THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

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THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

• But Can We Believe It?

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I Corinthians 153-6 For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures and that He was buried, and that He
arose again the third day according to the
Scriptures and that He was seen of Cephas, then
of the twelve after that, He was seen of about
500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part
remain until the present
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I Corinthians 1514-15, 17-19 If Christ be not
risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith
is also vain. Yea, and we are found false
witnesses of God because we have testified of
God that He raised up Christ And if Christ be
not raised, your faith is vain, and ye are yet in
your sins. Then they also which are
fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this
life only we have hope in Christ, we are of
all men most miserable.
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WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION?
3 Prophecy 3 Accuracy of Collateral Circumstances
3 Eyewitness Testimony 3 Failure of Other
Theories
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Prophecies of the Messiah

• 330 prophecies in the OT
• Micah Born in Bethlehem of Judea
• Isaiah Will work miracles
• Genesis A descendant of Abraham
• Zechariah Will be betrayed for 30 pieces of
  silver and crucified
• Deuteronomy Will be a great prophet

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Prophecies of the Messiah

• Dr. Peter Stoner (prof. of mathematics _at_ Pasadena
  City College)
• Determined the odds that only 48 of the
  prophecies regarding Christ could be fulfilled
  accidentally by one individual.
• One chance in 100000000000000000000000000000000000
  00000000000000000000.

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Prophecies of the Messiah

• Cover the state of Texas with dimes
• Stack the entire pile all the way to the moon
• Repeat the process 200,000 times
• Dr. Emile Borel Any chances less than 1 chance
  in 1o the 50th power will NEVER happen!

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Prophecies of the MessiahDANIEL 9

• Daniel has two main divisions
• Chapters 1-5 (Great stories)
• Daniel, Shardrach, Meshach, Abednego
• The Fiery Furnace
• Daniel in the den of lions
• The hand writing on the walls of Belshazzars
  palace
• Chapters 6-12 (Great prophecies)
• Four World Empires
• Coming of the Messiah

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Prophecies of the MessiahDANIEL 9

• Context
• Reading Jeremiah 2512--70 years
• Daniel is concerned with forgiveness
• Gabriel brings Gods answer
• God is pleased with Daniels request
• He provides him with understanding

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Prophecies of the MessiahDANIEL 9

• Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
  upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
  and to make an end of sins, and to make
  reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
  everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
  vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the most
  Holy. Know therefore, and understand, that from
  the going forth of the commandment to restore and
  build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the prince shall
  be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks the
  street shall be built again, and the wall in
  troublesome times. And after threescore and two
  weeks shall Messiah be cut off

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Prophecies of the MessiahDANIEL 9
weeks sevens (NIV) weeks units of
seven (NASV) sabbatical year
(7 x 7) (7 x 62) (69 x 7) 483
360 days in a Jewish year (lunar)
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DAY 1 March 15, 444 B.C.483 x 360 173,880
daysFINAL DAY April 3,AD 33
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Accuracy of CollateralCircumstances

• Darkness _at_ Noon
• Phlegon
• Thallus
• Tertullian
• 4th year of 202nd Olympiad of Rome
• Founded 775 (202 x 4 808) (775 33 808)

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Acts 17Ye men of Athens, I perceive that ye are
very religious, for as I passed by and beheld the
objects of your devotions, I found an altar with
this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom
therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I
unto you.
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Accuracy of CollateralCircumstances

• Confirmed eclipse of the moon
• Accuracy regarding the burial
• New tomb mandated by Jewish law
• Acrosolia tomb
• 20 B.C. - AD 70
• 2 ton stones
• Located in Garden district
• Owned by the wealthy

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EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

• Their lives were changed
• They were recognized as people of high morals and
  character
• They experienced severe persecution
• Scourged
• Stoned
• Crucified
• Flayed
• Beheaded

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The Value of the Eyewitnesses
Every matter must be established by the
testimony of two or three witnesses. II COR. 131
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Cross Scene Investigation
The Value of the Eyewitnesses
Many have under- taken to draw up an account of
the things that have been fulfill- ed among us,
just as they were handed down by those who were
eyewitnesses. LUKE 1
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The Value of the Eyewitnesses
Christ died for our sinshe was buriedhe was
raised on the third daythat he appeared to
Peter, then to the twelve. After that, he
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The Value of the Eyewitnesses
appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at one
time, most of whom are still living. Then he
appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and
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The Value of the Eyewitnesses
last of all to me I COR. 15
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Testing the Eyewitnesses

• James, son of Zebedee beheaded by Herod
• Peter crucified upside down by Nero.
• Paul beheaded by Nero

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I have been exposed to death again and again.
Five times I received from the Jews the forty
lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with
rods, once I was stoned, three times I was
shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the
open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I
have been in danger from rivers, in danger from
bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in
danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in
danger in the country, in danger at sea II COR.
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Testing the Eyewitnesses

• Andrew crucified
• Phillip crucified
• Nathaniel/Bartholomew beheaded
• Thomas shot with arrows/run through with spears
• Matthew assasinated in Egypt by the sword.

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Testing the Eyewitnesses

• James crucified
• Simon crucified
• Thaddeus beheaded
• Matthias crucified
• Luke beheaded
• Mark crucified
• Barnabas - crucified

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Did the disciples steal the body?

• This is the ONLY ancient explanation other than
  the Gospel account
• It ignores the persecution the apostles accepted
• It ignores the evidence of history
• The severity of scourging
• Eusebius eyewitness description
• Purpose of scourging

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Did the disciples steal the body?

• It ignores the severity of Roman military
  discipline
• Valerius Maximus
• Trained to kill
• Roman Special Ops or Green Berets
• Recognized evidence of death
• Their own lives were on the line
• Failure to carry out orders
• Sleeping on duty

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Are We Sure Jesus Really Died on the Cross?

• Preliminary Events
• Hematidrosis
• Scourging
• Roman Military Discipline
• Historical Records of Their Efficiency
• Severing of nerves and muscles
• Thumbs
• Shoulder Separations (Psalm 22)

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And Our Conclusions?

• Sir Lionel Luckhoo, The Guiness Book of World
  Records, world record for 245 consecutive murder
  acquittals, considered leading expert on judicial
  evidence, knighted twice by Queen Elizabeth
• I say unequivocally that the evidence for the
  resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming
  that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves
  absolutely no room for doubt.

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And Our Conclusions?

• Frank Morison, Who Moved the Stone?
• This is a book by a man who originally set out
  to write one kind of book and found himself
  compelled by the sheer force of circumstances to
  write quite another.