The empty tomb

A few years ago, a friend and I were discussing the resurrection and he brought up something that he thought would surprise or upset me. Actually, I laughed. A few years earlier I had read a great book by Josh McDowell called, "The Resurrection Factor". It explains the attempts of skeptics to discount or explain away the bodily resurrection of Jesus with the Swoon (or resuscitation) Theory, the Hallucination Theory, the Conspiracy Theory, etc. What makes each of these theories so silly is that the Roman executioners were very efficient killers. 

Not even Jack Bauer of my beloved 24 TV show, could escape the reality of consequences from the horrendous act of crucifixion. As I told my friend, these theories require much, much more faith than does the Scriptural teaching of the bodily resurrection of our Lord. The apostle Paul (a former persecutor of Christians who wrote much of the New Testament) records 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 Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he 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, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."    I Corinthians 15:2-8. 

So, an empty tomb? I'd bet my life on it.

The image above was shot in Orlando at the Holy Land Experience, processed in Photoshop and de-saturating most of the colors except red.