Evidence of the Resurrection of Christ

“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:13–14 ESV).

—Apostle Paul (c. 5 B.C. – A.D. 65)

Photo by Lonnie Paulson www.lonniepaulsonphoto.com

The Tomb is Empty

The most reliable historical evidence of the resurrection of Jesus is the empty tomb. If we could find the body of Jesus, then there is no validity to the Christian religion. It would be a false religion. Jesus Christ would be a fable like Santa Claus. We would not have to fear the wrath of God anymore, because God is not coming back to Earth to judge sinners. There is no heaven or hell. There is no life after death. Life has no meaning. There is no God.

On my second blog post I wrote about eight oppositions of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the skeptics that believe in a “spiritual resurrection,” I wrote that the empty tomb proves against a spiritual resurrection.  However, Satan is at work in this world and elevates to fame people for his works of deception. Many of these people that are doing Satan’s work are unaware that there even is a devil. In the year 2007 a documentary film, The Tomb of Jesus claimed the bones of Jesus Christ were found. This was a complete lie from these incompetent filmmakers, Simcha Jacobovici and James Cameron. These filmmakers claimed they found the original tomb of Jesus in Talpiyot Mizrah, a city in Israel about nine miles southeast of Jerusalem. In the tomb was an ossuary or bone box that included human bones.  In this deceptive movie by these phony filmmakers the movie claimed they had researched new material that had never been reported. That’s a complete lie. The research the filmmakers conducted was not very thorough since they did not heed what the Bible says about the resurrection of Christ. Our Bible reports on the resurrection of Jesus and His post-resurrection appearances. You can read about these events in the last few chapters of each gospel. The original archaeologist Amos Kloner excavated this tomb and when he saw this movie he was quite upset. Amos Kloner says, “I published all the details in the Antiqot journal in 1996, and I didn’t say it was the tomb of Jesus’ family,” Amos Kloner’s final word about this fraudulent movie by these incompetent filmmakers, “nonsense.” These incompetent filmmakers were lazy in their research and just wanted to debunk Christianity. They took evidence from Amos Kloner and twisted the evidence to make a movie that would show Christianity as a sham.

In the book of Acts which is about the early history of the Christian church, the Apostle Paul was converted to Christ which we read about in chapter nine. In 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter; Paul claims that the resurrected Christ appeared to him personally, which he sites in verse eight. Both Luke and John reveal many post-resurrection visions of Jesus. Are the gospels accurate in their post-resurrection evidence? Each author of the gospels may have a different story, but they are telling the event from their experience and witness. If all four gospels mirrored the same words and seemed it was like a memorized testimony it would not be believable in a court of law. A court judge would label this testimony as collusion. A judge might say these witnesses could have corroborated their story together so it would appear to be true.

The Witness of the Women

How about the women at the tomb? In the first century the legal testimony of Jewish women was not that believable. Jewish women were not allowed to be witnesses in a Jewish court of law. Dr. William Lane Craig mentions an old rabbinic saying: “Let the words of the Law be burned rather than delivered to women.” How about this one: “Blessed is he whose children are male, but woe to him whose children are female.”¹ If you were going to make up a story in the first century about the resurrection of Jesus why would you base your evidence on the testimony of women? This would be an embarrassment. The gospel writers were truthful even if it meant embarrassment. For example, we are embarrassed and disappointed when we read in 2 Samuel 11 about king David’s sin with Bathsheba, but the Bible is truthful and covers even embarrassing and disappointing details. Today the issue with the first century women as a witness has no shocking value to us, unless we know of the prejudices that was in vogue in the first century.

In the gospel of Matthew Mary Magdalene and the other Mary witnessed an empty tomb. An angel tells the women to tell Jesus’ disciples that He has risen from the dead. Jesus also met these women and told them to tell the believing brothers about Him and to meet Him at Galilee. In the gospel of Mark Mary Magdalene and Mary who was the mother of James and Salome brought spices to anoint the body of Jesus, but Jesus was not in the tomb. A young man in a white robe who turned out to be an angel told the women that Jesus was not here that He has risen. The angel told the women to tell His disciples and Peter that He is going to Galilee and will see them there. In the gospel of Luke, the women came early in the morning on Sunday taking spices there to prepare the body. They found the tomb empty. Two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. Evidently these men were angels. The angels told the women He is not here but has risen. “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” The women remembered those words of Jesus. The women left the tomb and told everything they heard and witnessed from the angels to the remaining eleven disciples. In Luke 24:10 the women who came to the tomb were named as Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women. We see in verse 11 that to the disciples these words seemed like an idle tale, and they did not believe them. The Apostle Peter ran to the tomb to check it out for himself. In the gospel of John Sunday morning while it was still dark Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb, so she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, possibly the Apostle John. She said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Mary Magdalene encounters Jesus at the empty tomb as the resurrected LORD. Looking down at the empty tomb and weeping Mary saw two angels where Jesus had laid. The angels questioned Mary, “Why are you weeping?” She told the angels “They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.” She turned around and saw a man who she thought might be the gardener. She said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” But the man was Jesus and said, “Mary.” She recognized the risen Jesus right away and she called him, Rabboni which means teacher. Jesus told Mary to tell the disciples about Him. She went to the disciples and told them that she had seen the risen Lord.

Jesus Prophesied about His Resurrection

The ultimate proof of the resurrection of Jesus the Christ is from the spoken words of Jesus Himself. Jesus prophesied His own resurrection from the dead. Starting with the gospel of Matthew turn to chapter 16, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21 ESV). After the transfiguration proceeding to Matthew 17, “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’ And they were greatly distressed” (Matthew 17:22–23 ESV). Finally, in Matthew in chapter 20 we read, “See we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priest and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day” (Matthew 20:18–19 ESV). Now look at the gospel of Mark. “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31 ESV). After the transfiguration in the next chapter: “For He taught His disciples and said to them, ‘The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day’” (Mark 9:31 NKJV). Finally in Mark in chapter 10 we read, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again” (Mark 10:33–34 NKJV). I will finish here with the gospel of Luke in chapter nine. “And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day’” (Luke 9:21–22 NKJV). Luke further writes in the prologue of the book of Acts starting at verse three, “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 ESV).

 Outside the Bible Written Evidence about Christ’s Resurrection

Here is written evidence of the resurrection of Jesus outside the Bible. Ignatius of Antioch who was known as the bishop of Antioch wrote about the resurrected Jesus.  Ignatius was a pupil of the Apostle John. Ignatius lived A.D. 50–110. The location of Antioch at the time of the first century A.D. was in Syria along the Orontes River. The Antioch Church was established by the Apostle Peter and is where the first Christians were referred to as “Christians.” See Acts 11:26. Today Antioch is referred to its Turkish name, Antakya. Antakya or what we Christians remember as Antioch is now located in south central Turkey. I have written about a couple of writings from Ignatius on my blog along with seven other writers who wrote from the first and second centuries A.D. about the early Christians and Jesus. Look for my blog article titled “Eight Nonbiblical Writers Who Wrote about Jesus.” This article was dated October 7, 2023.  Below is what Ignatius wrote about the resurrected Jesus.

“For I know and believe that He was in the flesh even after the resurrection; and when He came to Peter and his company, He said to them, ‘Lay hold and handle me, and see that I am not a demon without body.’ And straightway they touched Him, and they believed, being joined unto His flesh and His blood. Wherefore also they despised death, nay they were found superior to death. And after His resurrection He ate with them and drank with them as one in the flesh, though spiritually He was united with the Father.”

The Shroud of Turin: The Burial Cloth of Jesus

For me the most influential evidence of the resurrection of Christ outside the Bible is the archaeological artifact of the Shroud of Turin. On this blog I have written two articles on the Shroud of Turin and in the future may write more. Taking a couple of paragraphs from my first blog on the shroud, I define here what the Shroud of Turin is.

The Shroud of Turin is believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.  This cloth measures approximately 14 feet long by three feet wide.  This linen cloth called the Shroud of Turin gets its name from the location of where this cloth is presently preserved in Turin, Italy. For over 400 years Turin, Italy has been the home for this burial shroud.  Specifically, home is in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

What is unique about this cloth is there is an image shadow of a man on the cloth. I and many people believe that this image is the image that Jesus Christ left on the cloth at the very moment of resurrection. One other fact about this image is the image appears on the cloth as a negative image like on a photographic film negative. I believe this image is the result of an exposure from some type of electromagnetic radiation that was emitted at the time of resurrection, possibly from the body of Christ. During the resurrection of Christ this powerful surge of electromagnetic energy which we would call light, or some type of electromagnetic radiation exposed this negative image of Christ on the cloth. For a more informative look at the Shroud of Turin I would advise you to read my first blog on the shroud which was titled Evidence of the Resurrection of Christ: The Shroud of Turin dated July 7, 2024.

“The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. . .. If the resurrection did not take place then Christianity is a false religion.”² —Henry M. Morris

Written by Lonnie Paulson

Photo by Lonnie Paulson www.lonniepaulsonphoto.com

This photo of a cross in the cemetery I made long time ago in the days of film, I believe it was 1974. This was over a decade before I became a Christian. This image is still one of my favorites. I cleaned up the fallen leaves on the ground but decided to leave one. Even though when I photographed this image, I felt that the solitary leaf on the ground was like a symbol portraying that Jesus was no longer on the cross. I had my camera on a tripod and at a low angle to look up to the cross. There is not a hill in this scene, but I wanted the viewer to think there was, so I tilted the camera which tilted the horizon, and it appears we are looking up a hill, even though it is flat ground. The use of a wide-angle lens helps expand the space in the photograph. The gravestones in the distance are larger than they appear in the wide-angle lens. Thanks to the magic of photography. To get the hazy smearing around the edges of the photo I smeared some Vaseline around the edges of a UV filter that was attached to my lens. During the days of film, we did our special effects or magic of photography in the camera. No computers. No Photoshop. The camera I used was a Nikkormat FTN 35mm SLR with a 28mm wide-angle lens. The film was Kodak Kodachrome 25.

Evidence of the Resurrection of Christ: End Notes

 1)      Lee Strobell. The Case for the Real Jesus; Zondervan; Grand Rapids, MI 49530 (2007) p 32.

2)      Henry M. Morris, Ph.D. Many Infallible Proofs; Creation Life Publisher, Inc; El Cajon, CA 92022 (1974) pp 88.