Why Is it Hard to Reject the Truth of the Resurrection?

Rev. Ernest O'Neill

Do you see, loved ones, it's very hard from a commonsensical and an intellectual viewpoint to reject the truth that this man Jesus really did rise from the dead when you examine the historical evidence and examine the way that evidence was even being circulated and examined while there were still people alive who saw Jesus’ crucifixion and who were among the 500 people that saw him when he rose from the dead.

And of course, the other fact about that person -- this is only one of the little verses you know -- the other thing about this verse is He appeared to more than 500 people at one time. It just does away with all the old chestnuts that we used to roast at school, like: “Well, it was hallucinations. They just had hallucinations. They just thought He was alive.” Well, 500 people don't have a hallucination. The psychological laws governing hallucinations will tell you clearly, hallucinations are seen by one person, usually sitting alone wishing that the person was alive.

These people had given up hope that He would rise from the dead. And it wasn't just one person who saw Him; there were more than 500 people who saw Him at one time -- plus the apostles and the disciples who saw Him appear when he appeared and disappeared in upper rooms. So, when you take all that evidence together, it's very difficult to reject the fact that this man Jesus actually came back to life.