¤ ¤ Subodh K. Pandit, M.D.
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Welcome back again friend. This
is our last session Number 13.
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It's actually a continuation of
the previous one for we've come
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to the final one. I wonder what
you're thinking about what we've
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done so far. I hope you continue
to keep your mind clear and open
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and accept whatever information
that really is credible. So
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we're going to continue the
previous section the previous
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topic and this topic now is If
the Resurrection story is true,
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do we have some evidence
available to weigh out and
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evaluate? There are three.
Number one: The after effects.
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Number two: Eye witnesses
and number three: Deathbed
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confessions. The after effects:
Two things: The changes in the
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disciples and the fact of the
Christian church. The change in
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the disciples: "Perhaps the
transformation of the disciples
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of Jesus is the
greatest evidence of all for the
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Resurrection." says Stott. And
Anderson continues to speak on
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the same topic: "A little band
of defeated cowards cowering
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in an upper room one day and a
few days later transformed into
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a company that no persecution
could silence." What is the
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explanation? Rosscup says: "They
were willing to face arrest,
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imprisonment, beatings and
horrible deaths and not one of
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them...recanted of his belief
that Christ had risen." "Think
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of the psychological absurdity
of...attempting to attribute
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this dramatic to nothing
more convincing than a miserable
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fabrication they were trying
to foist upon the world. That
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simply wouldn't make sense."
So why would it not make sense?
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Think. If you and I were told to
do it, would you and I do that?
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Would we go around telling
people that somebody rose up
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from the dead. So we buried
our friend the other day in the
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graveyard two days ago. Should
we now go around and start
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telling the people actually the
person is not down there. The
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person is alive. Have you ever
tried to do that. Think of how
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unnerving that is to try to tell
somebody else that somebody rose
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up from the dead. No it is not
easy to do that at all. So how
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come these disciples did that?
Something happened. That is why
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they changed from being so
frightened just a little while
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earlier to being so bold
that nothing could silence them.
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We have to give an explanation
that makes sense. And we can't
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give just an ordinary
explanation saying that they
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just chose to do it. No, nobody
chooses to do that. Nobody
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chooses to be persecuted. The
fact is they were all persecuted
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for saying that. Nobody chooses
to be chased here and there for
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just a statement they were
making. You and I wouldn't do
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that. That's why it does not
make sense to say that they just
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bluffed their way through. How
about then the presence of the
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presence of the Christian
church? When did it really start
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Here's how they chose number 12
of the disciples because one of
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them had left. Judas had left
the group and now they were 11.
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They wanted to make it 12. So
they were going to cast lots to
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choose who it would be. But they
had to have criteria as to who
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they will put into that
list and here is what they said:
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Therefore all these men who have
accompanied us all the time the
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time that the Lord Jesus went in
and out among us beginning from
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the baptism of John to that day
when He was taken up from us,
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one of these must become witness
with us of his Resurrection."
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That is the start of the
Christian church. The group that
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really started it, that group
had to be able to do one thing.
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Be a witness to the Resurrection
If you want to talk about Jesus
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and how nice he was well that's
the other club you join. If you
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want to talk about the fact that
he did miracles of healing or
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helping the poor, of coming
to see then you join that club.
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If you want to talk about the
teachings of Jesus then join the
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other club. But if you want to
join this club which must start
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the Christian church
then there's only one single
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criterion: You should have been
there all the time. You should
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be able to say that I saw him
before and after the death of
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him and so I am a witness of his
resurrection. The witness of the
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resurrection was the starting
point of the Christian church.
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"Christianity stands or
falls with the truth of the
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Resurrection. Once disprove
it and you have disposed of
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Christianity." Morris said: "The
Resurrection gave significance
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to all that they did." And
Josh McDowell, he said: "The
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institution of the (Christian)
Church,...is a historical
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phenomenon explained only
by Jesus' resurrection." Why?
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Listen to this: Jesus died a
criminal, condemned by 1) the
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highest religious authority,
2) [by] the highest civil
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authority [at that time in the
world Rome] and 3) the greatest
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moral authority described in the
Torah. The cause for the origin
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and rise of Christianity
must be able to account for and
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overcome all three facts. Only
a factual, scrutinized account
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of the resurrection can possibly
account for all [these] three,
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[so much so]...that a sharp,
questioning Jew would choose to
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follow him... by dropping
the whole lifelong traditions,
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dropping their loyalty to
the Sanhedrin, dropping their
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loyalty to the Torah and choose
to follow this person? And the
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first few thousand followers
were all Jews. So when we look
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at the circumstances in which
these people began to follow him
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that is an indication on the
positive the side that something
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dramatic had happened and the
only thing that we can think of
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at that time is the fact that
somebody bodily rose up from the
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grave and he said so. Number
two: Eye witnesses: Do you know
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that the New Testament, and you
saw that earlier, is the only
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ancient writing in which
the authors were actual eye
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witnesses. Almost all the other
historical pieces that we have
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of literature of the ancient
days, are written by somebody
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who got the report from somebody
else. And only a portion maybe
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of it would have been what
they themselves saw. Nobody ever
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wrote a complete story in which
they themselves were the eye
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witnesses except for this
one story, the gospel regarding
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Jesus Christ. That's the only
writings in which there are eye
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witnesses. Look at the
words: "Those who were from the
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beginning were eye witnesses"
"...But were eye witnesses of
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His majesty" "He who has
seen has testified" And look at
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1 John 1:1 that says: "That
which we have heard, which we
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have seen with our... eyes,
which we have looked upon and
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our hands have handled..." That
is what we are writing down.
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"The very kind of evidence
which modern science - an even
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psychologists, are so insistent
upon for determining the reality
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of any object under
consideration is the kind of
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evidence that we have presented
to us in the Gospels regarding
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the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus, namely, the things that
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are seen with the human eye,
touched with the human hand and
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heard by the human ear. This is
what we call empirical evidence"
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An eye witness who states today
in a court of law that he saw
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such and such is to be believed
at least with everyone who is a
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rational thinker. How about the
third one? Deathbed confessions.
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A deathbed confession of an eye
witness is one of the strongest
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forms of evidence to be tabled
in a court of law today. If it
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is written down, it would amount
to a sworn affidavit. If two or
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three such confessions can
be found, they would amount to
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nearly unassailable testimony
[in a court of law]. Few judges
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[or] juries in the world
will overturn multiple deathbed
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confessions stating the same
detail. Why do we accept that?
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Because at the point of
death most people, even hardened
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criminals, kind of soften up and
they say all right, I agree, I
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will tell you what I see
and what happened. For example,
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suppose we go to a deathbed of
an individual who is dying and
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we say, look you were there, say
20 years ago. You were there so
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could you tell us really what
happened. And he sighs, he's
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about to die so he says, Look
I cannot hold it anymore. For
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long I've held it as a huge
burden on my chest. I knew that
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the wrong person was in jail.
But I could not bring myself to
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tell the truth. Now I am dying.
I will tell you the truth. It
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was so and so. And the fact
is Mr. So and So was also there.
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And so they realize, Oh Mr. So
and So is also in the same town.
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We rush over to the other end
of town and we say, Sir, do you
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know what happened at that day?
And he is also on his deathbed.
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And he says the same thing.
I had a huge burden, a load of
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guilt on my mind because I knew
the wrong person was in jail.
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But now since I'm
dying, I'll tell you. So and so
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and he states the
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same person's name. And just
suppose we went to the third one
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and he is also dying and he says
the same name. Do you know, I
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don't think there would be any
jury or judge in the world that
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will overturn this kind of
deathbed confession of the same
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matter. So if three or four
are there, it almost settles the
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matter. How many do we
have here? Number one: Peter was
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crucified upside down.
Two: James was stoned to death.
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Three: Matthew was killed with
a sword. Four: James the son of
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Alpheus was crucified. Five:
James the son of Zebedee was
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killed by the sword. Six:
Thaddaeus was shot through with
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arrows. Seven: Bartholomew
was crucified. Eight: Andrew was
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crucified. Nine: Phillip was
crucified. 10: Simon the Zealot
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was crucified. 11: Thomas
was killed with the spear. Paul
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number 12, was beheaded. And not
a single one ever recanted of
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his belief that Jesus had risen
up from the grave, not a single
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one. Just think about it. They
were not killed at one time with
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one sweep. No, they
were killed one and then a
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few months later the
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other one and then a few months
later the other and a few months
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later the other. They could
have told them look, look what
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happened to other guy, we killed
him. Now you tell the truth.
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How easy would it have been, my
friend, to tell the truth and go
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home. Why would you die for
a lie? How reasonable is that?
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You and I wouldn't do that. And
so we should not thrust a lie
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onto those people who died for
what they truly believed. Now
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you can die you know
for what you were, you know,
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deceived to believe.
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You can die for a delusion that
you had. But you cannot die for
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something that you know. Here
we are saying, for example, that
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disciples knew that they had
buried Jesus in maybe Peter's
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backyard. How will they now be
so bold to tell a lie and also
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to die for it? If you and I were
there, at least me, I would have
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told them, Hey don't kill me,
go the body is there. He didn't
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rise up. But not one of them did
that. Every one of them said You
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do whatever you want. I'm going
to say he rose up from the dead.
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We'll beat you up. He rose up.
We'll spit on your face. He rose
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up. We'll lash you. He rose.
We'll put you in jail. He rose.
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We'll kill you. He rose up from
the dead. I cannot go against my
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own conscience. I saw him alive.
Before and after putting into
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the tomb. I saw him myself. How
can I say anything but the truth
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of the matter. He rose up from
the dead! And all of them died
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one after the other saying the
same thing. My friends, deathbed
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confessions are strong. We must
not reduce the strength of those
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statements. And if we are honest
inquirers, remember what we said
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We would give credit where
credit is due. It is due here
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for the simple reason that they
died for it. Nobody dies for
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known falsehood. So now let's
look at those others. Not just
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you and me who looked at the
story, and see what they say.
00:14:22.82\00:14:27.00
Look at the word evidence as I
go through the next few quotes.
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I've bolded them so it'll
be easy for you. Watch this.
00:14:32.53\00:14:36.74
Westcott said: "Indeed taking
all the evidence together it is
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not too much to say that there
is no historic incident better
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or more variously supported than
the resurrection of Christ."
00:14:47.55\00:14:51.12
Henry Morris said: "By all
rules of evidence His bodily
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resurrection from the grave can
be adjudged the best proved fact
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of all history." Of all ancient
history. How about Thomas Arnold
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The chairman of the Department
of Modern History in Oxford
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University said this. "Thousands
and tens of thousands of persons
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have gone through it piece
by piece as carefully as every
00:15:14.84\00:15:18.41
judge summing up a most
important case. I have myself
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done it many times over, not to
persuade others but to satisfy
00:15:22.25\00:15:25.95
myself...and I know of no one
fact in the history of mankind
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which is proved by better and
fuller evidence of every sort
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to the understanding of a fair
inquirer, than that Christ died
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and rose again from the dead."
Arnold Toynbee wrote a big
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compendium on history. He called
it the Study of History. He
00:15:45.41\00:15:49.48
devoted 80 pages to anyone who
would call themselves savior.
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Savior of the world, savior
of your nation, savior of your
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community, savior of your family
savior of your friend. If you
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called yourself a savior and
he knew about it, he studied you
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out and this is what he said
at the end of his study. "When
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we first set out on this quest
we found ourselves moving in the
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midst of a mighty marching host.
...In the last stage of all, our
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motley host of would-be saviors,
human and divine, has dwindled
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to a single company of none
but gods. At the final ordeal of
00:16:21.68\00:16:25.88
death, few, even of these would-
be savior-gods, have dared to
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put their title to the test by
plunging into the icy river [of
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death]. And now as we stand and
gaze with our eyes fixed upon
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the farther shore, a single
figure rises from the flood [of
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death], and straightway fills
the whole horizon. There is the
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Savior." "The bones of Abraham
and Muhammad and Buddha and
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Confucius and Lao Tzu and
Zoroaster are still here on
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earth. Jesus' tomb is empty.
It is the concrete, factual,
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empirical proof that: Life
has hope and meaning; love is
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stronger than death; goodness
and power are ultimately allies,
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[and] not enemies; life [and not
death] wins in the end; God has
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touched us right here where
we are and has defeated our last
00:17:16.93\00:17:20.54
enemy; we are not cosmic
orphans." [Kreeft and Tacelli]
00:17:20.57\00:17:24.51
How about this Lord Chief
Justice, England? "The claims of
00:17:24.54\00:17:28.94
of Jesus Christ, namely
His resurrection has led me as
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often as I have tried to examine
the evidence to believe it as a
00:17:33.95\00:17:39.42
fact beyond dispute." These
are the words of Lord Caldecote,
00:17:39.45\00:17:44.56
Chief Justice of England. Here's
another one. "I know pretty well
00:17:44.59\00:17:49.63
what evidence is; and I tell you
such evidence as that for the
00:17:49.66\00:17:54.60
Resurrection has never broken
down yet." Wilbur Smith. The
00:17:54.64\00:17:58.44
words of Lord Lyndhurst, three
time High Chancellor of England.
00:17:58.47\00:18:01.28
These are not people who just
wondered and just took a blind
00:18:01.31\00:18:05.85
shot at what the story might
have been. These people are
00:18:05.88\00:18:09.32
people who went into the details
of the story, studied them out,
00:18:09.35\00:18:14.86
weighed them out. That's what
they said. And here's another
00:18:14.89\00:18:17.83
one: "On that greatest point
we are not merely asked to have
00:18:17.86\00:18:23.47
faith. In its favor as
living truth there exists such
00:18:23.50\00:18:27.97
overwhelming evidence,
[the words again overwhelming
00:18:28.00\00:18:33.07
evidence], positive and negative
factual and circumstantial, that
00:18:33.11\00:18:36.71
no intelligent jury in the world
could fail to bring in a verdict
00:18:36.75\00:18:41.45
that the resurrection story is
true." [Lord Darling]. Did you
00:18:41.48\00:18:47.26
see all the times when they said
that it was evidence? It was not
00:18:47.29\00:18:52.89
blind belief. They've looked
for those evidences. It was
00:18:52.93\00:18:57.23
something that gripped
them because it was evidentiary
00:18:57.27\00:19:00.30
it was evidence-based fact. And
that's what they claimed. That's
00:19:00.34\00:19:05.74
what they said from their study.
So we also when we looked. We
00:19:05.77\00:19:10.21
looked at the pros and we looked
at the cons. We looked at what
00:19:10.25\00:19:13.62
the other alternative theories
might be and we looked also for
00:19:13.65\00:19:18.52
evidences that could have given
us the real true story. That is
00:19:18.55\00:19:23.19
what we mean by saying that
we are actually inquirers. As
00:19:23.22\00:19:28.03
inquirers we will look at both
sides, we'll look at all the
00:19:28.06\00:19:31.67
evidence and we'll give credit
where credit is due. A thorough
00:19:31.70\00:19:36.84
going scientist may doubt the
story of the resurrection, but
00:19:36.87\00:19:42.11
will have no grounds to deny
it. There's a difference between
00:19:42.14\00:19:47.32
doubt and denial. Ordinarily
we would still doubt. We're not
00:19:47.35\00:19:52.05
very, very, exactly very sure,
but here's what we can do with
00:19:52.09\00:19:55.66
our doubt. We can take our doubt
and ask whether the evidence
00:19:55.69\00:20:01.13
clears the doubt or establishes
it. In other words, what is the
00:20:01.16\00:20:06.30
weight of evidence. That is how
we started out our whole trip
00:20:06.33\00:20:12.37
together, my friends. Our
journey, the last 13 sessions,
00:20:12.41\00:20:16.18
we started by saying that
we will look for evidence, not
00:20:16.21\00:20:21.35
opinion. We will look for
reason, we will look for logic,
00:20:21.38\00:20:25.82
and when we do that through
the whole series we've come to a
00:20:25.85\00:20:30.89
place where even something
that is as unbelievable as a
00:20:30.93\00:20:35.46
resurrection, a bodily
resurrection, can have a certain
00:20:35.50\00:20:40.57
amount of evidence and if
that evidence is the weight of
00:20:40.60\00:20:45.57
evidence, then you and I should
give it the credit that it is
00:20:45.61\00:20:49.78
due. A fair inquirer will
find enough evidence to make a
00:20:49.81\00:20:54.28
reasonable claim that the
resurrection story is true.
00:20:54.32\00:20:57.72
It is the evidence that compels
the fair and honest inquirer. So
00:20:57.75\00:21:02.46
we go back to Socrates who said:
"Go where the argument leads."
00:21:02.49\00:21:09.56
Go where the evidence leads.
Don't pull the evidence and the
00:21:09.60\00:21:15.17
argument to where you think it
should go. Have I challenged you
00:21:15.20\00:21:20.68
to think critically and to look
at reports or claims or theories
00:21:20.71\00:21:28.38
as an inquirer? So that we look
at both sides so that we are
00:21:28.42\00:21:34.56
sure that we are finally done
our study that the correct side
00:21:34.59\00:21:39.43
has the weight of evidence. That
side wins the discussion. We
00:21:39.46\00:21:45.47
have shown it and so now we've
come to the last question that
00:21:45.50\00:21:49.40
we were asking in our series
when I said we will go to the
00:21:49.44\00:21:53.58
para religious factors. These
are not the doctrinal matters.
00:21:53.61\00:21:57.95
But can you see on this point if
the resurrection story is true
00:21:57.98\00:22:05.82
it is a stand we can take as
a doctrine, as a belief, as a
00:22:05.85\00:22:10.03
philosophy that somebody rose
up from the grave and therefore
00:22:10.06\00:22:13.13
that individual, whoever rose
up, has a credential that nobody
00:22:13.16\00:22:17.97
else on earth has. So now we've
finished these topics. Let's
00:22:18.00\00:22:24.27
look at the summary of the
conclusions of our study now of
00:22:24.31\00:22:28.58
these religions. Here is
the summary: Number one: The New
00:22:28.61\00:22:32.51
Testament is the best documented
ancient writing in the world.
00:22:32.55\00:22:37.29
It is solidly historical
in nature. The gaps are the
00:22:37.32\00:22:41.52
closest. It has the greatest
manuscript evidence and the
00:22:41.56\00:22:45.43
authors were right there. We saw
the top feature of the writing.
00:22:45.46\00:22:50.37
The endorsement that one author
gave to the other when he said
00:22:50.40\00:22:55.47
the Lord gave me the information
The Lord also gave him the
00:22:55.50\00:23:00.58
information, maybe 500
even a thousand years earlier.
00:23:00.61\00:23:03.11
Therefore the Lord was the
ultimate writer of the book and
00:23:03.14\00:23:07.52
if the Lord lived for 1400
years well that's absolutely
00:23:07.55\00:23:11.35
impossible for a human to do. So
it is beyond human capability.
00:23:11.39\00:23:15.76
Number three about the Bible:
It is the only book that has an
00:23:15.79\00:23:21.26
open test for authenticity.
It fulfills its own test
00:23:21.30\00:23:27.14
wonderfully, clearly. What was
the test? Predictive prophecy.
00:23:27.17\00:23:32.11
It made predictions before it
took place and those predictions
00:23:32.14\00:23:37.98
came true. Do you remember
what Pierre Simon Laplace said?
00:23:38.01\00:23:41.55
If there's an intellect that
could do it then that intellect
00:23:41.58\00:23:45.92
knows everything in the universe
and we found that maybe that was
00:23:45.95\00:23:51.23
the intellect. He who lives
in the heavens is that intellect
00:23:51.26\00:23:55.86
who knows everything so he can
predict the future. And we saw
00:23:55.90\00:23:59.70
how clearly the predictions came
true. What was the statistical
00:23:59.73\00:24:05.14
possibility of having those
number of predictions come true?
00:24:05.17\00:24:08.74
Way beyond what we have as the
total number of chance in the
00:24:08.78\00:24:14.02
universe. And therefore, we can
give it the credit where it is
00:24:14.05\00:24:18.15
due. So look at the consistency
of what we are seeing. The New
00:24:18.19\00:24:23.49
Testament is the best attested
historical literature, its
00:24:23.53\00:24:27.20
feature is beyond human
capability and it is the only
00:24:27.23\00:24:31.23
literature that says yes you can
test me and tested by predictive
00:24:31.27\00:24:36.71
prophecy. Number four: Jesus
dared to make the highest claim,
00:24:36.74\00:24:41.14
Son of God. He did not just
bring the truth, the way and the
00:24:41.18\00:24:43.65
life; He claimed to be the
truth and the way and the life.
00:24:43.68\00:24:46.11
And Jesus, the only one whose
life record matched His teaching
00:24:46.15\00:24:51.25
perfectly. The only one with
the right to say, "Follow Me."
00:24:51.29\00:24:54.86
Look at the consistency. He says
I am God. From there the Lamb of
00:24:54.89\00:25:00.06
God he came to be human.
Therefore, he brought the
00:25:00.10\00:25:02.16
message in himself and if he
brought the message in himself
00:25:02.20\00:25:04.63
then he lived according to the
message and we saw that was true
00:25:04.67\00:25:07.54
Number seven: He was the only
founder to be born in abject
00:25:07.57\00:25:11.61
poverty, and worse illegitimate!
Number eight: Jesus had, by far,
00:25:11.64\00:25:16.14
the shortest period of ministry.
And number nine: The only
00:25:16.18\00:25:19.55
founder who died a shameful,
violent death of a condemned
00:25:19.58\00:25:22.85
criminal. These three pull
him down to the lowest point
00:25:22.88\00:25:26.05
possible. But here comes the
10th: The only one to go into
00:25:26.09\00:25:30.79
the domain of death - the most
feared enemy of human kind -
00:25:30.83\00:25:34.86
break those bands, and come back
as a conqueror over death. Why
00:25:34.90\00:25:40.00
did he do that? He said why
he did it. He said if I live you
00:25:40.04\00:25:44.67
also will live. In other words,
he did that so that he could
00:25:44.71\00:25:49.21
tell us that he has a power
stronger than death and it us
00:25:49.24\00:25:53.82
that he has conquered it and
because he conquered it we also
00:25:53.85\00:25:57.05
can have the hope of conquering
death. So the final conclusion
00:25:57.09\00:26:01.96
of what we've been doing all
this while: We find that Jesus
00:26:01.99\00:26:06.76
and the Bible are matchless
in their claims. In other words,
00:26:06.80\00:26:12.13
you pit the claims of Jesus and
the Bible against the claims of
00:26:12.17\00:26:16.81
any other founder and their
writings and we'll find that
00:26:16.84\00:26:20.94
they are simply matchless.
Number two: They do have the
00:26:20.98\00:26:24.98
highest credibility compared to
any other claim on the face of
00:26:25.01\00:26:29.62
this earth. And therefore they
provide to mankind, remember
00:26:29.65\00:26:34.06
for what we were looking, that
RED marble! What is the meaning
00:26:34.09\00:26:37.96
of the red marble?
It was THE ONLY WAY!
00:26:37.99\00:26:43.30
We've come to the end, my
friends. Reflect on what we have
00:26:43.33\00:26:47.54
done and may God bring you to
the point in which you can see
00:26:47.57\00:26:51.41
and have your life worth
living. So I now for the present
00:26:51.44\00:26:54.98
bid you adieu.
00:26:55.01\00:26:56.91
If you have enjoyed this
presentation with Dr. Subodh
00:26:56.95\00:27:02.22
Pandit and wish to watch more of
this unique 13 part series for
00:27:02.25\00:27:07.06
free online visit the website
GodFactOrFiction.com. That's
00:27:07.09\00:27:12.49
GodFactOrFiction.com. If
you would like to order this
00:27:12.53\00:27:16.13
fascinating series on DVD it is
now available from White Horse
00:27:16.16\00:27:19.77
Media...
00:27:19.80\00:27:27.14
Dr. Subodh Pandit has written
two eye-opening books entitled
00:27:27.18\00:27:31.55
Come Search With Me: Does God
Really Exist? and Come Search
00:27:31.58\00:27:35.62
With Me: The Weight of Evidence
which further explore the topics
00:27:35.65\00:27:39.15
of evolution,
theism, atheism and religion.
00:27:39.19\00:27:43.93
¤ ¤
00:27:43.96\00:28:27.64