I Will Be Back Series

Howard Stern (who’s not really a nice man) has a popular program on Sirius radio where interviews politicians and movie stars and so on. About 5 years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a guest on his show and during the interview, Howard Stern asked Schwarzenegger “Tell me, governor, what happens to us when we die?” To which Schwarzenegger replied “Nothing. You're 6 feet under. Anyone that tells you something else is a (curse word) liar. We don't know what happens with the soul and all this spiritual stuff that I'm not an expert in, but I know that the body - as we see each other now – we will never see each other again like that.” (https://people.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-says-heaven-is-a-fantasy-we-won-t-see-each-other-again-after-we-re-gone-7508587)

Essentially, Schwarzenegger was saying (pause) “I’ll NOT… be Bach.”

Down thru the ages, various people have struggled with the idea of life after death. For example – in Israel there were Sadducees (who were usually the Priests at the Temple) rejected the idea that anybody would … come back. Acts 23:8 tells us “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection...”

And the Greeks of that day also rejected the idea of a physical resurrection. When Paul was at Athens he preached about Christ crucified/ risen from dead. And in Acts 17:30-32 we read that Paul told them “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

(And then we’re told) “Now when (the Athenians) heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked.”

Why would they mock? Well, let’s face it… it does seem a bit unbelievable.

ILLUS: Several years ago, one of Newsweek magazine’s religious editors (Lisa Miller) put an article on the magazine’s blog the week before Easter. And in that pre-Easter article she summed up her view of Resurrection. She said “For my part I don’t buy it… This story (of Christ’s resurrection) has strained the credulity of even the most devoted believer. For, truly, it's unbelievable.” Several times in her article she said that the idea of a physical resurrection was “Unbelievable.” It “presented credibility problems.” And, she concluded: “For my part, I don’t buy it.” (Newsweek – Lisa Miller March 25th April 5, 2010 On Blog)

Now to be fair, she’s not the only one to have had problems with the idea. A few years back, Scripps Howard News Service, along with Ohio University, asked a cross-section of America this question: “Do you believe that, after you die, your physical body will be resurrected?” 54% of those surveyed said they did not believe they’d be resurrected and 10% were undecided. So, nearly 2/3s of Americans said “We don’t believe it’s possible. Dead people tend to stay dead.” (http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=RESURRECTION)

And in the days of Jesus, there were lots of people who had problems with this concept. Not only did the Sadducees reject the idea that people could rise from the dead. So did Jesus’ disciples. When Jesus spoke to His disciples and told them that He would die, be buried and rise again Peter DIDN’T believe it. “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:22

And neither could the other disciples: When the other disciples heard the news “they were filled with grief” Matthew 17:23.

And finally, after Jesus rose from the dead, Peter and John raced to the tomb and found it empty. And when they arrived at the tomb “They STILL DID NOT UNDERSTAND from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” John 20:9

Even Peter and John didn’t believe Jesus would rise from the dead. BUT HE DID!

ILLUS: There’s a little tidbit from history that adds to this truth. If you recall, the Jews spread the rumor that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body (to explain the absence of Jesus’ body from the tomb). After Christ’s Resurrection, Claudius - emperor of Rome issued a decree demanding people stop stealing bodies from Judah’s tombs. (Normally, grave robbers of the time stole valuables, not bodies!)

But archaeologists found a marble table called “The Nazareth Inscription”. It was a decree mandated a death penalty in Israel for anyone caught robbing bodies. So why pass a law NOW, in Claudius’ reign? Well, apparently A BODY turned up missing… the body of Jesus.

(https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/even-caesar-confirmed-resurrection/?utm_source=facebook-aig&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebook-aig&fbclid=IwAR2BdhgvsVvnS1Wu2ZuFcLLQEf_gIxSsOSXrh2lG9FH6H5hk3gtl85_ivq4)

But the body wasn’t missing for long. Paul tells us of 100s of witnesses to the risen Christ. In I Corinthians 15:3-8 we read “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than FIVE HUNDRED BROTHERS at one time, MOST OF WHOM ARE STILL ALIVE, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”