Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord
Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christianity would be a hopeless faith, leaving mankind forever lost in his sin. It is for that reason, every Christian must prepare themselves to defend the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ to a world of skeptics with facts; and not, just because “the Bible tells me so.” Therefore, this discussion, will present the case for Jesus Christ, as the risen Lord; based on the evidence, drawing the best logical conclusion of the data as compared to the various theories presented by the skeptics.
Death on the Cross
Before any discussion of resurrection, one must begin with death; because, for there to be a resurrection, one must have died. “It is a well-established fact that Jesus died by crucifixion in the early 30s.”[1] (Groothius 2011) His death is written about, not only in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; but, is also reported by the letters of Paul, the sermons recorded in Acts, and the writing of James.
Furthermore, it is recorded by Josephus, a Jewish Priest who went on to become a historian; having joined the Romans (even in battle against the Jews) and adopting the last name of Flavius, the family name of the Roman Emperor. He wrote about the death of Jesus in his Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.3. Tactius, another secular historian who held Christians in contempt; also, reported the death of Jesus in his Annals as fact. Despite this, some would propose the “swoon theory” that Jesus had not died or as Islam, that Allah miraculously substituted another person on the cross and made them appear to be Jesus.
WHY THE SWOON OR SUBSTITUTION THEORIES ARE FALSE
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