running dogg wrote:

In an age in which we know that the Pope died at EXACTLY 9:37 pm Italy
time, the silver hammer is not exactly needed anymore. Presumably 1000
years ago, it was. In the days before we could tell with certainty that
a person was dead, there was a very real risk of being buried alive.
It's happened several times that are recorded. I've read that it even
happened recently (within the last ten years, maybe five) in Saudi
Arabia. The poor guy was buried alive and a shepherd heard him screaming
from inside his coffin and dug him out. He returned home in his burial
shroud and his mother and sister fainted from fright. IMO, this is what
happened to Jesus. He went into deep shock from being nailed to a cross
and seemed like he was dead, but when they went back three days later to
bury him he was actually alive, and the peasants thought that he had
returned from the dead.

Great try - but a few problems:

1) The Roman soldiers were probably the best, most experienced in the
land. They KNEW when a man was dead as they'd probably crucified many a
man in their days. They had a habit of breaking the legs so they could
not push themselves up - the only way to breath during a crucifixion -
if there was ANY DOUBT as to the death of the crucified. They, in order
to fulfill prophecy, they DID NOT break a bone in his body.

2) How do you explain a few facts that occurred IMMEDIATELY after
Christ "yielded up His spirit" - all found in Matthew 27, and other places?

Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded
up His spirit.

Mt. 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom;

3) Matthew 27:51 continued, and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the 1saints who had
fallen asleep were raised;

53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the
holy city and appeared to many.

54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over
Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were
happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of
God!”

55 Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed
Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him.

56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and
Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995

We won't even (for now) go into the CONSPIRACY that followed in verses
62-66 where the Pharisees accused Him of being a deceiver, after His
death and when He could not defend himself - just like they do today and
like the Catholic church has done on several occasions; i.e. digging up
the bones of Westcott and Hort and mutilating them - long after they
were dead!

.....Or the plot AFTER THE RESURRECTION to say that 100 guards fell
asleep on duty and the disciples "stole" Him away without making a sound
that would awaken the guards.

The PLOT THICKENS -- just like over cooked stew! :-)

He was lucky-Jewish law requires a burial within
24 hours, but since he "died" on a Saturday morning (the Jewish day
begins at sundown) and Saturday is the holy day for Jews he was stashed
in an empty tomb for burial on Sunday. In the interim, he woke up. And
we're still suffering for Jesus's incredible stroke of luck 2000 years
later.

More filthy lies that don't line up with the Word of God! :-)