The Evidence

DNA, alone, destroys the theory of evolution in every way. DNA destroys the theory of evolution both in terms of origin of life from non life (abiogenesis) and in terms of human life evolving from other forms of life (a tad pole or an ape).

When Darwin wrote the evolution theory, there was little to nothing known about DNA. Now, the entire human genome has been mapped and sequenced. We understand light years more than was understood when the original evolution theory was written. While neodarwinism has adapted (excuse the pun) to this new information, the basic claims remain the same.

Now that we have the entire human DNA mapped out creating a genetic blueprint, we can see how organized and systematic human DNA is. There is clear architecture with complex systems all intrinsically interacting together. Genetic code has an alphabet with actual letters that form actual words to create instructions for our body to carry out functions.

In ALL OF HISTORY, systems and order have pointed to a creator of the system, or a past civilization/people group. For example, ancient cave markings showed us there was some group of people once living in those caves. Why didn’t we just assume that the natural elements created those cave markings? Why wasn’t the conclusion that the cave marking evolved over time, maybe even billions of years? The answer is because of the consistent patterns and symbols observed that demonstrated complexity, intent, and structure. Scientists knew the patterns and symbols couldn’t have randomly evolved over time because there was meaning, intent, and purpose behind the patterns and symbols. That’s how they knew there was a people group that created the markings. Now that we have a genetic blueprint of human DNA, we can see the patterns, systems, complexity, intent, and purpose behind the intrinsically written code pointing to a creator NOT random chance or evolution over years.

This would be like if an astronaut was exploring mars and found an apple computer with software downloaded onto it. They picked up the computer and found downloaded and functioning apps and a video camera with a memory card. Can you imagine the astronaut reporting this back to NASA and NASA responding, “it must have evolved on its own over time.” NO – that would be an insanely wild response. Instead, NASA would tell the astronaut to keep exploring to find what life form exists on Mars that created the computer because that would be the only possible explanation for finding a fully functional, high tech computer. Human DNA is much more complex, organized, and impressive than a computer. The quantity of information in one person’s DNA is so vast it’s hard to even begin to wrap our minds around it. For example, one person’s DNA holds more computer information than all the computer programs written by man combined. This is how incredible human DNA is. There is no amount of time that would lead to a nonliving, simple molecule evolving into something so complex as a human. Every aspect of DNA points to a designer, a creator that transcends human understanding.

Evolution is not an explanation for the origin of life. The science community doesn’t even have a working model to explain how life occurred from non life. Eugene Koonin, a prominent figure in bioinformatics and evolutionary genomics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) admitted;

“Despite many interesting results to its [the origin of life field] credit. When judged by the straightforward criterion of reaching (or even approaching) the ultimate goals, the origin of life field is a failure – we still do not have even a plausible coherent model, let alone a validated scenario, for the emergence of life on Earth…A succession of exceedingly unlikely steps is essential for the origin of life, from the synthesis and accumulation of nucleotides to the origin of translation; through the multiplication of probably, these make the final outcomes seem almost like a miracle.”

Isn’t it interesting that an atheist like Eugine Koonin, who doesn’t believe in the supernatural, is using language like “miracle”? Well, Eugine, IT SEEMS LIKE A MIRACLE BECAUSE LIFE IS A MIRACLE.

The next major flaw to the evolution theory is the assumption that one genetic code can adapt or evolve into a completely different genetic code (or that a human could have evolved from a tad pole or ape). Species can adapt to their environment, of course, but they cannot change into a different species with a completely separate body plan genetic code. The peripheral DNA code (think the DNA code that demonstrates different features) can change or evolve very easily. However, the core body plan DNA code (think of the core DNA that tells us what species we’re looking at) cannot tolerate change, not even a microscopic change. In fact, it would be lethal to alter the body plan DNA code in any way. For example, the beak of a finch will adapt and evolve according to the environment, but the core (body plan) DNA will still be that of a finch, not a different animal, no matter the beak shape. There is no example in history of one body plan genetic code (or animal) turning into a completely different body plan genetic code (or animal). It has never been observed, it has never been proven, it has never happened.

Also, there are zero undisputed, transitional fossils to prove this theory. There are only 5-10 ‘claimed’ transitional fossils that are anywhere near being universally accepted. Darwin even raised a lack of transitional fossils as a possible objection to his own theory in his book expressing hope that future discoveries would be made of transitional forms. And still to this day, there are no undisputed or universally accepted transitional forms even among evolutionary biologists and paleontologists. If the earth is billions of years old, surely we would be able to find at least one. Instead they only have fossils of different (fully formed) species appearing at different times throughout history. They line up these fossils the best they can (with large gaps throughout lineages) and claim common ancestry. They don’t claim the fossils prove one animal evolved from the other, they claim that similarities in fossils demonstrate common ancestry and they infer that means one must have evolved from the same microorganism long ago. The similarities and commonalities found in separate fossils do not demonstrate common ancestry, they demonstrate a common creator. We see similarities because each was created by the same, transcendent God. Evolution was the only plausible explanation that could remove God from the equation yet still attempt to explain the commonalities between living creatures. The Evolution Theory has always used time as the hero of their plot. Anything can happen over billions of years, right? Not according to DNA. Once again, DNA alone destroys the argument of “time” allowing for these evolutionary anomalies to take place.

Humans did not evolve from simple marine organisms over time. Genetic code cannot evolve into a different genetic code. It is too complex and the system is too tightly integrated to tolerate a genetic change without shutting down. For one species to evolve into a completely different species, the entire genetic code would need to change, requiring an entirely new body plan gene regulatory network. This is NOT possible. DNA must be precise and exact to function. Apes have a functioning DNA code. Humans have a functioning DNA code. It is not scientifically possible to have a DNA code that is partially ape code and partially human code while the code is slowly evolving into fully human DNA code. The argument of billions of years allowing this to happen is irrelevant (actually laughable) because the DNA code would shut down and die the second it was altered away from its original form. The theory of time is irrelevant as an explanation because it ignores the systematic functions of DNA altogether and hopes we won’t take a closer look. The genetic network cannot tolerate any change, no amount of time would allow it to evolve. There is only one plausible explanation, a creator who authored our DNA code with precision.

Life did not originate from nonlife by evolving slowly over billions of years. Genetic code, or DNA, cannot come into existence by slowly developing over billions of years. DNA must exist in its entirety to function. The argument of billions of years allowing the complexities of DNA to develop is irrelevant, as every component relies on existing components in their complete form to exist. It would not be possible for any aspect of DNA to partially develop. DNA would have to not exist and then come into existence in its precise entirety, all at the same time, to be able to maintain existence. It would need every component to exist in its entirety for all components to be able to maintain their existence. Something only possible with a creator who precisely creates each component of DNA in a single, simultaneous moment so all components can cohesively exist in their entirety at the same time.

The development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) changed everything by showing scientists that the Earth is not eternal. It was confirmed there was a moment in time when the Earth had to come into existence from nothing. Lee Strobel explains that because of this finding, virtually every scientist in the world now believes that the universe did not always exist and that the universe had a beginning. Strobel continues by stating;

“This makes a strong argument for God because whatever begins to exist has a cause, therefore there must be a cause behind the universe. Then you ask yourself, what kind of a cause can bring a universe into existence? It must be transcendent (cause it existed apart from the creation). It must be timeless or eternal (because it existed before physical time came into being). It must be immaterial or spirit (because it existed before the physical world was created). It must be powerful (given the immensity of the creation event). It must be smart (given the precision of the creation event/fine tuning of the universe). It must be caring (created such a wonderful habitat for us to exist in). And it must be personal (because He had to make the decision to create).”

Did the big bang that caused the universe to come into existence come by random chance or by purposeful, intelligent design? If the big bang is by chance, then how do we explain the fine tuning of the universe? How do we explain the exact precision of every single aspect that allows the universe to exist?

Let’s look at Mount Rushmore as an example. Would you ever believe that Mount Rushmore could happen by random chance? Would you believe that over billions of years the natural elements transformed the rocks of South Dakota into detailed carvings of the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln? Absolutely not, that would be impossible with any amount of time. You look at Mount Rushmore and immediately know there was a creator, an artist that precisely designed Mount Rushmore with clear intent to replicate the faces of past U.S. presidents.

Clearly, the creation of the universe is MUCH MORE complex than Mount Rushmore, yet, people have been deceived to believe that chaos and random chance created this perfectly balanced universe and ecosystem rather than intelligent design or a creator.

Fred Hoyle, a famous astrophysicist, admitted the universe looks designed when studied at a deep level. He famously remarked on the evident fine-tuning of the universe saying, “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics.” This became the cornerstone idea in what’s now called the fine-tuning argument. The fine-tuning argument suggests that the universe’s physical constants (e.g., gravity, electromagnetic force) are so precisely calibrated to support life that even some atheists find the appearance of design overwhelming. Fine-tuning will be the argument that keeps atheists up at night as they reflect on the “knife’s edge” balance our universe’s constants demonstrate.

Answersingenesis.org created a short list of fine tuning examples to further demonstrate the complexity and precision woven into the creation of the universe:

-The electromagnetic coupling constant binds electrons to protons in atoms. If it was smaller, fewer electrons could be held. If it was larger, electrons would be held too tightly to bond with other atoms.

– Ratio of electron to proton mass (1:1836). Again, if this was larger or smaller, molecules could not form.

– Carbon and oxygen nuclei have finely tuned energy levels.

– Electromagnetic and gravitational forces are finely tuned, so the right kind of star can be stable.

– Our sun is the right color. If it was redder or bluer, photosynthetic response would be weaker.

– Our sun is also the right mass. If it was larger, its brightness would change too quickly and there would be too much high energy radiation. If it was smaller, the range of planetary distances able to support life would be too narrow; the right distance would be so close to the star that tidal forces would disrupt the planet’s rotational period. UV radiation would also be inadequate for photosynthesis.

-The earth’s distance from the sun is crucial for a stable water cycle. Too far away, and most water would freeze; too close and most water would boil.

-The earth’s gravity, axial tilt, rotation period, magnetic field, crust thickness, oxygen/nitrogen ratio, carbon dioxide, water vapour and ozone levels are just right.

Just like DNA, the components that make up the universe demonstrate logical order, complex systems, intent, and precise architecture clearly pointing to a creator. And like DNA, the components of the universe are so complex and precise that if they were to be altered in even the slightest way, it couldn’t stand to exist. There is no evolving over time. The argument of billions of years allowing this precision to happen by chance is irrelevant, as every component relies on existing components in their complete form to exist. It would not be possible for any aspect of the universe to partially develop. It would have to not exist and then come into existence in its precise entirety, all at once, to maintain existence. It would need all the other components to exist in their entirety to maintain existence as well. Something only possible with a designer, a creator to precisely create each component of the universe in a single moment so they could all exist in their entirety at the same time.

CS Lewis wrote, “Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a [divine] Legislator.” If the universe and this world is all by chance, there would not be order. Instead, it would be chaos and no one would expect to find consistent laws and organized systems throughout nature, biology, or the universe.

Order and design are not random. Chaos is random. Chaos is by chance. Order and design do not come by chance, they come from a creator, with intent. Random chance doesn’t explain our objective morality or our intrinsic value. More importantly, random chance doesn’t explain love. If this universe and everything in it are all by random chance, and we are just a clump of cells, then why do we sacrifice for love? Why would we take a bullet or jump in front of a car to save another human? That defies the theory of survival of the fittest or evolution. It would make absolutely no sense to risk killing yourself to save another. Yet, for love, we will sacrifice our life. Sacrificial love does not come by random chance. It comes from our Divine Creator who made us in His image.

The world wants to tell you God doesn’t exist. The world will do its best to convince you there’s nothing more. But they don’t have any proof. Neither side can provide proof of creation. But the God side can provide more evidence than imaginable to demonstrate purpose, order, and intelligent design.

Did you know that Jesus living, dying, and resurrecting from the dead is more corroborated by historical documents than any other historical claim, ever?

Did you know that the Bible is the most historically and archaeologically verified book in all of history? There has never been a historical or archeological discovery that has ever contradicted the Bible, ever. In fact, the Bible is so historically accurate that archaeologists have used it for centuries as a guide to discover lost empires and archaeological sites.

Did you know that Jesus living and performing miracles is verified by historical documents outside of the Bible, from nonchristian civilizations?

If we had this much evidence for any other theory, it wouldn’t be considered a theory, it would be considered fact and it would be in every textbook in every school in the world.

The claim of Jesus living, dying, and resurrecting from the dead is more corroborated by historical documents than any other historical claim, ever. This includes corroborating documents outside of the Bible and documents from non-Christian civilizations. As if this claim was not radical enough, the claim is tied to a historical event, not just abstract ideas. This isn’t just one person’s claim or one person experiencing a vision or hallucination. This is a claim that has hundreds of eye witnesses and multiple, highly preserved, independent accounts. A claim that is backed up by detailed timelines, named witnesses, specific locations, and events.

Before we get into the evidence, let’s look at the claim. This single claim, the resurrection, is the foundation of Christianity. We believe faith in this claim alone guarantees you will spend eternity in heaven.

So what makes this claim so different?

The solution Christianity offers is different from every other world religion. Every other system gives you a ladder to climb. Every other system makes heaven contingent on your performance requiring you to be a ‘good person’ that earns your way to heaven. Christianity is the only religion that says something different which is you’ll never be good enough to earn your way into heaven (no matter how hard you try). That’s why you need a savior. Christianity doesn’t ask you to work harder to climb the ladder, Christianity lowers the ladder to you. Christianity says Jesus paid the price for your sins and makes heaven contingent on faith in Him, not contingent on your works. This radical claim of getting into heaven based on Jesus’ life, not based on your own, is called grace. It is completely unearned, completely undeserved, yet fully sufficient. Grace feels so radical because it contradicts human instincts for justice and fairness. Grace is what separates Christianity from every other religion, every other belief system in the history of the world. When we understand grace for the first time, it defies everything our minds know to be true and fair, yet it sits so well with our heart and soul. Why? Because we all know ourselves deep down; we’ve watched as we’ve fallen short of goal after goal or continuously made mistakes that we’ve regretted. Grace is feeling fully known for the first time. Grace is taking your first real deep breath resting in the fact that you don’t have to be good enough, you just have to have faith in the One who is, Jesus Christ.

So what makes the evidence so convincing?

I would argue that most people, even the majority of Christians, have never taken the time to understand the evidence. Most people assume it is a spiritual, religious claim and choose to take it or leave it. But we forget that this specific spiritual claim, the resurrection, is tied to real events, real people in history that left behind real, tangible evidence.

We need to remind ourselves the Bible is a true, historical text upheld by enormous amounts of evidence. Just because the books within the Bible are now considered religious texts, it does not negate the fact that they are historical texts.The Bible meets all historical accuracy criteria. Biblical historical facts (including the Gospel accounts) are verified from multiple independent and cross referenced sources all within the correct time frames.

There are countless examples of well-known people who set out to disprove Christianity, especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and later concluded the evidence supported it. Prominent investigators, lawyers, historians, journalists, and scholars who moved from skepticism to belief simply after studying the evidence.

1. Josh McDowell, author of More Than a Carpenter, began researching historical evidence to refute resurrection. After studying manuscripts, resurrection claims, and early sources, he concluded Christianity was historically credible.

2. Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ, an atheist legal journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He tried to disprove Christianity by interviewing historians, doctors, archaeologists, and biblical scholars. He eventually concluded the resurrection had strong historical support.

3. Frank Morrison, author of Who Moved the Stone?, planned to write a book explaining why the resurrection was a myth. While researching the evidence, he became convinced the resurrection actually happened.

4. C. S. Lewis, former atheist and Oxford scholar, strongly rejected Christianity. Through studying countless philosophical and historical arguments, he concluded Christianity was true.

5. Simon Greenleaf, one of the founders of Harvard Law School, is known for writing the first major American text on evidence law used as the standard legal reference for over 50 years. He later applied legal standards and evidence law to assess the validity of the resurrection claim; he concluded the Gospel accounts were reliable historical testimony.

Here’s what these people found that radically changed their point of view.

From an intellectual standpoint:

When we study ancient history, we’re fortunate if we get one or maybe two sources to confirm a fact. For the death of Jesus, we not only have multiple, early (1st century) accounts and records contained in the New Testament, we’ve also got five ancient sources outside the Bible confirming and corroborating Jesus’ death. That’s more than we have for any figure in all of history.

Next, for most ancient figures, historical documents appear hundreds of years after their lives. For example, Plato and Alexander the Great often have 400–700 year gaps between their existence and the records written about them. Jesus is unusual. The earliest claims of Him resurrecting from the dead (pre-Pauline creed) fall within THREE to FIVE years of the crucifixion. Other sources writing about Him (Paul’s letters) were written within 20–30 years, while the Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were written within 60 years. This is historically remarkable. In terms of validating historical facts, proximity matters. The closer the document is to the event or person, the more historically reliable it is. Within these historically verified and incredibly early sources, you have named witnesses and a claim that there is a separate group of 500 witnesses on top of the named witnesses. Having named eye witnesses for a claim strengthens plausibility drastically. To strengthen plausibility further, the eye witnesses named were still living and able to validate every detail of this claim.

Legends usually develop slowly. The resurrection claim appears immediately and perfectly uniform across sources. You have this intersection between physical and spiritual that leaves scholars and historians stunned. You have the resurrection which is the largest, supernatural claim in history tied to real people and real events.This claim contains early sources and multiple attestations that fall within the correct time frame. The claim meets all historical accuracy criteria. You have real artifacts such as the Pontius Pilate Stone, Gallio Inscription, Caiaphas Ossuary, and the Erastus Inscription. These artifacts let historians anchor the New Testament timeline in real history and demonstrate precise accuracy. You have archaeological finds confirming Biblical details such as the Pool of Bethesda, Pool of Siloam, Megiddo Mosaic, and Nazareth Inscription. You also have ancient texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and non-canonical early Christian writing that provide independent verification of New Testament reliability. All proving the same thing: the Gospel writers had accurate, firsthand knowledge. Their writings repeatedly prove that they are reliable and truthful sources. Everything that can be verified checks out.

There is one artifact that stands out from the rest – The Shroud of Turin. The Shroud of Turin the most studied artifact of all time. Why? Because the Shroud of Turin is the greatest scientific evidence that we have for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Oxford scholar, Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, explains further;

I used to be the biggest skeptic of the shroud. I went from sceptic to believing in it based on the science. It turns out, when you look at it, the Shroud of Turin is scientific proof of the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I believe that based on the evidence, on the 102 academic disciplines that have studied over 600,000 research hours in it. I believe that because I’m not irrational.

We have to ask, what kicked off the scientific exploration of the shroud? It is the fact that science today cannot explain or replicate the image on the shroud. There is 3D encoding on it. There is a topography, almost a holographic nature to it, that shows depths of light where the body wasn’t even touching the shroud. No other image on Earth has 3D encoding that is holographic in nature. Science today cannot explain how a 2,000 year old burial cloth has 3D information encoded in it that looks like a holograph.

Bruno Barberis, a prominent mathematician, physicist, and the world’s leading researcher on the Shroud of Turin, calculated that the probability of one man accidentally matching all the anatomical, historical, and pathological details observed on the Shroud (such as specific wounds, bloodstain patterns, and burial customs) is 1 in 200 billion. He argues that this makes it statistically impossible for the image to be of anyone other than Jesus of Nazareth.

The Shroud of Turn is earth-shattering, undeniable evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If anyone truly took the time to look at the available evidence, it would be impossible to ignore the truth of the resurrection claim. Jeremiah Johnston affirms the importance of these findings for our faith in Jesus saying, “Faith isn’t something we drum up or we vibe. No. Faith is knowledge. The more you know about God, the more you know about the facts surrounding the resurrection, your faith will naturally become stronger.”

The evidence behind the resurrection claim is overwhelming. The sheer amount of copied manuscripts containing the resurrection claim points to something extraordinary. There are over 24 thousand verified manuscripts of the resurrection compared to figures like Plato and Julius Caesar with less than 20 supporting manuscripts. Even more impressive than the number of verified manuscripts, is that the resurrection has

1.) Very early documentation

2.) Multiple sources

3.) Consistent documentation detailed between sources for a very specific, extraordinary claim

4.) Rapid and widespread transmission so close to the event.

The best explanation for this early and widespread belief that spread so rapidly in the presence of living, hostile witnesses, is that something very real and very undeniable happened.

From a logical standpoint:

You have a movement that is rapidly expanding out of Jerusalem (the place of the resurrection) within weeks of the crucifixion, led by people who claimed to have seen the risen Christ and who died for that claim. People die for beliefs they hold sincerely that are false. Martyrdom proves sincerity, not truth. Jesus’ disciples weren’t dying for a belief. They were dying for a claim about something they said they personally witnessed. People don’t die for something they know to be a hoax they invented. Peter didn’t go to crucifixion upside down to protect a lie he made up. James, the brother of Jesus who didn’t believe during Jesus’ lifetime, didn’t suddenly lead the Jerusalem church because he was committed to a family conspiracy. Something happened to these people that they interpreted as encountering the physically risen Jesus, and it was convincing enough that they chose death rather than recantation.

The alternative explanations all have problems. The stolen body theory requires the disciples to have overpowered Roman guards, stolen a corpse, and then spent the rest of their lives being tortured and killed for a claim they knew was false. The hallucination theory requires multiple people (independent of each other) to have the exact same hallucinations on multiple occasions over 40 days, including 500 people at once per Paul’s account. This wasn’t one person claiming to have seen Jesus passing by. The claim was that they spent time with Him over a 40 day period. This claim was made by independent sources that had no prior relationships with each other. The legend theory requires a fully developed resurrection narrative to have emerged within a three year timeframe despite emerging from a hostile community of eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death. Legends don’t crystallize that fast, especially not in the presence of living eyewitnesses.

Then there is the criterion of embarrassment. There are details of the New Testament that you would not make up. Details that would not be written and recorded unless it actually happened, otherwise it would be embarrassing. There would be no reason to make up embarrassing facts that put less weight behind your claims unless they are true. The accounts have women being the first eye witnesses to the empty tomb. In that time period, the reports of women hold little to no weight. If the resurrection was a well concocted lie, women would have never been chosen to be the first eye witnesses or reports. Then you have Jesus’ disciples running scared. They all fled the scene of the crucifixion fearing for their lives after watching Jesus die. The reports show them cowardly running scared. Why would you have cowardly disciples recorded in a made up story?

Why would the disciples risk their lives and go back to the scene of the crime? Especially knowing what happened to the past false messianic movements (Simon Bargiora) that falsely claimed to be the messiah. They knew that when the prior movements were squashed, the disciples were all subsequently brutally killed. The disciples also saw what happened to the first martyr, Stephen, who was stoned to death for publicly proclaiming Jesus, serving as a warning shot to the rest of the disciples. The disciples all go back to the scene of the crime anyway, even after having the risk of death confirmed by the death of Stephen. They go to the place Jesus was crucified and where there were hostile, living eyewitnesses that actually know what happened. People die for beliefs they hold sincerely that are false. The difference is that the disciples weren’t dying for a belief. They were dying for a claim about something they witnessed firsthand. They turned from cowardly running away to courageously running back into the fire, to the scene of the crime, to risk their lives. They proclaimed this claim for 40 years straight without denying it once. They were beaten, tortured, stoned, and put in prison, all for this claim, yet never chose recantation once.

The only logical explanation is that they actually witnessed and spent time with the resurrected Christ.

Fleming Rutledge sums it up perfectly in one sentence, “If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, we would never have heard of Him.”

What are the facts versus what is the claim?

Fact – Jesus existed

Fact – Jesus was crucified and died under Pontus Pilate

Fact – The tomb was empty

Claim: The tomb was empty because Jesus Christ rose from the dead and spent 40 days on earth before ascending to heaven.

If the tomb was empty, that demands an explanation. Especially because the reason He was killed was for claiming to be the Son of God. He claimed He would resurrect from the dead. The Roman authorities had every motivation to ensure the tomb was not found empty. There were guards to ensure the tomb wouldn’t be found empty in order to stop any belief that Jesus was God. Yet the tomb was empty. That demands an explanation. All the evidence points to the resurrected Christ.

Supporting Facts for Resurrection Claim:

1. His followers sincerely believed He rose from the dead making claims to have been with Him post crucifixion. They believed it so deeply they were willing to be brutally murdered for it.

2.The belief that Christ resurrected from the dead began very early (close enough to the crucifixion that the eye witnesses were still living).

3. Not one historical or archaeological finding has ever contradicted this claim or any Biblical records surrounding the claim.

4. Women were recorded as the first to report the empty tomb. In that time period, the reports of women held little to no weight. One could argue that if the resurrection was a well concocted lie, women would have never been chosen to be the first eye witnesses or reports.

5. There are no existing records or documents denying the empty tomb. Even the Roman authorities (and people who denied the resurrection) conceded the tomb was found empty.

Jesus told His followers that He was going to die and come back to life. When He died, all His followers ran in fear, scared of the Roman retaliation. Then something happened that made Jesus’ disciples come back and be willing to be killed for their claim to have spent time with the resurrected Christ. The disciples were not brave, not courageous, and out of nowhere ran right back to the scene of the crime, to ground zero.. They ran back into the fire and didn’t bat an eye, willing to die the most painful deaths for this claim.

What are the possible explanations for the tomb being empty and His followers immediately returning to the scene with claims of a resurrected Christ? What is the possible explanation for how 12 disciples with no political pulls or royal titles were able to curate such an enormous lie that somehow turned into the largest religion in the world? If the resurrection of Christ was a lie, then how did it gain so much traction so early without violence or force? Especially in the place where witnesses to the crucifixion were still alive to know the truth. For some reason, these 12 disciples risked their lives to go back to the place where Jesus was crucified, and make a bold claim that He had resurrected. There was not a body to be found in the tomb where Jesus was laid. No one, not even the most powerful government officials, were able to slow the momentum or the impact of the resurrection claim.

Chuck Colson, who was famously involved in the watergate scandal and served time in federal prison stated,

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

Jesus living and performing miracles is a historical fact. The sheer amount of manuscripts created in such a short time frame blows every other religious text and every other historical figure out of the water. While most figures such as Plato, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar have somewhere between 5 and 200 verified manuscripts, Jesus Christ has over 24,000. Figures like Plato and Alexander the Great have 400–700 year gaps between their existence and the records written about them while Jesus has 3-60 year gaps between His existence and the records written about Him. Legends usually develop slowly and records of Jesus Christ and His resurrection appear immediately. The records are written within the lifetime of eye witnesses and are perfectly uniform across all sources. This is historically remarkable.

Non-Christian (and even hostile) sources like Tacitus, Josephus, Celsus, and the Talmud confirm that Jesus existed, was executed, and was seen as a figure who performed unusual or powerful acts. Instead, the hostile sources claim He did extraordinary things but explain them as magic, sorcery, or deception.

It is a unanimous fact that Jesus Christ existed and died via crucifixion under the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. It is a fact that Jesus’ actions (whether miraculous or magic) caused a stir among the cities in which He traveled. It is a fact that Jesus’ followers sincerely believed He rose from the dead making claims to have been with Him post crucifixion for 40 days. His followers believed this so deeply they were willing to be brutally murdered for it.

The best explanation for this early and widespread belief that spread so rapidly in the presence of living, hostile witnesses, is that something very real and very undeniable happened.

One single claim, the resurrection, is centered on one single person, Jesus Christ, who created the largest religion in the world – Christianity.

Wes Huff, a prominent historian and theologian, responds to the question, “Isn’t it arrogant of Christianity to assume that Jesus Christ is the only way to get right with God?”. He points out that all worldviews are exclusive to some degree. If you have more than a superficial understanding of each worldview, you would see that some worldviews (like eastern religions such buddhism and hinduism) don’t even claim to lead you to God. He continues by saying;

The Christian worldview is unique in that it does hang historically [on one person]. You could actually remove Buddah from the picture and you could still get Buddhism because it is a philosophy. Someone else could have come up with the philosophical concepts that make up Buddhism. You could have had a different prophet, other than Muhammad, communicate what is now known as Islam. But it had to be Jesus. It could not be anyone else. And that’s where it all hangs on the historical validity and reliability of this Jewish traveling Rabbi, who came into the world, fulfilled prophecy with His birth, life, and death and then ultimately was vindicated by His resurrection.

Every major religion outside of Christianity recognizes and points to Jesus in some way. For example, Islam holds Jesus as a miracle working prophet, Hinduism recognizes Him as holy, Buddhism as a wise teacher, and Taoism recognizes Him as an enlightened teacher who embodied the Tao (the “way”). These religions all affirm Jesus’ teachings as wise and claim that Jesus is “a way” to heaven. But when you study Jesus’ teachings, you will find that Jesus is very clear when He says He is the ONLY way to heaven, the ONLY way to eternity with God. Jesus didn’t just point to the truth – He claimed to be the truth.

Jake Payne does a great job explaining the impact Jesus Christ had on this world in one of his Instagram posts:

If Jesus was the son of God, you would expect a few things to happen. Like, oh I don’t know, splitting time. He reset it. It’s scary how many people don’t know why it is the year 2025; because of Jesus! What did this guy do to have the whole world change the calendar based on Him? And He didn’t even ask them to. Every date on Earth used by governments, atheists, and muslim nations are measured in relation to His existence, His life, His coming to earth. BC, Before Christ and AD, Anno Domini which means the year of the Lord [referring to years after the birth of Jesus Christ]. We are counting the years because of Jesus. The Eternal One entered time and split it.

Why can’t you drive 2 miles in any direction without passing five huge buildings that are fully furnished, bill paying monthly, dedicated to this man, this poor carpenter, born 2000 years ago? One third of the whole Earth’s population self professes to believe Him. One out of every three humans identifies with Him.

People will claim, “He’s not God, He was just a good teacher.” Then how is the written record, the book that talks about Him, rather, 66 books by 40+ different authors, the most bought, sold, copied, printed, read, influential, and important book to ever exist? It is the most smuggled book, the most burnt book, the most preserved, the most translated, and the most studied. It is literally called The Book. The Bible. Biblia [original Greek word meaning books]. It is the Book.

Why does every religion, every path, want a piece of Jesus for themselves? He was different than every religious leader, every self proclaimed prophet and guru. Buddha said, “I show the right way.” Muhhamand said, “I am a prophet of god.” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the father except through me. I am God in the flesh. Before Abraham was, I Am. I Am one with the Father.” He didn’t just point to the truth – He claimed to be it.

His name alone holds a spiritual authority. Say Buddah out in the street; no one cares. Say Muhammah, say Confucius, say Plato; no one even hears it. Say Jesus and everyone will turn and say, “who said that?” You feel something, it hits the conscience. It demands a response. And that is evidence of His spiritual authority. It says He has the name above all names; and He does. Name another name that does that?

Even His enemies shape their identity in response to Him. Atheism, secularism, and countless worldviews exist in reaction to Jesus. Not in reaction to Zeus, or Thor, or Muhammad. People define themselves by either embracing Him or rejecting Him. Because that is who He is. He said He came to separate the sheep from the goats. He came to bring a sword to divide people. Because that’s what the truth does, it divides. Not to mention the dozens [over 300] fulfilled prophecies [all recorded over 250 years before His birth]. Or people still today being healed and transformed and giving all the credit to Him.

Jesus Christ isn’t a mythical fairytale or curated legend. He is a historical figure rooted in time and space. Jesus is the best attested figure from the ancient world. His life, death, and resurrection, which shaped the world we know today, have more evidence verifying their authenticity than any other person or claim in history.

The Bible is the most historically and archaeologically verified book in all of history. There has never been a historical or archeological discovery that has ever contradicted the Bible, not one. In fact, the Bible has been used for centuries as a guide to archeologists to discover lost empires and archaeological sites. The Bible is used to find ancient buildings, people, civilizations, kings, and government officials. The Bible proved so accurate that archaeologists started using it to discover and find people and places they would have otherwise never known to exist. This demonstrates historical accuracy. Real people, really existed, and really wrote down what they saw.

Historical accuracy is present throughout the entire Bible. I was reading Genesis the other day and I noticed the burial site of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, is described in great detail. I thought to myself, I wonder if anyone has tried to find it. So I googled it, and to no surprise, it has been found and is a historical site that is protected. It was exactly where the book of Genesis said it was. Again, real people, really existed, and really wrote down what they saw.

Somewhere along the way we started reading the Bible more as a story than actual history (I know I did). Nicholas Perrin argues that modern Christians often make a virtue of keeping biblical history vague, treating figures like Abraham, David, and Jesus as mythical stories (akin to Luke Skywalker) rather than historical figures rooted in time and space (like Winston Churchill). This, he suggests, is driven by a conditioning to treat the Bible solely as “story” or children’s literature rather than as an anchored, historical narrative.

We need to remind ourselves that the Bible is a true, historical text upheld by enormous amounts of evidence. Just because they are religious texts now, does not negate that these are historical texts.The Bible meets all historical accuracy criteria. Biblical historical facts (including the Gospel accounts) are verified from multiple independent and cross referenced sources all within the correct time frames.

The Bible is not just a book, the Bible is 66 different books, written by 40 different people over a span of 1500 years. There has never been a book like that in history. Shahriq Khan describes it so perfectly:

“The Bible somehow tells one story, one messiah, and one rescue mission. You’re telling me that 40 authors over 1500 years just accidentally lined up on Jesus? And honestly, if it was all written by one guy, I wouldn’t trust it. No offense to Muslims, but that’s how cults are born and that’s what the Quran actually is. The Quran is one man, one book, one power structure, which to me isn’t some kind of unity, that’s narrative control. And the Bible, meanwhile, survives every regime, every empire, every attempt to burn it, ban it, and just bury it in the ground and it is STILL preaching the Gospel to this day. And now you’ve got over 300 prophecies, all landing on one man – in what world is that a coincidence? To me that is case closed, historical accuracy from cover to cover.”

Not only did 40 authors over 1500 years all line up on one story, but within the one story there are over 60,000 cross references. Seems impossible for 40 different people over a span of 1500 years to create such a cohesive book that is so perfectly and so intrinsically woven together. Not to mention, that the one story they lined up on now has more evidence to verify its authenticity than any other story or claim in history.

Scripture proves to be historically reliable and trustworthy time and time again. Scripture demonstrates precise accuracy when cross referenced from sources outside of the Bible, including non-Christian sources that were hostile to Jesus. It is continuously verified through the mass amounts of archaeological findings all confirming historical reliability and validity of Biblical details. It contains multiple lines of testimony and first hand source material while maintaining perfect, internal consistency. The constant cross-connections detailed throughout scripture paired with the inclusion of embarrassing details further confirm the Bible is based on real events.

The Bible is true. The Bible is the absolute Word of God. This is why it survives every attempt to ban it, burn it, or bury it. The Bible stands the test of time because it stands on truth.

To quote Charles Sprugeon, “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”

I know, they all claim to be true. Every religion claims to be true but they can’t all be true. And they can’t try to coexist in truth because each religion contradicts the other. So we have to look at the evidence. We have to look at the reliability of the claims each religion makes.

Somewhere along the line we were told that all religions rely on blind faith. That simply is not true. Christianity does not stand on blind faith, it stands on an unshakeable and proven faith. It stands on a faith that stands stronger alongside evidence. The atheistic view falls apart under scientific evidence. The Islamic and nonchristian views fall apart under historical evidence. Yet, Christianity is upheld by all scientific and historical evidence. Christianity is upheld and will always be upheld by the evidence because Christianity is the truth.

The only other religion that even comes close to Christianity in terms of popularity, is Islam. Islam started over 500 years after Christianity and holds Jesus as a miracle working prophet (unable to deny that fact). The Quran, their holy book, even references the Gospel within itself affirming its authority and truth. Unfortunately, Islam claims the Bible has been corrupted and that Jesus is not God and did not die on the cross or rise from the dead three days later. So while they claim to ‘know’ Jesus by admitting He was a sinless person working miracles, they deny everything Jesus stood for, they deny His claim to be God in flesh form and deny the truth of the Bible. Interesting, that the second largest religion doesn’t deny Jesus lived and performed miracles but finds a way to remove His divinity. By removing His divinity, you remove everything Jesus claimed. When you have contradicting claims between religions, the next step is to analyze the evidence to find which claims the evidence supports.

If we start by looking at history, you find how Islam spread so rapidly. How it became so popular without standing on truth. Historically, countries become Islamic through military conquest, by using force. Christianity, by contrast, spread by word of mouth. Christianity spread by disciples performing miracles before people’s very eyes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christianity spread like wildfire by standing on truth, solely relying on the reliability of God’s Word, and the holy impact it would have on the soul of the listener. If we look at politics, Christian countries are democracies with freedom of religion while Islamic countries are authoritarian or dictatorships with no religious freedom where questioning the faith is punishable by law.

Again, Christianity encourages questions, encourages people to look deeper. Because the truth is strengthened by questioning, not threatened by it.

Christianity stands strong alongside the evidence while Islam falls apart. The Dead Sea scrolls alone validate Christianity, the authenticity of the Bible, and remove all claims of corrupted text over time. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of over 900 manuscripts, including the oldest known copies of Hebrew Bible texts, that prove that the Old Testament was transmitted with remarkable accuracy over 1,000 years.There is also a mountain of evidence outside of the Dead Sea Scrolls to validate the claims and reliability of the Bible. For example, Megiddo Mosaic, an exceptionally preserved 3rd-century floor from what is believed to be the world’s oldest Christian prayer hall, features a Greek inscription explicitly referring to “God Jesus Christ”. This dedication is now the earliest archaeological evidence of Jesus being called God. The inscription is dated to approximately 230 AD, that’s almost 400 years BEFORE Islam was founded. Once again, the evidence is there to demonstrate the true religion.

There are archaeological sites all over Saudi Arabia (one of the world’s strongest Muslim countries) that no one’s allowed to dig. They will not allow any public research. This is because if those digs happen, they will find ancient churches and historical evidence that prove the reliability and validity of the Bible. The findings would cause the Islamic religion to fall apart by revealing the corruption within the Quran. Truth doesn’t hide from evidence. If Islam is true then they would let people dig. They would be chomping at the bit to show the world the hard evidence that supports Islam’s claims.

The Bible is the most historically and archaeologically verified book in all of history. There has never been a historical or archeological discovery that has contradicted the Bible, and there never will be. Jesus living, dying, and resurrecting from the dead is more attested by historical documents than any other historical claim, ever. Including corroborating documents outside of the Bible and documents from non Christian civilizations and cultures. All the evidence upholds Christianity as the one true religion.

Additionally, the major religions outside of Christianity all recognize and point back to Jesus in some way. For example, Islam holds Jesus as a miracle working prophet, Hindu recognizes Him as Holy, Buddhism as a wise teacher, and Taoism recognizes Him as an enlightened teacher who embodied the Tao (the “way”). These major religions all agree that Jesus is “a way” to the truth. But Jesus says He is the ONLY way. These major religions all point to different truths while Jesus Christ claims to be the truth.

Christianity is the truth. The Bible has been proven historically reliable. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and was crucified on the cross to take on the eternal punishment we deserve as sinners. He was resurrected from the dead three days later (just as He foretold) proving His divinity. Read the Bible, look at the evidence. Jesus Christ is God, Jesus Christ is King. Following Jesus is the only way to have eternal life in heaven in God’s presence (John 14:6).

Why didn’t Jesus leave us obvious proof?

Well, Jesus came down to Earth to be the proof and work tangible miracles before people’s very eyes and they crucified Him. Then they denied everything He stood for after His death. Jesus left an ABUNDANCE of undeniable evidence for us to discover and explore and most people won’t even take the time to look for it. We take theories that deny Jesus as fact without asking deeper questions or looking at any evidence for ourselves. We let our Bibles collect dust while wondering why Jesus left us with so many unanswered questions.

What about proof happening today?

We have the scientific proof of miracles. Science is the systematic process of learning about the world through observation, experimentation, and evidence to build knowledge about how things work. If the essence of science is validation by observation then why does science deny the thousands (if not millions) of blatant miraculous events reported? Many of which have documented proof of the miraculous event. If the credibility of scientific theories comes from their ability to show relationships among observed phenomena, then why are miraculous events not considered credible? Have you ever looked into people that explain their near death experiences? The stories all line up. The consistencies throughout all the reported near death experiences around the globe are so great that many people state that as the sole reason they decided to explore the validity of Jesus. Have you heard about the thousands of Muslims having dreams where they meet Christ resulting in thousands of Muslims leaving their faith and following Jesus? Once again, the stories about the dreams all line up. Have you heard of the tens of thousands of recorded death bed visions? People clearly describe heaven and what they see moments before they pass away. There is biblical precedent of this in Act 7:55-56 when the martyr Stephen describes what he sees just before entering heaven himself. Stories have been studied and corroborated based on the information each person shared in which they had no previous knowledge or understanding. Examples include very young children giving precise details, people blind from birth that had no prior reference for description, and people confused as they report being welcomed by a loved one they did not know had already passed away, etc. In all these cases you have (1) observed/experienced events reported, (2) clear patterns and relationships identified throughout reports, and (3) observed radical life changes that validate the reports (Muslims risking their lives to leave their faith, nonbelievers dedicating their lives to Christ, etc). Sounds a lot like proof of the supernatural to me. People shouldn’t use science as an “out” for not asking deeper questions. We’re told science stands against Christianity. People assume the more they dig into science, the further away they’ll get from God. But science confirms the supernatural, confirms the power of Christ, and confirms every truth in the Bible. Christianity stands stronger alongside scientific evidence.

If the proof of miracles isn’t convincing enough for you, then look at the evidence. The world wants you to believe there is no God, there is no creator because it cannot be proved. Well, the atheists cannot provide proof for their claims. Where is their proof that explains how the Earth or man came into existence? Where is the proof that life was created from nothing? There is no proof. All we have is evidence. And all the scientific evidence points to intelligent design, and all the historical evidence points to Jesus Christ and the accuracy of the Bible.