Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?
We all wonder what will happen to us after we die. When a loved one dies,
we long to see him or her again after our turn comes. Will we have a glorious
reunion with those we love or is death the end of all consciousness?
Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die. He made this
startling claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me,
even though they die like everyone else, will live again.” According to the
eyewitnesses closest to him, Jesus then demonstrated his power over death by
rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this
belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years.
But some people have no hope of life after death. The atheistic
philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, “I believe that when I die I shall rot, and
nothing of my own ego will survive.”[1] Russell obviously didn’t believe Jesus’ words.
Jesus’ followers wrote that he appeared alive to them after his
crucifixion and burial. They claim not only to have seen him but also to have
eaten with him, touched him, and spent 40 days with him.
So could this have been simply a story that grew over time, or is it
based upon solid evidence? The answer to this question is foundational to
Christianity. For if Jesus did rise from the dead, it would validate everything
he said about himself, about the meaning of life, and about our destiny after
death.
If Jesus did rise from the dead then he alone would have the answers to
what life is about and what is facing us after we die. On the other hand, if the
resurrection account of Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be founded
upon a lie. Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way:
The claim of resurrection is vital to Christianity. If Christ has been raised from the dead by God, then He has the credentials and certification that no other religious leader possesses.
All other religious leaders are dead, but, according to Christianity,
Christ is alive.
Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the resurrection. Josh McDowell
was one such skeptic who spent more than seven hundred hours researching the
evidence for the resurrection. McDowell stated this regarding the importance of
the resurrection:
I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history.McDowell later wrote his classic work, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, documenting what he discovered.
So, is Jesus’ resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find
out, we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions.
Let’s see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for
themselves.
Read on:
