Evidence of Something Supernatural

Marketing is a very important thing. uses a preposition that indicates the stone was rolled. back up the hill. Luke writes that the stone was rolled up and away. From the two.

John uses the preposition that the stone has been carried up. and away. From the tomb. In other words, somebody picked up this two-ton stone and tossed it. On its side.

as if it were a pebble and there's an angel. Sitting on it. Can you really trust the resurrection of Jesus? What proof is there that he rose from the dead? I'm so glad you've joined us today here on Wisdom for the Heart.

You're about to hear from Stephen Davey. The president of Wisdom International and your teacher for this daily Bible teaching program. Stephen's been helping people grow in their faith for four decades, and today he'll help you uncover five supernatural evidences that confirm the life-changing event. of our Lord's resurrection. These truths will strengthen your faith.

and challenge your doubts. Here's Stephen. The more famous a person is when they die. The more likely there will be some.

Sort of Drama. surrounding their death, perhaps even a conspiracy or Um more of whether or not they They even died. I think of what's called to this day The Graceland hoax. Maybe you're old enough to know by that, the conspiracy that Elvis Presley is still alive. He would be ninety now.

He is. The conspiracy that he never died. Persists, although he was pronounced dead by several physicians. followed by an autopsy. You usually don't survive those.

Doctors identified the cause of death, even identified the multiple drugs that he'd been taken. Taking. After the autopsy, he was prepared for burial by two morticians. dressed by his wardrobe, Manager. made up by his personal cosmetologist.

His hair, one final time, colored jet black, By his hairdresser. Then he was viewed. by his entire family. before closing. His casket.

All of these details are even put into print. In the American Funeral Director Journal, to try and stem the uh conspiracies The article was appropriately named, Elvis Has Really Left the Building. People still wondered. It was true. In April of 1865.

John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. All sorts of theories immediately began circulating. as to whether or not he truly died. and was buried. Even though his body was embalmed, He lay in an open cage.

casket on a funeral train. That slowly made its way through several states, thousands of people coming to the tracks to view his body. In that casket. When the train reached Springfield, Illinois, for fear of his tomb being Vandalized in some way, the casket was moved to an unidentified underground. Vault.

Its location though became known and a gang of criminals planned plotted to steal his body and hold his remains for ransom. Their plot was discovered. Eventually, in 1901, 36 years after his death, His body once again was verified medically for identity. And then his coffin was surrounded by a steel case. page And put in a deep vault where several tons of cement were poured.

All around it, literally encasing his coffin in concrete. Only then did Evidently, there was enough evidence to satisfy the public that he was indeed. Dead. and buried. When you compare Those two rather famous Scenes with The most famous graveside scene in human history.

And by the way, to this day, 2,000 years later, there are still conspiracies. That he never died. On the cross? And even if he did, there are more conspiracies that Jesus never rose from the dead. But you've got one eyewitness account after another reporting that Jesus appeared to all of his original disciples.

He appeared to his family, his friends. He appeared to 500 people at one time. He appeared to certain disciples uniquely at different times. He's finally viewed by eyewitnesses, many of them who watched him ascend. to the clouds and then away.

Still One conspiracy is called the hallucination. theory. This theory states that all of these people were hallucinating. It's hard to believe that everybody is having the same hallucination at the same time, hundreds of them. Another theory is that Jesus didn't die.

That he ran off with Mary Magdalene. They got married and raised a family in the south of France. That became a bestseller by a guy named Dan Brown. The Sanhedrinists, by the way, Believed he died. They didn't have to be convinced.

In fact, they're going to do everything they can to keep him in the tomb.

So when Jesus's body goes missing, Well, they launch a conspiracy theory. The disciples stole his body. And they're faking The resurrection.

Well They could have just waited and let the disciples' fake resurrection story eventually be proven untrue because Jesus.

Well, according to them, when you show up, what kind of Messiah would he be? But what the religious leaders don't know At the moment here in this drama. Is that the disciples are not sitting around trying to figure out a story? to convince people that Jesus has come back from the dead. The record of Scripture makes it very clear that The disciples Do not believe he will.

The disciples at this point. have thrown in the towel. They're disillusioned. They're depressed, despondent. They're done.

They're not going to perpetuate some myth about Jesus coming back to life. They're at this moment trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives.

Now that everything's been blown apart. And Jesus is dead. In fact, when women returned from the tomb If you're older in the faith, you probably remember they tell the disciples the exciting news that angels met them to tell them that Jesus was alive. And Luke records in chapter 24, verse 11, but these words seem to them, the disciples, An idle tale. A conspiracy.

Of sorts. And they did not believe them. In fact, the original word translated idol tale was used in the medical world, and Dr. Luke uses that word here. It's for the wild speech of someone who is sick in delirium.

You are so filled with grief that you are seeing things. I guess you could say the disciples are actually the ones that came up with the first hallucination theory. Have you ever thought about the fact? That the greatest obstacle to Christianity ever getting off the ground. was not the unbelief of the religious leaders, but the unbelief of the disciples.

They have to be convinced. First. In fact, what Jesus is going to do, the record of Scripture indicates, isn't really to convince the unbelieving world. In fact, they still don't believe. But to convince his own disciples.

We're given several pieces of evidence. that something amazing Has indeed taken place, and the evidence is even given before Jesus appears. to his Eleven. Let me give you five evidences. that something supernatural has taken place.

Five evidences that something supernatural has taken.

So turn in your Bibles. to the last chapter. Of the Gospel by Luke, Luke chapter 24. Yes, we've made it to the last chapter.

Some of you think that's a miracle all by itself.

Now, if you were with us on our last study, you might remember that several women had watched where Joseph of Arimathea had laid the body. They'd watched Nicodemus arrive with the spices and Joseph. They washed the body. They wrap it limb by limb, as was the custom, then they placed the Lord inside the tomb. More than likely hewn for him temporarily, as was the custom of that day.

Well, these women then go home, they wait for the double Sabbaths to elapse, Friday and Saturday. And then they plan to come back on Sunday morning.

Now, Luke writes here in chapter 24 and verse 1, but on the first day of the week, At early dawn, more than likely 5 or 6 a.m. They went to the tomb These women. Five of them. Taking the spices, They had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Now, fortunately, the Gospel of Matthew adds some details that inform us what happened just before these women arrive. At the tomb.

Now we know, by the way, let me insert this: that the Jewish leaders are afraid something's going to happen.

So they've already gone to Pilate. to request a Roman guard unit. to come. They want to make sure that Jesus stays inside. And the disciples stay outside.

And pilot agrees. Matthew writes it this way in chapter 27 and verse 66.

So they, the soldiers, went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting A guard. And I gotta tell you, this is gonna backfire. On these religious leaders. In fact, later on, they're going to wonder who came up with this dumb idea to send soldiers over there to guard it because now those soldiers become witnesses of something supernatural.

Now before we Go any further than that, understand this Roman guard. is not quite like the Sunday school pictures. You might have grown up with, which I did, guys in little pleated mini skirts. Oversized helmets standing there with cardboard swords.

Now this guard unit was anywhere from 4 to 16. Highly trained. Men. They represented, by the way, the defensive and offensive strategy of This impressive Undefeated Roman Empire. They were trained to be able to guard six square feet.

around them. You step into their six square feet. And you'd be in trouble. They had ways trained. to put an enemy to death.

Now Matthew also mentions that the guards sealed The tomb they stretched twine, Across the front, and they attached it with sealing clay. And the Roman commander of the unit would have pressed the insignia of some sort, the insignia of Rome, into that. Clay and that seal communicated no trespassing. Yeah. It didn't say beware of dog, it was beware of the Roman Empire.

In fact, we know from history that if somebody disturbed a Roman seal, they would be executed by crucifixion. You don't You don't mess with the seal of the Roman Empire.

Well, God the Father is going to mess with the seal of the Roman Empire. And the first evidence, I guess, we could add to this. Of something supernatural is this. Number one, The appearance of angels. Is undeniable.

Now, when you put the gospel clues together, Matthew records that just moments before the women arrived at the tomb. Chapter 28, verse 2. And behold, there was a great... Earthquake. And an angel of the Lord Descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow.

Now Luke's Gospel tells us They were seen as men. These angels are male. and that there were two of them. Matthew evidently focuses on the angel. Who did the talking?

And by combining, as we've learned, the gospel accounts, you get the fullest story. By the way, their appearance that's described here is the same terminology used to describe Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration, where their brilliant glory was revealed as they talked with Jesus, whose own glory also was revealed. Luke describes these two angels with the word. Dazzling.

Now understood correctly It's actually their bodies that are bright. They are literally emanating light. From their bodies. through their clothing. And it looks like lightning.

It's that brilliant. By the way. I may have mentioned this to you in some time past, but Daniel the prophet. And the Lord Jesus himself said that one day. You, the redeemed, will shine with the brightness.

of the sun. In fact, Daniel. Writes that the redeemed will shine like the brightness of the sky. above. Evidently this is what You look like after you're living with God, even Moses in his glory came back and had to put a veil over his face because he's shining brilliantly.

This is what you're gonna look like one day. Dazzling Bright. Like the sun.

Well, back to the record, Matthew adds here in verse four that the lightning bright angelic appearance. Caused the guards to tremble. They became like Dead men. paralyzed with fear. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid.

For I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He's not here. For he has risen as he said. Come. See the place where he lay?

Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen. From the dead.

So I get this scene here. The guards are trembling in terror, but still paralyzed. They can't move, they can only shake. But they still hear And they see This incredible scene.

So these soldiers now are going to turn into witnesses. They were there. By the way, they have nothing to gain with coming up with some kind of theory. They felt the earthquake. They saw the angels.

And best of all, they heard the angelic message: Jesus, who was crucified, is not here. For he has Risen. And this is the message. We celebrate it typically on Easter Sunday. You know, I wondered if I could stretch this thing out to get to Easter, to get to this text.

Couldn't quite do it.

So if you're deeply confused, this is not Easter Sunday. But in a way it is, isn't it? Every Sunday is Easter. Every Sunday, we're here celebrating because of... This message.

He is risen.

Well now Matthew tells us that the soldiers Immediately then run away. They collect themselves. They do not run back to their boss. Pilot They're in trouble if they do because they failed and they would be executed. For telling the story they're about to tell, they run to the high priest.

It's very interesting. And the chief priest You may know the narrative. We can't take the time to go into all the details, but he gives them a truckload of money. And he says, Hey, here's the conspiracy theory I want you to tell everybody. You fell asleep.

And we're going to pay you for that because that's life-threatening. And the disciples came and stole away the body. While you were sleeping. And then the chief priest says, Look, don't worry about the governor. We'll take care of him.

That means they'll probably give him a truckload of money. to overlook it as well.

So the first evidence of something supernatural Then is the appearance of angels. There's a second piece of evidence that something supernatural has taken place, easy to overlook. And it's number two, the stone, which is no longer in front of the tomb.

Now, I'll go over to Matthew quickly. He records in chapter 28 of verse 2: An angel of the Lord descended from heaven. and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

Now, Jesus has already risen from the dead. He's not in there. That stone was not removed to let Jesus out, but to let his disciples in.

so they could check it out.

Now that stone, according to the custom, was circular in shape, like a huge cart. Wheel, though solid stone, we know from history it would have weighed somewhere around two. Tons, maybe a ton. 10 and a half to two tons. It would be set in a groove.

that led down to the entrance of the cave. It'd be wedged in place by a piece of wood or a smaller rock. Until the body was placed in there, then the wedge would be removed, and with the help of gravity, they could roll that stone more easily down in front of the opening. That kept out wild animals and grave robbers. History records for us that an average stone like this would have taken 20 men to roll back uphill.

Now, Mark's gospel tells us that women are talking about this problem. Mark chapter 16, and the women were saying to one another: who's going to roll away the stone for us? When we get to the entrance of the tomb. And looking up, they arrive. The earthquake's already taken place, stone's already been thrown aside.

Soldiers already run away. They saw that the stone had been rolled back. He adds, and it was very large. Yeah. Now they're immediately surprised by this.

One author, by the way, spent a lot of time doing a geographical study on the location of all this, and I won't take you through all of it, but it was fascinating that he believed that the soldiers would have been running past where the women were walking. They would have seen them.

So they arrive after the soldiers have gone. Mark uses a preposition that indicates the stone was rolled back up the hill. Luke writes that the stone was rolled up and away. From the tomb. In other words, it's no longer in the groove.

John uses the preposition that the stone has been carried up. and away. From the tomb. In other words, somebody picked up this two-ton stone and tossed it. On its side, as if it were a pebble and there's an angel.

sitting on it. I love this angel. You know, he's just kind of sitting there. You know, you thought you could keep. us out.

He's out there. The women are invited to look inside. And with that, here's the third, the most important piece of evidence that something supernatural has taken place. The Lord's body is no longer where they had seen him laid. placed.

Simply put, the tomb is empty. It's unusual. The women had not arrived. To move the body of Jesus, it was placed where it would stay. They had come to anoint it.

Once placed on that ledge, Carved out of stone inside that cave tomb, that limestone. That body would have been left there. For a long time. It was the custom during these days that Eventually, when the flesh of the decomposed deceased had Finally decomposed it off. be a few years later.

The body would be unwrapped. And the family would gather. And Place the bones in a small bone box called an ossuary. The person's name would be inscribed on the side or on the top. of the lid.

The box would then be moved to a little niche. This would be a family cave tomb. And it would be used like this for generations. To come. By the way.

In our lifetime, The Lord has allowed another archaeological discovery. A discovery of an ossuary to testify to the reality of the gospel. This ossuary you're looking at here, this particular bone box. has been passed down for centuries until eventually it landed in the hands of an artifacts dealer in 1960. Nothing was done with it.

until 2002 because Frankly, the current owner didn't know Aramaic. and didn't bother. translating what had been Transcribed on the side of this ossuary. When it was finally translated, it created an uproar. And of course the Israeli Antiquities Authority immediately declared that it was a forgery.

Israel is not necessarily interested in artifacts that prove the gospel accounts of the Messiah. In fact, the dealer who owned the ossuary was arrested in Israel and charged with forgery. It would take years. But by 2012 He was cleared of all charges. An archaeologist doing every test imaginable admitted that this inscription was authentic.

dating to 63 A D. And the inscription on this bone box says, get ready for this. James The son of Joseph The brother of Jesus. Don't you just love that? I heard thunder just approving that whole idea.

I mean James. The son of Joseph, this is the James who will become the pastor-teacher of the church in Jerusalem. This is the James who will write that little book in your Bible called. The book of James.

Now, this isn't going to convince unbelievers. He's also in vector very common. in excavations. A revival didn't break out in the world of archaeology. Israel didn't say, okay, we've seen enough, we believe.

At least not yet. But here it is. For those of us who believe, This is wonderful reaffirmation. Isn't it? of the testimony of the gospel.

By the way, They found His bone box. But they've never found the bones of Jesus. It never will.

Well, there's another piece of evidence that something supernatural has taken place. Number four. The announcement of the angel regarding Jesus' resurrection. We read it earlier, but I want to point out something here. Luke writes in chapter 24 and verse 6: He's not here.

But has risen.

Now catch this. Remember how he told you. While he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified. On the third day, Rise. And they remembered his words.

Remember What Jesus told you. After Peter's confession that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus responded by saying in Matthew 16:21, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law. This is the Sanhedrin. And he must be killed. And on the third day, be raised.

to life. Later on, the Lord told them, The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him. And after three days, He will rise. Mark nine.

Before heading toward Jerusalem, recorded in Matthew chapter 20, Jesus told his disciples: imagine the specifics within this. This testimony. He said to them. We're going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man, that's his favorite title, the Messiah.

And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked. and flogged and crucified And He will be raised on the third day. Do you remember what Jesus said? The angel says here to the women now, remember.

How he told you. I think the angels Kind of gracious. He could have said, remember how he told you again and again and again? And again. I'm just like them, aren't you?

Remember. By the way, don't miss this. The angels don't try to convince the women of the empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus, simply by the physical evidences around them. Things we're pointing at here. They didn't give him a tour of the tomb.

They didn't talk about how much that stone weighed and which angel you actually tossed it aside. They didn't talk about how Jesus evaporated out of his linen wrappings, how everything was set the way it was, the earthquake and everything. They just simply said Do you remember what he said he'd do? And by the way, that's the same thing you and I have today. Anybody here seen an angel?

There's counseling afterward if you're going to raise your hand. No? Anybody here seen Jesus? What do you have? His word.

Remember. What he said. He said he was going to rise again. on the third day.

So verse 5. What are you doing looking for him in here? Hello that. Here's a lesson for us, beloved, when we forget what Jesus said. When we disbelieve the promises of God, When we We we think, oh I don't think that could happen.

From the record of scripture. We add to ourselves Our minds, our emotions, so many afflictions. To deny the promises of God is to invite worry. And doubt to just sort of set up a tent in the front yard of our lives. Remember.

What'd he say? Here's one final evidence of something supernatural taking place. Again, it's easy to miss, but I want to mention it here. Number five, evidence was provided by the testimony of women. We know in these days that according to Jewish law, a woman could not testify.

In court. Women weren't allowed to provide testimony, even if they were witnesses to a crime. If a woman saw somebody robbed, She knew where he lived. She had his license plate. She recorded it on her iPhone.

She couldn't take that testimony into court. It wouldn't hold up. Beloved, by the way. And I digress here, but I think it's important that wherever Christianity is followed, the laws of the land have changed regarding women. Women are not demeaned.

They are respected. and elevate it. In fact, the Bible says that men and women are. going to co-reign with Christ in the coming kingdom. Men are going to be dazzling bright I think women are really going to be dazzling.

Bright. in the kingdom. But in the first century, This is remarkable. If you're trying to figure out some kind of story. To make this news of Christ's resurrection credible.

You're not going to have five women as the testimony. provided by them. The fact that the news is carried to the disciples by these women actually gives incredible Proof, credibility. To Luke's account, because nobody in the ancient world would ever make up a story like this and have women serve as the first official witnesses. And another thought on that.

If you're retelling the account, You're trying to figure out how to tell the community, you're going to probably leave out the embarrassing fact that the 11 disciples dismissed the testimony of the women. Surely they'd be different. Oh. They said, you guys are hallucinating. You're speaking wildly as if in delirium.

And they dismissed them. Not a very impressive way to record how it all took place. It's a reminder God's Spirit is not interested in impressing anybody. He's interested in telling the truth. And the disciples are normal.

Flawed People. They're not going to get a badge here. for their faithfulness that are really grateful. Because I would have done the same thing. In fact, the closest people to being commended are these five women, but even for them, it's going to take some angels to convince them.

Something supernatural. has happened. Many people today deny the resurrection because they argue that miracles are impossible. Because nature is a closed system. You have laws that are unbreakable.

Unbendable. Miracles would violate the laws of nature. Science. One believing author Wrote, and I came across this, a professor of mathematics at Oxford. who use this illustration to argue against that.

Objection. He said, suppose I put $1,000 tonight in a drawer. in my study And then The next night, I put another $1,000 in that same drawer. In my study, $1,000 plus $1,000 equals... Even I I'm not good at math, but I know that.

$2,000.

Well Suppose on the third day I open that drawer and find only Five hundred dollars.

Well, obviously the laws of mathematics have not been broken. $1,000 plus $1,000 still equals $2,000. What that law tells me is that someone has put his hand in that drawer. and remove Some money. The laws of mathematics The laws of nature.

The laws of science have not been eliminated.

So he writes in the same manner, the resurrection of Christ doesn't erase or negate the laws of nature. The resurrection simply reveals that.

Someone has reached into the drawer of history. And done something. In this case, That supernatural hand Just God the Father. Has reached into the drawer of time and space and human history. And brought the dead body of his Sun.

Back to life. By the way, that same Omnipotent hand. brought your dead spirit Which you were born with. To life. For your spirit, Ephesians 2 says, was dead.

in trespasses. And Sin. But he quickened it. By his mercy. He made it alive.

The moment you believed... That the Son of God was crucified. For you. buried for you, rose again for you. His hand reached in and changed everything.

giving you Forgiveness. And Eternal life. Guaranteed. Why? Because something supernatural happened at this tomb.

which is now no longer occupied. For Jesus. Yeah. From the dead.

We'll stop here for now. Father, thank you for the record. Which for us thrills our hearts, for we believe, affirms. With every facet we observe Even the nuances reveal the glory of your plan. We thank you.

for discoveries Dead Sea Scrolls, they're firm. This record of scripture. We thank you for the discovery of. The bone box of Jane, Huh. We pray that anyone in here.

Today. Whose eyes are closed in unbelief. By the declaration of this scripture. will have that stirring in their heart. That miracle of regeneration that even right now your hand will.

Reach air. They'll place their faith in you. And you will bring their spirit. To life. That was Stephen Davey, and this is Wisdom for the Heart.

Today's message was called evidence of something supernatural. Before we go, let me tell you about a free tool that can make your Bible study deeper. and more meaningful. If you've ever had a question about scripture, you can now get clear, trustworthy answers instantly. Just visit wisdomonline dot org forward slash ask.

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