Part 6: THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE SO-CALLED ‘RESURRECTION.’
Here in Part 6 we will learn the real story behind Jesus’ so-called resurrection. We will learn if the Apostles of Jesus were telling the truth regarding their claims about Jesus rising from the dead.
Let us start our reading in Matthew 27 verses 63 to 64.
"Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive
that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.'
So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise,
his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been
raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."
Matthew 27:63-64 NIV
In the said passage, we can read how Jesus was known as a deceiver.
Also, we can read how the passage said: ”Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."- This passage shows how authorities during Jesus’ time were warned of what may happen if Jesus’ body was stolen from his grave. This happened indeed, the deception became even worse as the "deceiver" (Jesus) even became a god!
Question: Who stole his corpse? As we read on, we will eventually discover who were the culprits.
Let us read in John 20 verses 11 to 13
but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him.
John 20:11-13 NIV
In this passage, we can read how Mary the Magdalene, assumed that the corpse of Jesus was taken away.
To continue in John 20 verse 14.
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
John 20:14 NIV
Mary Magdalene spent over a year accompanying Jesus, yet according to this account, it says after only three days, She can no longer recognize Jesus or even his posture? It is time we should think clearly regarding this so-called eyewitness account of Jesus’ resurrection.
Christian Priests and Pastors would reason that Mary cannot recognize Jesus because he is in his glory. Is this true?
Let us read the answer in John 20 verse 15.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
John 20:15 NIV
The man whom Mary saw has the appearance of a gardener and not someone who illuminates in glory.
According to the late Teacher Evangelista, the man who was seen by Mary was really an impostor, not Jesus; even the looks of the impostor was that of a gardener. The apostles got a gardener to pose as Jesus.
To continue:
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried
out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
John 20:16 NIV
Teacher Evangelista explained then that in this passage, When the impostor or (the gardener) gave a gesture or a signal which all of Jesus' disciples recognized, Mary responded.
Now, let us discover what happened when it was Mary Magdalene’s turn to reach out and hold on at a certain part of the impostor’s body- In John 20 verse 17.
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and
your Father, to my God and your God.' "
John 20:17 NIV
The impostor refused, gave her an alibi; had Mary been able to touch him she would have recognized that he was just an impostor..
As we can all remember, Mary Magdalene was the woman who massages Jesus’ body and pours oil on it? Mary is close to Jesus more than any of the disciples.
Let us now discover who stole the corpse of Jesus? In Acts 10 verses 39 to 41 we can read:
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,
Acts 10:39 NIV
It is the apostles who are giving their testimony regarding the resurrection of Jesus, but what was strange about it is they have said Jesus was hanged on a tree!
Now let us know who witnessed Jesus' resurrection? Was Jesus seen by all the people during that time? Let us continue in Acts 10 verses 40 to 41.
but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.
He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen –
by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Acts 10:40-41.
According to the apostles, they are the only ones who have seen Jesus after he rose from the dead and not other people.
We may also notice how in the said passage, the apostles gave a different account of how Jesus died and that is he was hung on a tree.
What did they say about Jesus' resurrection? In Acts 5 verses 30 to 31.
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he
might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Acts 5:30-31 NIV
They have continued on with their lies. They have said that Jesus was hung on a tree, where should they take Jesus down from? In Acts 13 verse 29 we can read:
When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
Acts 13:29 NIV
"they took him down from the tree" - If they gave a false eyewitness account of how Jesus died, then how much more with their claim about Jesus’ resurrection? This would now prove their inconsistency.
In order for us to know the truth, whether he was hanged on a tree or nailed to the cross, let us read Jesus’ words in Luke 24 verse 44.
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Luke 24:44 NIV
Jesus said that in order for us to know the truth about him, we should consult the following writings:
1. The Law of Moses: a prophet- Through the law written by Moses, we have learned how Jesus overturned God’s commandments. We have learned this in Part 5 of our series.
2. The prophets; - through the words of God written in the prophecies in the Old Testament, we have learned Jesus’ real identity and how he failed his mission from God.
3. The Psalms of David, also a prophet-Through the Psalms, we will learn how Jesus suffered and died.
Let us read about him in the Psalms…
In Psalm 22 verses 1 to 2.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
Psalm 22:1-2 NIV
These were the very words he said when he was suffering. Let us learn if he was hanged on a tree? Let us read in Psalm 22 verses 15 to 16.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
Psalm 22:15-16 NIV
As the passage says: “they have pierced my hands and my feet.” To continue in Psalm 22 verses 17 to 18.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
Psalm 22:17-18 NIV
As we can read from the said Bible passages, Jesus was crucified, not hanged on a tree as the apostles claimed.
Let us learn how Jesus suffered.
All of God’s prophets who have obeyed His Word have all been saved in their hour of need. But with regard to Jesus…let us read in Psalm 38 verses 1 to 5.
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
Psalm 38:1-5 NIV
Because of his pride, he was forsaken by God. To continue in Psalm 38 verses 6 to 10.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
Psalm 38:6-10 NIV
He was even blinded in the end. To continue in verse 11.
My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
Psalm 38:11 NIV
The said passage shows he was deserted by his disciples when he was being punished.
How short was his life? Let us read in Psalm 39 verses 2 to 4.
But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good,
my anguish increased.
My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
Psalm 39:2-4 NIV
How long did Jesus live? Let us read in 39 verse 5.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah
Psalm 39:5 NIV
Jesus was in his 30's when he died, in the prime of his life! Surely it is a mere handbreadth (or short) compared to the lives of the Prophets of God.
And in Psalm 69 verse 21 we can read.
“They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”
Psalm 69:21 NIV
As written in the Psalms of David, all the sufferings that Jesus said that he will undergo were true! Through the Psalms, we have also known the reason why the sufferings happened and how consistent it is with God's word in 2nd Samuel 7:12-14.
How do we know that Jesus’ brutal death is the proof that he failed in being the Christ or being the “anointed one” for his people Israel? Let us read another passage in the Psalms.
In Psalm 89 verses 38 to 45.
But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your ANOINTED ONE.
Psalm 89:38 NIV
“ANOINTED ONE” – which means the Messiah or Christ - none other than Jesus as he is the last from the line of David who would be King of Israel!
To continue in verses 39 to 40.
You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.
You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
Psalm 89:39-40 NIV
Jesus was the last from the line of David and the only one next to Solomon who was chosen to fulfill the prophecy in 2nd Samuel 7:12-14. Let us continue our reading in Psalm 89 verses 41 to 42.
All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
Psalm 89:41-42 NIV
This was what happened to Jesus, the man supposed to be King of Israel - he was mocked as written in Matthew 27 verses 29 to 31.
and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
Matthew 27:29-31 NIV
We can read how the prophecy in the Psalms came into fulfillment.
Let us now read in Psalm 89 verses 43 to 45.
You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.
You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
Psalm 89:43-45 NIV
“You have cut short the days of his youth”- Jesus was brutally punished and put to death in his early 30′s because of his iniquities.
We now have learned how Jesus died from crucifixion and not from being hanged on a tree as the apostles claimed. By making a false account of how Jesus died, it follows that their so called testimony about Jesus rising from the dead is also not true.
The late Teacher Evangelista once said: “Since Jesus’ body was stolen and the apostles claim they were the only ones who have seen Jesus after the so-called resurrection, then who will appear now who have stolen Jesus’s corpse? It will be the apostles of Jesus who did it.”
We can also discover their false testimony when we read John 20 verses 11 to 17 earlier as the man who appeared to Mary Magdalene does not even look like Jesus. This proves to us that the apostles stole his corpse and have another person pose like him thus making it appear that he had risen from death after three days.
Question: Since Jesus did not rise from the dead, what did he mean then about rising on the “third day?”
We will learn the true meaning of what Jesus said regarding the “Third day” in part 7
Return to Reading Map Proceed to Part 7
Let us start our reading in Matthew 27 verses 63 to 64.
"Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive
that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.'
So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise,
his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been
raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."
Matthew 27:63-64 NIV
In the said passage, we can read how Jesus was known as a deceiver.
Also, we can read how the passage said: ”Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."- This passage shows how authorities during Jesus’ time were warned of what may happen if Jesus’ body was stolen from his grave. This happened indeed, the deception became even worse as the "deceiver" (Jesus) even became a god!
Question: Who stole his corpse? As we read on, we will eventually discover who were the culprits.
Let us read in John 20 verses 11 to 13
but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him.
John 20:11-13 NIV
In this passage, we can read how Mary the Magdalene, assumed that the corpse of Jesus was taken away.
To continue in John 20 verse 14.
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
John 20:14 NIV
Mary Magdalene spent over a year accompanying Jesus, yet according to this account, it says after only three days, She can no longer recognize Jesus or even his posture? It is time we should think clearly regarding this so-called eyewitness account of Jesus’ resurrection.
Christian Priests and Pastors would reason that Mary cannot recognize Jesus because he is in his glory. Is this true?
Let us read the answer in John 20 verse 15.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
John 20:15 NIV
The man whom Mary saw has the appearance of a gardener and not someone who illuminates in glory.
According to the late Teacher Evangelista, the man who was seen by Mary was really an impostor, not Jesus; even the looks of the impostor was that of a gardener. The apostles got a gardener to pose as Jesus.
To continue:
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried
out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
John 20:16 NIV
Teacher Evangelista explained then that in this passage, When the impostor or (the gardener) gave a gesture or a signal which all of Jesus' disciples recognized, Mary responded.
Now, let us discover what happened when it was Mary Magdalene’s turn to reach out and hold on at a certain part of the impostor’s body- In John 20 verse 17.
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and
your Father, to my God and your God.' "
John 20:17 NIV
The impostor refused, gave her an alibi; had Mary been able to touch him she would have recognized that he was just an impostor..
As we can all remember, Mary Magdalene was the woman who massages Jesus’ body and pours oil on it? Mary is close to Jesus more than any of the disciples.
Let us now discover who stole the corpse of Jesus? In Acts 10 verses 39 to 41 we can read:
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,
Acts 10:39 NIV
It is the apostles who are giving their testimony regarding the resurrection of Jesus, but what was strange about it is they have said Jesus was hanged on a tree!
Now let us know who witnessed Jesus' resurrection? Was Jesus seen by all the people during that time? Let us continue in Acts 10 verses 40 to 41.
but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.
He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen –
by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Acts 10:40-41.
According to the apostles, they are the only ones who have seen Jesus after he rose from the dead and not other people.
We may also notice how in the said passage, the apostles gave a different account of how Jesus died and that is he was hung on a tree.
What did they say about Jesus' resurrection? In Acts 5 verses 30 to 31.
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he
might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Acts 5:30-31 NIV
They have continued on with their lies. They have said that Jesus was hung on a tree, where should they take Jesus down from? In Acts 13 verse 29 we can read:
When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
Acts 13:29 NIV
"they took him down from the tree" - If they gave a false eyewitness account of how Jesus died, then how much more with their claim about Jesus’ resurrection? This would now prove their inconsistency.
In order for us to know the truth, whether he was hanged on a tree or nailed to the cross, let us read Jesus’ words in Luke 24 verse 44.
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Luke 24:44 NIV
Jesus said that in order for us to know the truth about him, we should consult the following writings:
1. The Law of Moses: a prophet- Through the law written by Moses, we have learned how Jesus overturned God’s commandments. We have learned this in Part 5 of our series.
2. The prophets; - through the words of God written in the prophecies in the Old Testament, we have learned Jesus’ real identity and how he failed his mission from God.
3. The Psalms of David, also a prophet-Through the Psalms, we will learn how Jesus suffered and died.
Let us read about him in the Psalms…
In Psalm 22 verses 1 to 2.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
Psalm 22:1-2 NIV
These were the very words he said when he was suffering. Let us learn if he was hanged on a tree? Let us read in Psalm 22 verses 15 to 16.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
Psalm 22:15-16 NIV
As the passage says: “they have pierced my hands and my feet.” To continue in Psalm 22 verses 17 to 18.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
Psalm 22:17-18 NIV
As we can read from the said Bible passages, Jesus was crucified, not hanged on a tree as the apostles claimed.
Let us learn how Jesus suffered.
All of God’s prophets who have obeyed His Word have all been saved in their hour of need. But with regard to Jesus…let us read in Psalm 38 verses 1 to 5.
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
Psalm 38:1-5 NIV
Because of his pride, he was forsaken by God. To continue in Psalm 38 verses 6 to 10.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
Psalm 38:6-10 NIV
He was even blinded in the end. To continue in verse 11.
My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
Psalm 38:11 NIV
The said passage shows he was deserted by his disciples when he was being punished.
How short was his life? Let us read in Psalm 39 verses 2 to 4.
But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good,
my anguish increased.
My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
Psalm 39:2-4 NIV
How long did Jesus live? Let us read in 39 verse 5.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah
Psalm 39:5 NIV
Jesus was in his 30's when he died, in the prime of his life! Surely it is a mere handbreadth (or short) compared to the lives of the Prophets of God.
And in Psalm 69 verse 21 we can read.
“They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”
Psalm 69:21 NIV
As written in the Psalms of David, all the sufferings that Jesus said that he will undergo were true! Through the Psalms, we have also known the reason why the sufferings happened and how consistent it is with God's word in 2nd Samuel 7:12-14.
How do we know that Jesus’ brutal death is the proof that he failed in being the Christ or being the “anointed one” for his people Israel? Let us read another passage in the Psalms.
In Psalm 89 verses 38 to 45.
But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your ANOINTED ONE.
Psalm 89:38 NIV
“ANOINTED ONE” – which means the Messiah or Christ - none other than Jesus as he is the last from the line of David who would be King of Israel!
To continue in verses 39 to 40.
You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.
You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
Psalm 89:39-40 NIV
Jesus was the last from the line of David and the only one next to Solomon who was chosen to fulfill the prophecy in 2nd Samuel 7:12-14. Let us continue our reading in Psalm 89 verses 41 to 42.
All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
Psalm 89:41-42 NIV
This was what happened to Jesus, the man supposed to be King of Israel - he was mocked as written in Matthew 27 verses 29 to 31.
and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
Matthew 27:29-31 NIV
We can read how the prophecy in the Psalms came into fulfillment.
Let us now read in Psalm 89 verses 43 to 45.
You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.
You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
Psalm 89:43-45 NIV
“You have cut short the days of his youth”- Jesus was brutally punished and put to death in his early 30′s because of his iniquities.
We now have learned how Jesus died from crucifixion and not from being hanged on a tree as the apostles claimed. By making a false account of how Jesus died, it follows that their so called testimony about Jesus rising from the dead is also not true.
The late Teacher Evangelista once said: “Since Jesus’ body was stolen and the apostles claim they were the only ones who have seen Jesus after the so-called resurrection, then who will appear now who have stolen Jesus’s corpse? It will be the apostles of Jesus who did it.”
We can also discover their false testimony when we read John 20 verses 11 to 17 earlier as the man who appeared to Mary Magdalene does not even look like Jesus. This proves to us that the apostles stole his corpse and have another person pose like him thus making it appear that he had risen from death after three days.
Question: Since Jesus did not rise from the dead, what did he mean then about rising on the “third day?”
We will learn the true meaning of what Jesus said regarding the “Third day” in part 7
Return to Reading Map Proceed to Part 7
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