Bible/Advice/Resources

By Summer Lane

Photo: Pixabay

The angel said to the woman, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’

This verse is one of the most powerful moments in human history (Matthew 28:6). It demonstrates the moment when an Angel of God told Mary Magdalene that Jesus Christ, Son of God, had risen from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion – fulfilling thousands of years of prophecy and taking the punishment for mankind’s sins. In that split second, hope was born anew. Jesus was not dead – He was ALIVE and well!

In today’s culture, people are largely divorced from the concept of everyday spirituality, but we shouldn’t be. The entire story of Jesus Christ demonstrates the power of God – from the virgin birth to the resurrection. It’s easy for a godless culture to claim there’s no evidence for Christ’s triumph over the grave, but here’s the thing: they’re wrong. There is no event in human history more catalogued or more PROVABLE than the resurrection story.

More than 500 witnesses saw Jesus after he was crucified 

True. In 1 Corinthians 15:6, Paul states that there were 500 people who saw Jesus Christ AFTER he died and rose again: “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.” Additionally, Mary Magdalene saw the risen Savior, as did the Disciples and, later, Paul. Don’t ever let anyone tell you it was a fairytale story – it wasn’t! It happened in real time, with real witnesses, who had nothing to gain except persecution and death when they testified about what they saw.

The empty tomb

The empty tomb itself is powerful evidence of Jesus’s resurrection. Grave robbers would have had a heck of a time unsealing the massive rock sealing Christ’s tomb, and had they actually “stolen” his body, they would have kept it wrapped tight to avoid direct contact with what would have been a decaying corpse. Instead, when Mary, John, and Simon Peter looked inside the empty tomb, they saw linens neatly piled where Christ’s body and head had lain (John 20:6-7). Additionally, no one EVER produced a body that could counter the story of the resurrection. In other words, Jesus’s dead body was never produced – to the contrary, as mentioned above, there are hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw his body VERY MUCH ALIVE.

Christian martyrdom 

Early Christians often died for their faith in Jesus. In fact, most of the apostles were killed for proclaiming their witness accounts of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. It is broadly accepted that John (who wrote Revelation) was the only apostle who was not martyred. It begs the question: why were the early Christians so willing to DIE for the Gospel if it wasn’t true? The fact remains: these men (and also women!) saw something that transformed them, and they were so excited that they NEVER stopped talking about it, even to the point of execution.

Historical evidence 

Many texts and evidence outside of the Bible itself tell the story of Jesus’s crucifixion, further proving that his existence and his death on the cross was a historical fact, not just a fairytale. Matt Perman writes thusly on desiring God:

It is worth pointing out that in establishing the historicity of the resurrection, we do not need to assume that the New Testament is inspired by God or even trustworthy. While I do believe these things, we are going to focus here on three truths that even critical scholars admit. In other words, these three truths are so strong that they are accepted by serious historians of all stripes. Therefore, any theory must be able to adequately account for these data.

The three truths are:

1. The tomb in which Jesus was buried was discovered empty by a group of women on the Sunday following the crucifixion.

2. Jesus’ disciples had real experiences with one whom they believed was the risen Christ.

3. As a result of the preaching of these disciples, which had the resurrection at its center, the Christian church was established and grew.

He cites the empty tomb, which we have discussed, as well as the eyewitness experiences of the Disciples and beyond. He also cites how important it was and how anti-cultural it was that Jesus’s empty tomb was initially discovered by women, which at that time, Jewish culture would have had a problem with. In those days, a woman’s testimony was considered unreliable. It seems unlikely that a mere legend or fairytale would have placed women at the center of its resurrection story.

To believe is to be transformed 

Historical evidence presents one repetitive theme: those who saw Christ were transformed radically. They were either completely insane (all of them) or they were completely changed. They were willing to die for a lie or they were willing to die for truth. In the story of the resurrection, we see a tale that is anti-cultural and revolutionary, in that it offers hope for everyone, not just the holy Jewish priests, but for the everyday, common sinner.

When perusing the evidence of the resurrection, it is clear that Jesus Christ not only existed, but that his life impacted MANY, and the resurrection sparked the uprising of the Christian church, which has transformed the entire world and continues to thrive today.

Believing in the Gospel story is not about blind faith. It’s actually about logically analyzing the historical facts and then holding fast to this objective truth with informed, sound, and truthful faith born from this evidence-based story. Many people think they can’t believe the Gospel story because it’s too supernatural, but the reality is this: this supernatural story is backed up by tangible, repeatable evidence. There is no denying the truth about what happened 2,000 years ago on the cross.

The Bible says that Christ’s resurrection is the pattern that those who believe in Him will follow. In other words, those who believe in Christ will one day be resurrected by God just as He was. The resurrection proves that those who trust in Christ will not be subject in eternity to a half-human existence in just their souls. It proves that our bodies will be resurrected one day. Because of the resurrection of Christ, believers will one day experience, forever, the freedom of having a glorified soul and body.

– Matt Perman

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Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 30 books, including the hit Collapse Series and Resurrection Series. She is an experienced journalist and editor who is covering the White House and Trump administration. She owns Write Revolution News.

Summer is also a mom and wife who enjoys rural country living, herding cats, and gardening. She is passionate about writing on women’s issues, parenting, and politics from a theologically-grounded perspective that points readers to the good news of the gospel.

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