Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?
We all wonder what will happen to us after we
die. When a loved one dies, we long to see him
or her again after our turn comes. Will we have
a glorious reunion with those we love or is
death the end of all consciousness?
Jesus taught that life does not end after our
bodies die. He made this startling claim: “I am
the resurrection and the life. Those who believe
in me, even though they die like everyone else,
will live again.” According to the eyewitnesses
closest to him, Jesus then demonstrated his
power over death by rising from the dead after
being crucified and buried for three days. It is
this belief that has given hope to Christians for
nearly 2000 years.
But some people have no hope of life after
death. The atheistic philosopher Bertrand
Russell wrote, “I believe that when I die I shall
rot, and nothing of my own ego will survive.” [1]
Russell obviously didn’t believe Jesus’ words.
Jesus’ followers wrote that he appeared alive
to them after his crucifixion and burial. They
claim not only to have seen him but also to
have eaten with him, touched him, and spent
40 days with him.
So could this have been simply a story that
grew over time, or is it based upon solid
evidence? The answer to this question is
foundational to Christianity. For if Jesus did
rise from the dead, it would validate everything
he said about himself, about the meaning of
life, and about our destiny after death.
If Jesus did rise from the dead then he alone
would have the answers to what life is about
and what is facing us after we die. On the
other hand, if the resurrection account of
Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be
founded upon a lie. Theologian R. C. Sproul
puts it this way:
The claim of resurrection is vital to
Christianity. If Christ has been
raised from the dead by God, then
He has the credentials and
certification that no other religious
leader possesses. [2]
All other religious leaders are dead, but,
according to Christianity, Christ is alive.
Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the
resurrection. Josh McDowell was one such
skeptic who spent more than seven hundred
hours researching the evidence for the
resurrection. McDowell stated this regarding
the importance of the resurrection:
I have come to the conclusion that
the resurrection of Jesus Christ is
one of the most wicked, vicious,
heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon
the minds of men, OR it is the most
fantastic fact of history. [3]
McDowell later wrote his classic
work, The New Evidence That
Demands A Verdict, documenting
what he discovered.
So, is Jesus’ resurrection a fantastic fact or a
vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at
the evidence of history and draw our own
conclusions. Let’s see what skeptics who
investigated the resurrection discovered for
themselves.
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