Did Shri Jesus really die by crucifixion? Yes, otherwise how can you resurrect y

[Guest guest]

, " Violet " <vtubb@b...>

wrote:

>

> Dear Jagbir,

>

> i have a basic question to ask.

>

> i wonder if Jesus really died (completely dead) on the cross or

> whether He laid down His life in Samadhi, and took it up again,

> because He had the power to do so. After all, if anyone had this

> power, Jesus had this power over life and death.

>

> i have never ever understood the Christian concept of Shri Jesus

> having to be 'slaughtered like a sheep', in order for us to be able

> to ascend to the Kingdom of God.

>

> i believe that Shri Mataji said that it was not the killing of

> Jesus which horrible people did to Him, but the Work that Jesus

> Himself did in opening the Agnya Centre within Human Beings that

> paved the way for people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven within.

>

> However, i would like confirmation on this, if possible.

>

> In any case, Jesus was seen alive in his physical body after He was

> supposedly killed. Does that not prove that He actually did not die

> completely, but must have gone into some other Spiritual State....

> Samadhi perhaps?

>

> Also, in the Bible Jesus is purported to have said that 'i lay down

> my life and i have the power to take it up again'...

>

 

 

" The Message of His life is not the Cross but the Resurrection. He

was resurrected. That was one of the things He did so that now you

can be resurrected. Every Incarnation is something unique. But the

end of it was the Resurrection. He did it because He had to die.

Otherwise how can you resurrect yourself? There are lots of things

which look difficult but which are not. There are some who say that

Christ never resurrected Himself. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Children, Money & Responsibility, Christmas Puja,

India — December 25, 1993

 

 

The Resurrection of Christ, a central doctrine of Christianity

 

The Resurrection of Christ, a central doctrine of Christianity, is

based on the belief that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the

third day after his Crucifixion and that through his conquering of

death all believers will subsequently share in his victory over " sin,

death, and the devil. " The celebration of this event, called Easter,

or the Festival of the Resurrection, is the major feast day of the

church. The accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus are found in the

four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — and various

theological expressions of the early church's universal conviction

and consensus that Christ rose from the dead are found throughout the

rest of the New Testament. (Britannica Online)

 

 

Jesus in Jewish eyes

 

The province of Judea in the time of Jesus was a seething cauldron of

discontent. Deeply divided in religious matters and resentful of

Roman occupation, it was a society that spawned a number or religious

and quasi-religious " prophets, " who gathered followers about them and

walked from town to town proclaiming their particular message. Some

of these were cranks, some crooks, and a few were genuine — even

inspired — religious figures who ardently desired the restoration of

Israel's political and religious integrity.

 

In the eyes of the Jewish religious leaders of the time, Jesus must

have seemed an incautious and even misguided example of these

prophets. They would probably have acknowledged that Jesus was a

successful healer and a good moral teacher, but condemned his attacks

on contemporary religious practice and teaching as being exaggerated.

These religious leaders would also have argued that Jesus brought

about his own downfall as a result of his insensitive approach to the

delicate relationship that they had to maintain with the Roman

authorities; and, finally, tales of his miraculous resurrection from

the dead were simply fabricated by his followers in an attempt to

keep his movement alive. (Dr. Peter B. Clarke, The World's Religions)

 

 

The Biblical account

 

The primary accounts of the resurrection are in the Gospels: the last

chapter of Matthew, of Mark, and of Luke, as well as the last two

chapters of John. However, there are two extant endings to Mark,

neither of which is probably the original (see Mark 16).

 

All these accounts agree that Jesus was killed by crucifixion and

placed in a tomb (belonging to Joseph of Arimathea). After observing

the Sabbath, some of Jesus' female followers returned to the tomb, to

complete the burial rites. When they arrived they discovered that the

body was gone, and they returned with some of the male disciples.

 

Jesus then makes a series of appearances to the disciples, with the

most notable being to Thomas and the other disciples in the upper

room (Luke 20:26-31), along the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), and

beside the Sea of Galilee to reinstate Peter (John 21:1-23). His

final appearance is reported as being forty days after the

resurrection when he ascended into heaven (Luke 24:44-49).

 

However, when compared, the accounts give different details and are

difficult to reconcile into a single sequence of events. For example,

Michael Ramsey (the former Archbishop of Canterbury) stated: " That we

should expect to be able to weave the stories into a chronological

and geographical plan seems inconceivable " (The Resurrection of

Christ 1946). These discrepancies have therefore been used to

question the authenticity of the biblical account of the

resurrection. Christians have answered by noting that multiple

eyewitnesses to any event tend to give conflicting accounts, and that

unanimous agreement would be indication of contrivance, not

authenticity. There are also various suggested ways in which the

accounts could be reconciled. These arguments are further discussed

below.

 

As the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most important events for

Christianity, there are many references to it in the rest of the New

Testament. Both Peter (Acts 2:22-32) and Paul (1 Corinthians 15:19)

argue that this event was the cornerstone of Christianity, and may be

seen to some extent as providing witness to the resurrection

independent of the Gospel accounts. Indeed, nearly every New

Testament book speaks of Jesus' death and resurrection, a telling

fact in that many were written independent of each other both

geographically and socially.

 

 

The historicity of the resurrection

 

As with all historical events before the past few hundred years, the

issue of historicity is an important aspect of any person's belief in

the actual occurrence of the resurrection. In contrast with

scientific phenomena for which reproducibility and falsifiability are

essential, historical phenomena depend on different criteria, such as

uniqueness of occurrence, plausibility of circumstances, and

testimony of witnesses.

 

 

Arguments defending the resurrection's historicity

 

Christians who defend the resurrection's historicity cite the

following, among other evidence:

 

• Multiple eyewitness accounts - different people, different

times, different situations, all seeing the resurrected Jesus, eating

with him, talking with him.

 

• Eyewitnesses died for their testimonies, which limits the

range of potentially false motives for their testimonies. The most

prominent are the first twelve apostles, all of whom were martyred

except John, who was merely exiled.

 

• Conservative Bible scholars argue that the resurrection shows

indications of being physical/historical event. For example, Dr.

Norman Geisler cites the gospel records indicating that Jesus is

reported to have flesh and bones(Luke 24:39). Dr. Geisler also points

out that the Apostle Peter is reported to say that Christ's " flesh

did not see corruption " (Acts 2:31). In addition Dr. Geisler cites

other Bible versus and very early church father testimony regarding

the physicality of the claim of the resurrection. [1] Dr. Gary

Habermas and Dr. William Craig argue that the hallucination and

vision explanations for the resurrection are not plausible [2] [3].

 

• The Gospels state that the early witnesses to the empty tomb

and the resurrected Jesus were women, whose testimony was not

regarded as credible in the patriarchal Judaism of that period. If

the resurrection stories were invented, one would not expect this: a

hoax or conspiracy would have used men as these early witnesses. An

honest account, on the other hand, would have described what was

true, however inconvenient it was.

 

• Various arguments having been put forth by legal scholars

such as Simon Greenleaf and John Warwick Montgomery and others

claiming that Western legal standards argue for the historicity of

the resurrection of Christ. [4][5][6] In addition, the former Chief

Justices of England Lord Darling and Lord Caldecote claimed there was

overwhelming amount of evidence for the resurrection of Christ.[7]

 

• Lack of protests against the empty tomb which is admitedly an

appeal to silence. There is no record of the Jewish and Roman

authorities disproving the belief by publicly presenting the real

corpse of Jesus. However, historian David Hackett Fischer states

among other criteria that appeals to silence in historical

investigations are not valid (David Hackett Fischer, Historians'

Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought (New York: Harper,

1970), p. 62-63). At the same time, we do have the New Testament

writers describing that the tomb was found empty. Historian Michael

Grant stated that historians cannot justifiably deny the empty tomb

and that the historical evidence necessitates the determination that

the tomb was found empty[8]

 

• Bible scholar Dr. Gary Habermas argues that there are eight

pieces of evidence showing that 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, which proclaims

Jesus's death and resurrection, was an early creed of the Christian

church [9][10].

 

• Bible scholar FF Bruce states that the presence of hostile

witnesses during the time of early Christianity served as a

historical check that lends further credence to the historicity of

Christianity.[11] In addition, Bruce states that it would not have

been easy " to invent words and deeds of Jesus in those early years,

when so many of His disciples were about, who could remember what had

and had not happened. " (Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They

Reliable?, pp. 45-46). This argument, however, leans on the

assumption that accounts of masses of witnesses to the event are, in

fact, truthful.

 

• Who could find a whole group of people willing to concoct a

wild lie, be tortured and killed for it, and not have one of them

tell the truth to escape death? Charles Colson argues in his book

Loving God that as a former Watergate conspirator he believes that

conspiracies are hard to maintain especially in the face of

persecution and argues that Apostles were telling the truth regarding

the resurrection of Jesus.

 

• The morality of Jesus and his disciples. Historian William

Lecky stated, " He [Jesus]...has been not only the highest pattern of

virtue, but the strongest incentive to its practice. " It is unclear,

however, how this is relevant to the question of Jesus' resurrection,

save as a response to the claim that the Apostles lied.

 

• The relatively poor educational level of the disciples (most

were fishermen), which would make the devising of an elaborate cover-

up difficult.

 

• The radical change of Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul.

 

• The birth and rapid spread of the early church, all from

people who were originally hiding in fear.

 

• The Bible says that over 500 people were witnesses of the

resurrected Jesus, many still alive at the time. This open

declaration was in the face of non-Christians who could respond to

the charge. To be fair, this is an argument from silence.

 

• The Jewish Scriptures contain many statements that Christians

have interpreted as saying that God would take a body, die for sins

and rise again. However, a skeptic could point out that this argument

is inaccurate.

 

• The early dates for most of the New Testament.

 

• The testimony of the early church fathers regarding the life,

death, and resurrection of Christ - some of whom were martyred for

their faith and claim to have met or been disciples of the Apostles.

For example, Polycarp, Ignatius, Papias, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr.

Bible scholar and archaeologist Bernard Ramm wrote regarding some

skeptics: " Unbelief has to deny all the testimony of the Fathers ....

It must assume that these men either did not have the motivation or

the historical standards to really investigate the resurrection of

Christ. They are deemed trustworthy for data about apostolic or near-

apostolic theology, yet in matters of fact they are not granted a

shred of evidential testimony. " But this must be, or unbelief cannot

make its case stick. "

 

• Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies (see: Bible

prophecy). The probability of the fulfillment of all of them by

chance is presumed to be extremely small and best accounted for as a

miracle. [12] [13] This ought to prompt us to take more seriously the

possibility of a second miracle, the resurrection.

 

• The experiences of millions of Christians worldwide today,

who claim to have met Jesus personally and experience the Spirit

which he promised would come.

 

• Negative accounts of Jesus' disciples in the New Testament

resurrection stories. Jesus' disciples became the leaders of

Christianity after Jesus' death, and yet the resurrection stories

speak poorly of their belief and understanding when Jesus met with

them after rising. If the stories were concocted, why would they

include such negative portrayals of themselves?

 

• The uniqueness of the New Testament descriptions of the

resurrection as thoroughly bodily and physical. Most, if not all,

resurrection stories of antiquity emphasize the immortality of their

hero's soul. This is indicative of a general philosophical culture

that looked harshly on physicality and emphasized the value of the

soul/spirit over body.

 

• A general acceptance by a majority of biblical scholars and

historians that Jesus' disciples at least thought they met Jesus

after he died (although scholars still disagree as to if they

actually saw a physical Jesus, a poser, a vision, or " something "

else).

 

• The early 19th century British historian and churchman Thomas

Arnold believed the resurrection of Jesus did occur and it that it

was " proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort " to the " fair

inquirer " .[14]

 

• In regard to the historicity of the resurrection, the

historian A. N. Sherwin-White stated that " Herodotus enables us to

test the tempo of myth-making, [showing that] even two generations

are too short a span to allow the mythical tendency to prevail over

the hard historic core " . [15] Michael Grant in his work Jesus: An

Historian's Review of the Gospels states: " Judaism was a milieu to

which doctrines of the deaths and rebirths, of mythical gods seemed

so entirely foreign that the emergence of such a fabrication from its

midst is very hard to credit. " [16].

 

• According to the book of Acts Jesus showed himself to the

Apostles with many " infallible proofs " (Acts 1:3) and the book of

Acts also gives an account of post resurrection appearance with Jesus

speaking to the Apostles in the opening chapter. A. N. Sherwin-White

stated regarding the book of Acts, that " the confirmation of

historicity is overwhelming. Any attempt to reject its basic

historicity, even in matters of detail, must now appear absurd. Roman

historians have long taken it for granted. " [17]. However, the

skeptic might point out that the writing of Acts is attributed to

Luke [18], who never met Jesus and clearly noted that his writings

were mere compilations of the accounts of others [Luke 1:1-3].

 

• Using the work of the University of Dublin physiologist

Samuel Houghton, M.D., Bible commentator Frederick Charles Cook and

author Josh McDowell argue that the crucifixion narrative in the

gospel of John could never have been invented as it displays medical

knowledge not available at the time. Houghton wrote concerning the

flow of " blood and water " recorded in the gospel of John after the

soldier is recorded to have pieced Jesus' side with a spear that it

was extremely unusual. Houghton wrote: " ....With the foregoing cases

most anatomists who have devoted their attention to this subject are

familiar; but the two following cases, although readily explicable on

physiological principles, are not recorded in the books (except by

St. John). Nor have I been fortunate enough to meet with them. " [19]

[20](for further details see: Josh McDowell, New Evidence that

Demands a Verdict, pages 223-225). Medical authorities W. D. Edwards,

W. J. Gabel and F. E. Hosmer appear to offer a different analysis in

regard to the New Testament Greek and the medical data, however. [21]

[22] (the latter footnote is the whole JAMA article in a PDF file

format). Alexander Metherall, M.D., P.H.D. concurs that based on the

gospel accounts that Jesus was dead when removed from the cross.[23]

(PDF format) In summary, all the aforementioned medical authorities

cited are in agreement that given the account in the New Testament

Jesus was dead when removed from the cross. However, the skeptic

could point out that expert opinions on the mortal injury described

in the tales do not constitute proof of a later resurrection.

 

• Bible commentators John Wenham, Dr. Gleason Archer and others

have offered exegesis of the Biblical text in respect to the gospels

arguing among other things that omissions are not contradictions and

that alleged contradictions are often due to poor Bible

exegesis/cultural differences (culteral context). [24][25][26]

According to historian David Hackett Fischer the following historical

methodology is sound: The meaning of any historical evidence is

dependent upon the context from which it is obtained. [27] This of

course would include cultural context. This may be accepted as a

general methodological statement; however, a skeptic might claim it

does not speak to any specific alleged inconsistency or

contradiction, nor to the question of whether the Resurrection

actually took place -- only to the means through which we should

evaluate evidence.

 

• Roman guards could be punished by death if ever they allow a

crucified man to live. The Roman guards even pierced Jesus on the

side with a spear; his body bled and released water, a sign of death

from asphyxia.

 

• Roman guards could be punished by death if they allowed a

condemned man's remains be stolen, especially because of the

importance of Jesus.

 

• In Matthew 28:11-15, there is a reference made to an attempt

to refute Christianity be saying that the disciples stole the body.

Christians believe there are a number of problems with the stolen

body hypothesis.[28][29][30].

 

• The Toledoth Yeshu a compilation of early Jewish writings, is

another source which alludes to stolen body hypothesis. [31][32]

Christians see this an acknowledgement that the tomb was empty, and a

poor attempt to explain it away. [33] In addition there is a record

of a second century debate between a Christian and a Jew, in which a

reference is made to the Jews claiming the body was stolen.[34]

 

• J.N.D. Anderson, dean of the faculty of law at the University

of London, and director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at

the same university said, " This [the stolen body theory] would run

totally contrary to all we know of them: their ethical teaching, the

quality of their lives. Nor would it begin to explain their dramatic

transformation from dejected and dispirited escapists into witnesses

whom no opposition could muzzle. " [35] Dr. John Warwick Montgomery,

author of History and Christianity, said, " It passes the bounds of

credibility that the early Christians could have manufactured such a

tale and then preached it among those who might easily have refuted

it simply by producing the body of Jesus. " [36]

 

• Some skeptics argue that no Roman historians mention any

darkness of three hours at the time of Jesus' death. However, Bible

scholar FF Bruce argues in his work, " The New Testament Documents:

Are They Reliable? that the Samaritan-born historian Thallus alludes

to this darkness. Julius Africanus writes regarding

Thallus: " Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away

this darkness as an eclipse of the sun -unreasonably, as it seems to

me " (unreasonably, of course, because a solar eclipse could not take

place at the time of the full moon, and it was the season of the

Paschal full moon that Christ died) " .[37] Also, the lack of a Roman

historian not mentioning the darkness is an appeal to silence and as

noted earlier the historian Fischer states this is not a legitimate

historical methodology.

 

• Some skeptics argue that the only early sources which mention

the resurrection are Christian sources. However, Bible scholar, Dr.

Gary Habermas writes in his work The Historical Jesus the

following, " If this brief statement by Thallus refers to Jesus'

crucifixion we can ascertain that the Christian gospel, or at least

an account of the crucifixion, was known in the Mediterranean region

by the middle of the first century AD. " (p. 197). Habermas also

writes, " the possibility remains that Tacitus may have indirectly

referred to the Christians' belief in Jesus' resurrection. (p. 190).

Furthermore, Dr. Gary Habermas states that Christ is one of the most

mentioned figures in the ancient world and cites a total of 39

ancient extra-biblical sources, including 17 non-Christian sources,

that mention Christian from outside the New Testament in regard to

over 100 details of Jesus's life and death.[38].

 

• In regard to early Christian witness, Christians argue that

an " agenda " does not nullify the possibility of accurate historical

knowledge. In the Dr. Norman Geisler-Farrell Till debate, Dr. Geisler

gave a car accident analogy and stated " Now apart from your

eyewitnesses, you don't have a very good case. " That's like four

eyewitnesses in court who saw an accident, and then one person came

right after the accident, and the defense attorney said, " Now apart

from those four eyewitnesses you just gave, you know you have only

circumstantial evidence. " So it's begging the question to say apart

from the New Testament, and I gave the argument that the New

Testament was historically reliable. [39] Furthermore, according to

historian David Hackett Fischer the following principle is sound: " An

historian must not merely provide good evidence, but the best

evidence. And the best evidence, all other things being equal, is the

evidence which is most nearly immediate to the event itself. " [40].

 

• The skeptic Dan Barker has argued that there is evidence of

progressive supernaturalization in the gospel accounts. However, it

has been argued that Mr. Barker's analysis of the gospels is flawed

and inconsistent. [41] In addition, as noted earlier the historian

Fischer said appeals to silence are illegitimate in historical

investigations.

 

• Some skeptics argue that in the appearances of Jesus that are

reported to have occurred initially after he left the tomb, his

followers did not immediately recognize him and this raises issues

regarding the compellingness of Jesus's appearances. However, the

gospels do appear to state that Christ sometimes supernaturally hid

himself (Luke 4: 20-30, John 8:37-41,59). Also, there are indications

that Christ's appearances had a supernatural element. Luke 24:31

states: " And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he

vanished out of their sight. " Bible commentator David Guzak states

regarding this verse, " As soon as their eyes were opened to who Jesus

was, He left miraculously.... " [42] This skeptical argument in

relation to Jesus's appearances also ignores Acts 1:3 which states he

appeared to the apostles with many " infallible proofs " .

 

• Some skeptics claim that there are miraculous accounts of the

bodily disappearance of pagan divine heroes and say that these

accounts lack historical believability and argue that this is an

argument against the resurrection of Christ. Christians say this is a

faulty line of reasoning and argue merely because some accounts of

miraculous bodily disappearance are false that does not mean at all

that all miraculous disappearances are false. Historical claims are

weighed and are not " added " . In short, both miraculous and non

miraculous accounts should not be casually thrown together by the

historian. Similarly, conservative Christians argue that the

arguments that Jesus was a " copy cat Christ " stolen from pagan myths

are lacking in historical plausibility and poorly constructed.[43].

 

• Occam's Razor: that Jesus really did rise and appear to his

disciples is a very simple and complete explanation for the complex

events that came later: the actions of the disciples, the unique rise

of Christianity as a Jewish sect (many other would-be Messiahs and

movements had appeared and quickly disappeared in 1st century

Palestine), the continued significance of Christianity, etc. This is

also known as the " smoke-and-fire " argument (Graham Stanton) - where

there is smoke there is fire. The " smoke " of events that came after

Jesus' life have to be in part explained by a genuine fire - the

authenticity of Jesus as Messiah. Note: materialist skeptics may

reply that supposing a miracle actually complicates the explanation,

since a miracle is inherently incomprehensible by materialist

reasoning. This last point also reveals the vast importance of

philosophical and theological presuppositions when evaluating the

evidence for or against Jesus' resurrection. A materialist

philosophy, for instance, automatically rules out the possibility of

Jesus actually dying and miraculously rising to life again (although

it would allow for resuscitation, meaning that Jesus did not actually

die - see " Swooning " theory below). It also rules out the

intervention of a non-physical God (God, by traditional definition

(See John 4:24), is completely non-physical). A philosophy which

allows for miracles, on the other hand, allows for the possibility of

a miraculous or non-miraculous explanation in judging the evidence.

 

• A new approach has been taken by Anglican scholar N.T. Wright

in his 2003 volume The Resurrection of the Son of God where he

examines extensively eschatological views and vocabulary of ancient

pagans and post-biblical Judaism and analyses the Biblical accounts

of the resurrection against this background. (Wikipedia)

 

 

Witnessing The Resurrection Of Jesus

 

" There is a higher power which enables us to grasp the central

spiritual Reality. Man has the faculty of mystic intuition by which

he transcends the distinctions of intellect and solves the riddles of

reason. By this intuitive realisation, the unheard becomes heard, the

unperceived becomes perceived, and the unknown becomes known to the

chosen spirits. The knowledge of Reality is attained by the mystics

in their intuitive experience as flashes and direct immediate

insight. In the mystic experience the soul finds itself in the

presence of the highest which includes all other things in it. In

this experience the seer belongs to God and is One with Him. This

experience is not objective; it is not verifiable by others. Since it

is not inferential it cannot be communicated to others. " (Pritam

Singh Gill, The Trinity of Sikhism)

 

On Good Friday, April 1, 1994, on the eve of Lalita's birth, there

was a discussion between his father and a friend about the

Resurrection of Shri Jesus. Since both were non-Christians their idea

about the very foundation of Christianity was vague.

 

Kash, who was listening nearby, inquired about the meaning of

Resurrection and was explained the little that was known. The Sahaja

Yogi friend suggested that he should ask Shri Mataji if he could

witness this unprecedented event, the very heart and soul of

Christianity. It was indeed Jesus Christ's supreme proof to humans

that they are not this physical body but the eternal Spirit.

 

Kash went into the room to meditate and instantly reached the Kingdom

of God. He emerged through the spiritual clouds and reached the

Divine Dimension within that the ancient Gnostics had revealed

centuries ago.

 

The Everlasting Light shone ever so dazzlingly from above the Eternal

Throne as the Great Holy Spirit sat in Bliss and Joy. She greeted him

with a smile as Kash bowed deeply to Her.

 

After the usual exchange of greetings he asked if She could show him

exactly how the Resurrection of Lord Jesus took place. On Earth Shri

Mataji claimed that it is possible as " everything that was in the

past since creation resides dormant in the Collective Subconscious. "

If Shri Jesus did actually resurrect His physical body into the

Spirit, then this supreme feat would still be accessible through the

portals of the Time Dimension.

 

The Great Mater Sanctissima agreed to take him two millenniums back!

 

She got down from the Eternal Throne, stood up, extended Her hands

with palms facing upwards, and told Her child to put his palms above

them. As Kash did so he felt himself being uplifted above the thick,

soft carpet of clouds on which they were standing. They started

moving and were soon traveling back into the past, at speeds far

beyond human comprehension.

 

At that speed everything became a blur as all familiar celestial

landmarks disappeared. The Divine Mother was taking him into a time

dimension that the ancients knew existed, and modern scientists

acknowledge is possible if one travels faster than time.

 

Soon they came to the exact spot where Shri Jesus lay buried. About

20-25 Divine Beings were already sitting down on the ground in a

circle around it. They were all waiting for the arrival of the

Supreme Spirit of God, the Great Adi Shakti.

 

The Great Divine Mother had taken Kash back into the past to the

exact spot and time where one of the most spectacular of God

Almighty's Revelation took place. They were just minutes away from

Shri Jesus' Resurrection! They had in fact gone back into the past, a

possibility still beyond human comprehension or ability, but a common

mode of time travel for the Divine Beings.

 

Kash was in Golgotha, outside the walls of Jerusalem, and about to

witness and confirm the most profound proof and Truth ever propounded

to the human race that they are not this physical body but the

Spirit.

 

This act of supreme sacrifice to provide living proof of spiritual

immortality over physical death stands heads and shoulders above any

sacrifice of God Almighty's Messengers! For this unsurpassed feat

Shri Jesus has been bestowed the title of Shri Mahavishnu in the

Kingdom of God, the highest honor among the Divine Unity. Thus no

one — no matter what his or her earthly position, penance, or

religion — enters the Kingdom of God without His permission. This is

the Decree of the Great Adi Shakti Herself!

 

Kash noticed that the burial place consisted of a " hole in a rock. "

The object plugging the entrance to the burial chamber had apparently

been removed, exposing a cavity in the knoll. Though he could not see

the actual body as it was dark inside, he knew that the Crucified One

was within as the entire Divine Unity of God Almighty had encircled

it.

 

The Spirit of the Living God and Her child joined them and sat in the

meditative stance.

 

Suddenly a dazzling ray of Light shone diagonally from the heavens,

onto the tomb of Shri Jesus. As they continued sitting in the

meditative positions Shri Jesus emerged through the rock tomb in deep

meditation. The Universal Savior was a Spirit again just like His

Celestial Brethren!

 

Then all present joined the Resurrected One in meditation and rose

higher and higher into the heavens. The Light continued shining all

the way as they ascended into His Dominion, still in deep meditation.

 

After emerging through the celestial clouds everyone stood up as they

had reached the dwelling place of Jesus Christ. Tears of Joy streamed

down the cheeks of the Heavenly Hosts as the Divine Unity humbled

before the Universal Savior, in deep appreciation and immense respect

for the highest sacrifice any Incarnation had voluntarily undertaken.

Ignorant humans had tortured a member of the Divine Family to death,

under the most painful and barbaric conditions. Now His ordeal was

finally over and He had triumphed not only over death. But of far

more significance is that by resurrecting Himself the Savior has

irrefutable proved that all humans are the spirit destined for the

eternal Afterlife. No amount of words can ever do justice to a

supreme sacrifice performed with matchless humility.

 

Before leaving Jesus Christ all the Immortal Divine Beings bowed

deeply, one after another, in Namaskar before the Son of God

Almighty. The whole atmosphere was charged with emotion, and no one

spoke a word as they lined up to pay their deepest respects to the

greatest Cosmic Warrior ever.

 

Shri Ganesha, with hands folded in silence, bowed deeply to the Son

of God Almighty. Shri Shiva and Parvati, with hands clasped in

Namaskar, bowed in obeisance to the Son of the Creator. Shri Radha

and Krishna, with hands joined in humility, stooped low in reverence

to the Son of Allah. Shri Sita and Rama, with hands held together,

bent down in absolute reverence to the Son of Sadashiva. Shri Buddha,

with hands embrace together, bowed His head in speechless deference

to the Son of the Maker. Shri Mataji and Kash, with hands held

together, bent deeply in sheer veneration to the Son of the Supreme

Being.

 

Then slowly everyone dispersed and returned to their own abodes.

 

Kash, after reaching the Land of eternal Light, asked the Holy Mother

for leave and bowed to Her. He then closed his spiritual eyes and

slowly began descending from Heaven, back to this decaying world of

pedophile priests and murdering mullahs.

 

Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected by God Almighty — This Revealed

Truth is Absolute.

 

Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected as a Spiritual Being — This

Revealed Truth is Absolute.

 

Lord Jesus' Christ Resurrection was witnessed by the Holy Spirit (Adi

Shakti) and the Incarnations — This Revealed Truth is Absolute.

 

The Resurrection transforms physical humans into eternal spirits —

This Revealed Truth is Absolute.

 

 

“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is

in vain. " [520] The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all

Christ's works and teachings. All truths, even those most inaccessible to human

reason, find their justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the

definitive proof of his divine authority, which he had promised.

 

Christ's Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promises both of the Old

testament and of Jesus himself during his earthly life. [521] . . .

 

The truth of Jesus' divinity is confirmed by his Resurrection. He had said:

" When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he. " [523]

.. . .

 

Christ's Resurrection — and the risen Christ himself — is the principle and

source of our future resurrection.”

 

(520. 1 Cor 15:14.) (521. Cf. Mt 28:6; Mk 16:7; Lk 24:6-7, 26-27, 44-48.) (523.

Jn 8:28.)  

                                                                           

J. Cardinal Ratzinger, Catechism of the Catholic Church

 

 

 

" I am happy to know so many of you have come here and I feel this is

a very important Puja, not only for Australia but for the whole

world, because it has the greatest Message which we have actualized

now in Sahaja Yoga. We have to understand the Message of Christ.

 

There are many people in this world who try to show off that they are

very great rationalists and they have a right to pass any remark they

like about Christ. I was reading the newspapers today. I was

surprised where they are all saying one by one that, " I reject this

part of Christ that He was born with Immaculate Conception. I reject

that He was resurrected. I reject this and I reject that. "

 

Who are you? Because you can write, because you have a flair, how can

you say such things? Just without finding out, you are a scholar,

maybe you are very well read, maybe that you think you are capable of

saying whatever you like about any subject, but subject of

spirituality cannot be dealt by people who are not even Self-

Realized. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Resurrection; Helping Each Other, Easter Puja Talk

Sydney, Australia, April 3, 1994

 

http://www.adishakti.org/jesus'_resurrection.htm

[Guest guest]

Dear Jagbir,

 

i have always believed that Jesus resurrected (and therefore He must have died),

however, when so much to the contrary has been written, it is good to have Shri

Mataji's Words.......and Kash's knowledge also brought forth as proof that Jesus

did indeed die and did in fact, resurrect. Thank you so much for that

irrefutable proof.

 

i have one more question:

 

You say:

 

" Christ's Resurrection — and the risen Christ himself — is the principle and

source of our future resurrection. "

 

i have heard SM say that when we have our Self-Realization, we are already

resurrected.

 

But i think that the 'future resurrection' is the Mass Ascenscion/Resurrection

of all people 'en masse'....is it not?

 

When we are Self-Realized......do we not already have the Resurrected

Body.......and that is great, however, we are yet to experience the " Future

Resurrection " , which i believe is the Second Coming of Christ....also called the

" Rapture " which will be an 'en masse' event, whereby we will all rise in Spirit,

and just leave our physical bodies? Would this possibly be happening at the Time

of around 2012, where a lot of people are saying there will be an Ascenscion of

the Mass of Humanity to a Higher Spiritual Level?

 

Violet

 

 

, " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

> , " Violet "

<vtubb@b...>

> wrote:

> >

> > Dear Jagbir,

> >

> > i have a basic question to ask.

> >

> > i wonder if Jesus really died (completely dead) on the cross or

> > whether He laid down His life in Samadhi, and took it up again,

> > because He had the power to do so. After all, if anyone had this

> > power, Jesus had this power over life and death.

> >

> > i have never ever understood the Christian concept of Shri Jesus

> > having to be 'slaughtered like a sheep', in order for us to be

able

> > to ascend to the Kingdom of God.

> >

> > i believe that Shri Mataji said that it was not the killing of

> > Jesus which horrible people did to Him, but the Work that Jesus

> > Himself did in opening the Agnya Centre within Human Beings that

> > paved the way for people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven within.

> >

> > However, i would like confirmation on this, if possible.

> >

> > In any case, Jesus was seen alive in his physical body after He

was

> > supposedly killed. Does that not prove that He actually did not

die

> > completely, but must have gone into some other Spiritual

State....

> > Samadhi perhaps?

> >

> > Also, in the Bible Jesus is purported to have said that 'i lay

down

> > my life and i have the power to take it up again'...

> >

>

>

> " The Message of His life is not the Cross but the Resurrection. He

> was resurrected. That was one of the things He did so that now you

> can be resurrected. Every Incarnation is something unique. But the

> end of it was the Resurrection. He did it because He had to die.

> Otherwise how can you resurrect yourself? There are lots of things

> which look difficult but which are not. There are some who say

that

> Christ never resurrected Himself. "

>

> Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

> Children, Money & Responsibility, Christmas Puja,

> India — December 25, 1993

>

>

> The Resurrection of Christ, a central doctrine of Christianity

>

> The Resurrection of Christ, a central doctrine of Christianity, is

> based on the belief that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on

the

> third day after his Crucifixion and that through his conquering of

> death all believers will subsequently share in his victory

over " sin,

> death, and the devil. " The celebration of this event, called

Easter,

> or the Festival of the Resurrection, is the major feast day of the

> church. The accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus are found in the

> four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — and various

> theological expressions of the early church's universal conviction

> and consensus that Christ rose from the dead are found throughout

the

> rest of the New Testament. (Britannica Online)

>

>

> Jesus in Jewish eyes

>

> The province of Judea in the time of Jesus was a seething cauldron

of

> discontent. Deeply divided in religious matters and resentful of

> Roman occupation, it was a society that spawned a number or

religious

> and quasi-religious " prophets, " who gathered followers about them

and

> walked from town to town proclaiming their particular message.

Some

> of these were cranks, some crooks, and a few were genuine — even

> inspired — religious figures who ardently desired the restoration

of

> Israel's political and religious integrity.

>

> In the eyes of the Jewish religious leaders of the time, Jesus

must

> have seemed an incautious and even misguided example of these

> prophets. They would probably have acknowledged that Jesus was a

> successful healer and a good moral teacher, but condemned his

attacks

> on contemporary religious practice and teaching as being

exaggerated.

> These religious leaders would also have argued that Jesus brought

> about his own downfall as a result of his insensitive approach to

the

> delicate relationship that they had to maintain with the Roman

> authorities; and, finally, tales of his miraculous resurrection

from

> the dead were simply fabricated by his followers in an attempt to

> keep his movement alive. (Dr. Peter B. Clarke, The World's

Religions)

>

>

> The Biblical account

>

> The primary accounts of the resurrection are in the Gospels: the

last

> chapter of Matthew, of Mark, and of Luke, as well as the last two

> chapters of John. However, there are two extant endings to Mark,

> neither of which is probably the original (see Mark 16).

>

> All these accounts agree that Jesus was killed by crucifixion and

> placed in a tomb (belonging to Joseph of Arimathea). After

observing

> the Sabbath, some of Jesus' female followers returned to the tomb,

to

> complete the burial rites. When they arrived they discovered that

the

> body was gone, and they returned with some of the male disciples.

>

> Jesus then makes a series of appearances to the disciples, with

the

> most notable being to Thomas and the other disciples in the upper

> room (Luke 20:26-31), along the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32),

and

> beside the Sea of Galilee to reinstate Peter (John 21:1-23). His

> final appearance is reported as being forty days after the

> resurrection when he ascended into heaven (Luke 24:44-49).

>

> However, when compared, the accounts give different details and

are

> difficult to reconcile into a single sequence of events. For

example,

> Michael Ramsey (the former Archbishop of Canterbury) stated: " That

we

> should expect to be able to weave the stories into a chronological

> and geographical plan seems inconceivable " (The Resurrection of

> Christ 1946). These discrepancies have therefore been used to

> question the authenticity of the biblical account of the

> resurrection. Christians have answered by noting that multiple

> eyewitnesses to any event tend to give conflicting accounts, and

that

> unanimous agreement would be indication of contrivance, not

> authenticity. There are also various suggested ways in which the

> accounts could be reconciled. These arguments are further

discussed

> below.

>

> As the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most important events

for

> Christianity, there are many references to it in the rest of the

New

> Testament. Both Peter (Acts 2:22-32) and Paul (1 Corinthians

15:19)

> argue that this event was the cornerstone of Christianity, and may

be

> seen to some extent as providing witness to the resurrection

> independent of the Gospel accounts. Indeed, nearly every New

> Testament book speaks of Jesus' death and resurrection, a telling

> fact in that many were written independent of each other both

> geographically and socially.

>

>

> The historicity of the resurrection

>

> As with all historical events before the past few hundred years,

the

> issue of historicity is an important aspect of any person's belief

in

> the actual occurrence of the resurrection. In contrast with

> scientific phenomena for which reproducibility and falsifiability

are

> essential, historical phenomena depend on different criteria, such

as

> uniqueness of occurrence, plausibility of circumstances, and

> testimony of witnesses.

>

>

> Arguments defending the resurrection's historicity

>

> Christians who defend the resurrection's historicity cite the

> following, among other evidence:

>

> • Multiple eyewitness accounts - different people, different

> times, different situations, all seeing the resurrected Jesus,

eating

> with him, talking with him.

>

> • Eyewitnesses died for their testimonies, which limits the

> range of potentially false motives for their testimonies. The most

> prominent are the first twelve apostles, all of whom were martyred

> except John, who was merely exiled.

>

> • Conservative Bible scholars argue that the resurrection

shows

> indications of being physical/historical event. For example, Dr.

> Norman Geisler cites the gospel records indicating that Jesus is

> reported to have flesh and bones(Luke 24:39). Dr. Geisler also

points

> out that the Apostle Peter is reported to say that Christ's " flesh

> did not see corruption " (Acts 2:31). In addition Dr. Geisler cites

> other Bible versus and very early church father testimony

regarding

> the physicality of the claim of the resurrection. [1] Dr. Gary

> Habermas and Dr. William Craig argue that the hallucination and

> vision explanations for the resurrection are not plausible [2]

[3].

>

> • The Gospels state that the early witnesses to the empty tomb

> and the resurrected Jesus were women, whose testimony was not

> regarded as credible in the patriarchal Judaism of that period. If

> the resurrection stories were invented, one would not expect this:

a

> hoax or conspiracy would have used men as these early witnesses.

An

> honest account, on the other hand, would have described what was

> true, however inconvenient it was.

>

> • Various arguments having been put forth by legal scholars

> such as Simon Greenleaf and John Warwick Montgomery and others

> claiming that Western legal standards argue for the historicity of

> the resurrection of Christ. [4][5][6] In addition, the former

Chief

> Justices of England Lord Darling and Lord Caldecote claimed there

was

> overwhelming amount of evidence for the resurrection of Christ.[7]

>

> • Lack of protests against the empty tomb which is admitedly

an

> appeal to silence. There is no record of the Jewish and Roman

> authorities disproving the belief by publicly presenting the real

> corpse of Jesus. However, historian David Hackett Fischer states

> among other criteria that appeals to silence in historical

> investigations are not valid (David Hackett Fischer, Historians'

> Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought (New York: Harper,

> 1970), p. 62-63). At the same time, we do have the New Testament

> writers describing that the tomb was found empty. Historian

Michael

> Grant stated that historians cannot justifiably deny the empty

tomb

> and that the historical evidence necessitates the determination

that

> the tomb was found empty[8]

>

> • Bible scholar Dr. Gary Habermas argues that there are eight

> pieces of evidence showing that 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, which

proclaims

> Jesus's death and resurrection, was an early creed of the

Christian

> church [9][10].

>

> • Bible scholar FF Bruce states that the presence of hostile

> witnesses during the time of early Christianity served as a

> historical check that lends further credence to the historicity of

> Christianity.[11] In addition, Bruce states that it would not have

> been easy " to invent words and deeds of Jesus in those early

years,

> when so many of His disciples were about, who could remember what

had

> and had not happened. " (Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are

They

> Reliable?, pp. 45-46). This argument, however, leans on the

> assumption that accounts of masses of witnesses to the event are,

in

> fact, truthful.

>

> • Who could find a whole group of people willing to concoct a

> wild lie, be tortured and killed for it, and not have one of them

> tell the truth to escape death? Charles Colson argues in his book

> Loving God that as a former Watergate conspirator he believes that

> conspiracies are hard to maintain especially in the face of

> persecution and argues that Apostles were telling the truth

regarding

> the resurrection of Jesus.

>

> • The morality of Jesus and his disciples. Historian William

> Lecky stated, " He [Jesus]...has been not only the highest pattern

of

> virtue, but the strongest incentive to its practice. " It is

unclear,

> however, how this is relevant to the question of Jesus'

resurrection,

> save as a response to the claim that the Apostles lied.

>

> • The relatively poor educational level of the disciples (most

> were fishermen), which would make the devising of an elaborate

cover-

> up difficult.

>

> • The radical change of Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul.

>

> • The birth and rapid spread of the early church, all from

> people who were originally hiding in fear.

>

> • The Bible says that over 500 people were witnesses of the

> resurrected Jesus, many still alive at the time. This open

> declaration was in the face of non-Christians who could respond to

> the charge. To be fair, this is an argument from silence.

>

> • The Jewish Scriptures contain many statements that

Christians

> have interpreted as saying that God would take a body, die for

sins

> and rise again. However, a skeptic could point out that this

argument

> is inaccurate.

>

> • The early dates for most of the New Testament.

>

> • The testimony of the early church fathers regarding the

life,

> death, and resurrection of Christ - some of whom were martyred for

> their faith and claim to have met or been disciples of the

Apostles.

> For example, Polycarp, Ignatius, Papias, Irenaeus, and Justin

Martyr.

> Bible scholar and archaeologist Bernard Ramm wrote regarding some

> skeptics: " Unbelief has to deny all the testimony of the

Fathers ....

> It must assume that these men either did not have the motivation

or

> the historical standards to really investigate the resurrection of

> Christ. They are deemed trustworthy for data about apostolic or

near-

> apostolic theology, yet in matters of fact they are not granted a

> shred of evidential testimony. " But this must be, or unbelief

cannot

> make its case stick. "

>

> • Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies (see: Bible

> prophecy). The probability of the fulfillment of all of them by

> chance is presumed to be extremely small and best accounted for as

a

> miracle. [12] [13] This ought to prompt us to take more seriously

the

> possibility of a second miracle, the resurrection.

>

> • The experiences of millions of Christians worldwide today,

> who claim to have met Jesus personally and experience the Spirit

> which he promised would come.

>

> • Negative accounts of Jesus' disciples in the New Testament

> resurrection stories. Jesus' disciples became the leaders of

> Christianity after Jesus' death, and yet the resurrection stories

> speak poorly of their belief and understanding when Jesus met with

> them after rising. If the stories were concocted, why would they

> include such negative portrayals of themselves?

>

> • The uniqueness of the New Testament descriptions of the

> resurrection as thoroughly bodily and physical. Most, if not all,

> resurrection stories of antiquity emphasize the immortality of

their

> hero's soul. This is indicative of a general philosophical culture

> that looked harshly on physicality and emphasized the value of the

> soul/spirit over body.

>

> • A general acceptance by a majority of biblical scholars and

> historians that Jesus' disciples at least thought they met Jesus

> after he died (although scholars still disagree as to if they

> actually saw a physical Jesus, a poser, a vision, or " something "

> else).

>

> • The early 19th century British historian and churchman

Thomas

> Arnold believed the resurrection of Jesus did occur and it that it

> was " proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort " to

the " fair

> inquirer " .[14]

>

> • In regard to the historicity of the resurrection, the

> historian A. N. Sherwin-White stated that " Herodotus enables us to

> test the tempo of myth-making, [showing that] even two generations

> are too short a span to allow the mythical tendency to prevail

over

> the hard historic core " . [15] Michael Grant in his work Jesus: An

> Historian's Review of the Gospels states: " Judaism was a milieu to

> which doctrines of the deaths and rebirths, of mythical gods

seemed

> so entirely foreign that the emergence of such a fabrication from

its

> midst is very hard to credit. " [16].

>

> • According to the book of Acts Jesus showed himself to the

> Apostles with many " infallible proofs " (Acts 1:3) and the book of

> Acts also gives an account of post resurrection appearance with

Jesus

> speaking to the Apostles in the opening chapter. A. N. Sherwin-

White

> stated regarding the book of Acts, that " the confirmation of

> historicity is overwhelming. Any attempt to reject its basic

> historicity, even in matters of detail, must now appear absurd.

Roman

> historians have long taken it for granted. " [17]. However, the

> skeptic might point out that the writing of Acts is attributed to

> Luke [18], who never met Jesus and clearly noted that his writings

> were mere compilations of the accounts of others [Luke 1:1-3].

>

> • Using the work of the University of Dublin physiologist

> Samuel Houghton, M.D., Bible commentator Frederick Charles Cook

and

> author Josh McDowell argue that the crucifixion narrative in the

> gospel of John could never have been invented as it displays

medical

> knowledge not available at the time. Houghton wrote concerning the

> flow of " blood and water " recorded in the gospel of John after the

> soldier is recorded to have pieced Jesus' side with a spear that

it

> was extremely unusual. Houghton wrote: " ....With the foregoing

cases

> most anatomists who have devoted their attention to this subject

are

> familiar; but the two following cases, although readily explicable

on

> physiological principles, are not recorded in the books (except by

> St. John). Nor have I been fortunate enough to meet with them. "

[19]

> [20](for further details see: Josh McDowell, New Evidence that

> Demands a Verdict, pages 223-225). Medical authorities W. D.

Edwards,

> W. J. Gabel and F. E. Hosmer appear to offer a different analysis

in

> regard to the New Testament Greek and the medical data, however.

[21]

> [22] (the latter footnote is the whole JAMA article in a PDF file

> format). Alexander Metherall, M.D., P.H.D. concurs that based on

the

> gospel accounts that Jesus was dead when removed from the cross.

[23]

> (PDF format) In summary, all the aforementioned medical

authorities

> cited are in agreement that given the account in the New Testament

> Jesus was dead when removed from the cross. However, the skeptic

> could point out that expert opinions on the mortal injury

described

> in the tales do not constitute proof of a later resurrection.

>

> • Bible commentators John Wenham, Dr. Gleason Archer and

others

> have offered exegesis of the Biblical text in respect to the

gospels

> arguing among other things that omissions are not contradictions

and

> that alleged contradictions are often due to poor Bible

> exegesis/cultural differences (culteral context). [24][25][26]

> According to historian David Hackett Fischer the following

historical

> methodology is sound: The meaning of any historical evidence is

> dependent upon the context from which it is obtained. [27] This of

> course would include cultural context. This may be accepted as a

> general methodological statement; however, a skeptic might claim

it

> does not speak to any specific alleged inconsistency or

> contradiction, nor to the question of whether the Resurrection

> actually took place -- only to the means through which we should

> evaluate evidence.

>

> • Roman guards could be punished by death if ever they allow a

> crucified man to live. The Roman guards even pierced Jesus on the

> side with a spear; his body bled and released water, a sign of

death

> from asphyxia.

>

> • Roman guards could be punished by death if they allowed a

> condemned man's remains be stolen, especially because of the

> importance of Jesus.

>

> • In Matthew 28:11-15, there is a reference made to an attempt

> to refute Christianity be saying that the disciples stole the

body.

> Christians believe there are a number of problems with the stolen

> body hypothesis.[28][29][30].

>

> • The Toledoth Yeshu a compilation of early Jewish writings,

is

> another source which alludes to stolen body hypothesis. [31][32]

> Christians see this an acknowledgement that the tomb was empty,

and a

> poor attempt to explain it away. [33] In addition there is a

record

> of a second century debate between a Christian and a Jew, in which

a

> reference is made to the Jews claiming the body was stolen.[34]

>

> • J.N.D. Anderson, dean of the faculty of law at the

University

> of London, and director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

at

> the same university said, " This [the stolen body theory] would run

> totally contrary to all we know of them: their ethical teaching,

the

> quality of their lives. Nor would it begin to explain their

dramatic

> transformation from dejected and dispirited escapists into

witnesses

> whom no opposition could muzzle. " [35] Dr. John Warwick

Montgomery,

> author of History and Christianity, said, " It passes the bounds of

> credibility that the early Christians could have manufactured such

a

> tale and then preached it among those who might easily have

refuted

> it simply by producing the body of Jesus. " [36]

>

> • Some skeptics argue that no Roman historians mention any

> darkness of three hours at the time of Jesus' death. However,

Bible

> scholar FF Bruce argues in his work, " The New Testament Documents:

> Are They Reliable? that the Samaritan-born historian Thallus

alludes

> to this darkness. Julius Africanus writes regarding

> Thallus: " Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains

away

> this darkness as an eclipse of the sun -unreasonably, as it seems

to

> me " (unreasonably, of course, because a solar eclipse could not

take

> place at the time of the full moon, and it was the season of the

> Paschal full moon that Christ died) " .[37] Also, the lack of a

Roman

> historian not mentioning the darkness is an appeal to silence and

as

> noted earlier the historian Fischer states this is not a

legitimate

> historical methodology.

>

> • Some skeptics argue that the only early sources which

mention

> the resurrection are Christian sources. However, Bible scholar,

Dr.

> Gary Habermas writes in his work The Historical Jesus the

> following, " If this brief statement by Thallus refers to Jesus'

> crucifixion we can ascertain that the Christian gospel, or at

least

> an account of the crucifixion, was known in the Mediterranean

region

> by the middle of the first century AD. " (p. 197). Habermas also

> writes, " the possibility remains that Tacitus may have indirectly

> referred to the Christians' belief in Jesus' resurrection. (p.

190).

> Furthermore, Dr. Gary Habermas states that Christ is one of the

most

> mentioned figures in the ancient world and cites a total of 39

> ancient extra-biblical sources, including 17 non-Christian

sources,

> that mention Christian from outside the New Testament in regard to

> over 100 details of Jesus's life and death.[38].

>

> • In regard to early Christian witness, Christians argue that

> an " agenda " does not nullify the possibility of accurate

historical

> knowledge. In the Dr. Norman Geisler-Farrell Till debate, Dr.

Geisler

> gave a car accident analogy and stated " Now apart from your

> eyewitnesses, you don't have a very good case. " That's like four

> eyewitnesses in court who saw an accident, and then one person

came

> right after the accident, and the defense attorney said, " Now

apart

> from those four eyewitnesses you just gave, you know you have only

> circumstantial evidence. " So it's begging the question to say

apart

> from the New Testament, and I gave the argument that the New

> Testament was historically reliable. [39] Furthermore, according

to

> historian David Hackett Fischer the following principle is

sound: " An

> historian must not merely provide good evidence, but the best

> evidence. And the best evidence, all other things being equal, is

the

> evidence which is most nearly immediate to the event itself. "

[40].

>

> • The skeptic Dan Barker has argued that there is evidence of

> progressive supernaturalization in the gospel accounts. However,

it

> has been argued that Mr. Barker's analysis of the gospels is

flawed

> and inconsistent. [41] In addition, as noted earlier the historian

> Fischer said appeals to silence are illegitimate in historical

> investigations.

>

> • Some skeptics argue that in the appearances of Jesus that

are

> reported to have occurred initially after he left the tomb, his

> followers did not immediately recognize him and this raises issues

> regarding the compellingness of Jesus's appearances. However, the

> gospels do appear to state that Christ sometimes supernaturally

hid

> himself (Luke 4: 20-30, John 8:37-41,59). Also, there are

indications

> that Christ's appearances had a supernatural element. Luke 24:31

> states: " And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he

> vanished out of their sight. " Bible commentator David Guzak states

> regarding this verse, " As soon as their eyes were opened to who

Jesus

> was, He left miraculously.... " [42] This skeptical argument in

> relation to Jesus's appearances also ignores Acts 1:3 which states

he

> appeared to the apostles with many " infallible proofs " .

>

> • Some skeptics claim that there are miraculous accounts of

the

> bodily disappearance of pagan divine heroes and say that these

> accounts lack historical believability and argue that this is an

> argument against the resurrection of Christ. Christians say this

is a

> faulty line of reasoning and argue merely because some accounts of

> miraculous bodily disappearance are false that does not mean at

all

> that all miraculous disappearances are false. Historical claims

are

> weighed and are not " added " . In short, both miraculous and non

> miraculous accounts should not be casually thrown together by the

> historian. Similarly, conservative Christians argue that the

> arguments that Jesus was a " copy cat Christ " stolen from pagan

myths

> are lacking in historical plausibility and poorly constructed.

[43].

>

> • Occam's Razor: that Jesus really did rise and appear to his

> disciples is a very simple and complete explanation for the

complex

> events that came later: the actions of the disciples, the unique

rise

> of Christianity as a Jewish sect (many other would-be Messiahs and

> movements had appeared and quickly disappeared in 1st century

> Palestine), the continued significance of Christianity, etc. This

is

> also known as the " smoke-and-fire " argument (Graham Stanton) -

where

> there is smoke there is fire. The " smoke " of events that came

after

> Jesus' life have to be in part explained by a genuine fire - the

> authenticity of Jesus as Messiah. Note: materialist skeptics may

> reply that supposing a miracle actually complicates the

explanation,

> since a miracle is inherently incomprehensible by materialist

> reasoning. This last point also reveals the vast importance of

> philosophical and theological presuppositions when evaluating the

> evidence for or against Jesus' resurrection. A materialist

> philosophy, for instance, automatically rules out the possibility

of

> Jesus actually dying and miraculously rising to life again

(although

> it would allow for resuscitation, meaning that Jesus did not

actually

> die - see " Swooning " theory below). It also rules out the

> intervention of a non-physical God (God, by traditional definition

> (See John 4:24), is completely non-physical). A philosophy which

> allows for miracles, on the other hand, allows for the possibility

of

> a miraculous or non-miraculous explanation in judging the

evidence.

>

> • A new approach has been taken by Anglican scholar N.T.

Wright

> in his 2003 volume The Resurrection of the Son of God where he

> examines extensively eschatological views and vocabulary of

ancient

> pagans and post-biblical Judaism and analyses the Biblical

accounts

> of the resurrection against this background. (Wikipedia)

>

>

> Witnessing The Resurrection Of Jesus

>

> " There is a higher power which enables us to grasp the central

> spiritual Reality. Man has the faculty of mystic intuition by

which

> he transcends the distinctions of intellect and solves the riddles

of

> reason. By this intuitive realisation, the unheard becomes heard,

the

> unperceived becomes perceived, and the unknown becomes known to

the

> chosen spirits. The knowledge of Reality is attained by the

mystics

> in their intuitive experience as flashes and direct immediate

> insight. In the mystic experience the soul finds itself in the

> presence of the highest which includes all other things in it. In

> this experience the seer belongs to God and is One with Him. This

> experience is not objective; it is not verifiable by others. Since

it

> is not inferential it cannot be communicated to others. " (Pritam

> Singh Gill, The Trinity of Sikhism)

>

> On Good Friday, April 1, 1994, on the eve of Lalita's birth, there

> was a discussion between his father and a friend about the

> Resurrection of Shri Jesus. Since both were non-Christians their

idea

> about the very foundation of Christianity was vague.

>

> Kash, who was listening nearby, inquired about the meaning of

> Resurrection and was explained the little that was known. The

Sahaja

> Yogi friend suggested that he should ask Shri Mataji if he could

> witness this unprecedented event, the very heart and soul of

> Christianity. It was indeed Jesus Christ's supreme proof to humans

> that they are not this physical body but the eternal Spirit.

>

> Kash went into the room to meditate and instantly reached the

Kingdom

> of God. He emerged through the spiritual clouds and reached the

> Divine Dimension within that the ancient Gnostics had revealed

> centuries ago.

>

> The Everlasting Light shone ever so dazzlingly from above the

Eternal

> Throne as the Great Holy Spirit sat in Bliss and Joy. She greeted

him

> with a smile as Kash bowed deeply to Her.

>

> After the usual exchange of greetings he asked if She could show

him

> exactly how the Resurrection of Lord Jesus took place. On Earth

Shri

> Mataji claimed that it is possible as " everything that was in the

> past since creation resides dormant in the Collective

Subconscious. "

> If Shri Jesus did actually resurrect His physical body into the

> Spirit, then this supreme feat would still be accessible through

the

> portals of the Time Dimension.

>

> The Great Mater Sanctissima agreed to take him two millenniums

back!

>

> She got down from the Eternal Throne, stood up, extended Her hands

> with palms facing upwards, and told Her child to put his palms

above

> them. As Kash did so he felt himself being uplifted above the

thick,

> soft carpet of clouds on which they were standing. They started

> moving and were soon traveling back into the past, at speeds far

> beyond human comprehension.

>

> At that speed everything became a blur as all familiar celestial

> landmarks disappeared. The Divine Mother was taking him into a

time

> dimension that the ancients knew existed, and modern scientists

> acknowledge is possible if one travels faster than time.

>

> Soon they came to the exact spot where Shri Jesus lay buried.

About

> 20-25 Divine Beings were already sitting down on the ground in a

> circle around it. They were all waiting for the arrival of the

> Supreme Spirit of God, the Great Adi Shakti.

>

> The Great Divine Mother had taken Kash back into the past to the

> exact spot and time where one of the most spectacular of God

> Almighty's Revelation took place. They were just minutes away from

> Shri Jesus' Resurrection! They had in fact gone back into the

past, a

> possibility still beyond human comprehension or ability, but a

common

> mode of time travel for the Divine Beings.

>

> Kash was in Golgotha, outside the walls of Jerusalem, and about to

> witness and confirm the most profound proof and Truth ever

propounded

> to the human race that they are not this physical body but the

> Spirit.

>

> This act of supreme sacrifice to provide living proof of spiritual

> immortality over physical death stands heads and shoulders above

any

> sacrifice of God Almighty's Messengers! For this unsurpassed feat

> Shri Jesus has been bestowed the title of Shri Mahavishnu in the

> Kingdom of God, the highest honor among the Divine Unity. Thus no

> one — no matter what his or her earthly position, penance, or

> religion — enters the Kingdom of God without His permission. This

is

> the Decree of the Great Adi Shakti Herself!

>

> Kash noticed that the burial place consisted of a " hole in a

rock. "

> The object plugging the entrance to the burial chamber had

apparently

> been removed, exposing a cavity in the knoll. Though he could not

see

> the actual body as it was dark inside, he knew that the Crucified

One

> was within as the entire Divine Unity of God Almighty had

encircled

> it.

>

> The Spirit of the Living God and Her child joined them and sat in

the

> meditative stance.

>

> Suddenly a dazzling ray of Light shone diagonally from the

heavens,

> onto the tomb of Shri Jesus. As they continued sitting in the

> meditative positions Shri Jesus emerged through the rock tomb in

deep

> meditation. The Universal Savior was a Spirit again just like His

> Celestial Brethren!

>

> Then all present joined the Resurrected One in meditation and rose

> higher and higher into the heavens. The Light continued shining

all

> the way as they ascended into His Dominion, still in deep

meditation.

>

> After emerging through the celestial clouds everyone stood up as

they

> had reached the dwelling place of Jesus Christ. Tears of Joy

streamed

> down the cheeks of the Heavenly Hosts as the Divine Unity humbled

> before the Universal Savior, in deep appreciation and immense

respect

> for the highest sacrifice any Incarnation had voluntarily

undertaken.

> Ignorant humans had tortured a member of the Divine Family to

death,

> under the most painful and barbaric conditions. Now His ordeal was

> finally over and He had triumphed not only over death. But of far

> more significance is that by resurrecting Himself the Savior has

> irrefutable proved that all humans are the spirit destined for the

> eternal Afterlife. No amount of words can ever do justice to a

> supreme sacrifice performed with matchless humility.

>

> Before leaving Jesus Christ all the Immortal Divine Beings bowed

> deeply, one after another, in Namaskar before the Son of God

> Almighty. The whole atmosphere was charged with emotion, and no

one

> spoke a word as they lined up to pay their deepest respects to the

> greatest Cosmic Warrior ever.

>

> Shri Ganesha, with hands folded in silence, bowed deeply to the

Son

> of God Almighty. Shri Shiva and Parvati, with hands clasped in

> Namaskar, bowed in obeisance to the Son of the Creator. Shri Radha

> and Krishna, with hands joined in humility, stooped low in

reverence

> to the Son of Allah. Shri Sita and Rama, with hands held together,

> bent down in absolute reverence to the Son of Sadashiva. Shri

Buddha,

> with hands embrace together, bowed His head in speechless

deference

> to the Son of the Maker. Shri Mataji and Kash, with hands held

> together, bent deeply in sheer veneration to the Son of the

Supreme

> Being.

>

> Then slowly everyone dispersed and returned to their own abodes.

>

> Kash, after reaching the Land of eternal Light, asked the Holy

Mother

> for leave and bowed to Her. He then closed his spiritual eyes and

> slowly began descending from Heaven, back to this decaying world

of

> pedophile priests and murdering mullahs.

>

> Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected by God Almighty — This Revealed

> Truth is Absolute.

>

> Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected as a Spiritual Being — This

> Revealed Truth is Absolute.

>

> Lord Jesus' Christ Resurrection was witnessed by the Holy Spirit

(Adi

> Shakti) and the Incarnations — This Revealed Truth is Absolute.

>

> The Resurrection transforms physical humans into eternal spirits —

> This Revealed Truth is Absolute.

>

>

> " If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and

your faith is in vain. " [520] The Resurrection above all constitutes

the confirmation of all Christ's works and teachings. All truths,

even those most inaccessible to human reason, find their

justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the definitive

proof of his divine authority, which he had promised.

>

> Christ's Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promises both of

the Old testament and of Jesus himself during his earthly life.

[521] . . .

>

> The truth of Jesus' divinity is confirmed by his Resurrection. He

had said: " When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will

know that I am he. " [523] . . .

>

> Christ's Resurrection — and the risen Christ himself — is the

principle and source of our future resurrection. "

>

> (520. 1 Cor 15:14.) (521. Cf. Mt 28:6; Mk 16:7; Lk 24:6-7, 26-27,

44-48.) (523. Jn 8:28.)  

>                                                                    

        

> J. Cardinal Ratzinger, Catechism of the Catholic Church

>

>

>

> " I am happy to know so many of you have come here and I feel this

is

> a very important Puja, not only for Australia but for the whole

> world, because it has the greatest Message which we have

actualized

> now in Sahaja Yoga. We have to understand the Message of Christ.

>

> There are many people in this world who try to show off that they

are

> very great rationalists and they have a right to pass any remark

they

> like about Christ. I was reading the newspapers today. I was

> surprised where they are all saying one by one that, " I reject

this

> part of Christ that He was born with Immaculate Conception. I

reject

> that He was resurrected. I reject this and I reject that. "

>

> Who are you? Because you can write, because you have a flair, how

can

> you say such things? Just without finding out, you are a scholar,

> maybe you are very well read, maybe that you think you are capable

of

> saying whatever you like about any subject, but subject of

> spirituality cannot be dealt by people who are not even Self-

> Realized. "

>

> Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

> Resurrection; Helping Each Other, Easter Puja Talk

> Sydney, Australia, April 3, 1994

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/jesus'_resurrection.htm

>