RESURRECTION
RUMBLINGS
Reverend Glenn Armstrong, D.D.
March 2006
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ started with a rumble. It shook the earth as well as the Roman Empire. It even shook the discouraged disciples. It replaced their fear with boldness and brought them out of hiding. It has continued to shake the world for twenty centuries.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave has not lost its "rumble", nor can it ever stop shaking all opposition until every last enemy of the cross bows in subjection by confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord and that all opposition to the truth of His person and power is a lie.
Lies About the Resurrection :
The first lie about the resurrection was the report of the guards, who said, "while we slept, the disciples came and took the body." They were paid for their rumor, but the resurrection continued to rumble throughout the land. Twenty centuries of lies have been invented by those opposed to the supernatural bodily resurrection of Jesus. Some of them are listed in the following pages of this article.-3).-13. It is doctrinally clear, Romans 4:20-25. It is a practical necessity, Romans 6:1-6. It is a prophetical reality, Acts 2:31).-24).-symbol-ritual-religion, then nothing can do it faster and with more devastation that explaining away the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. The result is, "we are still in our sins".
A second lie came from theological liberals: The resurrection rumbled in the early part of this century as liberals openly rejected the bodily resurrection of Jesus. They often did this by changing their statement on the resurrection to eliminate the words about the physical bodily resurrection. An example of this is the Auburn Affirmation written during the time of the Presbyterian conflict. The statement was changed from …"that on the third day He arose again from the dead with the same body with which He suffered, with which He also ascended into heaven and there sitteth at the right hand of His Father, making intercession"… to …"that having died for our sins He rose from the dead and is our everlasting savior." Such a change was considered heresy by many theologians in that day. If the physical bodily resurrection was only one of many acceptable theories, then the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians is a mistake and Christ’s words to Thomas, "Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39) are just words which make no sense.
Rejection of the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus should still cause a "rumble" in the theological world today, but it doesn’t, not even in the "evangelical" theological world. Doctrine is now so diversified and positions so pluralistic that denial of the most foundational doctrines often goes without notice, or worse, without concern.
The following pages are prepared as an apologetic study of the resurrection. They take the position that the same body of Jesus which was taken down from the cross in a physically dead condition is the same body which came forth alive from the grave. It was the same body of Jesus which before death could accomplish the supernatural—walk on water, raise others from the grave, and make a glorified appearance as He did on the Mount of Transfiguration. The study is prepared with the awareness that debating with the opposition is of much less value than presenting the subject as proclaimed in the Holy Scripture. The Bible is much like a lion; you don’t have to protect the lion, you just turn him loose. He’ll take care of himself!
DEFINITION
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the teaching of the historical event in which the physical body of Jesus Christ rose from the grave following his death on the cross. This teaching of the gospels contains the truth that Jesus was taken down from the cross in a physically dead condition, His physically dead body was placed in a tomb and the same body came out of the tomb in a living condition. The teaching also contains the truth from the Scriptures that Jesus has and will return in the same body. In addition, the resurrection of Jesus serves as the evidence of God’s power to produce the resurrection of both the Old Testament and New Testament dead.
II. DENIALS
1. Gospels:
A. Matthew 28:12, Tell a lie. Say the disciples stole the body.
B. John 20:25, I will not believe.
C. Luke 24:11, It is an idle tale.
D. Notice: The believers didn't believe and the unbelievers did believe.
E. The guards knew the resurrection was certain.
2. New Testament:
A. Greek philosophers: The body is the prison of the soul. The body is a source of weakness, wickedness and limitations. The soul is set free at death. The Greek philosophers had no desire for a body after death.
B. The Sadducees: They taught that the soul dies with the body. The resurrection of Christ would prove this theory wrong.
C. There is no resurrection (I Corinthians 15).
3. Church history:
A. The Swoon Theory: Jesus fainted, but did not die.
B. The Optical Illusion Theory: The disciples thought they saw a resurrected Jesus.
C. The Mass Hallucination Theory: All who thought they saw the resurrected Jesus were really going through a grief experience which caused them to hallucinate.
D. The Planned Fake Theory: Jesus planned to fake this death and appear to be the Messiah by a phony resurrection.
E. The Gardener Theory: The gardener took away the body to keep people from coming to the tomb and destroying his vegetables.
F. The Disciple Thief Theory: The disciples stole the body to keep their disciples loyal to their promise that Jesus was the Messiah.
G. Revive Him Theory: Jesus was taken to a cool tomb for the entirely legitimate purpose of reviving Him from a near death experience on the cross.
H. Secret Burial Theory: Jesus was secretly buried in a different tomb following His unplanned death caused by the Roman soldier who did not know about the Messiah resurrection plot.
I. The Legendary Enlargement Theory: There was no resurrection, but in the retelling of the tales about Jesus, the resurrection was added.
J. Unbalanced Mary Theory: The resurrection was the result of Mary of Magdala's delusion. She was mentally unbalanced.
K. Superstitious Countrymen Theory: The people of Judea were highly superstitious and believed in the transmigration of the souls of people, thus, Jesus' soul was transferred into another person's body.
L. Writer's Liberty Theory: The gospel writers used literary license to ennoble the story about Jesus.
M. Stranger Theory: Some spiritual person appeared and disappeared mysteriously about the time of Jesus' supposed resurrection.
N. Beloved Disciple Enthusiasm Theory: John wanted to believe in the resurrection, so when he saw someone he didn't know, he said "It is the Master" and Peter in excitement jumped overboard to go to the land to meet the stranger.
III. DEFENSE
1. The Swoon Theory: Jesus was taken down from the cross in a dead physical condition. This was the single purpose of Crucifixion. The clear teaching of Scripture is that He died as an act of His own will. "It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost" (John 19:30). "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46). Jesus died on a cross but not by crucifixion.
2. They went to the wrong tomb: Certainly the believers could find the same tomb into which they placed the body of Jesus. It is unquestionable that Joseph would forget where his own tomb was, a tomb he had built for his family, paid for and owned the property around it. The right tomb had soldiers guarding and a Roman seal on it.
3. The Disciples stole the body: How would a few men and ladies get past the Roman guard whose sole purpose in being there was to make sure no one stole the body of Jesus? How could they have moved the stone which most likely weighed tons?
4. A list of considerations:
A. The site and situation (historical statement and archaeological remains).
B. The enemies and skeptics (Roman soldiers, religious opposition, philosophers).
C. The determined opposition (Judaism, Rome, Paul).
D. The challenge of the Church (The change in the day of worship, cultural resistance, committed Christians).
E. The ascension assertion (Acts 1:3, alive after his passion and resurrection; Acts 1:11, this same Jesus will come in like manner, return.)
F. The apostolic assertion (Jesus has come and remains in the flesh, rejection of this doctrine is in the spirit of Antichrist, I John 4:1
G. A real, not spiritual, body (Spirit does not have flesh and blood, Luke 24:39; eat food, Luke 24:42; have resurrection scars, John 20:27; touch people, Matthew 28:9).
H. Risen as He said (Matthew 28:6).
I. THE BODILY RESURRECTION IS THE KEYSTONE DOCTRINE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. (It is a historical certainty, Luke 24:1
J. Resurrection meaning (The only idea in the Bible about resurrection is that it will be physical and from a dead condition).
K. The conversion of Paul, (Acts 9 proves that the resurrection of Christ was not a myth or delusion).
L. The testimony of eyewitnesses, (over 500 saw Christ in a resurrected body and were alive to verify it).
M. The opportunity of the enemy, (all the opponents to Christ would have had to do would be to produce the body of Christ and the whole movement of the church would have instantly died).
N. The great commission, (Matthew 28).
O. The test of orthodoxy (I Corinthians 15).
P. The empty tomb, (Mark 16:6).
Q. The transformed disciples, (Acts 2:32).
R. The origin of the Christian message, (Acts 2:22
S. The origin of the Christian Church, (I Corinthians 16:2).
T. The origin of the New Testament.
If Christianity is to be changed from a real, personal experience with God through faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on Calvary into another myth
Conversely, the Apostle Paul wrote, "He was raised for our justification", the action of God declaring righteous the person who trusts in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.
