Resurrection

The third book that I considered during this Easter season, after the volumes I noted earlier by Geza Vermes and N.T. Wright, was written by Gary R. Habermas.  It is entitled, The Risen Jesus and Future Hope (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003).  It probably had more impact upon me than either of the other two, and profoundly impacted the implication of Jesus’ historical resurrection for my present life.

In this season of Eastertide, the period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, we not only celebrate Jesus’ victory over death in his resurrection, but we also consider seriously the implications of his resurrection for our own lives.

Many Christians have little idea of the importance of the resurrection, but it is the only reason this faith exists. I doubt that we would ever have even heard of Jesus of Nazareth were it not for the resurrection. We can speak of new life in Christ only because of the resurrection. God is the God who creates life in the midst of death. He did it for Jesus, he can do it for the death we currently live, and, because he raised Jesus, Christians believe God will raise them from death when the kingdom comes in its fullness. God is the living God, not only because he is real, but because God alone is immortal, has life in himself, and gives life.

Perhaps no subject is as distorted—or so central—to Christianity as eschatology. Very weird notions about life after death, heaven, and hell abound among Christians and have seeped into the thinking of many in our society and become even more distorted. The side bar on this

The revival of the Jesus Tomb means the question of what kind of Resurrection is relevant. The short answer is a resurrection into a spiritual but material body, what the church has called a bodily or physical resurrection, but not simply a reproduction of mortal flesh. I have reproduced the key parts