Post Resurrection Appearances of Christ

The appearance of the resurrected Christ is documented well in the New Testament. For example, consider what 1 Corinthians 15:5 teaches. This passage states that Jesus appeared to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and then to more than 500 witnesses at once! While this passage was written a number of years after the crucifixion and resurrection, most of the 500 were probably still alive and testifying. It was hard for the Jewish leaders to dispute such evidence.

In I Cor.15: 7 we see that James saw the resurrected Christ. Like Peter’s personal audience, this was another personal restoration. James (some say he was James the brother of Jesus) was the head apostle in Jerusalem. James was a leader among leaders and he knew that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Who would know better or be more believable than Jesus' own brother?

The ascension of Christ into Heaven is found in Acts 1:10. Jesus had been with the apostles for forty days, teaching and building them up. He promised that he would continue to empower them through the Holy Spirit, which they would receive very soon.

As they watched, He was physically taken up into Heaven and a cloud received Him and took Him from sight. They stood watching the sky; awestruck at the sight they had just beheld and two men in white (who were actually angels) appeared. They prophesied of the return of Jesus in the same manner He had gone up.

The twelve then traveled to Jerusalem and celebrated the Feast of Booths (Feast of Pentecost) in an upper room. As they prayed and sought direction, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as tongues of fire, one sitting on each man’s head. The twelve immediately began to speak in languages other than their native one’s. All were from Galilee, so this was quickly noticed and spoken of.

As promised, the Spirit had descended and filled the disciples. The fact that this event took place during the Feast of Pentecost is also significant. You see, the reason for Pentecost was a reaping of the harvest. It was a thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. How fitting that God reaped the seeds He had sown in the disciples during the harvest Feast.

The appearances of the resurrected Christ served several purposes:
1. Provided proof of the deity of Jesus.
2. Dispelled any doubt as to His validity as the Son of Man.
3. Displayed His power to forgive sins and save sinners.
4. Gave us hope for believers own future bodily resurrections.

The risen Christ is to be worshipped, loved, respected and revered for He is alive!

All we need to do is believe on Him as our Savior as told in John 3:16.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.!

1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.