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Introduction
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For those who remember “Little House on
the Prairie”, there were two characters the viewers loved to
hate, Nellie Olson and her mother Harriet. Recently Harriet
died, her real name was Katherine MacGregor and on hearing of
her death, Melissa Gilbert (a co-worker) wrote, “I really loved
her and I find great comfort knowing that she is at peace and,
per her beliefs, her soul has moved on to its next
incarnation”. It was those last statements which caught my
attention and caused me to consider, “What does happen to our
souls at the moment of death?” Unless the Lord comes in our
lifetime, each of us will die when in a moment of time we leave
this world and go into the
next. All one has gained in this life, power, possessions,
prestige is all gone. Here we have a sojourn of a few years and
now at 74 years I look back over life, no longer a middle aged
individual and now more than a senior citizen. What does life
move onto, where is it heading? |
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a) |
Some believe that when they die it would be like the death of an
animal. They have no eternity, they die and their body decays
to dust. |
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b) |
Some of the world’s religions teach something of a
reincarnation, either going upward toward God likeness or being
reincarnated into the same caste, or as an animal. |
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c) |
What about bodies that are put into frozen nitrogen and kept
until a remedy can be found for the sickness they had, thinking
that they can be thawed and live again as before. |
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These
perspectives are totally wrong. None have any iota of evidence,
and yet I ought not to say, “None have an iota of evidence”.
The evidence they do have is, they are contrary to the
Scriptures of truth from the God who cannot lie. They are nothing
more than the imaginations of individuals who reject the word of
God. God has decreed, “It is appointed unto men once to die”
(Heb. 9:27), and that being so, such ideas are void of any truth
and are the lies of Satan. |
Did Jesus Rise? Myth or Truth
The foundation for believing in the
resurrection is founded on the
reality that Jesus rose from the
dead. If there was no other
evidence that would be sufficient,
however, the question is, “Did He
rise from the dead?” Many are the
arguments made that His body just
went to corruption like any other
human body or that he never really
died but only swooned and was later
revived. Is the resurrection a myth
or a truth?
If we are to accept Biblical and
non-Biblical documents then we must
accept the historical accuracy of
not only the scriptures, but also
the writings of Josephus, Pliny the
Younger, and the Jewish Talmud.
Therein there is the statements that
Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, was
buried, and rose again, and His body
was missing from the tomb. Against
this there are several fake
arguments presented, such as:
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Fake
Arguments |
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Facts |
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1) |
Jesus swooned on the cross and then when apparently dead, was
buried but revived in the cool air of the tomb. This is utter
foolishness. |
a)
b)
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The Roman soldiers said He was dead and they knew when a person
was dead or in a coma.
It was only after the Lord was dead that the soldier piecred His
side with a spear (Jn. 19:34). None of the other wounds were
fatal wounds, but if the Lord had not been dead this would have
been a “killing wound”. It was by this woumd that Thomas was
convinced that the Man standing before Him was the one who had
been, three days ago, the corpse on the cross and was buried and
had now risen. The spear wound was the only mortal wound and
gave the assurance of death.
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2) |
The Lord had a twin brother who actually died while the Lord
escaped the religious leaders and the political powers.
This is so far from reality. |
a)
b)
c)
d)
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The Lord was born, it is recorded that, “She brought forth her
first born son” (singular)
(Matt.
1:25; Lk. 2:7) not sons.
The Holy Spirit spoke in the singular when He said, “That holy
thing which shall be born of thee” (Lk. 1:35).
Assuming the Lord did have a twin brother, it was a secret kept
from the disciples for they would not have waited to see the end
as Peter did, and the women who stood at the cross weeping were
mistaken.
Again if it was a twin brother, how did his body escape from the
tomb leaving the grave clothes vacated?
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3)
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His body was stolen from the tomb. This was what the soldiers
were told to tell others. This leads to the question, “Who
would have had a motive for removing the body?” |
a)
b)
c)
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The
Jewish leaders wanted the Lord to be put to death so they had no
motive in removing the body and giving evidence of the
resurrection.
There was only one individual who believed the Lord would rise
from the dead and that was the thief on the cross. None of the
disciples did and indeed mourned His death, even embalming the
body, so they never expected Him to rise from the dead. So the
decision has to be made, “Was the preparations etc., all a hoax,
the preaching afterward built on a futile foundation, and the
changing of lives an imaginary thing? Certainly they had no
expectation of a resurrection or the removing of the body to
create a new religion.
The Roman guard was there and the Roman seal, therefore, to
remove it was a serious offense in which one would have defied
the powers of Rome and paid a very heavy price, possibly the
death sentence.
They had no reason for removing the body. |
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4)
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The disciples went to the wrong tomb.
Of all the arguments against the resurrection of the Lord this
is one of the most pathetic. I have stood at the grave of my
grandfather some 50 years after his death and would not mistake
it for another. Does anyone really think that three days after
the Lord was entombed the disciples went to the wrong tomb?
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a)
b)
c)
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Surely if such was the case all the
religious authorities had to do was point out the right tomb
with the body of the Lord still lying there. The women had
within the 72 hours from entombment to the Sunday morning
prepared spices (Mk. 16:1;
Lk. 23:56; 24:1; Jn. 19:40). These women saw where He was laid
(Mk. 15:47). How could multiple
persons forget which tomb it was after three days?
Furthermore, when the women told the disciples, Peter and John
went to the tomb (Jn. 20:2-9). Did they also go to the wrong
tomb?
The Jews knew which tomb the body of the Lord was laid in (Matt.
27:62-66) and all they would have needed to do to disprove the
resurrection was to show which was the real tomb which would
have been sealed and have the Romans watching it.
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5)
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It was a “spirit”. |
a)
b)
c)
d)
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The Lord said, “A spirit hath not flesh
and bones, as ye see me have”
(Lk. 24:39).
After His resurrection the Lord had a literal body that was
touched by Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:17).
Years later John wrote, “That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life” (1 Jn. 1:1).
Thomas was invited to put his hand into the wound in His side (Jn.
20:27).
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6)
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It was a myth, the Lord never rose. |
a)
b)
c)
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The Spirit of God used Peter to convey a vital piece of
information when he wrote, “We have not followed cunningly
devised fables” (myths) (2 Pet. 1:16). This is important because
if it is not a myth the Holy Spirit was propagating a lie in
having people believe Christ was raised.
Furthermore, the idea of the resurrection of the Lord being a
myth did not originate until several generations after the
Lord’s ascension. Before that, there have been hundreds of
eyewitnesses who could, with integrity, deny the myth story.
It is interesting that it was not until the eye witnesses were
all dead that this foolishness began to be taught. |
Thank God we have a Living Saviour
who lives in the “power of an
endless life” (Heb. 7:16), and is
alive forevermore (Rev. 1:18).
Never again will sinful wicked
satanically inspired men mock our
blessed Lord, never again will they
present mock homage to Him, never
again will they crucify Him, and
bless God never again will He rise
from the dead. I leave this part
with the words of the Lord, “I am he
that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and
of death.” (Rev. 1:18).
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. . . . Rowan Jennings |
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