4 Pieces of positive evidence we can point to that support the claim that Jesus rose from the dead

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

2. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

3. 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?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19

4. 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?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19

5. 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?
1 Corinthians 15:12-19

6. 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.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
What’s at Stake?

7. 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.
Acts 17:31
What’s at Stake?

8. EVERYTHING
What’s at Stake?

9. Positive ?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. Is this
positive evidence?

16. Yes, but it is NOT
persuasive
evidence.

17. So what persuasive
evidence do we
have?

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

19. So what are they?

20. 4 Historical Facts
The Burial
about the resurrection
1 The Empty Tomb2
Appearances
of Jesus3
The Disciples’
Lives and Deaths4

21. FACT #1:
After Being Crucified,
Jesus was buried in a tomb by
Joseph of Arimathea.

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

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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

28. 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.

29. “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.

30. It is therefore highly improbable that Christians
would claim that a member of the court that
condemned Jesus (Pharisees) would then honor
him with a proper burial instead of allowing him
to be dispatched as a common criminal.”
- William Lane Craig

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

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

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

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

36. “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.

37. …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…

38. …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)

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

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

44. 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?
FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by some of his women
followers.

45. 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
Why Does This Matter?
FACT #2:
On the Sunday following
the crucifixion, Jesus’
tomb was found empty
by some of his women
followers.

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

48. FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and 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.

49. 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
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and circumstances,
different individuals and
groups of people
experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

50. 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
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and circumstances,
different individuals and
groups of people
experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

51. Jesus’ brother James
was an unbeliever
until after the
resurrection.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and circumstances,
different individuals and
groups of people
experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

52. Then he became a
leader in the church and
was killed for preaching
the resurrection.
Why Does This Matter?FACT #3:
On multiple occasions
and circumstances,
different individuals and
groups of people
experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

53. 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?

54. 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

55. 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 circumstances,
different individuals and
groups of people
experienced
appearances of Jesus
alive from the dead.

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

58. 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.
Their leader was dead.
Nobody at that time
believed in a dying and
rising messiah.
Why Does This Matter?

59. 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.
Jesus’s execution on the
cross was viewed as
someone who was
cursed by God.
Why Does This Matter?

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.
“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.”
Why Does This Matter?
Deut 21:23

61. 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.
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.
Why Does This Matter?

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.
They had given up
everything for Jesus
and He was gone.
Why Does This Matter?

63. Yet despite all this, the disciples
gave their LIVES and DEATHS to
the preaching of the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ

64. What did they have to
gain for this?

65. “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

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.
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
Why Does This Matter?

67. So what best
explains these 4
historical facts?

68. FACT #1: Jesus was buried.
FACT #2:
Women found the tomb empty on
Easter
FACT #3: People experienced appearances of
Jesus
FACT #4: The disciples preached the
resurrection and were killed for it.

69. GOD RAISED JESUS
FROM THE DEAD

70. But what if the
disciples lied?

71. Burial
Empty Tomb
Appearances
Disciples Lives
Did the
disciples
make up the
resurrection
story?
X
X
X

72. The "cruncher" in this argument is the
historical fact that no one, weak or
strong, saint or sinner, Christian or
heretic, ever confessed, freely or under
pressure, bribe or even torture, that the
whole story of the resurrection was a fake
a lie, a deliberate deception…

73. Even when people broke under torture,
denied Christ and worshiped Caesar, they
never let that cat out of the bag, never
revealed that the resurrection was their
conspiracy.

74. No Christians believed the resurrection
was a conspiracy; if they had, they
wouldn't have become Christians.”
- Peter Kreeft

75. So what best
explains these 4
historical facts?

76. GOD RAISED JESUS
FROM THE DEAD

77. We have a solid
foundation for the
trust we place in
Jesus Christ.

78. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His
abundant mercy has begotten us again to a
living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead

79. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled
and that does not fade away, reserved in
heaven for you, who are kept by the power
of God through faith for salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5