Joe and Chris discuss the resurrection Part Two: If Jesus wasn't raised as a spirit how could he walk through walls?

The following is a simulated discussion between a Jehovah's Witness named Joe and a Christian named Chris.

Joe: Chris, I understand from last week that you believe that Jesus' dead body would have been the best proof for the Watchtower to use to prove their teaching that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit creature. That may be true, but I want you to tell me how a body could walk through walls?

Chris: Joe, can you show me where in the Bible it says that Jesus walked through walls?

Joe: Sure, turn with me to Luke 24:36.

Chris: It says "Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, 'Peace to you.'"

Joe: You see, Chris, Jesus did not come through the door as the doors were locked. In John 20:19 it tells the same story but adds that the doors were shut because the disciples were afraid of the Jews. Jesus had to walk through the walls to get into the room.

Chris: It doesn't say he walked through the walls. Does it say that he walked through the walls in your Bible?

Joe: No it doesn't exactly say that but how else could he get into the room? Only a spirit could walk through walls.

Chris: The spirit of God can transport a person from one place to another without ever having to walk through a wall. Look at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. In Acts 8:39 and 40 it says "Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus..." Philip was snatched away by the spirit of God and found at another city. Was Philip a human when the spirit picked him up and brought him to another city? Since God's power can take a man from one spot to another, Jesus' sudden appearing in a room didn't prove he wasn't human anymore than Philip's being caught by the spirit was proof that Philip was a spirit.

Joe: But my Bible reads differently. It says Jehovah's spirit quickly led Philip away. Philip wasn't transported to another place, he just walked there quickly.

Chris: Do you have a copy of your Kingdom Interlinear Translation - you know the one where the Greek is on the left side with the English translation under it and the New World Translation is on the right side?

Joe: I think I have it in my brief case somewhere....oh here it is.

Chris: Look at the Greek wording.

Joe: Let me see - the English under the Greek says "When but they came up out of the water, spirit of Lord snatched away Philip."

Chris: Oh...so the spirit did snatch Philip. Where did he deliver Philip to? Look at the Greek in verse 40.

Joe: "Philip but was found into Ashdod."

Chris: So Philip was snatched away from the water and was found in another city. He didn't walk quickly there. He was taken by the power of the spirit. Jesus did the same thing - He appeared in the room with the disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit. Philip was not a spirit when this happened to him and neither was Jesus. You know, Joe, last week we talked about the two most important things that your spirit called Jesus had to do to prove he was resurrected as a spirit and not bodily resurrected. First of all he had to prove that his body did not raise from the dead and secondly he had to prove that he was now a spirit. He certainly failed in proving that his body did not rise from the dead by not showing the body to the disciples. Joe, was Jesus a success or a failure at proving he was raised as a spirit when he had Thomas put his finger into the nail holes in his hands?

Joe: You just don't understand, Chris. Thomas was a doubter. He could not ever have believed that Jesus had risen from the dead unless he could put his finger into the print of the nails. Jesus had to manufacture a body similar to the one that died on the stake so that Thomas could believe.

Chris: That is an interesting theory. Let's continue this discussion next week.

To Part Three: Joe & Chris discuss "Who put the nail holes in Jesus' hands?"

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