Thursday, January 26, 2012

A plea to understand and act!

Recently, a letter came to me from one of my former apologetics students. He was a very good student who went on to do an extremely successful work as a campus evangelist at a major university known for its high level academics in mid-America. Some years ago, when the militant British atheist, Richard Dawkins, came to lecture at this university, my student had the opportunity to personally and publicly question Dawkins concerning a statement that he (Dawkins) perhaps wishes he had never placed in print. Dawkins wrote, “I am not advocating a morality based on evolution. . . . I am not saying how we humans ought to behave. . . . My own feeling is that a human society based simply on the gene’s law of ruthless selfishness would be a very nasty society in which to live” (The Selfish Gene 2-3). As Dawkins often seems accustomed to do, in condescending fashion he refused to face up to the inconsistency of his materialistic explanation of human life. Given the atheistic explanation, there is no objective ground for stating that anyone “ought” to do anything. Such is the obvious error of atheism and agnosticism!

In his recent letter, my former student was not ultimately concerned with the obvious growing influence of atheism in America on a university campus. However, writing as a deeply concerned parent, he is alarmed at the challenge skeptical thought is presenting to much younger people today, like his daughters (ages 13 and 16) who are in Middle School and High School respectively. With deep concern for the moral and spiritual welfare of his precious daughters he wrote:

. . . .I am enclosing some recent literature [that] attests to the aggressive nature of atheism in our culture. It does not come as a surprise, but I am reminded of the relevancy of your work . . . .
My 16 year-old daughter is in AP [Advanced Placement] Honors Biology as a junior in High School. . . . [H]er extensive Biology book . . . presents evolution as a “core value” for understanding life . . . .
Also enclosed is a mailing [my daughter] received as a “benefit” of being in the Science Club, and Science Fair, [for] which “benefit” [I] paid $20. . . . Along with [this] subscription to the heavily biased Scientific American [my daughter] was solicited by Skeptical Inquirer. The presentation of their work and materials was very professionally done, on glossy full-color paper, complete with pictures of Einstein and Darwin to appeal to the smart, young AP Biology students. What the Biology text did not do in an attempt to be non-biased toward religion by taking a less aggressive approach this publication [Skeptical Inquirer] will do by putting a dagger into the heart of those who still cling to their faith. . . . May these examples of frontal assault on faith serve to fuel your fire today as they do mine. If we wait until High School to teach apologetics and the fallacy of evolution, it is too late! They are beating us to the punch, and at a much younger age than 16 years!

The above letter is a powerful reminder of how Christian faith is under assault in our culture. However, the attack on faith is not only being made against adults, but children and grandchildren are also being hit hard through skeptical education, entertainment, and media. Apologetics (cf. 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) is the answer! Warren Christian Apologetics Center exists to help young and older apply this answer. Share the news of WCAC with others. Share this Newsletter.

Direct others to

www.warrenapologeticscenter.org. Pray for us. Send the Warren Center your tax-deductible contributions. Help us build this informational center to arm our children, grandchildren, and generations to come with assurance of the existence of God, the divine origin of the Bible, and the deity of Jesus Christ!

Charles C. Pugh III
Director



Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Resurrection of our Lord

 Although there could be more that can be said on this most important subject, I present this for your consideration.  In my dealings with individuals, I have found that this subject has been denied by some within the realm of "christiandom".  The bodily resurrection is most important in the realm of salvation.  As Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15, without it our faith is in vain and we are still in our sins.

Introduction
    1) The bodily resurrection of Christ is the crowning proof that Jesus was indeed who
         He claimed to be.
    2) The resurrection is of such importance that the NT insists that no one can be saved
         without it.
    3) In this study, we will be looking at 2 types of evidence for the resurrection
        A) The Direct Evidence
        B) The Indirect Evidence
    4) With this approach, we can establish that the resurrection did in fact happen as the
         scriptures indicate.

I) Direct Evidence
    1) Direct evidence is simply the evidence that is given by the witnesses themselves
    2) It is direct because they saw the event
     3) Examples of
        A) The revelation of God
            1) The Bible is direct evidence for the existence of God in that it is God’s
                 witness of Himself.
            2) God relates to us from the pages of scripture that He did create
                           everything that exists, how He interacted with mankind in the past,
        B) Those who witnesses the Civil War give direct evidence that it did in fact
             happen
    3) The Appearances
        A) Mary Magdalene (John 20:10-18)
            1) Appeared to a woman first
                a) Remember that this was a male dominated society
                b) A woman’s testimony was not accepted in court
                c) This is significant in the fact that had this been a hoax, the
                     writer would probably had given this honor to Peter.
            2) She saw Jesus
                a) The word saw means to see with the naked eye
                b) This same word is used in Mark 3:11; 5:15; Acts 3:16
                c) It is also used to seeing Jesus in his preresurrection body
                     (Matt. 27:55; John 6:19)
                d) She literally saw Jesus
            3) She heard Jesus
                A) John 20:13-16
                b) She heard the voice of Jesus
                c) We need to understand here that hearing in and of itself is not
                     enough.  In John 12:28 we find that God speaks, yet God is
                      immaterial in nature but they heard His voice
                d) But hearing and seeing combined is supportive evidence for the
                     claim
            4) In this first testimony we find that Jesus was both seen and heard by
                      Mary.
            5) We also find that Mary went and told the others what she had seen
                 (John 20:18)
        B) The other women (Matt. 28:1-10)
            1) Not only did Mary see the risen Lord the other women also saw Him
            2) In verse 9 we see that these women saw Jesus just as did Mary
            3) Not only did they see Him, they also clasped His feet and worshiped
                 Him.
                a) They physically touched Him
                b) He could not have been a ghost (Luke 24:39)
            4) They also heard Him speak
                a) He commanded them to go and tell the disciples
                b) Had to hear words in order to carry out
            5) They inspected the empty tomb (verse 6)
            6) Combined with the testimony of Mary, The risen Lord was seen, heard
                 touched, and the tomb was inspected
        C) Peter (I Cor. 15:5; John 20:3-9)
            1) The letter to the Corinthians declares that Jesus was seen of him
            2) Peter spoke with the Lord when Jesus asked him to feed His sheep
                 (John 21:15-17)
            3) Peter saw the empty tomb and the grave clothes just before His
                    appearance (John 20:6&7)
            4) Peter saw and heard the Lord and also observed the empty tomb
        D) Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35)
            1) Verses 17, 19, 25&26 indicate that they seen and heard Him
                a) Verse 27 indicates that this conversation went on for a
                     good length of time
                b) Not only with them but we also see this in Act 1:3
            2) They also ate with Him (verse 30)
                a) The fact that the Lord sat and ate with them is compelling
                b) This further indicates that Jesus was bodily resurrected
                c) Also Acts 10:41; Luke 24:43;
        E) Many eyewitnesses (I Cor. 15:1-11)
            1) States those that seen the risen Lord
                a) Peter
                b) Of the eleven Matt. 28:17
                c) Of 500 brethren at once
                    1) Written in about 55 or 56 AD
                    2) This was only about 22 or 23 years after His resurrection
                    3) Most were still alive and Paul seems to be challenging
                         the brethren to research his claims
                d) Of James
                e) All the apostles at the ascension Acts 1:6-12
                f) Finally of Saul
    4)Testing Credibility
        A) There are 4 questions that can be asked to help determine the credibility of
             eyewitness accounts.
        B) There are as follows
            1) Do the witnesses contradict each other?
            2) Are there a sufficient number of witnesses?
            3) Were they truthful?
            4) Are they non-prejudicial?
        C) Question #1
            1) Accounts do not contradict each other
            2) Each writer tells a crucial and overlapping part of the whole story
            3) Minor discrepancies are to be expected (one or two angels)
        D) Question #2
            1) There were over 500
            2) Most of which were still alive,as indicated earlier, and could be
                         examined
        E) Question #3
            1) The scriptures are inspired, also they have a ring of authenticity
            2) This will become more clear when we examine the Indirect evidence
        F) Question #4
            1) Christ not only appeared to believers, but also to unbelievers
                 a) Luke 24:11; apostles
                b) Luke 24:45; After the appearance
                c) John 20:25; Thomas
                d) Acts 9; Saul
            2) Any claim to this is groundless
                a) If bias disqualified testimony then no testimony could be given
                     to anything
                b) Doctors have biases, yet we trust and believe their testimonies
                     in relation to our health.
        G) When these criteria are applied to the witnesses of the resurrection, they all
             pass the test and therefore their testimonies can be taken as truth.



II) Indirect evidence
    1) This has to do with the following
        A) The immediate transformation of the apostles
        B) The reaction of those who rejected Jesus
        C) The existence and growth of the early church
        D) The martyrdom of the brethren
    2) Transformation
        A) Before
            1) Matt. 26:56; fled
            2) John 20:19; fearful
            3) John 20:15; Luke 24:11; they doughted
        B) After
            1) Acts 2; Bold
            2) Acts 4&5; Preached (Acts 4:20)
            3) Acts 5:40; beaten for what they said
        C) Why the change?
            1) Something happened
            2) Infer seeing the risen Lord
    3) Reaction of those who rejected Jesus
        A) Reaction of the Jewish authorities
        B) Never organized a search
        C) Never produced a body
        D) Matt. 28:11-15; bribed the soldiers
        E) Acts 7:54-60; fought instead of refuting with evidence to the contrary
             (Acts 5:17&18)
    4) Existence of early church
        A) There are good reasons why this should not have happened
            1) Deut. 6:4; Jews believed in only one God
            2) Matt. 26:63-65; this was the reason for the crucifiction
            3) There was insufficient time to establish themselves before persecution
                 came.
            4) If it was a lie, they had every opportunity to stop it
            5) Acts 5:33-39
    5) Martyrdom
        A) Acts 7:59&60; Stephen
        B) Acts 12:1&2; James
        C) Go over list
        D) Why would they die for a lie?
        E) All scholars are in agreement that something big happen to these men
        F) By far this is the most powerful piece of evidence.

IV) Conclusion
    1) What is the best explanation that can account for the direct and indirect evidence?
    2) It is best explained by the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead
        A) It has great explanatory scope
            1) The empty tomb
            2) The post mortem appearances
            3) the early church
            4) Martyrdom
        B) Great explanatory power
            1) Why the body was gone
            2) Why He was seen repeatedly
            3) The transformation of the apostles
    3) It is the only logical conclusion that can account for all the evidence

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Burial Of Jesus

 The Burial of Jesus Christ; a study of what happened and the significance of it


Introduction
    1) As we continue our study on this important topic, lets review what we have learned
        A) We examined the evidence that supports the fact that Jesus was a historical
             figure.  We looked at the writings of many secular writers that lived around
             the time of Jesus.  The most significant thing that we learned was that all
             these writers never once denied that Jesus existed.  They tried to discredit
             the claim that He was God, yet never argued that He did not exist.
        B) We then looked at the evidence for the claim that He is God.  We looked
             at several lines of evidence.  Fulfilled prophecy, The claims that He made,
             the claims of others, and used the inductive method to show that He is in
             fact God.
    2) As we continue our study, the next item we will look at is the burial of our Lord.
        A) One thing I must make clear, I did not find a lot of information on the subject.
        B) I found some and I will try to express this to you as best I can.
        C) Although there is a limited amount of information, I believe there is a
             sufficient amount, along with what is recorded in scripture, to help us
             understand what took place, the items used, and their significance.

I)The Tomb
    1) It was a rich mans tomb
        A)This is indicated in Matt. 27:57-60
        B) This is also a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah 53:9
            1)Joseph is said to be rich
            2) This was his own personal tomb
    2) No man had been laid before
        A) John 19:41
            1) There is significance to this.  It was a tomb that was unused, and not
                 just recently built.  This fact is important to notice because it was to
                 show that from it no one had before risen nor would come forth by
                 the power of another as was once the case at Elisha’s grave
                 (II Kings 13:21)
            2) This fact, I believe, was intentional on God’s part.  The Jews in
                 knowing the situation with Elisha could have made the conclusion
                 that it was just the same and that our Lord was not raised by the
                 power of God.
        B) Also we must remember that this was to be the tomb of our Lord.  I do not
             think it to be a stretch to conclude that it would not be proper for Him to
             be entombed in a common sepulcher.
    3) Location of tomb
        A) John informs us that the tomb was in a garden near the place of the
             execution.
        B) In all the gospel accounts we find that the women had watched were they
             had laid the body of our Lord.  This was done by them with their own eyes.
            1) The fact is important since some say that the women went to the wrong
                 tomb.
            2) In fact Matt. 27:61 seems to indicate that the women were with Joseph
                 and Nicodemus at the time that they had placed the body there.
            3) Mark 15:47 indicates that they beheld the location of the tomb.
            4) Luke 23:55 indicates that they seen how the body was laid on the
                 slab.
        C) Do we know were the tomb is today?
            1) Some have stated that they have found the tomb of our Lord.
            2) This claim can not be asserted with any type of truth.  The fact,
                 I believe, is we will never know were the tomb is.  This is God’s
                 doing.
                a) Remember one of the reasons why we do not have the
                     original autographs of the scriptures?
                b) I believe that, if we had them then they would become the
                     focus of idol worship and not God.
                c) This would seem logical of the tomb also.  All we have to
                     notice is in the way that some do in fact worship relics.
    4) The tomb itself
        A) Most tombs of the rich were hewn out of the side of a hill out of the rock face.
        B) They were primarily for the family and not the individual.
        C) The tomb usually had 2 chambers, an outer chamber in which the body was
             placed on a shelf cut in the side of the tomb and a smaller chamber toward
             the back which would became the final resting place for the bones.
        D) From the information that I could gather, it appears that the body of the
             deceased was placed in the outer chamber to decay.  Once the process of
             decay was complete (After 30 days, as far as I can gather), the bones
             would be placed in the ossuary.  This was a small box.  The ossuary was
             then placed in the inner chamber along with the rest of the family.

II) The preparation of the body
    1) After Joseph had claimed the body of our Lord, it had to be prepared for burial.
    2) The time
        A) The time of day and week of the issues are of importance to the understanding
             Of the events we have recorded.
        B) It is generally accepted that Jesus was nailed to the cross at 12 noon, and died
             at 3:00 Friday afternoon.
        C) It was a desecration of the Sabbath for the dead bodies to remain on the cross
             during that day.  Of course we know that the Sabbath was Sat.  The body of
             our Lord could not remain on the cross. 
            1) The time of the Sabbath began at sunset on Friday night.
            2) We sometimes miss this important fact of the Jewish time scale.  The
                 Sabbath, to them, would have started at sunset on Friday night and
                 ended on sunset Sat. night.
        D) This is significant in the fact that Joseph and Nicodemus would not have had
              a lot of time to properly prepare the body.  This was a hurried event.
            1) The time that they would have had would have only been about 4 or 5
                 hours.
            2) In that time Joseph would have had to go before Pilot, wait until the
                 guard established that Jesus was dead, purchase the necessary items,
                 take the body down from the cross, transport it to the tomb, and then
                 begin the burial process.
            3) The disciples would not have had the sufficient amount of time to
                 properly prepare the body. 
            4) This is why the women returned to the tomb on Sunday after the
                 Sabbath with more spices and items that they had prepared
                 (Luke 24:1). 
    3) Side note
        A) The actions of the disciples at this time needs to be noticed by all.
        B) They had just suffered a great loss.  The loss of our Lord.  Their hearts
             would have been very heavy.
        C) The natural inclination would have been to complete the burial process,
             yet this is not what they did.  The teachings of Jesus served to make them
             careful observers of the moral law which Jesus upheld during His time with
             them. (Matt. 8:22)
    4) Spices
        A) In all the accounts, the use of spices and other things are mentioned as being
             a part of the process.
        B) As I indicated before, we do not have a lot of information as to why these were
             used.  As such, the only thing that we can accomplish here is to make some
             assumptions as to what they were used for.  We simply do not have the facts.
        C) Amount used
            1) One thing that we do know is the amount that was used.
            2) John 19:39 indicates that it was about 100 pounds in weight.
            3) This was a large amount to use.  It has been speculated that this was
                 an amount that would have been used only for those of significant
                 stature.  Of course, being God, Jesus would have been seen in this
                 light.
        D) Some have suggested that the spices and other things were used to embalm the
             body.  I believe this to not be the case since it appears that the process that took
             place was that they would revisit the tomb about 7 days later to anoint the body
             again with the spices.  They would then wait about 30 days before they would
             visit the tomb for the final part, that was to place the bones in the ossuary. 
             This length of time (if the tradition is correct) would not allow enough time
             for the body to decompose if it was embolmed.
        E) With this evidence it would seem more logical that the spices were maybe used
             so that the stench of the body would not attract scavengers.  Maybe the spices
             were used to mask the odor of the body.  Of course this is just speculation and
             not fact.
    5) Linen cloth
        A) Another item that we can be certain of is the fact that the body was wrapped
             in fine linen cloth.
        B) Mark 15:46 indicates that Joseph went and purchased this cloth for this
             exact purpose.  This was not a second hand thought.
        C) The cloth would have been wrapped around the body in such away as to
             enclose the spices next to the body.
            1) This is not the way we see on t.v. in which the arms and legs are
                 wrapped individually.
            2) The arms most likely would have been placed in an X upon the
                 chest.  The legs would have been placed together.
            3) The body would have been wrapped as an entire unit.  In this way it
                 would have been impossible for someone in our Lords
                 condition to unwrap themselves from the cloth.

III) The stone
    1) The accounts inform us that a large stone was placed at the entrance of the tomb.
    2) This stone is of importance because it shows the impossibility of someone from
         the inside moving it, or a group from the outside moving it without disturbing
         the guard that was placed there.
    3) The stone was large
        A) Mark 16:3 gives the indication that the stone was of very great wieght.
            1) They questioned among themselves as to how they were going
                 to move the stone.
            2) It should be clear from the readings of the events that there was
                a plurality of women.  We are not told of the exact number but we
                 know that it was more than one.
            3) The importance of this fact is this, if a plurality of healthy
                 women were wondering how they would move the stone, how can
                 it be thought that one in our Lords condition could do it by Himself?
        B) This stone is speculated to be about 1 to 1 and one half tons in weight.
        C) This would make it impossible to move by oneself or to move it without
             making a considerable amount of commotion.
    4) The placement of the stone
        A) It is speculated that the stone was in a trench and that it was propped up
             by a smaller stone before it was rolled into place.
        B) However, we do know that the stone was placed in front of the opening
             of the tomb.
        C) This was done to ensure that the body would not be disturbed by natural
             forces.  Also, it would seem logical that the seam would have been sealed
             with something in order that the smell would be kept to a minimum.

IV) The Roman Seal
    1) The seal was made up of two leather straps. 
    2) They were placed in the form of an x.
    3) They were fastened to the stone by clay packs that were placed on each of the ends
         of the straps at the edge of the stone where it met at tomb.
    4) There was placed where the straps met in the middle a large clay pack where the
         Roman insignia was placed.
        A) The insignia was a ring.
        B) This was placed in the clay pack and embedded into it.
        C) Once this clay hardened, the only way to remove the straps was to break these
             seals.  There was no way to keep them in tact.
    5) The penalty for breaking the seal
        A) This seal was placed by the Roman guard as indicated by Matt. 27:62-65
            1) This is the only account that is given of this event happening.
            2) The original Greek indicates that it was the Roman guard that was
                  given to the Jews.
            3) It was the Roman guard that placed the seal on the tomb.
        B) This seal did two things
            1) It was an authenticating device. When the Roman guard unit placed the seal on something and the insignia embedded in it, they put their lives on the line that what they were to protect was there, in this case, the      body of Christ. They put their lives on the line.
            2) The seal was a security symbol in this sense – it represented the power and the might of the Roman Empire. People feared the breaking of that seal, because if that seal was broken every security force of the Roman Empire was thrown into finding that man or men. When they were found, now think of this, they were crucified; those who broke the seal were crucified upside down. And when they were crucified, trumpets      played throughout that city so everyone could be aware of the severe discipline of the Romans when it came to breaking the seal.

V) The Roman Guard
    A Roman Custodian was a sixteen man security unit. Each man was a fighting machine. Each man had usually three to five different weapons on them. They were able to protect six square yards, each individual, against superior force. The sixteen men, in the square of four on each side, were supposed to, and their reputation was, that they could protect that ground from an entire battalion. They were that well trained. In fact, they even used psychological warfare. It describes that they would often have black and purple feathers on these massive helmets. And the black and purple feathers would go up two and a half feet and the reason is, at a distance it made them look twice as big as they really were. And you read the descriptions of their enemies, how just the sight of the Roman Custodian struck fear into a person’s heart. Now I believe that sixteen of these men were placed at the tomb of Jesus Christ. You can find some accounts where four individuals were placed, in other words, one fourth of a Custodian, but there's no indication that is what happened here. Especially when it says, after the resurrection some of the guard unit remained at the tomb and the others went into the city to see the High Priest. I believe that indicates it was a pretty good size, multiple guard units. Now normally the way they were dispensed, the sixteen men, say at the tomb, you would have four units in the group of sixteen. The first unit was awake in a semi-circle in front of what they were to protect. The other twelve with their heads facing in were asleep in a semi-circle in front of them. Then every four hours, with the temple police it was every six hours they changed, with the Roman Custodian, every four hours, they woke up another unit or another unit that was rested took the place immediately in front of what they were protecting.

VI) Conclusion
    1) Based upon the above evidence, we can conclude the following
        A) The body of Jesus was not stolen.
        B) Jesus did not resuscitate and move the bolder and walk away
        C) There could have been no hallucinations by the Roman guard
    2) The only logical conclusion is the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead.