Happy Easter! As I was preparing for our services tomorrow, I was amazed at how far people go to find ways to disprove the resurrection of Jesus. What is interesting to me is the explanations take more faith than just believing Jesus did rise from the dead. A few weeks ago a wacko professor from FSU said that Jesus walked on ice. Many of the readers on my blog pointed out the flaws for that. Look at some of the explanations people have to disprove the resurrection of Jesus: 1. THE "SWOON THEORY"- Jesus did not die on the cross, but due to tremendous physical suffering had passed out and only appeared dead. Subsequently, he was buried alive in the tomb where he revived and escaped. This theory attempts to explain the post-resurrection appearances and the empty tomb. 2. Hallucination Theory: The post-resurrection appearances could be explained as hallucinations experienced by the followers of Jesus which were possibly triggered by their anguished longing for his presence. This theory, of course, simply ignores the evidence of the empty tomb. 3. Mistaken Identity Theory: The appearance of the resurrected Jesus are considered cases of mistaken identity on the part of the distraught disciples. Mary Magdalene who mistakes Jesus for the gardener in John 20:11-18 is an example. 4. Wrong Tomb Theory: Sometimes coupled with the mistaken identity theory, suggests that the disciples and the women went to the wrong tomb which happened to be empty. 5. Stolen Body Theory: This is the oldest theory, dating back to the New Testament (Matt 28:11- 15). The disciples simply stole the body and fabricated the accounts of the appearances of resurrected Jesus. 6. The Telegram/Telegraph Theory-This theory claims that the spiritually ascended Jesus telegraphed images of himself from heaven to the minds of his followers on earth. These images were so graphic that his followers mistakenly thought that they had physically seen the resurrected Jesus in their midst. But what about the empty tomb (the telegram theory also asserts that Jesus’ body remained in the tomb)? 7. The Seance Theory- This theory asserts that Jesus was "raised" in the same manner that a spirit is "raised" in a seance through ectoplasmic manifestation. It claims this despite the fact that it makes Jesus' followers participants in a seance, a practice their own Scriptures sternly prohibits (cf., e.g., Deut. 18:9-12). It also makes them out to be either liars or deluded for believing that something as ephemeral as an ectoplasmic manifestation was the same thing as a literal, physical resurrection appearance. I know there are other crazy theories. But it takes more faith to believe these crazy theories than to believe that Jesus is who He said He was. I'm grateful for what He did for me and you. I pray you have great services tomorrow. We are starting a new Contemporary Service called, DWELLING PLACE 843. Happy Easter! He is alive!