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Here is the evidence that the Apostles had truly witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If Jesus had not been resurrected then the disciples would have known. All of them would not have died for something they knew was a lie, especially many years later and by terrible torture.
It is the behavior of the Apostles after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection that we look at.
Important Fact! Before Christ was crucified, they all scattered, hid, and denied knowing Him, none stood by His side in the deathly situation prior to the crucifixion, resurrection.
Why would the Apostles endure terrible torture and horrific deaths for someone who wasn’t seen again? Afterwards, they all said, “He presented Himself alive to us after His suffering?”
For example how all apostles died?
Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross, because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same fashion that Jesus Christ had died.
Paul, thanks to his Roman citizenship, didn't have to endure a slow, torturous death, he was instead granted a quick beheading.
Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia; he was killed by a sword wound while preaching.
Mark the Gospel writer, was drug behind a chariot till death.
Luke the Gospel writer was crucified.
John faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge vat oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The Apostle John was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die naturally.
James, the brother of Jesus (not officially an apostle), leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with clubs. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the temptations.
James the Greater, son of Zebedee, was ultimately beheaded in Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazingly as James defended his faith at his trial. Later the officer walked beside James to the place of execution, he was overcome by conviction and then declared his new faith to the judge. Then the officer knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian along with James.
James the Less, son of Alpheus was also beheaded.
Simon the Zealot was sawed in two because he would not renounce his faith in Jesus Christ.
Bartholomew, also know as Nathanael, was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed in present-day Turkey and was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers, Andrew's body was tied to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the blood of Christ who hung on it." He continued to preach to his tormentors for two full days until he finally died.
The Apostle Thomas (Doubting Thomas, the one who refused to believe unless he stuck his finger in Jesus’ hand) was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church there.
Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded and left to be eaten by vultures.
Jude was martyred, shot and killed with arrows when he refused to deny the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phillip was martyred by crucifixion in the city of Hierapolis for his faith in the Jesus Christ.
It is not important how all the apostles died. What is important is the fact that they were all willing to die for their faith in Jesus Christ. The apostles were willing to die horrible deaths, while refusing to renounce their faith in Him after His resurrection is the tremendous evidence that they had truly witnessed the resurrection of the Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for all who have sinned” (Matthew 20:28).
Not only all that but also consider the 48 Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilling all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, or, 1 in 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00 0,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00 0,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00 0.
The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident." It is the work of God the Father. That everyone who believes in Him is justified and freed from everything that kept you from being justified in the Law of Moses. Acts 13:38.
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The way to the top is not by "stepping on others" but by "stooping to help others." Zig Ziglar
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