EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION
EXHIBIT B: THE SCRIPTURES
(PART 1)
I Corinthians 15:1-2
The Bible was written over a period of about 1,500 years by some forty different authors. Some were Prophets, some were Apostles, and some were faithful servants who served the Lord in various other capacities. All of these authors were human instruments that wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter said, “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Apostle Paul said, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16)
The men whom God used to write the Bible lived in different times, quite a few of them did not know one another, and many were separated by several generations. However, the harmony and agreement of all sixty-six books of the Bible is absolutely astonishing.
Though some may think it foolish, I believe every single verse from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Though I may not understand it all, I trust every word from “In the beginning” to “Amen”. The majority of people in the world today reject the truths that are recorded in the Bible. One reason for this is that most of what is recorded in the scriptures are things that are “spiritually discerned”.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:11-14, “So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned”.
I certainly do not understand everything that I read in the Bible, and it would be dishonest for me to pretend that there have not been times when doubt has filled my mind concerning certain promises and prophecies that are recorded therein. Some of the prophecies that have been fulfilled occurred thousands of years before I was born. Furthermore, many other prophecies refer to things that are still in the future. However, on those rare occasions when I deal with doubt, a brief survey of Biblical prophecy and human history serves to ease my troubled mind.
- One of the most fascinating aspects of the Holy scriptures is the timeline of prophecies concerning the Birth of the Messiah (Jesus Christ)
The birth of Christ was promised some 4,000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. After man’s fall in the Garden of Eden, God said to Satan, (in the presence of Adam and Eve) “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Jesus is that “Seed of the woman” who would defeat the serpent (Satan).
2,000 years prior to the birth of Christ, God made His covenant with Abraham and promised the arrival of the Messiah. (Ref: Genesis 12)
1,400 years before the birth of Jesus, through Moses, God promised Israel that God would “raise up a prophet” like him from among their brethren. Again, this was a prophecy concerning the Messiah.
1,000 years before Jesus was born, God made a covenant with King David and promised that He would raise up his seed after him and establish his kingdom forever. This is another prophecy that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Almost 700 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied that “the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
These are just a few of the many prophecies that are recorded in scripture and each of them find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. We are able to open the Gospels and see ample evidence that Jesus is indeed the Promised One of God. With thousands of years of prophetic fulfillment, I am confident that the scriptures are trustworthy.
We are currently studying I Corinthians 15 and listening as Paul defends the literal, future, bodily resurrection of those who are “in Christ”. In the process, Paul submits a fantastic defense of the biblical doctrine of Jesus’ own resurrection. Thus far in our examination of the “Evidence For The Resurrection” we have seen Exhibit A: The Church. The inception and endurance of Christ’s Church is indeed vivid proof that our Savior lives! As we move further into this passage, I would like to submit:
EXHIBIT B: THE SCRIPTURES
As Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of the “gospel that he delivered unto them”, the gospel that they “received, and in which they stand”, he says “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”.
When I stand and proclaim to you that Christ died according to the scriptures, your mind most likely goes to the events surrounding the Passion of Jesus Christ. You probably think of the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the Book of Acts, and the Epistles. You may begin to ponder the life, ministry, and message of Jesus. No doubt the proclamation that “Jesus died according to the scriptures”, brings to mind the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the abandonment by the Apostles, the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the false trial. In your mind’s eye you may see Jesus standing before Herod, Annas, Caiphas, the Sanhedrin and ultimately before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. This time of year we are vividly reminded of the angry mob and their cries of “give us Barrabas” and “crucify Him”! Our hearts are broken as we ponder the mocking, the scourging and ultimately the Savior’s crucifixion, death, and burial. However we find great hope and rest in the reality that three days later Jesus rose from the grave.
These biblical (and historical) facts are just as trustworthy as any scripture recorded in the entire Word of God. But it is important for us to understand the context of Paul’s Words. When writing to the Corinthians, Paul was not appealing to the truths that are recorded in the New Testament; for at this point in time most of it had yet to be written. Furthermore, the people did not have access to what had been recorded. When Paul appeals to the “scriptures” he is referring to the Old Testament.
- As we consider the scriptures as evidence for the resurrection, let’s examine Paul’s declaration that:
CHRIST DIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES
The fact that Christ died in accordance with the scriptures speaks to the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus. He did not die for His own sins for He was sinless. The Apostle John said that Jesus “appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:5). Furthermore, Jesus was not merely a martyr for a special cause. The Sinless Son of God came to earth to die for OUR sins! (2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”.) Jesus bore our Cross, He died our death, He paid our sin debt, and praise God it is forever paid in full!
There are numerous Old Testament Passages that speak to the fact that the Messiah would die for the sins of God’s people. One shining example is Isaiah’s portrayal of the Christ as “the Suffering Servant”. Look with me to Isaiah 53:5-7:
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
This prophecy was given 700 years before Jesus was even born, yet every single word finds its fulfillment in the life of our Lord and Savior. Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant of God sounds as if it was written by someone who walked with Jesus every step of the way during His Passion.
There are many other scriptures recorded in the Old Testament that point to the suffering and death of the Messiah. For example, Psalm 22 is saturated with references to the Crucifixion. What makes these prophetic words so astonishing is that they were written a thousand years before Jesus went to Calvary. This Psalm declared that the Messiah would be pierced through His hands and feet, none of His bones would be broken, and that men would gamble for His garments. Notice Psalm 22:16-18: “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Each of these prophecies were fulfilled on Golgotha.
At Calvary, Jesus was surrounded by His enemies, including the Jewish religious leaders as well as Roman authorities and soldiers. Psalm 22 mentions the Messiah being “encompassed by dogs”, the Jews of Christ’s day often referred to Gentiles as “dogs”. As a result of the political situation in Jesus’ day, it was Gentiles who carried out the Crucifixion. Roman soldiers crucified Jesus which involved “piercing His hands and feet” with long metal spikes, fastening Him to a wooden Cross.
John 19:23–24 says, “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”.
It was common after a crucifixion for the soldiers to break the legs of the one being crucified. However, John tells us that the Savior’s bones were not broken, thus fulfilling another prophecy from Psalm 22. (John 19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.)
There are other Old Testament passages that pointed to Jesus’ death at Calvary. Likewise, there are several scriptures that reference His burial. This is why Paul could say that:
CHRIST WAS BURIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES
Like Paul, the Apostle John declared that the death of Christ took place in accordance with the scriptures. He says in John 19:36-37 (after recounting the events of the Crucifixion), “these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced”. After this, John went on to describe the burial of the Savior.
John 19:38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
It was not just the death and resurrection of Christ that fulfilled prophecy, Isaiah also prophesied that “they made his (Messiah’s) grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death…” (Isaiah 53:9). The Gospels make it clear that Jesus was put to death along with two criminals and He was buried in a tomb owned by a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea
After Jesus died, Joseph boldly approached Pontius Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus so that he could provide Him with proper burial. It was common for the Romans to leave the corpses of those who were crucified on the cross for the elements and the vultures to dispose of. However, because this was a violation of the Mosaic Law, the Romans permitted the Jews to remove the bodies and bury their dead. Most of the time condemned criminals would be placed in a common grave outside the city gates, but Joseph had a far more honorable burial in mind.
Not much is known about Joseph of Arimathea but what we do know is quite impressive. Luke tells us that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. Though he was a member of the very Council that called for the death of Christ, Joseph was opposed to their decision. John tells us that he was a “secret disciple” (or follower) of Jesus for fear of the Jews. Matthew tells us that Joseph was a wealthy man and Luke describes him as being “good and upright” (Luke 23:50). Along with Joseph was another secret disciple” of Jesus named Nicodemus.
John 19:39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Though these men had previously been “secret disciples of Jesus”, they now publicly identify themselves as followers of Christ by retrieving His body and taking it away for a proper burial.
As was the custom for Jewish burials, Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped the body of the Lord in linen strips with spices. This was a common practice designed to mask the smell of decomposing flesh. Though it proved to be unnecessary in this instance, it was admirable, nonetheless. After these men completed the burial process they rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. The most wonderful news that I can share with you is that three days later, the stone was rolled away and the followers of Christ learned that He was no longer there, He rose from the grave, and He lives forevermore!
These things did not happen by chance, they happened “in accordance with the scriptures”. As Paul reminded the Corinthians, I remind you today 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”.
Today we look back in time some 2,000 years and by faith we believe that they happened just as the scriptures proclaim. But knowing that God’s Word prophesied that they would happen hundreds and even thousands of years prior serves as evidence of the authenticity of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. May we never forget that He did these things “because of our sins”. For this reason, He is worthy of our worship, adoration, praise, obedience, and devotion. Because Jesus came as the sacrifice for our sins, we can live with hope and assurance that our sins have been forgiven, our sin debt has been paid and we are part of the eternal family of God. We rest in the promise of salvation, and we look forward to being in the presence of the Lord throughout eternity.
Maybe you are not a follower of Christ. Perhaps you have some doubts, and you are looking for “Evidence Of The Resurrection”. If so, I refer you to “Exhibit B: The Scriptures”.
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