Joe and Chris discuss the resurrection Part Five: Was Jesus' resurrection a fulfillment of prophecy?

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

Chris: Last week we were talking about Luke chapter 24 and how Jesus opened up the scriptures from Moses' writings to all of the prophets concerning the prophecies about Jesus.

Joe: Of course we know that Jesus' death was predicted.

Chris: That's right. Joe can you tell me where are the prophecies regarding Jesus being resurrected as a spirit?

Joe: Uh...I don't know of any. I think that Jehovah was not very clear about the resurrection. He was waiting for holy spirit to be poured out in order to teach the disciples the truth about the resurrection.

Chris: Are you saying that the most important event - the resurrection of Jesus - was not prophesied by Jehovah God?

Joe: I'm just not sure. I have never thought of that before. I will have to do some research on it and get back to you.

Chris: Can you look at a scripture that I found concerning Jesus' resurrection? It is Psalms 16:9-10. It says "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."

Joe: That is not talking about Jesus' resurrection. It just says the Holy One would not see corruption. Jesus' body did not see corruption.

Chris: Oh, really? Dissolving Jesus' body into gases is instant corruption! Let's have another look at verse 9. It says "My flesh also will rest in hope". What was Jesus' body resting in hope for?

Joe: That is not talking about Jesus. That is David talking. David's flesh shall rest in hope because he is looking for a resurrection to the new earth. The first part of the verse is talking about David and the second part is talking about Jesus.

Chris: Really? That's not what the book of Acts says. In Acts 2:25 it says that David said about Jesus and then quotes from Psalms 16:8-11. In Acts 2:31 it says that these verses are a prophecy about the resurrection of Jesus. His soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. Psalms 16:9 says that his flesh will rest in hope. What was Jesus' body resting in hope for?

Joe: He was resting in hope of not experiencing corruption.

Chris: You mean he was resting in hope of being dissolved into gases? I don't think so. This is a prophecy of the resurrection. Look back at verse 30 of Acts chapter 2. It says that God swore an oath to David that of the fruit of his body according to the flesh, Christ would be raised up (or resurrected) to sit on his throne.

Joe: Are you saying that Jesus will sit on a literal throne of David? Where is this literal throne?

Chris: The Bible uses the word "throne" as authority to rule. The Bible says that the fruit of David in the flesh would sit on David's throne of authority. How could a spirit be the fruit of David's body? A spirit does not qualify to sit on David's throne of authority.

Joe: Well, Jesus used to be an offspring of David when he was on earth. He was the literal offspring of David then.

Chris: You're right. Jesus Christ the man is the literal offspring of David. Michael the archangel who the Watchtower says is the resurrected Christ, has never been the offspring of David. An angel or a spirit cannot be the fruit of David's body in the flesh. "Used to be's" don't count. Joe, who should I believe, the Bible or the Watchtower?

Joe: I know that the Watchtower is right, I just can't explain it that well.

Chris: The last five weeks we have been talking about the resurrection. We have seen that the Watchtower has not even one scriptural prophecy about a spirit resurrection. Yet the bible clearly prophecies that Jesus in the flesh would sit on the throne of authority of David. According to the Watchtower, Jesus failed in his mission to prove to his disciples that he was resurrected as a spirit person! They teach that none of the disciples believed in a spiritual resurrection until Pentecost which is a long time after the resurrection happened and Jesus left to go back to the Father. But my Bible says that Jesus proved to his disciples that it was He Himself and not a spirit. Jesus did not manufacture bodies to fool the disciples until they could learn the truth later. Jesus would never have done that! The Watchtower has done everything they can to explain away the empty tomb of Jesus. But if the body of Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Jehovah made David out to be a false prophet and God made a mistake by destroying the most valuable evidence against the bodily resurrection - the dead body of Jesus!

 

Back to Part One: What is the best proof for the Watchtower's view of the resurrection?

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