Twenty-One Proofs of Physical Resurrection - Part II
From The HeartPublish date: 04/14/2013
See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Feel and handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have. Luke 24:39 AMP
14. Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them (Luke 24:36; John 20:19). They thought it was a spirit (Luke 24:37), but Jesus assured them that it was not a spirit. It was His own body – the same one that had been with them for years (Luke 24:39-43).
15. It was necessary for Christ to be crucified and to rise from the dead (Luke 24:46). The same body that was crucified was raised from the dead.
Luke 24:46 AMP - And said to them, Thus it is written that the Christ (the Messiah) should suffer and on the third day rise from (among) the dead
16. Jesus – His body, not just His spirit – was taken up into heaven (Luke 24:50-51). He lifted His (physical) hands. If He was not merely a spirit, as He had said (Luke 24:37-43), then it was His body that went up.
Luke 24:50-51 AMP - Then He conducted them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up His hands, He invoked a blessing on them. 51 And it occurred that while He was blessing them, He parted from them and was taken up into heaven.
17. They thought that someone took the Lord out of the sepulcher, because they did not yet know the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead (John 20:2; 9).
John 20:2 AMP - So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus [tenderly] loved, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him!
John 20:8-9 AMP - Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went in too; and he saw and was convinced and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know (understand) the statement of Scripture that He must rise again from the dead.
His “missing” body made no less than twelve appearances to hundreds of witnesses (John 21:14).
John 21:14 AMP - This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself (appeared, was manifest) to the disciples after He had risen from the dead.
It was not taken away. It was resurrected and is alive today at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 12:2).
Hebrews 1:3 AMP - He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high
Hebrews 12:2 NKJV - Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
18. Thomas said: Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. Eight days later, Thomas had the opportunity, proving His body was literally resurrected (John 20:25-29; Luke 24:37-43).
John 20:25-29 NKJV - The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
19. In all previous resurrections the bodies were made alive again, not the souls. Elijah raised from the dead the son of the widow from Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24). Elisha raised from the dead the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:18-37). A dead man was resurrected when his body was placed in Elisha’s tomb and touched his bones (2 Kings 13:21). Jesus raised Lazarus bodily from the dead (John 11:1-44).
To argue that Christ's body is the only one never to be resurrected is extreme rebellion, for so many scriptures say it was raised (Acts 2:31; Acts 4:33; Romans 1:4; 1 Peter 3:21; etc.).
Acts 2:31 NKJV - He, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
Acts 4:33 NKJV - And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
Romans 1:3-4 NKJV - Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
20. Jesus will bear the wounds in His body in eternity.
Zechariah 13:6 NKJV - And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
21. He was buried and He arose again (1 Cor. 15:1-58). In this passage it is clear that anyone who does not believe in the physical resurrection of Christ will be lost.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NKJV - For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures
1 Corinthians 15:20 NKJV - But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.