Jews and many knew of his claims to rise
 from the dead. The Pharisees begged Pilate to guard the tomb to prevent
 anyone from stealing His body so that such a thing would NOT happen.

 The soldiers were not able to explain the empty tomb. They were told what
 to say and bribed by the Sanhedrin.

 Did the Romans steal the body?

 It would have been to the governor's advantage to keep the body in its
 grave. Pilate's main interest was to keep things calm and peaceful.
 Moving the body would have caused unwanted agitation to arise from
 the Jews and the Christians.

 Was Jesus really dead? Jesus was beaten with a cat-of-nine-tails, slapped
 in the head and face repeatedly, punctured in several places with a
 crown of thorns (these thorns were about 3 inches long), spit upon,
 made to carry his own heavy cross to calvary, and nailed to the cross.
 How much can a man take? To survive all of that would be a MIRACLE!

 T. J. Thorburn -"The victims of crucifixion seldom recovered, even under
 the most favorable circumstances."

 Did the women and the disciples go to the wrong tomb? You gotta be
 kidding! The Romans and the Jewish leaders would have produced the
 body instantly to stop the Christian movement that started as a result
 of the Resurrection. The trouble was, they didn't have the body!

 Evidences in favor of the Resurrection:

 Jesus appeared to over 500 people after His Resurrection.

 The enemies of Christ gave no refutation of the Resurrection! Why? They
 had no alternative conclusion!

 The transformed lives of the Apostles! After being frightened away
 and left in a state of depression and self-pity, suddenly the Apostles
 become brave, courageous, outspoken, empowered witnesses for Christ.
 Facing prison, persecution, and death, the Apostles continued to
 evangelize and proclaim the Gospel.

 The transformed lives of the last 1900 years.

 The courage of the Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, Huss, etc.

 The conversion of Saul of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul. Saul
 persecuted the church, went on regularly scheduled "roundups" finding
 and turning in to the authorities all who were belonging to "The Way"

 Paul was a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin,
 and a student of the great Jewish Rabbi, Gamaliel. Why would Paul suddenly
 on one of his roundups, give up all of his prestige and position, to
 serve a being of which he had been persecuting the followers of, knowing
 that he too would soon be persecuted.

 Phenomenal growth even through persecution. The church grew by the millions
 in the first century. The more they were put to death for their faith,
 the more they attracted others who marvelled at their behaviour.

 Not only was the Resurrection predicted by Christ over and over again,
 but it was predicted in the Old Testament over 1000 years before it
 happened. Psalm 22 vividly describes the Lord being crucified and
 the purpose for it.

 The Empty Tomb!!!!

 One more very important and involved argument:

 The Person and Character of Christ:

 Who was Jesus Christ? The 64,000 dollar question!

 Most people say that he was a great moral teacher! Hogwash!

 For a man to make the claims that Jesus made and not be true, He could
 not be a great moral teacher. Jesus claimed equality with the Father.
 He claimed to be the Son of God. He claimed that His purpose here was
 to die for mankind to redeem them to God.
 Jesus claimed that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He said
 that NO ONE could come to the Father except through him.
 Pilate asked Jesus if he was indeed the King of The Jews; Jesus answered
 in the affirmative.
 Jesus spoke with authority. (You have heard it said...But I say to you...)
 Jesus judged the hypocrites. (Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees...)
 And to the city of Capernaum:
 (It shall be more tolerable in the day of judgement for Sodom and Gemorah
 than for you....)
 Jesus claimed He would rise from the dead.
 Jesus said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life".  "Pick up your cross
 and follow me...".

 For Christ to make these claims, knowing that they were not true, He
 would be a vicious, wicked, liar!

 But could He have been a liar?  The moral purity and dignity of Jesus,
 revealed in His every word and work, refutes this hypothesis.

 How could the purest and noblest character ever recorded in history,
 someone who lived as Jesus did, taught as Jesus taught, and died as
 Jesus died, ever have been a liar.

 If Jesus was not a liar, than he must have believed the things He said.
 Therefore He must have been a madman! A lunatic!

 Another inconsistency! Someone with such a sound and clear intellect,
 sailed serenly over all troubles and persecutions, returned the wisest
 of answers to the most tempting of questions, one so calm and self-
 possessed could NOT be a madman. His character is so inconsistent with
 that of a lunatic or any power-hungry enthusiast, He provoked Napoleon
 to say of him, "I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man.
 Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of
 empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist.
 Everything in Christ astonishes me! His ideas...His truth...His manner
 of convincing, are not explained either by human organization or by the
 nature of things...I search in vain in history to find the similar to
 Jesus Christ or anything which can approach the Gospel. Neither history,
 nor humanity, not the ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am
 able to compare it or explain it. Here everything is extraordinary!"

 Napolean was right, Jesus was not JUST a man; He was the God-Man!

 Jesus Christ was anything but a great moral teacher! The choices are
 few: He was either a Liar, a Lunatic, or The Lord! Yet all but the
 last choice would seem to defy logic.

 It is true that to accept Christianity one must exercise a certain
 degree of faith. However, faith is one thing, BLIND faith is another!
 It would appear that to reject the Resurrection would be to reject logic.
 God has provided us with a great supply of objective evidence. However,
 there is that last obstacle which we must overcome. We must be willing
 to accept the Christ of the Bible on His terms, to embrace the gift
 of His atonement for sin, and to make Him not only Saviour but Lord
 of every area of our lives. With all the objective evidence available,
 still mankind asks for more. Only when the objective evidence is illuminated
 through the acknowledgement of our desperate condition and need for His
 Grace, is the formula for faith complete. There can be no greater proof
 of Christianity than the proof of the thirst of our souls for that
 something that seems to be missing. That strong but misdirected desire
 of humankind to be restored to that position we were intended for; To be
 in perfect harmony with God and nature! To be restored to the eternal life
 that God intended for us. And to experience perfect love and companionship
 with God and our brothers He also created! This is the evidence within us!
 This is the evidence we need and must act upon!

 Jesus told a  parable of the rich man who died and went to the place
 of torment. He asked the Lord to let him go back to the living just so
 he could go and warn his brothers of the coming judgement. But Christ
 replied, "They have Moses (Moses writings) and the prophets, and they
 will not believe. Neither shall they believe though one should rise from
 the dead."