The document examines evidence for the resurrection of Jesus by outlining 4 historical facts agreed upon by the majority of biblical scholars: 1) Jesus was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea after crucifixion. 2) On Sunday, the tomb was found empty by women followers. 3) Jesus appeared to individuals and groups on multiple occasions after death. 4) The original disciples preached the resurrection despite having little to gain and facing persecution. The document argues these facts are best explained by the resurrection of Jesus, as opposed to alternative theories. It promises to address common objections to the resurrection in a subsequent discussion.

1. Evidence for the Resurrection
Making the Case that Jesus Rose From the Dead

2. What’s at Stake?
Now if Christ is preached that He has been
raised from the dead, how do some among
you say that there is no resurrection of the
dead?

3. But if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not
risen, then our preaching is empty and your
faith is also empty.
What’s at Stake?

4. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of
God, because we have testified of God
that He raised up Christ, whom He did not
raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.
For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is
not risen.
What’s at Stake?

5. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile
and you are still in your sins! Then also
those who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished. If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
What’s at Stake?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19

6. God will judge the world
with justice by the man He has appointed.
He has given proof of this to all men by
raising him from the dead.
What’s at Stake?
Acts 17:31

7. EVERYTHING
What’s at Stake?

8. Positive ?

10. I serve a risen Savior
He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics

11. I see His hand of mercy;
I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
He’s always near.
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics

12. He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along
life’s narrow way.
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics

13. He lives, He lives,
salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
“He Lives” Hymn Lyrics
He lives within my heart.

14. Is this
positive evidence?

15. Yes, but it is NOT
persuasive
evidence.

16. So what persuasive
evidence do we
have?

18. Christianity
is rooted in
history.
Also Remember…
measured investigated tested

19. • Top Christian debater in the world
• Holds M.A Ph.D & D.Theol
• Author of 30 Books
• World Expert on the Resurrection
• One of my personal heroes
• The person I am stealing most of this
content from
Dr. William Lane Craig,Talbot School of Theology

20. “Suppose, then, that we approach the
New Testament writings, not as inspired
Scripture, but merely as a collection of
Greek documents coming down to us out
of the first century, without any
assumption as to their reliability other
than the way we normally regard other
sources of ancient history…

21. We may be surprised to learn that the majority
of New Testament critics investigating the
gospels in this way accept the central facts
undergirding the resurrection of Jesus. I want
to emphasize that I am not talking about
evangelical or conservative scholars only, but
about the broad spectrum of New Testament
critics who teach at secular universities and
non-evangelical seminaries.

22. Amazing as it may seem, most of them
have come to regard as historical the
basic facts which support the
resurrection of Jesus.
- Dr. William Lane Craig

23. So what are they?

24. THERE ARE
4 CENTRAL, HISTORICAL FACTS
THAT SUPPORT THE CLAIM
THAT JESUS
ROSE FROM THE DEAD

25. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion, Jesus was
buried in a tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.

27. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea. Why Does This
Matter?

28. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
This was a location
anyone could go
investigate

29. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
It would be pretty hard to
proclaim that Jesus rose from the
dead when anyone could go visit
his tomb and see Him still lying
dead there.

30. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
The burial story is a very
early claim, not something
that got made up later.

31. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
For I delivered to you as of first importance
what I also received:
. . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance
with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and
that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures, and that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5

32. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
Joseph of Arimathea
was a member of the
group that killed Jesus.

33. “As a member of the Jewish court that condemned
Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea is unlikely to be a
Christian invention.There was strong resentment
against the Jewish leadership for their role in the
condemnation of Jesus (I Thess. 2.15).

34. It is therefore highly improbable that Christians
would invent a member of the court that
condemned Jesus who honors Jesus by giving
him a proper burial instead of allowing him to be
dispatched as a common criminal.” -WLC

35. FACT #1:
After His Crucifixion,
Jesus was buried in a
tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.
Why Does This Matter?
1. Location of tomb known
2. Burial story very early tradition
3. Joseph of Arimathea inclusion
“The burial of Jesus in the tomb is one of the
earliest and best-attested facts about Jesus.”
- John A.T. Robinson of Cambridge University,

36. FACT #2:
On the Sunday following the crucifixion,
Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a
group of his women followers.

38. FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by a group of his
women followers.
This was also part of
the earliest source
material of the Bible.
Why Does This Matter?

39. FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by a group of his
women followers.
The story is simple and
lacks legendary
embellishment.
Why Does This Matter?

40. “And in the night in which the Lord's day was drawing on, as the
soldiers kept guard two by two in a watch, there was a great voice
in the heaven; and they saw the heavens opened, and two men
descend from thence with great light and approach the tomb.
And that stone which was put at the door rolled of itself and
made way in part; and the tomb was opened, and both the
young men entered in.

41. …When therefore those soldiers saw it, they awakened the
centurion and the elders; for they too were hard by keeping
guard.And as they declared what things they had seen,
again they see three men come forth from the tomb, and two
of them supporting one, and a cross following them…

42. …and of the two the head reached unto the heaven, but the
head of him who was lead by them overpassed the heavens.
And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying,Thou hast
preached to them that sleep.And a response was heard from
the cross,Yea.”
The Gospel of Peter 2:10 (Apocraphal Gospel)

46. FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by a group of his
women followers.
The story is simple and
lacks legendary
embellishment.
Why Does This Matter?

47. FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by a group of his
women followers.
Women’s testimony was
worthless in the first
century.
Why Does This Matter?

48. FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by a group of his
women followers.
Any made up legend about Jesus
rising from the dead and women
finding the empty tomb first
would have been laughable in
that time.
Why Does This Matter?

49. Why Does This Matter?
1. Earliest Source Material
2. Simple and Lacks Embellishment
3. Women’s testimony worthless
““By far most exegetes hold firmly to the reliability of
the biblical statements concerning the empty tomb.””
- Jacob Kremer,Astrian specialist in the resurrection
FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by a group of his
women followers.

50. FACT #3:
On multiple occasions and under various
circumstances, different individuals and groups
of people experienced appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

52. FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and under various
circumstances, different
individuals and groups of
people experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.
Why Does This Matter?
There are multiple
independent claims of
Jesus being seen alive
after dying.

53. FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and under various
circumstances, different
individuals and groups of
people experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.
Why Does This Matter?
Each of the gospels contain
resurrection appearance that
totally separate from
appearances in the other gospels.
They are not retelling of the
same event.

54. Why Does This Matter?
For I delivered to you as of first importance
what I also received:
. . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance
with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and
that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures, and that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and under various
circumstances, different
individuals and groups of
people experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

55. Why Does This Matter?
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
1 Corinthians 15:6-8
FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and under various
circumstances, different
individuals and groups of
people experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

56. FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and under various
circumstances, different
individuals and groups of
people experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.
Why Does This Matter?
Jesus’ brothers were
unbelievers until after the
resurrection, where they
became leaders and
eventually martyrs.

57. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO CONVINCE
YOU THAT YOUR BROTHER IS THE
LORD TO THE DEGREE THAT
YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO
DIE FOR THAT BELIEF?

58. Can there be any doubt that this remarkable
transformation in Jesus’ younger brother
took place because, in Paul’s words,
“then he appeared to James”? - WLC

59. Why Does This Matter?
1. Multiple Resurrection Claims
2. Independent Resurrection Claims
3. Conversion of Jesus’ brothers
“It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the
disciples had experiences after Jesus’ death in which Jesus
appeared to them as the risen Christ.”
-Gerd Ludemann, Critic of the historical resurrection story
FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and under various
circumstances, different
individuals and groups of
people experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

60. FACT #4:
The original disciples believed and preached
that Jesus was risen from the dead despite
their having little to gain and much to lose.

62. FACT #4:
The original disciples
believed and preached
that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite
their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Why Does This Matter?
Their leader was dead.
Nobody at that time
believed in a dying and
rising messiah.

63. FACT #4:
The original disciples
believed and preached
that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite
their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Why Does This Matter?
Jesus’s execution on the
cross was viewed as
someone who was
cursed by God.

64. FACT #4:
The original disciples
believed and preached
that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite
their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Why Does This Matter?
“his body shall not remain overnight
on the tree, but you shall surely bury
him that day, so that you do not defile
the land which the Lord your God is
giving you as an inheritance; for he
who is hanged is accursed of God.”
Deut 21:23

65. FACT #4:
The original disciples
believed and preached
that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite
their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Why Does This Matter?
Imagine the dismay and
discouragement of the disciples
after Jesus’ death, thinking they
had left everything to follow an
accursed criminal.They were wrong
and the Pharisees were right. Ouch.

66. FACT #4:
The original disciples
believed and preached
that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite
their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Why Does This Matter?
They had given up
everything for Jesus
and He was gone.

67. YET…

68. DESPITE ALL THIS,
THE DISCIPLES DEVOTED THEIR
LIVES AND DEATHS TO
PREACHING THE MESSAGE OF
THE RESURRECTION

69. “Some sort of powerful, transformative experience
is required to generate the sort of movement
earliest Christianity was.”
- Luke Johnson, a New Testament scholar ,Emory University

70. FACT #4:
The original disciples
believed and preached
that Jesus was risen
from the dead despite
their having little to
gain and much to lose.
Why Does This Matter?
1. Hope gone after Jesus’ death
2. Nothing to gain much to lose
3. All disciples died to proclaim this!
“That is why, as a historian, I cannot explain the rise of early
Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty
tomb behind him.”
- NT Wright, British Theologian and Author

71. So what best
explains these 4
historical facts?

72. FACT #1: After His Crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a
tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
FACT #2: On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb
was found empty by a group of his women followers.
FACT #3:
On multiple occasions and under various circumstances,
different individuals and groups of people experienced
appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.
FACT #4:
The original disciples believed and preached that
Jesus was risen from the dead despite their having
little to gain and much to lose.

73. GOD RAISED JESUS
FROM THE DEAD

74. Next Week…

75. Is “God raised Jesus from the Dead”
the best explanation of these facts, or
are there others?
What are the biggest objections
to the resurrection of Jesus?

76. See You Then!