An Examination of the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. 

The question, “Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead?” is not merely one historical inquiry among many. It is the ultimate question, the singular query upon which the entire framework of Christian theology, the hope of humanity, and the very character of God Himself hinges. Its answer is of the most profound eternal importance, demanding a verdict from every soul while breath remains.

To ask about the resurrection is to ask about the nature of reality itself. If the bones of Jesus lie somewhere in a Judean tomb, then the universe is governed by unyielding laws of death and decay. Meaning, purpose, and hope are ultimately illusions, beautiful perhaps, but doomed to dissolution. The cross becomes the symbol of ultimate defeat – a good man crushed by the cynical machinery of political and religious power. In this aforesaid view, God, if He exists, is silent, absent, or impotent in the face of suffering and the grave.

But if the tomb is empty, Jesus was truly, bodily raised from the dead by the power of God – then everything takes on an entirely different dimension. The resurrection is the Divine hand, the first crack in the universe’s death-bound facade. It is the Father’s definitive vindication of the Son’s life and claims. In raising Jesus, God was certifying Jesus’s teachings as true, His obedience as perfect, and His sacrifice as totally sufficient for the sin of the world (Romans 1:4). The resurrection declares that the cross was not a defeat but a glorious victory—the very means by which death itself was defeated and sin atoned for.

This event reorients our entire view of history. History is no longer a random sequence of events or a cyclical trap. It becomes a linear, purposeful drama with a beginning in Creation, a crisis in the Fall, a climax in the Cross and Resurrection, and a glorious consummation in the future return of the King. The resurrection is the guarantee that history is going somewhere—it is moving toward the final restoration of all things, the resurrection of all the dead, and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth.

Furthermore, the truth of the resurrection radically redefines our belief about God. We do not worship a distant deity or a philosophical concept. We worship a God who enters into the deepest darkness of His creation—suffering, death, and the grave—and emerges victorious. He is the Creator God who is not only all-powerful but also all-loving, demonstrated by His willingness to conquer death from within, on our behalf. The resurrection reveals God as the God of the living (Mark 12:27a “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living:…”).

It is not His desire that anyone should perish and be punished in the lake of fire, where the smoke of their torment is forever and ever without end, but to come to repentance and have eternal life in redeemed, resurrected bodies.

This, therefore, is a matter of ultimate, eternal consequence. Our response to the historical reality of the resurrection is not a passive intellectual exercise. It is a personal confrontation with the Lordship of the Risen Christ. To believe is to embrace this new reality, to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s glorious light (Colossians 1:13). It is to stake one’s eternal destiny on the promise of Jesus who said “because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

To reject it is to choose to remain in the old order of death, to call God a liar, and to face eternity without the hope of a Saviour who has conquered the last enemy. The urgency is real and material; the decision cannot be deferred beyond the grave. The invitation is extended now, in this life, on this earth. The empty tomb stands as history’s greatest divide and eternity’s most pressing question: What will you do with the Christ who conquered death?

The Centrality of Christ: A Reflection on History, Faith, and Redemption.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth constitute the absolute bedrock of the Christian faith. The Bible declares with stark clarity: “and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭14‬ ‭

The entire Christian faith – its hope, its doctrine, its purpose – stands or falls on the historical reality of the empty tomb. Without the Resurrection, the cross is merely a tragedy, Jesus is merely a martyr, and faith is a futile exercise in wishful thinking. But with it, everything is transformed.

The Christian confession begins with the affirmation that Jesus Christ is a historical person. This is an indisputable fact, by the Bible, external historians and the very architecture of human chronology. He walked the land of Judea, taught in its synagogues, and was executed under the authority of Pontius Pilate – a figure corroborated by secular history. This historical grounding is crucial, for Christianity is not a system of abstract philosophical ideals but the story of God’s decisive intervention within His creation. The Eternal Word “was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬a) anchoring God’s redemptive work in a specific time and place.

This truth is etched into the very way humanity marks time. Our global calendar system, the A.D. (Anno Domini) chronology universally testifies to the Incarnation – the moment God took on human flesh. The years are numbered from the pivotal event of Christ’s birth, splitting history into the anticipation “Before Christ” and the fulfillment (A.D. : Anno Domini meaning “In the Year of Our Lord”). This is a profound, albeit often unconscious, cultural testimony.

For two millennia, every dated document, contract, and historical record has pointed back to this event, acknowledging, however indirectly, that the arrival of Jesus Christ is the central axis of world history.

The shift towards the terms BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) is, theologically understood to be more than a gesture of “secular inclusivity” and from a perspective of faith, it represents an attempt to secularise time and erase the Divine claim implicit in our chronology. It is an effort to silence the testimony that every date whispers – that Jesus of Nazareth (God Incarnate) was born. While the numerical year remains identical, the deliberate removal of Christ’s title is a symbolic rejection of His lordship over history. It reflects a world seeking to organise  itself without reference to its Creator and Redeemer. It is not unlike: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,” Psalm‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬, in the aforementioned.

Yet, the sovereignty of God is such that even this act of rebellion ultimately fails as a testimony. The “Common Era” has no inherent meaning or fixed point; its entire framework is entirely borrowed from the Christ-event it seeks to avoid naming. The reference point remains, undeniable and unchanged. Man may change the label, but he cannot change the reality to which it points. The year to-date is 2025, because of the reference to Jesus. This mirrors the greater spiritual truth: mankind may attempt to ignore, reject, or even war against the knowledge of God, but it cannot escape the reality of His work in creation and redemption. “and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭

Therefore, the believer sees in the calendar a daily reminder. It is a testament to the fact that God’s action in Christ is the defining moment for all humanity. It calls for a faith that is not blind, but rooted in the reality of history, validated by the Resurrection, and affirmed by the surprising witness of a world that, even in its attempts to forget, cannot help but count the years from the coming of its Saviour. Our preaching is not vain, our faith is not vain, for He is risen indeed.

The evidence for the reality of Jesus Christ includes writings by historians, artifacts and eyewitness accounts.

Historians: Non-Christians:

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37–100 AD) stands out. In his work Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus briefly refers to Jesus, describing Him as a teacher and mentioning His brother James (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 20, Chapter 9, §1).  The consensus view is that Josephus did mention Jesus in a historical context (Ehrman, 2012; Meier, 1991).

Pliny the Younger, who was also governor in Asia Minor, wrote letters to Emperor Trajan around AD 112 describing Christians worshipping Jesus as a God:

“They (Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food, but of an ordinary and innocent kind ,” wrote Pliny in Epistle 10.96 https://vroma.org/vromans/hwalker/Pliny/Pliny10-096-E.html

Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (56–120 AD) references “Christus,” the founder of the Christian movement, in his Annals (c. 116 AD). Tacitus describes Emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians and notes that Jesus “had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus” (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). This text is widely regarded as an independent, near-contemporary Roman acknowledgment of Jesus’s existence and execution.

The Four canonical Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John serve as principal textual sources for Jesus’s life and teachings. These documents provide a bedrock of early testimony about Jesus with historical details such as geographical references, cultural practices, and interactions with known historical figures (e.g., Pontius Pilate). Scholars typically regard Mark as the earliest Gospel, composed around 65–70 AD, indicating that sources about Jesus’s life circulated within a few decades of His death (Ehrman, 2012; Sanders, 1993).

The letters of Paul, written between the late 40s and mid-60s AD, are some of the earliest Christian documents – they refer to Jesus as an actual person, referencing His crucifixion and resurrection as historical events within living memory (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). Paul’s occasional mention of Jesus’s family (Galatians 1:19) further underscores a belief in a real, historical individual.

Thus, early Christian texts, independent Jewish sources, and Roman historical documents each contribute overlapping testimony of Jesus of Nazareth’s existence.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a historical puzzle but the mainstay of Christian theology – the divine vindication of Christ’s claims, the defeat of sin and death, and the first fruit of the general resurrection. To explain it away is to dismantle the entire edifice of Christian faith – “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:14

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭

A theological critique examines not only their historical plausibility but their spiritual coherence.Now we address the claims of the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead and to establish the truth. of the matter. The bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead has been attacked from every angle, so what evidence is there that it happened?

Below is a concise yet comprehensive breakdown of the convincing evidence:
1. The Empty Tomb: An Undisputed Fact.

All four Gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20) record that Jesus’ tomb was found empty by women on the third day.
This fact is acknowledged by enemies. Jewish leaders did not dispute the empty tomb and admitted the tomb was empty. (Matthew 28:11-15), and accusing the disciples of stealing the body—which would have been impossible given Roman guards (Matthew 27:62-66). This is also significant because it shows that the Jews did not deny the empty tomb but admitted the empty tomb.  Instead, their “stolen body” theory admitted the significant truth that the tomb was in fact empty.

We need to be cognisant that the Jewish leaders were opposed to Christianity and were hostile witnesses. This was positive evidence from a hostile source – as, if a hostile source admits a fact that is decidedly not in its favor, the fact is genuine.

The Jews or Romans had no motive to steal the body–they wanted to suppress Christianity, not encourage it by providing it with an empty tomb. The disciples would have had no motive, either; because of their preaching on the resurrection, they were beaten, killed, and persecuted. Why would they go through all of this for a deliberate lie?

Women as first witnesses, in a culture where women’s testimony was disqualified in court, their role as primary witness, as women were not seen as reliable witnesses in the culture at the time (Mark 16:1-8) argues for historical authenticity. The presence of women as the first witnesses to the empty tomb would likely be an unlikely invention by the Gospel writers if they were making up the story.
If the body of Jesus had remained in the tomb, the early Christian movement would have likely faltered, as opponents of the movement could have easily produced the body. No body was ever produced – the simplest explanation is that Jesus rose.

The empty tomb is supported by the historical reliability of the burial story. The burial story is one of the best-established facts about Jesus because of the inclusion of Joseph of Arimethea as the one who buried Christ. Joseph was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrein, a sort of Jewish supreme court. People on this ruling class were simply too well known for fictitious stories about them to be pulled off in this way. This would have exposed the Christians as frauds. So they couldn’t have circulated a story about him burying Jesus unless it was true.  The burial account was accurate, then the empty tomb was accurate too, as everyone knew where Jesus was buried. This would have been decisive evidence to refute the early Christians who were preaching the resurrection, for if the tomb had not been empty, it would have been evident to all and the disciples would have been exposed as fraudsters or charlatans.

The empty tomb alone by itself did not engender belief. In fact, even though John was convinced by the empty tomb alone (John. 20:8), but others needed to see Jesus raised in order to believe. Surely Paul the persecutor and James the skeptic wouldn’t have been converted by a mere empty tomb.

2. Credible Eyewitness Accounts and Over 500 Witnesses at one time.

The New Testament speaks of many people who claimed to have seen Jesus alive after His death. The fact that these witnesses were numerous and, in some cases, still alive at the time 1st Corinthians was written tells us that the resurrection claim could be verified by contemporaries. 1 Corinthians (written within 25 years of Jesus’ death), provide an early and credible source of resurrection testimony. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 records that Jesus appeared to:
– To individuals (Mary Magdalene – John 20:14-17)
– Peter (Luke 24:34)
– The small groups (disciples – Luke 24:36-43)
– 500+ people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6 many still alive when Paul wrote, meaning they could be questioned).
– James – Jesus’ brother was not a believer (“For neither did his brethren believe in him.” John 7:5), who later became a Christian leader after seeing a risen Christ. (“After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.” 1 Corinthians 15:7)
– Paul who is a former persecutor of Christians, while on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:1-9) became Christianity’s foremost missionary after encountering the risen Christ.

The physical proof that Jesus appeared physically: He ate fish (Luke 24:42-43), showed His wounds (John 20:27 – “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”), and was touched (“And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” Matthew 28:9).

3. The Disciples’ Radical Transformation: From Cowards to Martyrs.

Before the resurrection, Jesus’ followers fled and hid. (Mark 14:50; John 20:19). The same cowardly men who fled at Jesus’ arrest later died as martyr proclaiming His resurrection.

After seeing Him alive, they preached boldly despite beatings, imprisonment, and execution (Acts 4:18-20; 5:40-42).

If the disciples knew that Jesus had not really risen, but they made up this story about the resurrection, then why did 10 of the disciples willingly die as martyrs for their belief in the resurrection? People will often die for a lie that they believe is the truth. But if Jesus did not rise, the disciples knew it. Thus, they wouldn’t have just been dying for a lie that they mistakenly believed was true. They would have been dying for a lie that they knew was a lie. Ten people would not all give their lives for something they know to be a lie.

People may die for the truths but they don’t die for a lie, Jesus rose. Many of the apostles were martyred for their faith, which will not happen if they knew the resurrection was a fabrication – in fact, all but John the apostle was martyred, yet none recanted —the disciples truly believed, because they have seen the risen Christ, one who was crucified to death and now lives again.

4. Historical Documentation – Early and Credible Historical Sources.

Early Creed: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 records a resurrection creed dated within 3-5 years of the event, confirming the resurrection was preached from the beginning. The Gospels were written within 30-60 years of Jesus’ death, while eyewitnesses were still alive.
The Gospels were written within the lifetime of eyewitnesses and included embarrassing details (e.g., Peter’s denial, women as first witnesses) indicating authenticity.

Non-Christian historians confirm key facts:
Josephus (AD 93) wrote that Jesus was crucified, and His followers claimed He rose. (Antiquities 18.3.3).

Tacitus (AD 115) recorded Jesus’ execution under Pilate and the rapid spread of Christianity with Christians believing in a resurrected Christ. (Annals 15.44).

Historical and Archaeological Support.
While there is no direct archaeological evidence for the resurrection itself, the historical and archaeological context of the New Testament stories is considered supportive. For instance, the existence of figures like Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion, and the historical accuracy of the locations mentioned in the Gospel accounts are seen as lending credibility to the broader narrative.

Additionally, the discovery of early Christian symbols, writings, and other artifacts can help establish the authenticity of the early Christian belief in the resurrection.

5. The Rapid spread or the Explosive Growth of Christianity.

Jesus’ disciples had real experiences with one whom they believed was the risen Christ. As a result of the preaching of these disciples, which had the resurrection at its center, the Christian church was established and grew.

Christian Messianism very unique community behaviour.
– Christianity began in Jerusalem, where Jesus was publicly crucified, within weeks of His death (Acts 2).
– Jewish leaders couldn’t stop the movement despite having the power to persecute Christians.
– Christianity exploded in Jerusalem where Jesus was publicly crucified, with 3,000 converted at Pentecost (Acts 2:41), including former opponents (Acts 6:7) because the evidence was undeniable.
Jesus’s followers continued to worship Him as their Messiah, despite His public execution. This can only be explained by the resurrection appearances of Jesus, which transformed their comprehension and empowered their mission.

6. Changed Worship Practices.

Messianic (the Jews who believe Jesus as the Messiah) Jews began worshipping on Sunday instead of on the Sabbath day on Saturday (Acts 20:7 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”)
– The Cross (an execution device) became a symbol of victory.

7. The Failure of the opposition to produce the body. The Empty Tomb and the Apostle’s Witness:

They couldn’t produce the body to disprove the resurrection, though they had every incentive to do so.

So they said “The disciples stole the body” – impossible, as it requires defeated disciples to overpower the Roman guards and there were no motive to face persecution and die for a lie. If the body had been found, Christianity would have been crushed immediately.

8. A Theological Examination of Other Alternative Theories.

i). The Swoon Theory – “Jesus didn’t really die”. 

Claim: Jesus didn’t actually die; he fainted and later revived in the tomb.

Theologically, this is the most damning critique. The entire Christian doctrine of atonement rests on the premise that Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, actually died as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin (Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18). If He did not die, then no price was paid, and humanity remains in its sin. The swoon theory doesn’t just challenge a miracle; it nullifies the central act of redemption.

Critiques:

• Roman executioners were experts—John 19 says they confirmed Jesus was dead by piercing his side. Roman executioners were brutally efficient and ensured death (“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side,and forthwith came there out blood and water.” John 19:33-34). Much later, medical findings confirmed that when a person died from Crucifixion, water/plasma and red blood cells separates, accounting for the blood and water to come out as recorded by John.
• Jesus had suffered extreme trauma, blood loss, and a spear wound. Surviving that without medical care is implausible.
• The Glory of the Resurrection Body: Even if Jesus had survived, a beaten, bleeding, and half-dead man stumbling to his disciples would inspire pity, not worship – he would have been in no condition to inspire awe or convince anyone he had conquered death. It would be the opposite of a triumph. The Gospel accounts portray a figure possessing a glorious, though physical, body that transcends normal limitations (Luke 24:31; John 20:19). The swoon theory offers a pathetic, wounded healer, not the divine Victor over death who inaugurates the new creation.

ii). The Hallucination Theory: A Vision of Grief?

Claim: The disciples, overwhelmed by grief, experienced subjective visions or had grief-induced visions of Jesus.

Critiques:

• Hallucinations are typically individual experiences, not shared by large groups. The resurrection accounts, however, describe multiple, sustained, corporeal appearances to individuals, small groups, and over five hundred at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). There is the psychological inconceivability of mass hallucinations maintaining consistent experiences over 40 days. This aligns not with psychological pathology, but with the biblical pattern of God revealing Himself authoritatively to a gathered people (e.g., at Sinai, Pentecost).
• Hallucinations don’t explain the empty tomb. The Empty Tomb as Silent Witness: A vision of the spirit of Christ could perhaps be explained by grief, but a vision cannot leave a tomb empty. The hallucination theory must conveniently ignore the one piece of empirical evidence that forced the hand of the Jerusalem authorities: the missing body.
• This theory is fundamentally docetic, denying the physicality of the resurrection. The Gospels meticulously record that the risen Christ was touched, ate food, and bore crucifixion wounds (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:27). These details anchor the resurrection in the material world, affirming the goodness of creation and the bodily nature of Christ’s victory – a cornerstone of Christian hope for our own bodily resurrection. The hallucination theory is untenable because it cannot explain the physical nature of the appearances. The disciples record eating and drinking with Jesus, as well as touching him. This cannot be done with hallucinations.

In addition, the hallucination theory cannot explain the conversion of Paul, three years later. It was preposterous that Paul, the persecutor of Christians, so hoping to see the resurrected Jesus that his mind invented an appearance as well?  (Since the disciples could not have been lying or hallucinating, we have only one possible explanation left: the disciples believed that they had seen the risen Jesus because they really had seen the risen Jesus. So, the resurrection appearances alone demonstrate the resurrection. Thus, if we reject the resurrection, we are left with an inexplicable mystery, first the empty tomb and now the appearances.)

iii). Myth Theory.

Claim: The resurrection was not a historical event, but a later legend or a spiritual metaphor developed by the early church.

Critiques:

• The resurrection was proclaimed immediately after Jesus’ death, not centuries later. The myth theory requires a long period of development. Yet, the earliest Christian creed, recorded by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, dates to within years of the event itself and presents the resurrection as a hard, historical fact delivered “as of first importance.” The first sermons in Acts (e.g., Acts 2:24-32) are bold, public proclamations in the very city where Jesus was buried, inviting investigation. A developing myth would not have withstood immediate scrutiny from hostile witnesses.
• Early creeds (like 1 Corinthians 15:3–7) show that belief in the resurrection was foundational from the start. This places the evidence for the empty tomb too early to be legendary and argues for the fact that it is accurate description of what had actually transpired.
• The Gospels include details that would be unlikely in a myth – like women being the first witnesses, which was culturally embarrassing at the time.

 iv). The Conspiracy Theory: A Lie Born of Fear?

Claim: The disciples, in a calculated deceit, stole the body and fabricated the resurrection story.

Critiques:

• The Martyr’s Dilemma: This struggles to explain their willingness to die for it: From a theological perspective, people may die for a truth they believe in, but it is inconceivable that all would die for a truth they invented. The consistent tradition of the apostles’ martyrdoms stands as a powerful witness against a conscious fraud. Their willingness to suffer and die proclaiming “He is risen!” is existentially consistent only if they were utterly convinced of its truth.

•  This theory reduces the resurrection to a human plot, entirely ignoring the narrative of Divine fulfillment that permeates the Gospels. It cannot account for why God, who had acted so powerfully throughout Jesus’ life and death, would remain silent and allow a lie about His Son’s victory to become the foundation of a global faith.

v). Wrong Tomb Theory.

Claim: Proponents of this view argue that the disciples visited the wrong tomb. Consequently, they found an empty tomb, but Jesus’ tomb was somewhere else entirely.

Critiques:

This theory expects us to believe that everyone forgot where Jesus was buried. Despite the fact that the women noted exactly where Jesus was buried (Lk. 23:55), is it reasonable to believe that everyone had “collective amnesia” about where Jesus was buried? Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus, so the location of the tomb was known. To believe this theory one would have to assume that everyone went to the wrong tomb. This includes the Jews, Romans, Jesus’ disciples and Joseph of Arimathea himself! Even the angel couldn’t find the right tomb. Even if the disciples visited the wrong tomb, this would not have stopped everyone else from visiting the right tomb.

There are many other problems with this theory—not the least of which is that the body would still have been in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. When Peter preached the resurrection on the Day of Pentecost, it would have been a simple thing to go to the correct tomb and produce the body. Yet, this was never done.

Roman and Jewish Authorities would have simply pointed to the correct tomb and could have produced the correct body.

There is another question that this theory must answer: why would there be empty grave clothes in the wrong tomb? John explains what the Peter and John found on that first Easter when they came to the tomb where Jesus had been placed: (John 20:4-8) If this was not the tomb where Jesus had been placed, then what were these empty wrappings doing there? The existence of these grave clothes must be explained in some manner. How did they get to this empty tomb? The simplest explanation is that this was the tomb where Jesus was placed and that He had indeed risen from the dead.

It does not make sense that someone would merely leave empty grave clothes inside a tomb. The existence of the empty grave clothes in that particular tomb is consistent with the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead. The women were not at the wrong tomb.

Furthermore, the empty tomb did not cause the disciples to believe in Jesus’ resurrection. The empty tomb only created more questions. What caused their belief was seeing the risen Christ. This theory has never been taken seriously by anyone. However, what it does go to show, is that some people will go to any lengths, no matter how absurd, to try and explain away the evidence.

Conclusion:

All alternative theories cannot account for the evidence coherently. There is simply no plausible natural explanation today to account for Jesus’ tomb being empty. If we deny the resurrection of Jesus, we are left with an inexplicable mystery.” The resurrection of Jesus is not just the best explanation for the empty tomb, it is the only explanation!

The Resurrection is the only compelling explanation that fits all the Evidence and collectively form the basis for the resurrection. Thus, the only Conclusion is, Jesus’ bodily resurrection happened and is a historical event two thousand years ago – rooted in both the evidence and its’ amazing transformative impact on early Christianity.
– The tomb was empty.
– Jesus appeared alive to hundreds.
– The disciples transformed from cowards to martyrs.
– Prophecies fulfilled (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-11).
– The Church exits and exploded in the very city where Jesus was killed; no other event explains its birth – the church.
– Changed lives —from James the half-brother of Jesus, Paul to modern believers.

Scripture said in Acts 17:31 “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”  God has given proof of the resurrection by raising Jesus from the dead. When all these facts are taken together we have an even more powerful case for the resurrection. The historical record stands water tight, impermeable.

As Scripture said:
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20).

The Importance of the Resurrection.

Why does it matter? What is the  relevance to our lives? Indeed, the resurrection is the most important truth in the world with far-reaching eternal implications on our lives.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. It is the Divine power that animates every other truth, the historical event of redemption and the singular hope that answers humanity’s deepest existential fears. Its relevance is not confined to the past but flows into our present, transforming every aspect of life, death on planet 🌏 , and eternity.

1. The Vindication of Christ and His Work.

Without the Resurrection, the Cross is a total Tragedy. With it, the Cross is a complete Victory. The Resurrection is the God the Father’s unequivocal “Amen!” to the God the Son’s finished work. (The ONE God is a Triune God – one GOD in three Persons) It is the divine seal of approval that confirms:

· Jesus is who He claimed to be: The Son of God (Romans 1:4).

· His sacrifice was accepted: The payment for sin was sufficient; the debt was canceled. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

· God’s truth triumphs over the world’s lies: The religious authorities were wrong. The Roman Empire was wrong. Death penalty on an innocent Person itself was wrong. God has the final word.

2. The Conquest of Death and the Gift of Life.

The Resurrection changes the entire human relationship with death. For all other worldviews, death is the final, unconquerable enemy. For the Christian, because of Christ, death is a defeated foe, a vanquished tyrant whose sting has been removed.

· Death is not the end: It has been transformed from a hopeless conclusion into a passage into eternal life.

· We have a living hope: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Our hope is not a wish but a confident expectation based on a completed event.

· The promise of our own resurrection: Christ’s resurrection is the “firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20), the guarantee that those who belong to Him will follow. Our future is not a disembodied spiritual existence, but a bodily resurrection into a new creation, just as He was raised.

3. The Power for Present Transformation.

The same power that rolled the stone away from the tomb and raised Christ from the dead is available to believers today. The Resurrection is not a static historical fact but a source of dynamic, life-changing power.

· Power to live a new life: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). The Resurrection empowers us to break free from the bondage of sin and live in righteousness.

· Power in our suffering: The Resurrection assures us that no pain is final, and no suffering is without purpose. The God who brought life from the grave of Jesus can bring hope, meaning, and eventual glory from our deepest trials. We suffer with the hope of the One who has overcome.

· Power for mission: The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is given by the Risen Christ, who declares, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Our mission to preach the Gospel and make disciples, is carried out under the mandate and authority of Christ Jesus, and with the presence and power of God the Holy Spirit.

4. The Assurance of Final Justice and Renewal.

The Resurrection is God’s definitive promise that the world will not always be as it is. It is the guarantee that evil, suffering, and corruption will not have the last word.

· Justice will be served: The Risen Christ will return as Judge. Every wrong will be righted, and every injustice will be addressed. The empty tomb assures us that the universe has a moral ruler.

· Creation will be restored: The Resurrection of a physical body points to the redemption of the physical world. It is the first step in the renewal of all things—a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells (Romans 8:19-21).

The Relevance to Our Lives.

The relevance of the Resurrection is total. It matters because:

· To the hopeless, it offers a living hope.

· To the guilty, it offers justification.

· To the powerless, it offers transformative strength.

· To the suffering, it offers meaning and a future glory.

· To the mortal, it offers immortality.

Ultimately, the Resurrection matters because it is the proof that God’s love is stronger than hate, His life is stronger than death, and His truth is stronger than every lie. It is the foundation upon which we can build a life that endures, both now and forever.

The resurrection proves that the claims Jesus made about himself are true.  Some Bible verses that Jesus claimed to be God. 

“Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:57,58

^“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” John 14:9

“I and my Father are one.” John 10:30

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:18

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” John 20:28  (Note: Jesus accepted this accolade from Thomas when Thomas saw the resurrected Jesus.)

Some Bible passages that confirmed that Jesus is God:

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” Hebrews  1:1-3

“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” Hebrews 1:8

(Note: God the Father calling the Son, O God.  The Triune God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. ONE GOD in Three Persons. The reference to “the Son” is to show the “relational dimension” in the Godhead.)

^” Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9

 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” Hebrews 1:3

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” John 5:23

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Now, if Jesus had stayed dead in the tomb, it would be foolish to believe this claim. But since He rose from the dead, it would be foolish not to believe it. The resurrection proves that what the Bible and Jesus said about Himself is true. He is fully God and fully man.

Sometimes, it was Jesus’ actions that revealed His identity. Jesus’ healing of the paralytic in Mark 2 was done to demonstrate His authority and ability to forgive sins. In the minds of His Jewish audience, they knew fully well that such abilities (no one can forgive sin, for example, only God can) were reserved for God alone. Jesus also receives worship several times in the Gospels (Matthew 2:11; Luke 24:52; John 9:38) Never did Jesus reject such adoration. Rather, He regarded their worship as well placed. Elsewhere, Jesus taught that the Son of Man will ultimately judge humanity  (Matthew 25:31-46) and taught that our eternal destinies depend on our response to Him (Mark 8:34-38). Such behavior is further indication of Jesus’ divine self-understanding.

Jesus also stated that His forthcoming resurrection from the dead would vindicate the very special claims that He made for Himself

^“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:38-40

After having been crucified and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus did, in fact, rise from the dead, establishing His claims to deity.

If Jesus rose from the dead, then we have seen this validates His claim to be God. If He is God, He speaks with absolute certainty and final authority. Therefore, what Jesus said about the Bible must be true.  What did Jesus say about the Bible? He said that it was inspired by God.

Christianity is the only religion that believes Jesus Christ is both God and man. All other religions say that he was a good man only-and not God. Clearly, both claims are mutually exclusive and cannot be right at the same time! Somebody is wrong. How are we to know which religion is correct? By a simple test: which religion gives the best evidence for its truth? In light of Christ’s resurrection,  Christianity has the best reasons behind it.

Jesus is the only religious leader who has risen from the dead. All other religious leaders are still in their tombs. Who would we want to believe? Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates that what He said was true. Therefore, we must accept his statement to be the only way to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through me” John 14:6

The resurrection of Christ provides genuine hope for eternal life. Jesus says that by repenting of our sins and putting our faith and trust in Him  we will be forgiven of our sins and thereby escape being condemned at the final judgment day of God on mankind. The Bible  tell us that Christ rose from the dead – that He did this because we are sinners and sin must be atoned for. God is just and holy. The penalty for our sins must be paid for – Jesus paid the penalty of our sins on our behalf.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

So, God, out of His love, became incarnate – to be fully man in Jesus Christ, in order to pay the penalty for sinners. On the cross, Jesus died in the place of those who would come to believe in Him. He took upon Himself the very death pronouncement on sin that we deserve. The Bible declares that Christ’s resurrection proves that His mission to conquer sin was successful. His resurrection proves that He is the Saviour who is willing and able, to deliver us from the wrath of God that is coming on the day of judgment. The forgiveness that Jesus died and rose again to provide a joyous eternal life is given to those who put their faith and trust in Him for salvation.

 

The Bible says that Christ’s resurrection is the architype for those who believe in Him will follow – those who believe in Christ will one day be resurrected by God just as He was. The resurrection proves that those who trust in Christ will be resurrected one day. Because of the resurrection of Christ, believers in Jesus  will one day experience forever, the freedom of having a glorified soul and body and lives forever with God in heaven, for all eternity.

Dr. Cheong Kok Weng

April 24, 2025