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Resurrection (35:0) Some Christians believe that the Resurrection and Ascent of Jesus are simply different aspects of the same truth; Jesus was resurrected from physical death and ascended to His Father at the time of His crucifixion. The appearances Jesus made to His disciples, including His ascent, were as described in Harper's Bible Dictionary: "From 1 Cor. 15:3-8 we learn that faith in the resurrection was based not on the empty tomb, which Paul does not mention, but on the appearances of the Lord. The word used for 'appeared' is the same Greek word used elsewhere for visionary experiences. We may today characterize these experiences as revelatory disclosures from the transcendent realm. No distinction was drawn between the resurrection and ascension. The appearances are manifestations of the resurrected and already ascended Christ from heaven." [-ed] (35:1) see Paul had said: "All flesh is not the same.. There are celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial.. So (it is with) the resurrection of the dead.. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body" (1co 15:39-44).."flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1co 15:50). (35:2) see So how do we reconcile what Paul said with the generally accepted Christian view of the resurrection of Jesus' physical body? After all, Jesus had said unto them, "The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.." (mat 17:22-23) - (for a list of resurrection events read note 'Re'). Still, the Bible is very emphatic about physical bodies not going to heaven!! [-ed] (35:3) Re see Some might say that conditions would be unique for Jesus, the Son of God - who at this very moment sits at God's right hand (eph 1:20). But if this were the case, why would Jesus have the only physical body in heaven? According to Paul there are no other physical bodies there (1co 15:50), and God is a Spirit (joh 4:24). [-ed] (35:4) Ri see Other Views: For a scholarly view, click Audio (Joel Smith 47 min) (35:5) Often the disciples failed to immediately recognize Jesus' body when He appeared (joh 20:15-17), and other persons present at the event did not always see Him, as in the appearance to Paul (act 9:3-7). This seems extraordinary, as does His body suddenly appearing and disappearing. One popular view is that the appearances were Heavenly Visions of His celestial body, similar to Heavenly Visions related elsewhere in the Bible. [-ed]
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