God Raised Christ from the Dead: Three Undeniable Facts

Easter is the most important celebration for Christians around the world, because the resurrection of Jesus Christ marked a turning point in human history. This event opened the way to salvation for every person.

Today, the Gospel — the Good News of Christ’s sacrifice and victory — is being proclaimed in every corner of the world. Just like two thousand years ago, the followers of Jesus boldly declare: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day.

But did He really rise from the dead?

Let’s take a look at three compelling facts that confirm the resurrection of Christ as a real, historical event.

Fact #1: The Empty Tomb

There are at least six independent sources that testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Matthew 28:1–10, Mark 16:1–8, Luke 24:1–12, John 20:1–8, Acts 2:29–32, 1 Corinthians 15:3–5.

These texts are among the earliest writings in the New Testament, making them incredibly valuable for evaluating historical accuracy.

Historians generally agree that when multiple independent sources report the same event, its credibility increases. And when those sources were written close in time to the actual events, that credibility grows even stronger.

What stands out is the fact that the first witnesses to the empty tomb were women. In the cultural context of that time — when a woman’s testimony held almost no legal weight — this detail doesn’t look like a fabricated story. If someone had made it up later, they likely would’ve made men the heroes of the discovery.

And here’s another key point: even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged the tomb was empty. Instead of denying the event altogether, they claimed the disciples stole His body — which actually confirms that the tomb really was empty.

“By far most scholars hold firmly to the reliability of the biblical statements about the empty tomb.” — Jakob Kremer, Professor of New Testament Studies, University of Vienna

Fact #2: The Appearances of the Risen Jesus

In one of the earliest New Testament letters, the apostle Paul gives a list of people who saw the risen Christ:

“He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all… He appeared also to me.”
(1 Corinthians 15:5–8)

All four New Testament Gospels confirm the resurrection of Jesus, both individually and through shared testimony.

Historical records — especially Paul’s eyewitness list — show that many individuals and groups had real encounters with the risen Christ after His death.

“It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus’s death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ.” — Gerd Lüdemann, New Testament Scholar, University of Göttingen

Fact #3: The Disciples’ Belief in the Resurrection

After Jesus was crucified, His disciples were devastated, afraid, and in hiding — fearing for their lives. As Jews, they had no concept of a Messiah who could be executed by His enemies — much less one who would rise again.

According to Jewish belief, resurrection was something that would happen only once — at the end of time, on Judgment Day. The idea of one person rising from the dead in the middle of history was unthinkable. On top of that, crucifixion under Jewish law was seen as a sign of being cursed by God.

And yet something extraordinary happened. Despite their fear, doubts, and the cultural stigma, the disciples became convinced that Jesus truly had risen from the dead. Their faith was so strong that not one of them recanted their belief — even under threat of torture or death.

Even those who once rejected Jesus or opposed His followers — like Saul (who became the apostle Paul), or Jesus’ skeptical brother James — became devoted believers. Such radical transformations are hard to explain — unless the Resurrection really happened.

“What is required for the rise of a movement like early Christianity is some kind of powerful, transformative experience.” — Luke Johnson, New Testament Scholar, Emory University

Over time, many naturalistic theories have been proposed to explain these events — from conspiracy theories and hallucinations to body theft and mistaken death.

We’ll explore these theories on our Telegram channel on April 17, 2025.

But the reality is, none of these explanations can account for all three core facts: the empty tomb, the appearances of Jesus, and the disciples’ unwavering belief.
The only conclusion that makes sense — the one given by the original eyewitnesses — is that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Based on materials from the apologetics ministry “Faith and Reason.”