THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS… So What?!

3 Resurrections in the Old Testament:
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1 Kings 17:21-24 Son of the widow of Zarephath, raised to life by Elijah.
2 Kings 4:34 Son of the woman of Shunem, raised to life by Elisha.
2 Kings 13:21 Dead man who was laid on Elisha's bones, and came back to life again.

6 Resurrections in the New Testament - apart from Jesus’ resurrection:
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Luke 7:11-17 Jesus touches the coffin and raises the only son of the widow of Nain.
Luke 8:55 Jesus raises the 12 year old daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue.
John 11:44 Jesus raises Lazarus after being in the tomb four days.
Matthew 27:52 Near Jerusalem, tombs broke open, and many holy people came out of their graves and appeared to many after Jesus' resurrection.
Acts 9:40 Peter prays for Dorcas/Tabitha and raises her from the dead in Joppa.
Acts 20:9-12 Paul raises Eutychus to life after he fell from the window of the third storey.

Main BIBLE Passages which mention the Resurrection of Jesus:
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+ Matthew 28 = Gospel narrative
+ Mark 16 = Gospel narrative
+ Luke 24 = Gospel narrative
+ John 20-21 = Gospel narrative
+ Acts 1:1-12, 2:31-36, 3:15, 4:10-12, 4:33, 5:30-32, 10:39-42, 13:27-38, = Gospel message
+ Acts 9:3-6, 22:6-11, 23:11, 26:12-18 = Jesus appears to Paul
+ Romans 4:23-25 = Jesus raised for our justification
+ I Corinthians 15 = Jesus’ resurrection and the believer’s resurrection

Crucifixion & Resurrection: The Order of events:
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Thursday evening:
+ In the upper room, Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples.
+ At some point, Judas slips out to betray Jesus to the Jews.
+ Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper as a memorial of the New Testament in His body and blood.
+ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
+ Jesus predicts his arrest, and the scattering of all his disciples, but tells them "after I have risen,
   I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
+ Jesus betrayed and arrested at Gethsemane. Disciples all flee. Young man flees naked.
+ Jesus taken to Caiaphas, the High Priest's house.
+ Over the night the Jewish council judges and condemns Jesus.
+ Peter denies the Lord 3x, and the cock crows 2x. He weeps bitterly...

Friday morning & afternoon: (Preparation day = till Friday 6pm)
+ Early, Jesus is taken to Pilate.
+ Judas returns money and hangs himself. Jews later buy "Akeldama" to bury foreigners.
+ Crowd cries "crucify him". Barrabas is released to them.
+ Jesus taken by soldiers to praetorium: crown of thorns, purple robe, staff, mocked, whipped.
+ Stripped and taken to Golgotha. Simon of Cyrene forced to take his cross.
+ Crucified in the midst of 2 robbers. Both insult him...
+ One robber asks Jesus to remember him. "Today you will be with me in Paradise".
+ Darkness from 6th hour (12m) till 9th hour (3pm)
+ Jesus cries out "it is finished" and dies – mid to late afternoon, but well before 6pm…
+ Temple curtain torn in two, from top to bottom.
+ Earthquake occurs. Tombs of saints are opened. After the resurrection of Jesus,
   they rise and appear before many in Jerusalem.
+ Centurion says "surely this was the Son of God".
+ Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James & Joses, Salome, and many other women who followed Jesus
   and had come up to Jerusalem with him, saw him die.
+ Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for body... centurion confirms Jesus death, permission given.
+ Joseph and Nicodemus, who brought a mixture of 34 kg of myrrh and aloes, took Jesus' body, wrapped it,
   with the spices, in strips of linen, and buried it in new tomb carved out of rock in a garden.
   They rolled a large stone over the entrance.
+ Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James & Joses, and Salome (wife of Zebedee, and mother of James 
   & John?) are there looking on during all this. They see where Jesus was buried.
+ Jews ask Pilate for guard to protect tomb. They remember Jesus claim to rise on the third day, and fear
   the disciples will steal the body and claim Jesus has resurrected.

Friday evening: (Jews reckoned Sabbath began Friday 6pm)
+ Jesus body in tomb, guarded by soldiers. Women & disciples rest the Sabbath day.

Saturday morning and all day till 6pm (Jews reckoned Sabbath ended Saturday 6pm)
+ Jesus body still in tomb, guarded by soldiers.

Saturday evening:
+ Shops are now open, so Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of Joses and Salome buy spices.
+ The women then prepare these spices at home.

Sunday morning:
+ Jesus arose very early in the morning. But he did not need the tomb to open to rise again:
   The tomb was opened so mankind, friend and foe alike, could know he had risen!
+ A bright angel of the Lord rolled away the stone and sat on it, scaring away the guards.
+ Early in the morning Mary Magdalene, Mary JJ(other Mary), Salome, Joanna(Lk), and other women,
  go to tomb. They may have gone in various groups... As they go, they wonder "who will open tomb for us?"
+ Mary Magdalene, "when it was still dark", arrives first and sees the tomb open.
   She runs away to tell Peter & John...
+ "At dawn", "just after sunrise", the other women also find the tomb open, and look inside.
    Then two angels appear, one of which, "a young man dressed in white sitting at the right" says
    "Jesus is not here, he has risen. Tell the disciples, he will go ahead of them to Galilee."
+ The women are afraid yet filled with joy, they flee from the tomb, saying nothing at first...
+ Meanwhile, Peter & John run to the tomb with Mary Mgd. following, John arrives first but does not enter.
   Peter then arrives and enters. Finds strips of linen lying there, and head cloth folded.
   Then John also entered, "and believed". Then the disciples went back to their homes...
   Peter went away, wondering to himself what had happened...
+ Mary Magdalene arrives with or soon after John & Peter, and stays crying by the tomb... She looks inside. There two angels ask her "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus. "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." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned towards him and cried out, "Rabboni!" 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.`" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" & she told them that he had said these things to her. Jn 20.
  Thus, "Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, then she went to tell the others..." Mk 16:9
+ Meanwhile, the other women were on their way to tell the disciples what they had seen...
   Suddenly Jesus appears to them. They worship him. He tells them: "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
+ While the women are on their way, the guards report to the chief priests who convince them to lie,
   saying the disciples had come in the night and stolen the body while they were sleeping.
+ However, the disciples would not believe the women, thinking they were speaking nonsense...

Sunday at midday-afternoon:
+ Cleopas and a friend, who had heard the women's report, were on their way to Emmaus, when they met Jesus, but didn't recognize him. He explained the Scriptures to them. Only after he breaks bread with them do they realise who he was. Then he disappeared from their sight. They got up at once and returned to Jerusalem, and reported to the disciples.
+ On the same Sunday, probably in the afternoon, Jesus appeared to Peter. Lk 24:34, ICor 15:5

Sunday evening:
+ The disciples "and those with them", were together, and Peter has reported to the other disciples his encounter with Jesus. Then the two from Emmaus arrive, confirming Jesus is alive...
+ On this same evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit...”
+ Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." John 20, 

Sunday a week later:
+ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
 
Sometime later on:
+ Jesus appears to 7 disciples who were fishing. "Simon do you love me?" x 3... "This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead." John 21:1-14
+ The eleven disciples went to the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go, and there Jesus appeared to them and gave them the great commission. Matthew 28:18-20
+ Possibly at the same or another time, Jesus appears to more than 500 believers at the same time. I Cor 15:6
+ Jesus appears privately to James. I Cor 15:7

40 days after his Resurrection:
+ Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem, and leads them out to the mount of Olives, near Bethany.
There he tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. Then he ascends to heaven and a cloud hides him from them. Two angels appear and tell them Jesus will return the same way he left to heaven.
Lk 24:50-53, Acts 1:1-12.

A Summary List of Jesus’ Resurrection Appearances:
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(1) Sunday AM: Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, who was crying at the tomb.
(2) Sunday AM: Jesus appears to the other women, Mary mother of James & Joses, Salome, Johanna,
      and possibly other women who were with them.
(3) Sunday PM: Jesus appears privately to Peter.
(4) Sunday PM: Jesus appears to the two travelling to Emmaus.
(5) Sunday evening: Jesus appears to the disciples and some others, minus Thomas.
(6) Next Sunday: Jesus appears to all eleven disciples together, including Thomas.
(7) Sometime later: Jesus appears to 7 of the disciples at the shore of Galilee.
(8) Jesus appears to the apostles and over 500 other witnesses.
(9) Jesus appears to James privately.
(10) Jesus appears to disciples in Jerusalem, leads them to mt. of Olives and ascends to heaven.
(11) Jesus appears to Paul on the way to Damascus.
(NB) There may well have been more appearances, but these are the ones recorded in the Bible…
         “So that we may believe in Jesus... and that by believing we might have eternal life in His Name!”
THE TREMENDOUS IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST:
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(1)	Jesus' death & resurrection are the essence of the gospel message!
	That is what we are to preach. That is what the enemy seeks to silence... ( // Muslims )
	Not social justice, not moral improvement, not philosophy, not health & prosperity...
	But, Jesus crucified and risen again. READ Acts 10:39-43 & I Cor. 15:3-4.
	=> Acts 1:1-12, 2:31-36, 3:15, 4:10-12,33, 5:30-32, 13:27-38, 17:30b-31

(2)	Jesus' Resurrection proves that Jesus WAS and IS the Son of God!
	The God-Man who is the Truth! Who else came back from the dead to prove himself ?!
	He is "the way the truth and the life", Only by believing in Him can we be saved.
	READ John 20:26-28 (= Thomas' confession "my Lord & my God")

(3)	It Proves that Jesus' sacrifice was valid and is accepted on our behalf by God!
	The Father has accepted Jesus' sacrifice in our stead. Our redemption is certain.
 	Our forgiveness is assured. We are not just forgiven but also justified before God!
	Romans 4:22-25 "he died for our sins, was raised for our justification..."
 	Roms 5:16-19 "one act of righteousness => justification that brings life for all men..."

(4)	It Proves that we will also be resurrected with a glorified body, just like Him!
	He is the firstfruits of the resurrection. The first man to receive a glorified body.
	That is what we are also destined for! We shall see Him face to face…
	I Cor. 15:20-23 "first Christ, the firstfruits... then those who belong to him..."
	I Cor 15:35-49 "Seed-plant... different categories of bodies... sun-moon-star...
	Adam-earthly (physical life), Jesus-spiritual (eternal life).
 
OT:	Enoch & Elijah => Taken up to heaven // Believers who will be raptured when He comes
	Moses & Elisha => Died a natural death // Believers who will rise from their graves
NT:	On the Mt. of Transfiguration, Elijah and Moses were present with the glorified Jesus!
	=> // Heaven: Jesus with the raptured and the risen believers around Him in glory...

(5)	We can now live the New Life in the Power of Jesus’ Resurrection. New creation. Old man is dead.
	Rom 6:8,11-13 Dead to sin & alive to Christ’s righteousness. Don’t offer our body to sin, but to God.
	2 Cor. 5:14-17 Christ died so we no longer live for us but for Him. Old has gone the new has come.

(6)	Jesus' resurrection is proof that He will ultimately conquer death completely!
	Death's reign will end. So we need not fear death anymore. Jesus defeated death,
	and one day He will vanquish death completely... Death will be no more!

OT //	Elijah: 1 x resurrection "God's prophet performed a miracle never seen before..."
	Elisha: 2 x resurrections "He inherited a double portion of the Spirit of Elijah..."
		= Though he had to die to bring about the second resurrection.
 
Gospel:	Jesus: 3 x resurrections "Proved he was the Perfect Son of God..."
		= After he died, brought about the resurrection of many saints...
		= In the future will bring about the resurrection of millions upon millions...
 
NT //	Peter: 1 x resurrection - authenticating his ministry as apostle to the Jews...
	Paul: 1 x resurrection - authenticating his ministry as apostle to the Gentiles...
 
Future:	Rev 1:17-18 "I was dead and behold I am alive forever..."
	Rev 20:14 "Death and Hades => lake of fire"
	Rev 21:1-4 "Now the dwelling of God is with men… No more death or mourning..."
	I Cor. 15:25-26 "all enemies under his feet... last enemy to be destroyed death"
	I Cor 15:55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?..."

(7) 	WARNING: If the resurrection did NOT happen… 1 Cor. 15:14-19…  “But…” verse 20!