Where did the idea of the resurrection come from? “In so far as the ancient non-Jewish world had a Bible, its Old Testament was Homer. And in so far as Homer has anything to say about resurrection, he is quite blunt: it doesn’t happen.” N.T. Wright John 20:31

Where did the idea of the resurrection come from? “The notion of a genuine resurrection occurring prior to God’s bringing about the world’s end would have been foreign to them [The Jews]…” William Lane Craig John 20:31

Where did the idea of the resurrection come from? Scholar Edwin Yamauchi states that there is no possibility that the idea of a resurrection was borrowed because there is no definitive evidence for the teaching of a deity resurrection in any of the mystery religions prior to the second century. John 20:31

We Believe in the Resurrection Matthew 28:1-15 He is not here: Matthew 28:1-10 The Lie that Supports the Resurrection: Matthew 28:11-15 John 20:31

Why Believe in the Resurrection Women were the first witnesses: (Matt 28:1). The tomb owner is named: Joseph of Arimathea (Matt 27:57). The lie: It makes no sense and concedes that both guards were present and the tomb is empty. The life and testimony of the disciples: They preached the resurrection - (Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:10, 5:30). They gave their lives for the Gospel. No prosperity and no power, but poverty and persecution. These slides will be available on the Cedarville App by the end of the semester. John 20:31

In 1846 Simon Greenleaf, a Professor of Law at Harvard, wrote about the legal evidence that it was: “impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated had not Jesus actually risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact.” John 20:31

Why Believe in the Resurrection Jesus appeared to many: Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18); Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-32); upper room (John 20:19-23); Thomas (John 20:24-29); Galilee (John 21); the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11); and Paul in 1 Cor. 15 adds most of whom are still living. The OT and Jesus predicted it: Psalm 16:10; Matt: 12:39-40; John 2:19. It changed the world: Obstacles should have stopped Christianity, but by the power of the Holy Spirit nothing could control it. The feast we celebrate, the day we worship, the calendar we use. These slides will be available on the Cedarville App by the end of the semester. John 20:31

The Theological Importance of the Resurrection It vindicates the work of the cross: (Hebrews 9:11-14; 1 Peter 1:18-19). It openly proclaims Christ as God’s Son: (Romans 1:4). It guarantees our resurrection and victory over death: (1 Cor. 15:13; 16). It is the basis for Christ’s ascension and exaltation: (Romans 14:9; Eph. 1:20-23). John 20:31

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8 John 20:31