04/09/2023
Acts 1:1-3: The Resurrected Christ (Resurrection Proofs)
“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
Greek word for proofs = tekmarion = convincing, decisive proofs. In logic “demonstrative proof” and in medical language “demonstrative evidence.”
What was Jesus doing for 40 days after his resurrection before he ascended to heaven? Jesus provided many convincing proofs by appearing alive. He did more teaching about the Kingdom of God.
If I saw Jesus alive just once, then I would have doubts. Was that really Jesus or was it a ghost, a figment of my imagination, or a dream?
The disciples needed many convincing proofs.
A skeptic might think the disciples were unscientific. They lived 2000 years ago. People back then believed in myths, ghost stories and aliens - just like people today. They didn’t have the well-developed science we have today. (Our well-developed science believes in the science fiction of evolution and global warming.) Maybe they didn’t have the scientific knowledge we have today, but they still needed many convincing proofs. They knew that dead people don’t come back to life again; not if they’re really dead like Christ was dead. There can be no doubt that Christ was really dead. The Romans made sure of Christ’s death when they drove a spear through his ribs and into his heart and blood and water poured out.
Why should you believe in the resurrection of Christ? Because there are many convincing proofs. There are 3 categories of convincing proofs: time/days, location, & people. They all work together to produce many convincing proofs.
The convincing proofs cover many days - 40:
If you only saw the empty tomb, then it would not be enough to believe. If you only saw alive Christ one time, on the third day, and never again then you might doubt the resurrection. You might think you saw a ghost. A skeptic could easily convince you what you saw was a hallucination based on wish projection.
The disciples interacted with a resurrected Christ over 40 days. He wasn’t a ghost. Christ had a physical body with crucifixion scars. The disciples sat on the beach with Jesus and ate fish. Jesus spoke to them about the kingdom of God. 40 days is a convincing proof. There is even Christ’s last appearance mentioned in the Bible, Apostle John’s Revelation, 60 years after his ascension to heaven.
The convincing proofs cover several locations: Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, Damascus Syria, and Asia Minor (Turkey).
The convincing proofs come from many eyewitnesses.
Theophilus not an eyewitness (Acts 1:1). He was Dr. Luke’s rich Roman patron who financed his investigation to write his gospel (Gospel of Luke) and then his mission trips with Paul (Acts of the Apostles).
1 Corinthians 15:1-10 gives us the core of the gospel and a list of eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus Christ: Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
Christ died. The reason for his death was “for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” that predicted his death. Burial is proof of death. Christ was raised on the third day “in accordance with the Scriptures” that predicted his resurrection. Appearances are proof of resurrection: Cephas/Peter, the 12, 500 at Christ’s ascension, James (Jesus’ ‘half-brother’), the Apostles at his ascension, and “last but not least” Saul to Paul.
[English version: Eleven specific appearances recorded (+4 after the Ascension):
To Mary Magdalene, John 20:14; Mark 16:9
To women returning from the empty tomb, Matthew 28:9-10
To Peter later on the third day, Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5
To two disciples walking to Emmaus, Luke 24:13-33
To the Apostles, Thomas absent, Luke 24:36-43 (Jesus offered physical proof and ate fish); John 20:19-24
To the Apostles, Thomas present, John 20:26-29 (Jesus showed scars and said “Touch me.”)
To seven by the Lake of Tiberias, John 21:1-23
To more than 500 believers on a Galilean mountain, 1 Corinthians 15:6
To James, 1 Corinthians 15:7
To the eleven, Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16; Luke 24
At the Ascension, Acts 1:3-12
To Paul on the road to Damascus, Acts 9; 1 Corinthians 15:8
To Stephen as he was stoned to death, Acts 7:55
To Paul in the Temple, Acts 22:17-21; 23:11
To John exiled on Patmos (60 years after the Ascension), Revelation 1:10-19]
What the resurrection of Christ proves:
1. Resurrection proves there is life after death.
Have you ever seen a dead person come back to life?
I have not. I serve as a chaplain for a Dallas hospital. I’ve seen many people die in the ED and ICU of the hospital. They don’t come back to life. A got a “code blue” cardiac arrest call and watched a woman die. The nurses pumped her chest and shocked her heart for 15 minutes and the doctor said, “Enough. Note the time of death.” I had to convince a man to remove life support from his wife who was brain dead and could not breathe on her own. When life support was pulled, I watched the heart monitor flatline and her skin turn from flesh color to the pale of death. Dead people don’t come back to life.
Most people believe in some kind of life after death. It is natural to believe in life after death because people are made in the image of God. The Creator designed people with a desire for life after death because we are created to be in a relationship with Him. So, we believe in life after death, but we also need proof. We need to know what we innately or intuitively believe is true. The resurrection of Christ is the proof we need to confirm our belief and hope.
If Jesus Christ rose from the dead, then atheism can’t be true; it is self-deception. The resurrection of Christ is one of the most well-established facts of history. The eyewitness accounts make the resurrection an irrefutable fact. In fact, it wasn’t just Jesus Christ who was raised from the dead and appeared to people: Matthew 27:52: The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Who are “the saints who had fallen asleep”? Sometimes “fallen asleep” as a euphemism for death refers to a temporary state of death (John 11:11-12). The resurrection (or resuscitation) of these saints also proves life after death and Jesus’ resurrection guarantees all other resurrections (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Matthew gives no explanation of who the saints were. It is generally interpreted these saints were not the OT saints, but believers in Jesus who died during his ministry years. These saints’ bodies were not resurrected into their glorified, imperishable states as was Jesus’ body. It seems that they were resuscitated into their previous mortal bodies, which would mean they would die again. In other words, these “saints” would have looked like normal people–like Lazarus, so only family members and their closest friends would recognize them. It would certainly be startling to have a dead family member walk into the house and say, “I’m back! Thanks to Jesus’ resurrection I’m back in my body until I die again.”
We have forensic evidence of Christ’s resurrection. We have some of the linens left behind (Luke 24:12 & John 20:1-10). Peter and John believed in the resurrection of Christ before seeing him alive. They saw the burial linens (the shroud) in the empty tomb.
Luke 24:12: But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
John 20: 5-9: 5 And stooping to look in, John saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple (John), who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
*See “Death and Resurrection Proof: Shroud of Turin” (English version)
2. Resurrection proves there is only one kind of life after death.
Every world religion teaches some kind of life after death. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, teach some kind of life after death, but they provide no proof of their claims. Muhammad did not come back from death to verify the teaching of Islam’s life after death. Islam doesn’t have a resurrection because Jesus didn’t die on the cross. (Islam does have a general resurrection to final judgment based on works.) The original Buddha did not come back from death to verify his teaching about life after death. No Hindu god ever became a man, died, came back to life, and verified Hinduism’s version of life after death (i.e., reincarnation). Therefore, what all other religions teach about life after death cannot be trusted.
The resurrection of Christ proves there is only one verifiable kind of life after death.
Three truths about Jesus’ kind of life after death:
First, it’s a life after death in a resurrected physical body. No other religion makes this claim. We must have bodies that can exist in another dimension - heaven. Earthly or natural bodies cannot exist in heaven. We must have spiritual bodies according to 1 Corinthians 15:35-49.
Movie Martian - The man left behind on Mars must have a special suit to survive or the Martian atmosphere will kill him. We are very fragile creatures. Take us out of Earth’s atmosphere and we will die instantly like a fish out of water. We must have resurrection bodies to survive the atmosphere of heaven. We must have two-dimensional bodies that can exist on earth and in heaven, or in both physical and spiritual dimensions.
1 Corinthians 15:50-55: I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Second, it’s a life after death in a resurrected body that retains personal consciousness. This is your soul. You know who you are and where you are. Jesus knew who he was and where he was. Jesus could determine where he wanted to go and who he wanted to appear to. This includes memory. Jesus knew each of his disciples by name. Hinduism and Buddhism do not teach personal consciousness after death.
Third, it’s a life after death in a resurrected body which can interact with the physical world, but not subject to the laws of nature. Resurrection bodies are physical-spiritual bodies. The resurrected Jesus was not a ghost or phantom. He had a physical body. It could be touched and digested food, but it also had some spiritual properties and was not subject to the laws of nature (John 20:24-27 & Luke 24:36-43). Jesus, in his resurrection body, was able to appear in rooms with locked doors. Jesus was able to eat. Jesus could make himself visible and then vanish into thin air. Read Luke 24:36-43 & John 20:19-20: 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
No other religion claims this kind of life after death.
3. Resurrection proves everything Jesus claimed about himself is true.
• Christ claimed to be the Son of Man and God (Matthew 26:64; John 10:36).
• Christ claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6).
• Christ claimed to be the resurrection and the life (John 11:
• Christ claimed to be equal with God:
• John 8:58: “Before Abraham was born, I AM.” At that point they picked up rocks to throw at Him.
• John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”
• Christ claimed to be the promised Messiah prophesied throughout the OT (John 4:25-26).
• Christ claimed he would be killed and rise from the dead on the third day (Mark 9:31; Luke 9:22).
• Christ claimed his death was the atoning sacrifice for our sins (Matthew 20:28).
• Christ claimed to forgive sins (Matthew 9:5-6). Resurrection proves our sins are forgiven. This is probably the most important point. 1 Corinthians 15:16-17: 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. If you desire all the other benefits of Christ’s resurrection then you must have your sins forgiven. If you are still in your sins when you die then your eternal destination is hell. Christ’s death paid for our sins. He took the punishment we deserve. We can receive the gift of eternal life. Receive Christ today.
4. Resurrection proves the second coming of Christ.
While quarantining at home I watched a movie on Pure Flix called Revelation Road. When the rapture happened the true believers in Jesus Christ glowed with a bright light (like a brilliant HD bulb). Then the light flashed and became a glowing orb. The orb hovered for a few seconds and then ascended into the sky. Millions of glowing orbs ascended toward heaven. The body of the believer was left behind as a pile of ash. I know this is creative imagination. But it shows that at death we will experience an intermediate state of being. At death we exit as disembodied spirits/souls waiting to be reunited with resurrection bodies. We receive our resurrection bodies at the second coming of Christ. (I am not certain about a pre-tribulation rapture, but scripture teaches that at the second coming of Jesus Christ the dead will be raised first and then living believers will be instantly transformed and receive their resurrected bodies: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.
1 Thess. 4:13-18: 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The resurrection proves that everything Jesus said and claimed is true.
Jesus is preparing the Father’s house for those who believe in him before he returns.
John 14:1-7: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Wrap Up: The resurrection proves everything Jesus Christ claimed about himself is true; resurrection proves there is life after death; resurrection proves there is only one kind of life after death; resurrection proves resurrection bodies; resurrection proves Jesus Christ will appear at a second coming; resurrection proves the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. We have a sure HOPE.
Jesus also spoke about the Kingdom of God during the 40 days. I would like to know what else Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God. The KoG is here now and it is coming in the future. The KoG will be fully realized during the Millennium when Christ rules over the world.
Face of Christ PPT slide
[* Death and Resurrection Proof: Shroud of Turin
I believe the Shroud of Turin to be the authentic burial shroud mentioned in the gospels (Luke 24:12 & John 20:1-10). (I studied the evidence for my Doctor of Ministry project Equipping Selected Members of Chinese Christian Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with Essential Apologetic Engagement Skills, p.13.) There is an image burned into the fibers of the Shroud and it appears as a photographic negative – light is dark and dark in light. It reveals the extent and brutality of Jesus’ suffering. The scourging ripped flesh from his calves, thighs, buttocks, back in both directions and on both sides - front and back. There is also the blood from the pierced hands and feet, the crown of thorns, and the spear in his side. Christ’s body was totally broken and his blood spilled. It cannot be a medieval forgery. Emmy Award-winning 3D illustrator and animator Ray Downing of Studio Macbeth: “The presence of 3D information encoded in a 2D image is quite unexpected, as well as unique,” Downing said. “It is as if there is an instruction set inside a picture for building a sculpture.”]
Judean date palm resurrected after 2000 years. I read an article titled “From Extinction to Resurrection: The Judean Date Palm Tree”. When the Hebrews left Egypt, the Exodus, they brought some date palms with them to the Promised Land. The dates from the palms also sustained the Hebrews in the wilderness for 40 years along with mana. The Hebrews planted the date palms, and they grew for hundreds of years along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. The tree and its fruit are mentioned in the Song of Songs and Psalms.
All Judean date palms were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70-73. The seeds were discovered in the ruins of Masada in the 1960s. Masada is a fortress built by Herod the Great by the Dead Sea. In AD 73 the Romans conquered the last Jewish rebels at Masada. In 2005 a group of seeds were hydrated, and one came to life. It was planted and grew a palm named Methuselah. It was a male. They grew 5 more trees and 2 were female. Hannah was pollinated by Methuselah and grew dates. The dates are large, nutritious, and have medicinal properties.
Point: It’s amazing that the Judean date palm could be resurrected after being extinct for 2000 years! Scientists were able to resurrect an extinct date palm, but only God can resurrect dead people.
