Gary Habermas

(Class Notes - Southern Evangelical Seminary)

1. Jesus died due to the rigors of crucifixion.

2. Jesus was buried.

3. His disciples doubted and despaired because His death challenged their hopes.

4. The tomb in which Jesus was buried was discovered to be empty just a few days later.

5. The disciples had real experiences that they believed were actual appearances of the risen Jesus.

6. The disciples were transformed and were even willing to die for the truth of these events.

7. This gospel message, including the resurrection, was the very center of preaching in the early church.

8. The gospel was even proclaimed in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus died.

9. The Christian Church was firmly established by these disciples.

10. The primary day of worship was Sunday—the day Jesus was reported to have risen.

11. James, Jesus’ previously skeptical brother, was converted when he believed he saw the resurrected Jesus.

12. Paul, a leader in the persecution of the Church, was also converted  by a real experience he believed to be the risen Jesus.

According to Gary Habermas, these 12 facts militate against any naturalistic explanation of the empty tomb, and argue, quite successfully, for a supernatural one.

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