Psalm 16:10 “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
The above verse was written by David. He first says that he knew that God would raise him up after he died. Then, the verse changes to the “Holy One” Who would not “see corruption.” This means He would die but would not be in the grave more than three days – when the flesh starts to decay (“see corruption.”).
The Old Testament provides prophecy that Christ would rise from the dead. If all of the other ones concerning Christ came true exactly as written – which they did – it should not surprise anyone that this prophecy would also come true.
Here are five evidences that Christ rose from the dead:
- The Roman Guards Saw It and Were Terrified
After Christ was buried, a Roman watch was set. This is normally 24 guards who were under a death sentence if they slept or left their post while on duty. They saw the stone being rolled away and the angel that did it. They were so fearful that some fled their post and went and told the Jewish leaders – who promptly told them to lie about what really happened.
- The Enemies of Christ Failed to Verify the Tomb Was Empty
It is strange that the unbelieving Jewish leaders did not send someone to check to see if the tomb really was empty. This could only be because they believed the guards who reported to them what happened.
- The Disciples Did Not Expect It
It seems the biggest unbelievers were the disciples. Even though Jesus had told them multiple times that He would die and raise again – they did not understand it: “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9).
Some unbelievers say that the Body of Jesus was stolen from the tomb. The disciples knew better than to mess with Roman soldiers that were under orders to protect it, and who had killed many people before.
- Jesus Provided Proof of a Physical Resurrection
The Bible says, in Acts 1:3 that Jesus provided ample and “infallible proofs” that it really was the same Jesus. It says: “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
That proof involved proving that it was a physical resurrection – not just a spiritual one. When He appeared in the Upper Room, the disciples at first thought they were seeing a ghost.
He now had a very real physical Body – but now a glorified one. This is evident from two things: the fact that there was no Body in the tomb, and secondly, that he ate fish and a honeycomb: “And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them” (Luke 24:41-43).
- The Church Was Empowered By It
The disciples went from being fearful before they saw the risen Christ, to become bold witnesses after they saw Him. A little later, they saw Him ascend into Heaven. Their fear was removed and they were rejoicing afterward: “And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24:52,53).
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