41+The+Resurrection+and+Ascension+of+Christ
· Christology ·
Lecture Forty One: The Resurrection and Ascension of Christ
TH330 Systematic Theology I · Moody Bible Institute · Dr. Richard M. Weber
I. The Resurrection of Christ
A. Evidences For Christ’s Resurrection
1. Post-Resurrection Appearances
Acts 2:32. “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”
a. Mary Magdalene and the Other Women
Matt 28:8-10. “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’”
(cf. Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18)
b. Peter
Luke 24:34. Disciples announce, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon!”
1 Cor 15:5. In list of those to whom Christ appeared: “...he appeared to Peter...”
c. Disciples on the Emmaus Road
Luke 24:13-32. “Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them...” (This vs 13-15 only)
Cf. Mark 16:12
d. Disciples (sans Thomas)
Luke 24:36-43. “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stod among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’...” (vs 36 only)
Cf. John 20:19-25
e. Disciples (avec Thomas)
John 20:26-29. “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!’” (v26 only)
Cf. Mark 16:14
f. Seven Disciples Beside the Sea of Galilee
John 21:1-24. “Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias...” (v1 only)
g. Apostles and >500 Brothers (and James)
1 Cor 15:6-7. “[Jesus] appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles...”
h. Those Who Witnessed the Ascension
Acts 1:3-12. “After his suffering he showed himself to these man and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God...” (v3 only)
(Cf. Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:44-53)
2. Post-Resurrection Effects
a. Empty Tomb
Matt 28:11-15. “While the women were on their way, same of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ‘You are to say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” If this report gets to the governor we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.”
b. Pentecost
Acts 2:33. Peter states, “Exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
c. Changing of the Day of Worship
d. Change in Disciples
B. The Results of Christ’s Resurrection
1. A New, Prototype Body
Luke 24:39. Jesus says, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
a. Similarities with the Unresurrected, Earthly Body
John 20:25-29. Thomas says, “‘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.’ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and ... 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.” (vs25-27 only)
Rev 5:6. “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne...”
b. Dissimilarities with the Unresurrected, Earthly Body
John 20:26. “...Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’”
Cf. John 20:19
c. A Description of Christ’s Resurrection Body
Rev 1:12-16. “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
d. The Prototype of Our Resurrection Bodies
Col 1:18. “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead...”
Cf. Rev 1:5
1 Cor 15:35-41. “But someone may ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.”
2. A Proof of His Claims
Matt 28:6. The angel says, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said...”
Peter – Acts 2:36. After speaking of Christ’s resurrection, Peter says: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Paul – Rom 1:4. “[Jesus] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead...”
3. A Prerequisite To All Subsequent Ministries
C. The Significance of Christ’s Resurrection
1. In Regard to Christ’s Person
Matt 20:19. “[The chief priests and the teachers of the law] will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day he will be raised to life!”
Cf. Matt 28:6
2. In Regard to Christ’s Work
Gal 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Cf. Rom 6:1-10
3. In Regard to the Gospel
“Without the Resurrection, there is no Gospel.” (Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, 308)
1 Cor 15:3-8. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scripture, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to [many]...” (vs 3-6 only)
Cf. Rom 4:25
4. In Regard to Believers
1 Cor 15:13-19. “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, the Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ we are to be pitied more than all men.”
TH300 Systematic Theology II: Christology/Soteriology
Theories of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Occupied Tomb Theories
Moody Bible Institute · Dr. Richard M. Weber
| THEORY | EXPLANATION | REFUTATION |
| Unknown Tomb(Charles A. Guignebert) | The body of Jesus was buried in a common pit grave unknown to his disciples. Therefore, the resurrection account arose out of the ignorance as to the whereabouts of the body. | · Not all criminals were buried in a common pit.· The New Testament gives Joseph of Arimathea as a witness to the burial in a specific family tomb.· The women saw the body being prepared and knew the tomb’s location.· The New Testament notes that the graveclothes were found when the disciples went to the tomb.· The Romans knew where the tomb was, for they stationed a guard there. |
| Wrong Tomb(Kirsopp Lake) | The women came to the wrong tomb, for there were many similar tombs in Jerusalem. They found an open tomb and a young man who denied that this was Jesus’ tomb. The frightened women mistakenly identified the man as an angel and fled. | · The women did not come looking for an open tomb, but for a sealed one. They would surely bypass the open tomb if they were unsure of the exact location of the correct tomb.· The man at the tomb not only said, “He is not here,” but also, “He is risen.”· The women had noted the tomb’s location seventy-two hours earlier.· The Jews, Romans, and Joseph of Arimathea knew the location of the tomb and could easily have identified it as proof against any resurrection. |
| Legend(Early Form Critics) | The resurrection was a fabrication that evolved over a lengthy period to vindicate a leader long since dead. | · Recent historical criticism has shown that the resurrection stories are of mid-first-century origin.· Paul, in 1 Corinthians (A.D. 55) speaks of the resurrection as a fact and points to 500 eyewitnesses, many of whom were still alive for his readers to question. |
| Spiritual Resurrection(Gnostics) | Jesus’ spirit was resurrected though his body was dead. | · This denies a Jewish understanding of resurrection (bodily not spiritually).· Christ ate and was touched and handled.· The Jews could show the occupied tomb to their fellow Jews to prove the resurrection false. |
| Hallucination(Agnostics) | The disciples and followers of Jesus were so emotionally involved with Jesus’ messianic expectation that their minds projected hallucinations of the risen Lord. | · Over 500 different people, in different situations, with differing degrees of commitment to Jesus, with different understandings of Jesus’ teachings, all had hallucinations?· Many appearances occurred to more than one person. Such simultaneous illusions are unlikely.· The disciples were not expecting Christ’s resurrection. They viewed his death as final.· The Jews could have pointed to the occupied tomb to prove them false. |
Adapted from Josh McDowell, Resurrection Factor , San Bernardino: Here’s Life, 1981.
From H. Wayne House, Charts of Christian Theology & Doctrine, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1992. Used by Permission.
TH300 Systematic Theology II: Christology/Soteriology
Theories of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Unoccupied Tomb Theories
Moody Bible Institute · Dr. Richard M. Weber
| THEORY | EXPLANATION | REFUTATION |
| Passover Plot(Hugh Schönfield) | Jesus planned to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of both suffering servant and ruling king through a mock death and resurrection. Joseph of Arimathea and a mysterious “young man” were co-conspirators. The plot went bad when the soldier speared Jesus, who later died. The “risen Lord” was the young man. | · The guard posted at the tomb is ignored in Schönfield’s theory.· The basis of the theory is faulty. The resurrection myths on which Jesus supposedly based his plot were not evident until the fourteenth century A.D.· Such a “resurrection” could not account for the dramatic change in the disciples.· All but four biblical witnesses are not accounted for, especially the five hundred eyewitnesses whom Paul spoke of as still living.· The whole plot of enduring crucifixion (and in doing so, alienating his national supporters) seems unlikely. |
| Resuscitation (Swoon)(18th-Century Rationalists) | Jesus did not die on the cross; he fainted from exhaustion. The cold temperature and spices revived him. | · Medical science has proved that Jesus could not have survived the scourging and crucifixion.· Could this nearly dead Jesus make an impression as the risen Lord? |
| Body Stolen by the Disciples(Jews) | The disciples stole the body while the guards were sleeping. | · If the guards were sleeping, how did they know that the disciples stole the body?· Severe penalties, even death, would be the result of sleeping on duty. The highly disciplined guard would thus not have slept.· There is no way that the disciples could possibly overcome the guard.· It is preposterous to believe that the disciples died for a lie that they created. |
| Existential Resurrection(Rudolf Bultmann) | A historical resurrection will never be proved, but it is not necessary. The Christ of faith need not be bound to the historical Jesus. Rather, Christ is raised in our hearts. | The earlier disciples were convinced by historical events. They claimed to base their faith on what they saw, not on an existential need nor an a priori faith (Luke 24:33-35; 1 Cor 15:3-8). (See J. Gresham Machen, “History and Faith”). |
| Historical Resurrection(Orthodox Christianity) | Jesus was resurrected by the power of God. He showed himself to his disciples and later ascended into heaven. | · This view requires presuppositional changes, belief in God, supernaturalism.· This view virtually demands faith in Jesus. |
Adapted from Josh McDowell, Resurrection Factor , San Bernardino: Here’s Life, 1981.
From H. Wayne House, Charts of Christian Theology & Doctrine, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1992. Used by Permission.
II. The Ascension of Christ
A. Biblical Statements About the Ascension
1. Old Testament
Ps 68:18 (quoted in Eph 4:8 in re: Christ). “When you ascended on high, you led captive in your train; you received gifts from men...”
Ps 110:1 (quoted in Acts 2:34-35 in re: Christ). “The Lord says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”
2. The Sayings of Christ
a. Various Instances Where Christ Spoke of “Going To the Father”
John 7:33. “Jesus said, ‘I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me.’” (Cf. John 14:12, 28; John 16:5, 10, 28)
b. Specific Statements About the Ascension
John 6:62. Jesus suggests “you [will] see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!” (Cf. John 20:17)
3. Other New Testament Writings
Acts 1:8-11. Jesus says, “‘[Y]ou will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, ad to the ends of the earth.’ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in which stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? The same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”
Luke 9:51. “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
Eph. 4:10. “He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.”
Cf. Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb 4:14; 1 Pet 3:22
B. Description of the Ascension
1. The Place
Luke 24:50-51. “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”
2. The Procedure
3. The Promise
C. Problems Raised Regarding the Ascension
1. The Ascension Was Contrary to the Laws of Nature
2. Did Christ Ascend To Heaven Before the Public Ascension?
John 20:17. “Jesus said [to Mary], ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. ...”
D. Significance of the Ascension
1. End of Earthly, Visible Ministry of Christ
2. Marked End of Christ’s Humiliation – Entrance Into State of Exaltation
3. Functions as a Reminder That Christ Will Appear Visibly in the Heavens at the Second Coming (Acts 1:11)