Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
How to Know Jesus Did Rise from the Dead
An atheist is someone who doesn't believe in God. A Scholar is someone who is an expert in a field of study.
Consider then, how strong the evidence would have to be for an atheist scholar in the study of the Bible, to admit than something within the Bible is true. They have every reason to say it is not true because they don't believe in God to begin with. The evidence would have to be very strong for them to accept something in the Bible as true.
In other words, if an atheist scholar admits a fact in the Bible is true, there is a very good chance it is true. If the majority of atheist scholars agree it is true, you can bet your bottom dollar it is a fact.
This is the true story of Jesus that the vast majority of atheist scholars will say is true.
There was once a man named Jesus who gathered followers to be his disciples. Jesus claimed to be the son of God and his brother James believed he was crazy. His claims to be the son of God upset the Jewish leaders and the Romans enough that they had Jesus crucified and killed. Jesus body was laid in a tomb with Roman guards placed to guard it and his disciples who were pretty much doubters at the time were afraid for their own lives that the soldiers would come to take them as well.
Within days after his death, Jesus' body disappeared. Soon after that, the disciples who were afraid for their own lives suddenly went out and started preaching to others that Jesus was the son of God and had risen from the dead. The disciples believed very strongly that they had seen Jesus alive. James, the brother of Jesus who thought Jesus was crazy suddenly became one of the strongest believers who spread the word that Jesus was the son of God and had risen from the dead. As Christianity began to grow, it upset the Jewish leaders and Romans to the point they began to have anyone who claimed to believe Jesus was the Christ to be put to death. One of the biggest persecutors who put them to death was Paul. At one point, Paul had a change of heart and became one of the greatest of the apostles. The disciples who once were afraid for their own lives, now had a conviction so strong they were willing to suffer horrible deaths, including beheading, stoning and even crucifixion.
As far as I can gather, this story is all facts that are believed by the majority of atheist scholars to be true. Nowhere does it state that Jesus was the son of God or rose from the dead, but only says the disciples believed he was. Nowhere does it mention Jesus' many miracles. It doesn't state that Jesus was born of a virgin birth. It just tells the facts that even atheist scholars agree were true.
Now I ask you. If all of this is the proven truth, why did the disciples have such a strong change of heart? What we do know is they were not lying just to create a new religion. No man is going to suffer a horrible death for a lie. Even if you want to believe there are some who would, there is zero chance that all of them would be willing to die for a lie. Yet not one of them was willing to change his story in order to save his own life. Not even one!
Every one of them taught that Jesus rose from the dead. Do you think they would have been willing to die for their belief in this just because someone told them they saw Jesus alive? Some of them maybe, but every single one of them? No way. The only way that every one of them would suddenly go from being afraid they would be killed, to being willing to die for their belief in Jesus rising from the dead, is if they personally saw Him alive. Which they do say they did see Him for themselves. You can make any story up or make up any excuse you want, but the only theory that fits that level of conviction is if Jesus did rise from the dead. The apostles were men who followed Jesus around and spoke to him personally for three years. They knew his face and they knew his voice. There is no way every one of them would have mistaken anyone else for Him.
Next Question....
If the Jewish leaders and the Romans wanted to stop Christianity from growing so badly that they were willing to kill anyone who claimed that Jesus was the Christ, why didn't they produce the Body of Jesus? If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, which is the core of what Christianity is based upon, all they had to do was produce the body and it would have stopped Christianity in its tracks! Yet they didn't produce the body. Jesus body was laid in a tomb with a stone rolled in front of it. They placed guards at the site. In those days, if the guards were to fall asleep on duty, they would be put to death. These guards were not about to fail at their jobs of watching over the tomb. So if Jesus did not rise from the dead, they most certainly should have had the body. But they didn't produce the body. Why not?
Once again, the only logical answer is that they did not have the body. The only theory for why they did not have the body that fits is that Jesus rose from the dead.
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, they would have still had the body in the tomb because disciples who were afraid for their lives were not going to sneak into a place with Roman Soldiers posted there, roll a freaking stone out of the way (which would have made too much noise to not alert the soldiers) and sneak the body away.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, his disciples would not have had any reason strong enough to make them suddenly go out and start telling everyone publicly that Jesus had come back to life.
If Jesus had not risen, there is no reason for James who thought Jesus was crazy, to change his mind so strongly that he became one of the biggest disciples.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, there is no reason Paul would have changed from killing those who believed to being one of the top apostles.
By taking just the facts we know are true, simply because even the atheist scholars agree they are true, you can just use simple logic to realize that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. If Jesus claimed to be the son of God and He even claimed to be God, and he proved it by rising from the dead just like he claimed he would, how can we not believe he was truly the Son of God?
This is only some of the clear simple logic that if you put it all together, it proves not only that God does exist, but that Jesus is the Son of God. If you think there is a better explanation for these things, I would like to hear it.
Return to Evidence of God Articles
Return to One God Logic Articles
Consider then, how strong the evidence would have to be for an atheist scholar in the study of the Bible, to admit than something within the Bible is true. They have every reason to say it is not true because they don't believe in God to begin with. The evidence would have to be very strong for them to accept something in the Bible as true.
In other words, if an atheist scholar admits a fact in the Bible is true, there is a very good chance it is true. If the majority of atheist scholars agree it is true, you can bet your bottom dollar it is a fact.
This is the true story of Jesus that the vast majority of atheist scholars will say is true.
There was once a man named Jesus who gathered followers to be his disciples. Jesus claimed to be the son of God and his brother James believed he was crazy. His claims to be the son of God upset the Jewish leaders and the Romans enough that they had Jesus crucified and killed. Jesus body was laid in a tomb with Roman guards placed to guard it and his disciples who were pretty much doubters at the time were afraid for their own lives that the soldiers would come to take them as well.
Within days after his death, Jesus' body disappeared. Soon after that, the disciples who were afraid for their own lives suddenly went out and started preaching to others that Jesus was the son of God and had risen from the dead. The disciples believed very strongly that they had seen Jesus alive. James, the brother of Jesus who thought Jesus was crazy suddenly became one of the strongest believers who spread the word that Jesus was the son of God and had risen from the dead. As Christianity began to grow, it upset the Jewish leaders and Romans to the point they began to have anyone who claimed to believe Jesus was the Christ to be put to death. One of the biggest persecutors who put them to death was Paul. At one point, Paul had a change of heart and became one of the greatest of the apostles. The disciples who once were afraid for their own lives, now had a conviction so strong they were willing to suffer horrible deaths, including beheading, stoning and even crucifixion.
As far as I can gather, this story is all facts that are believed by the majority of atheist scholars to be true. Nowhere does it state that Jesus was the son of God or rose from the dead, but only says the disciples believed he was. Nowhere does it mention Jesus' many miracles. It doesn't state that Jesus was born of a virgin birth. It just tells the facts that even atheist scholars agree were true.
Now I ask you. If all of this is the proven truth, why did the disciples have such a strong change of heart? What we do know is they were not lying just to create a new religion. No man is going to suffer a horrible death for a lie. Even if you want to believe there are some who would, there is zero chance that all of them would be willing to die for a lie. Yet not one of them was willing to change his story in order to save his own life. Not even one!
Every one of them taught that Jesus rose from the dead. Do you think they would have been willing to die for their belief in this just because someone told them they saw Jesus alive? Some of them maybe, but every single one of them? No way. The only way that every one of them would suddenly go from being afraid they would be killed, to being willing to die for their belief in Jesus rising from the dead, is if they personally saw Him alive. Which they do say they did see Him for themselves. You can make any story up or make up any excuse you want, but the only theory that fits that level of conviction is if Jesus did rise from the dead. The apostles were men who followed Jesus around and spoke to him personally for three years. They knew his face and they knew his voice. There is no way every one of them would have mistaken anyone else for Him.
Next Question....
If the Jewish leaders and the Romans wanted to stop Christianity from growing so badly that they were willing to kill anyone who claimed that Jesus was the Christ, why didn't they produce the Body of Jesus? If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, which is the core of what Christianity is based upon, all they had to do was produce the body and it would have stopped Christianity in its tracks! Yet they didn't produce the body. Jesus body was laid in a tomb with a stone rolled in front of it. They placed guards at the site. In those days, if the guards were to fall asleep on duty, they would be put to death. These guards were not about to fail at their jobs of watching over the tomb. So if Jesus did not rise from the dead, they most certainly should have had the body. But they didn't produce the body. Why not?
Once again, the only logical answer is that they did not have the body. The only theory for why they did not have the body that fits is that Jesus rose from the dead.
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, they would have still had the body in the tomb because disciples who were afraid for their lives were not going to sneak into a place with Roman Soldiers posted there, roll a freaking stone out of the way (which would have made too much noise to not alert the soldiers) and sneak the body away.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, his disciples would not have had any reason strong enough to make them suddenly go out and start telling everyone publicly that Jesus had come back to life.
If Jesus had not risen, there is no reason for James who thought Jesus was crazy, to change his mind so strongly that he became one of the biggest disciples.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, there is no reason Paul would have changed from killing those who believed to being one of the top apostles.
By taking just the facts we know are true, simply because even the atheist scholars agree they are true, you can just use simple logic to realize that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. If Jesus claimed to be the son of God and He even claimed to be God, and he proved it by rising from the dead just like he claimed he would, how can we not believe he was truly the Son of God?
This is only some of the clear simple logic that if you put it all together, it proves not only that God does exist, but that Jesus is the Son of God. If you think there is a better explanation for these things, I would like to hear it.
Return to Evidence of God Articles
Return to One God Logic Articles
