Lutheranism 101- Part 25 - The Second Article IV

Last time we talked I said that in the next lesson I would be presenting some stuff about the resurrection and also about the last times.

It has become popular to try to debunk that Jesus actually physically rose from the dead. First of all the gospels very clearly said that he did just that. There is no other way to read them. But there is even more evidence to back up these claims. The following are drawn from a discussion guide by Lee Strobel and Garry Poole about the Passion of Jesus.

The first proof we have is that Jesus' empty grave is reported in extremely early sources that date so close to the event that they could not have been products of legend. It usually takes hundreds of years for legends and myths to develop and the resurrection is reported in Paul's letters which were written within a couple of decades of the cross and he draws from earlier sources than that.

The second proof is that the site of Jesus' tomb was known to both Christians and their opponents, so it could have been checked by skeptics.

The third proof is that nobody - not even Roman or Jewish leaders - ever claimed the tomb still contained Jesus' body. Instead, they claimed the disciples, despite having no motive or opportunity, had stolen the body - an outlandish theory critics have long since abandoned.

The fourth proof is that apart from the resurrection, there's no reasonable explanation for why skeptics like Paul and James would have been converted and died for their new-found faith.

There are many other proofs that Strobel lists and we could add even more to that, but I think these are good ones to ponder if you have any doubts.

Now about the last times stuff. We teach that the end will come like a thief in the night. We do not believe, because Scripture does not teach it, in a rapture. The Bible does not talk about a secret return of Christ in fact it says when he comes back the second time everyone will see him. We are also not afraid of the second coming, we know that means we are going home to be with Jesus! That is good news, not something to be afraid of. We also teach that the thousand years mentioned in Revelation is not a literal thousand years, but is a number representing completeness. We also teach we have been in that thousand year reign of Christ for the past two thousand years. Jesus started reigning right after his resurrection.

Next time will will finally move onto the Third Article of the creed.

Pastor Fred