Celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

0:00From Charlotte, North Carolina, you're listening to the Bible Answerman broadcast with Hank Antigraph, president of the Christian Research Institute. The reason the Bible Answerman is on the air is to defend the Christian faith, proclaim the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to teach discipleship to His followers, to cause life and truth matter. For more information or to order equipping resources, call 8887000CRI, which translates to 8887200274, or go online to equip.org, that's equip.org. The following program was pre-recorded. And now, here's your host, Hank Antigraph. Thank you very much, Randy. This week we are celebrating Holy Week, and because of that, I want to focus on the resurrection

1:05of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We spend so much time on Christmas and justifiably so, because in His canosis, in His emptying, is our filling. Jesus came in incarnation so that we could experience what it is to take on the divine nature, of course, excluding identity of essence. But if there's no resurrection, there is no hope for Christianity. So again, over the next four days, I want to emphasize the significance of resurrection, that Christ suffered fatal torment, that the tomb was empty, that Christ rose from the dead and gave convincing proofs by His appearances, and that as a result of resurrection, the disciples

2:13of Christ were utterly transformed. My point here is that resurrection is the ultimate game-changer. If I face hardships in this life for merely human reasons, this is what St. Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, he said, if I do that for just human reasons, what if I gained? If the dead are not raised, well, then just let's eat, drink, and be married, because tomorrow we die. So St. Paul is pointing out that if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile. We're still dead in sin, then those also have fallen asleep in Christ or lost. So if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitted more than all men.

3:18I suppose that puts the ultimate exclamation point on resurrection. Resurrection is the capstone in the arch of Christianity, but if liberal scholars, if adherence of Islam, if devotees of pseudo-Christian cults are right, the biblical account of resurrection is fiction, it's fantasy, it's fraudulent, there's no middle ground here. The resurrection is either history or its hoax, it's either miracle or myth, it's either fact or fantasy, without resurrection, Christianity simply crumbles. And there's no more important passage in all of scripture on this matter than 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

4:19This is the passage on resurrection, and this is a passage that all of us should be intimately acquainted with. It's a passage in which St. Paul says, now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preach to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preach to you, otherwise this is St. Paul you have believed in vain. For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for a sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, that He rose on the third day according to the scriptures, and then He appeared, first He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve,

5:20with that He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom St. Paul are living, though some have fallen asleep, then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also as to one abnormally born. Forst St. Paul, I am the least of the apostles. I don't even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me, other than it was I, or it was they.

6:21This is what we preach, and this is what you believed, and then St. Paul, but if it is preached, that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, are preaching, well it is useless and so is your faith. Think about that. Are preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, more than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, why? Because we testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he didn't raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

7:24For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, listen to this, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins, and then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Let me read that one more time. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. You are still in your sins, and then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ. We are, I mean this is an incredible statement by St. Paul. We are to be pitted more than all men.

8:26But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits those who have fallen asleep. So again, Paul is making a four-part argument here. He is saying that Christ suffered fatal torment, that he was buried, and the implication is the tomb is empty, Christianity cannot survive an identifiable tomb containing the corpse of Christ. If an ashywery or a bone box is found containing the corpse of Christ, or the bones of Christ, the relics of Christ, game over, Sir Christ suffered fatal torment, the tomb is empty. Christ appeared and gave many convincing proofs that he had indeed risen from the dead. And the transformation of the disciples along with thousands and thousands of others is proof

9:34positive for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I mean it is conceivable that someone will die for something that they firmly believe is true, inconceivable that thousands would die for what they knew to be alive. I often said that when the sword is unfurled, you might well say I was just kidding. Well again over the next four days, I want to talk about the evidence for resurrection, the hope of resurrection, our passion as Christians concerning resurrection, and why Easter coming up this Sunday, why Pusca is so transcendently important to all of us who take the sacred name of Christ upon our lips. Well I'm excited about these broadcasts, I hope you are as well. This is our hope as believers, and by this hope, we're not only transformed ourselves, but we become transformational

10:42agents for time and for eternity. Be right back with more resurrection. Hancanagraph's magnum opus, Truth Matters Life Matters More, is essentially two books in one. Because Truth Matters, part one explains the essentials of the historic Christian faith. In part two, Hanck explains why life matters more, and how we can experience the height of human existence and purpose, union with God and Christ, life in the Trinity. Simply put, the map is not the territory, the menu is not the meal, and even now we are called to experience life that is life to the full. To receive a copy of Truth Matters Life Matters More for yourself, or as a terrific gift to a friend or loved one, just call 888-7000-CRI and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life-changing outreaches, 888-7000-CRI, or visit us online at

11:47equip.org. We'll return shortly with more from Hancanagraph. Truth Matters Life Matters More details Hanck Hanagraph's personal pilgrimage from his long-defensive Truth to his discovery that life matters more. Essentially two books in one, part one equips Christians to defend the essential truths of the historic Christian faith. Part two explains why Truth is necessary but hardly sufficient. That the map is not the territory, the menu is not the meal, we are created to experience life to the full through union with God and Christ. Is there more to the Christian life than what you are experiencing? Truth Matters Life Matters More unveils the unexpected beauty of an authentic Christian life. To receive Truth Matters Life Matters More for yourself or as a terrific gift to a friend or loved one, call 888-7000-CRI

12:48and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life-changing outreaches, 888-7000-CRI, or visit us online at equip.org. The complete Bible Answer Book collector's edition is the comprehensive collection of the most often asked questions Hanck Hanagraph has received throughout his four decades as host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast. With more than half a million copies already in print, this newly revised and expanded collector's edition helped seekers and skeptics alike sort through the truth on topics such as reliability of the Bible, religions and cults, the resurrection and afterlife, and many more issues vital to a better understanding of God in Christ and our relationship to Him. To receive your copy of the complete Bible Answer Book, collector's edition revised and expanded, call 888-7000-CRI and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life-changing outreaches, 888-7000-CRI, or visit us at equip.org.

14:05Has God spoken? Are the words of Scripture merely human and origin, or are they in fact the very words of God Himself? Three years in the making and based on two decades of research and reflection, Hanck Hanagraph's monumental book Has God Spoken? Answers what is surely the most important question facing our world. And Has God Spoken? Memorable proofs of the Bible's divine inspiration, Hanck counters the contentions of the Bible attackers and clearly shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures is not a guess or wishful thinking. It is the only logical conclusion after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence. Order Has God Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by calling 888-7000-CRI or go online to equip.org equip.org.

15:07Now back to the Bible Answerman broadcast and your host, Hanck Hanagraph. Thank you very much, Randy. We are moving from Palm Sunday which we celebrated this past Sunday to Easter or Posca, which we will celebrate at least in the Western Church this weekend, this coming Sunday. Again, the calendars of the Eastern and the Western Church are different but for Western Christians who are moving towards the celebration of Easter this coming Sunday, I want to once again drive home the reality that this is our hope. If Christ has not risen, eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow you die. But Christ has risen, Christ has risen indeed. Christ is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. We too will rise.

16:14And again, there's a fourth-port argument. The first part of that argument is Christ's suffered fatal torment. The second is the tomb is empty. The third is Christ appeared and the fourth is the transformation of literally thousands and thousands of people to this very day. But I want to start in this segment on fatal torment. And I do that because the fatal suffering of the historical Jesus is one of the most well-established facts of antiquity. It's attested by men like Flavius Josephus. He was an eyewitness to the many details and descriptions that are found in the New Testament. But it's also attested by such historical luminaries as Cornelius Tacitus, Cornelius Tacitus widely deemed to be the greatest first century historian at least in the

17:20the ancient Roman Empire. In his annals, Tacitus fourth rightly chronicles the death of Jesus Christ. Here's what he says. Christus who suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procreaters, Pontius Pilates or Pontius Pilate. So Tacitus not only provides cooperating testimony to the biblical account of Christ's vital torment at the hands of Pilate during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, but he draws attention to the whole of the Christian movement which had spread from Judea to Rome. So even in a modern age of scientific enlightenment, there is virtual consensus among New Testament scholars. And I'm talking about both conservative

18:24and liberal, that Jesus died on the cross, that he was burdened in the tomb of Joseph Armothea, and that his death drove his disciples to despair. Now the fatal torment of Jesus Christ begins in the Garden of Gethsemane after an emotional last supper. And I'm going to read here from something that comes from my book resurrection. This is not original with me, all the documentation you can find in my book resurrection. But after an emotional last supper, Christ experiences a medical condition known as hematodrosis. And what that means is tiny capillaries in his sweat glands rupture, and they mix sweat with blood. After Christ was arrested by the temple guard, he was marked, he was beaten, he was spat upon. And the next morning

19:27battered bruised and bleeding. Our Lord was stripped, he was subjected to the brutality of Roman flogging. A whip replete with razor-sharp bones and lead balls reduced his body to quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. As our Lord slumped into the pool of his own blood, soldiers threw a scarlet robe across his shoulders. They thrust a scepter into his hands. They pressed sharp thorns into his scalp. And then after mocking him, the soldiers took the scepter and repeatedly struck our Lord on the head. And then a heavy wooden beam was thrust upon Christ's bleeding

20:32body. And he was led away to the place of the skull. There he experienced, oh, he experienced excruciating torment in the form of the cross. The Roman system of crucifixion fine-tuned to produce maximum pain. In fact, I should point out that the word excruciating literally out of the cross was coined to fully codify its whore. When I was going through my battle with cancer, I often describe some of the pain that I experienced as excruciating. And as soon as I would do that, I'd stop myself. Because the word excruciating is reserved exclusively for what Christ experienced. What I experienced was insignificant,

21:35by comparison. At any rate, at the place of the skull, Roman soldiers drove thick, seven-inch iron spikes through Christ's hands and feet. Waves of pain pulsated through Christ's body as the nails lacerated his nerves. Breathing became an agonizing endeavor as Christ pushed his tortured body upward to grasp just small gulps of air in the ensuing hours. Christ experienced the experience cycles of joint, wrenching cramps, intermittent asphyxiation, excruciating pain as his lacerated back moved up and down against the rough timber of the cross. And then, and then with

22:36his passion complete, Jesus gave up the Spirit. Shortly thereafter, a Roman Legionnaire drove his Spirit through the fifth interspace between the ribs upward through the paracardium into Christ's heart. And immediately they rushed forth blood and water, demonstrating conclusively that Jesus had suffered fatal torment. What I say in my book Resurrection is that the best medical minds of ancient and modern times have demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ's physical trauma was indeed fatal. So the first part of the argument for Christ's resurrection is that he indeed died. He suffered fatal torment. And we think about the excruciating agony that Christ

23:45experienced. We can only imagine, we can never comprehend, that the God who spoke and the universe left into existence would condescend to cloak himself in human flesh so that he could overcome a triple barrier, as St. Nicholas Kapicellus put it, a triple barrier of nature, sin, and death, of nature by his incarnation, of sin by his death, and of death by his resurrection. Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, has made it possible for you and I to rise from the dead. And so when we look at our own mortality, we look beyond it to a reality of living in resurrected

24:56bodies, in bodies that will be like they would have been if sin had never entered this world, living in resurrected bodies in a resurrected universe. That's the hope of Christianity. And forever, exploring the beauty, the grandeur, the glory of an ineffable God, which we will never come to an end of. Well, three more days are going to be talking about the empty tomb. I'm going to be talking about the appearances of Christ and the utter transformation of the disciples. Can't wait for tomorrow's broadcast. Join me then. Thank you for joining us for the Bible Answerman broadcast. In today's post-truth culture of confusion, the Christian Research Institute exists to equip listeners like you with answers to communicate the gospel of hope to a world in desperate need of life and truth, because life and

26:00truth matter. In addition to truth, we want to equip you with life, not simply to know about God, but truly to know Him. Experiencing union with Christ enables us to live life not merely by our own energy, but with the energy of the Lord Jesus working powerfully through us. For more information, call 888-7000-CRI. That's 888-7000-CRI. You can also write C-R-I at Post Office Box 8500, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28271, or just visit us online at equip.org. That's equip.org. The Bible Answerman broadcast is funded by listeners like you. We're on the air because life and truth matter.

27:01Hank Hanagraph has dedicated his life to defending truth because truth matters, yet an encounter with Christians in the underground church of China left Hanagraph contemplating his Christian experience. They were experiencing something beyond truth. They were experiencing life. Truth matters life matters more by Hank Hanagraph is two books in one, because truth matters Part 1 equips Christians to defend the essential truths of the historic Christian faith. In Part 2, Hank explains why life matters more and how we can experience the height of human existence, union with God. Prepare to move past intellectually knowing about God to experientially knowing God in Christ. To receive your copy of truth matters life matters more, the unexpected beauty of an authentic Christian life. Call 888-7000-CRI and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's Life Changing Outreaches, 888-7000-CRI or visit us at equip.org.