| Preface |
2 |
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| Table of Contents |
5 |
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| Abbreviations and References |
8 |
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| 1. The Promise of Resurrection from the Dead |
10 |
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| Resurrection Defined | 10 | |
| Gathered to their Fathers and Sheol | 11 | |
| The First Glimmers Job and Psalms | 11 | |
| Resurrection in Hosea and Isaiah | 12 | |
| The Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel | 13 | |
| Daniel 12:1-2 | 13 | |
| First Century Judaism | 14 | |
| Previous Resurrections | 15 | |
| Jesus' Teaching on the Resurrection of the Dead | 15 | |
| Jesus as the Agent of Resurrection | 16 | |
| Jesus' Promise of His Own Resurrection | 17 | |
| The Third Day, Three Days | 17 | |
| 2. The Gospel Accounts of Christ's Resurrection from the Dead |
20 |
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| The Synoptic Problem | 20 | |
| Resurrection Differences | 21 | |
| Eyewitness Accounts | 22 | |
| Points of Agreement | 22 | |
| What Happened Easter Morning? | 23 | |
| The Grave Clothes | 23 | |
| Why Was the Stone Rolled Away? | 25 | |
| What Was Jesus' Body Like? | 25 | |
| The Resurrection vs. the Ascension | 26 | |
| The Bottom Line | 27 | |
| 3. Convincing Proofs of Christ's Bodily Resurrection |
29 |
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| People Just Don't Come Back to Life | 29 | |
| Historically Accessible | 30 | |
| A Narrow View of Historicity | 30 | |
| Alternate Theories of the Resurrection | 31 | |
| 1. Theft Theory | 32 | |
| 2. Swoon Theory | 32 | |
| 3. Wrong Tomb Theory | 33 | |
| 4. Vision Theory | 33 | |
| 5. Spiritual Metaphor Theory | 34 | |
| Five Important Facts of Easter Morning | 34 | |
| Arguments by Silence | 38 | |
| The Sufficiency of the Evidence | 38 | |
| 4. The Present-Day Significance of Christ's Resurrection |
41 |
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| 1. Jesus' Resurrection Is God's Seal of Approval on Jesus | 41 | |
| 2. Jesus' Resurrection Validates our Salvation | 42 | |
| 3. Jesus' Resurrection Typifies our Spiritual Union with Him | 44 | |
| 4. Jesus' Resurrection Is the Harbinger of our Own Resurrection on the Last Day | 46 | |
| The Encouragement of Resurrection | 47 | |
| 5. The Christian Hope of Resurrection at the Last Day |
51 |
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| Rapture vs. Resurrection | 51 | |
| In Heaven Prior to the Resurrection | 53 | |
| Redemption and Glorification | 54 | |
| Corruptible vs. Incorruptible, Natural vs. Spiritual Bodies | 55 | |
| What Is Our Resurrection Body Going to Be Like? | 56 | |
| Why Will We Have Resurrection Bodies? | 57 | |
| Getting All the Right Molecules Restored | 57 | |
| Death Is Not the Victor | 58 | |
| Appendix 1. Parallel Accounts of the Resurrection (NIV) |
60 |
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| Appendix 2. A Possible Harmonization of the Resurrection Accounts |
67 |
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| Appendix 3. Resurrection and Easter Hymns and Songs |
69 |
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| Appendix 4. Participant Notes |
71 |
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| About the Author |
83 |
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