The Resurrection with a Cold-Case Detective Part 4

One Newman is program.

It examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Borman's research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism on your host Bill McKeever Felder director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson my colleague Elmar. It was said of our guests who better to learn apologetic strategies from than one who has spent decades in the trenches that was Dr. Gary Habermas and in my opinion there's probably few that are better at defending the position of the bodily resurrection of Christ than Dr. Gary Habermas from Liberty University.

But we have J Warner Wallace again with us and he's going to be talking about some of the criticisms that skeptics have made regarding the bodily resurrection of Christ we've already established this week that if there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus than really Christianity is in vain were still in our sins. So it is a pivotal position that the churches had ever since the beginning so Jim welcome back to the show. It's great to have you on adventure happening.

You're right about Gary, and I think that Gary Abernathy is in my mind is no doubt that this is the foremost expert resurrection the world today so I am just delighted to call my friend and yes on all sitting issues today is a poor substitute as a guide, I often try to get skeptics to read his books on the subject because he does have a lot of really good information but you know it's amazing. Jim your book your book live.

I should say in the one that were talking about this week to live a cool case approach to the resurrection takes a lot of those points and condenses them in a way that I don't think would be intimidating for most people and that's one reason why we wanted to talk about this and I mentioned this on Monday show, but you can actually purchase these in sets of 10. Their small little booklets I thinks about $10 on Christian books.com.

My wife is planning on giving these to her coworkers and I'm sure they'll receive them.

Many of them are LDS. I mean, what could be so bad about the resurrection, but we want people to know that there really is a truth about who Jesus is. As far as his resurrection is concerned, he didn't just stay in the grave and were looking at some of these theories that people have that I think quite frankly are lame, especially as as our police Detective Jim is showing us that when you take a closer look at there really is no doubt that those theories are false and that there really was a resurrection of Jesus.

When that were going to look at today in your book alive is the disciples were delusional. You write this you say some skeptics believe that the disciples as a result of their intense grief and sorrow only imagine seeing Jesus alive after his death on the cross.

How would you respond to that.

Yes, exactly. I mean that I held myself straight.

You want something bad enough you can imagine, it is not really true, comes your sister if somebody was at 11 passed away any navigation of the level I could swear they were in the same room as them or whatever it may be insulated if you look at some of the early encounters of Jesus like Mary Magdalene and night in the garden right and Mark 16 John 20. I talked about how she sees Jesus that we should think she doesn't the gardener that Jesus you know is some confusion about this, but Sharon and she wants you want it bad enough I can see how she could mistakenly think that thing is true when it is not yet another single parent said to Peter and mentioned by Luke chapter 24 prescriptions, 15 of another single appearance to James.

These are people who might have felt bad about Jesus's death either felt like your voice publicly deny Jesus right so I'm sure he would love it here chance to see Jesus after the fact that then he gets weird. This is why you get to really understand that people make objections to the claims of Scripture without really fully reading the Scripture there objecting to and that's where it gets a little tricky right so if you would actually read all the accounts and separate them all how you think I did another single account of the single person who sees Jesus but Paul sees on the road to Damascus. I just don't know why Paul would so desire to see Jesus alive that he would imagine this right that is hard to explain, and then you have multiple accounts at least two on the road to Emmaus. Having a group green luck talk it if if I said I had a dream last night and you were able to repeat the details of my dream that would freak me out because I don't have a group great collective things like that are called memories okay with when you're dreaming it. You don't have a collective dream, especially in the kind of detail is recorded early in Christian Scripture early enough to have been checked by those who could say it wasn't true that the reason why the early dating of Scriptures so important because basically I show you that it's written with the lifetime of eyewitnesses or those that had I do Jesus and he was none of those things fact check that that helps us to determine if it's reliable you have an not be a more accounts that you have three women in Matthew 28, who teaches the same time you have seven man in John 21 see Jesus at the lake you have can know Judas, know Thomas, who see Jesus in Mark 16 Luke 24 John 20 then you have Thomas come back into the fold. So we have siding in John 20 with 11 people seeing in reporting the same thing that you have another situation in Luke 24 day ascension on the mountain disciples on the mountain in Matthew 28 you have 500 who saw the Christ risen on the same day at the same time. According to Paul and George currently has 15 six no I mention all that is because if it were saying someone is delusional because they really want something to be true when it isn't what I can understand that actually sounds reasonable to me. What does not sound reasonable are group visions of any nature read them the amount of detail involved in each account. I would also say that if I can demonstrate the 200 years after the fact when everyone that I would doubt them. But the problem is and I didn't. This inculcates Christianity.

You can date these two with in the lifetime of eyewitnesses, but more importantly within the lifetime of people could say that didn't happen. You're lying. That's why the early dating helps is why think Peter says that in second Peter one. We didn't follow cleverly invented stories we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we were eye witnesses of his Majesty say something here before we go any further on this when we talk about what explain the resurrection accounts for this early belief in the resurrection yelled along. He didn't really die. Maybe they were lying about it. Maybe just hallucinated this if you asked me is that possible debate. The does one of those explanations is true! Only going to say yes because anything is possible.

Anything and everything is possible jury instruction California to tell jurors that the standard is not beyond a possible doubt because I can level an imaginary or possible doubt against any claim, the standard is be on a reasonable doubt. And so, slightly lower standard right because you can never, I could never demonstrate something is true beyond a possible doubt.

I came in demonstrate that I'm really talking to you. You sound like you best not in the same room as you so it's possible I'm talking to someone. He does a really good bill and Eric so the question is do I have good reasonable evidence to get beyond a reasonable doubt. Before I embrace the claim. The idea that that they were hallucinating it certain I said anything is possible, but it's not reasonable. We mentioned the apostle Paul and certainly wouldn't qualify to be one of those who wanted or had even any affection towards Jesus. If anything at hatred Trenton but but what what about Thomas Tom seemed to have his doubts as well use a skeptic yeah not know doubt and I and is a reason why the historians included in it. We often some double talk about embarrassing elements of the gospel that tended to speak toward their truthfulness.

I become divided on that personally.

Had I seen really good liars.

I've been in the presence of really good liars who had inserted embarrassing details to make their life sound better but I do think it's interesting that you get a full view of who's smart, who's not who is really committed is not the committed and Thomas is interesting. I need a guy who wanted to see.

It is interesting to when he actually sees Jesus he's immediately advancing actually immediately remorseful that he even asked right and I think that that's okay. I think Jesus does not say okay now Thomas is disqualified.

You get what he says and Sheila cost. You're blessed because you get a chance to see and touch me that the people who are can rely on your eyewitness testimony in the future are even more blessed and in it he elevates.

Remember that eyewitness testimony is will be calling criminal trials direct evidence. There's only two kinds of evidence direct and indirect.

Direct evidence, eyewitness testimony, most people would say that direct evidence is like the higher form. If I consistently saw him do it by late videotape videotape the recordings dating myself are actually considered direct evidence and so they would often say that's now you realize though that you witnesses can be wrong and video can be altered but but we would say that those two forms direct and indirect are the standard forms of evidence used in every criminal trial and what is what is Jesus telling Thomas. He's telling Thomas a year and it act as a form of direct evidence, along with all your buddies here to tell the rest that will what you saw. I'm glad you're touching me. I wanted this can be part of your story going forward any part of your testimony going forward. And when Jesus uses the word testimony. He's not using a like we use it or like Mormons use it were slightly tell you how God changed my life for me to experience. I had the confirm for me this truth claim no testimony in the book of acts is the eye witness observations of people who saw the resurrection. When people share their testimony was Peter changed. You never get out of the mouth of Peter. You never get it, as is testimony how he was changed by the gospel. What experience he had instead of the first time he ever talks about Jesus's testimony is his testifying to the resurrection on Pentecost.

So I think that's the difference right.

We kinda show that this is actually evidential by its very nature, one of the arguments that you include in your booklet alive. A cool case approach to the resurrection is you say the disciples were fooled by an imposter.

You write some nonbelievers have argued that an imposter trick the disciples and convince them that Jesus was still alive. The disciples then unknowingly advance them very quickly in the time that we have remaining.

How would you respond to that one side pulling on the front front side of the cross on the backside of the cross right so what's interesting about it is that Jesus is very supernatural before he goes to the cross to be hard to pretend you're Jesus, unless you can also feed 5000 walk on water and do all that stuff right but it turns out. On the backside of the cross, Jesus is just as spectacularly supernatural. He still works miracles. He appears miraculously even ascend miraculously into heaven if you're an imposter.

You have to be able to do what Jesus does and there's the problem is that that that the miraculous nature of Jesus is what binds him which separates him in any imposter would have to do the same things. On one side or the other appear, miraculously perform recklessly and ascend miraculously, so I would say is it possible I got was that yes it's possible but it's not reasonable talking to Jay Warner Wallace is the author of Cochise Christianity God's crime scene forensics faith and as I mentioned earlier in this week.

All three of those books have in addition, that are made especially for kids. I am a very strong proponent of raising your children in understanding apologetics.

I think that's one area where the Christian church is really lacking and Jim you offer some good material that parents can use to educate their children.

Your website is cold case Christianity.com cold case, Christianity.com and tomorrow were going to wrap this series up talking about some more of the objections that skeptics have had regarding the bodily resurrection of Jesus, thank you for listening. If you would like more information and research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter research join us again as we look at another viewpoint