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One of the earliest and most essential teachings of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, dead, and buried under Pontius Pilate and rose from the dead on the third day.
It is hard to conceive of any form of Christianity surviving the first century without the Resurrection of Jesus. Messianic movements by the hundreds had come and gone in Judea and disappeared in the sands of time when their ‘Messiah’ died or was killed. In fact, for one to die on the cross was considered to be ‘a curse’ to the Jewish folk of Jesus’ day.
One of the earliest and most authoritative references to the resurrection was made by Paul in I Corinthians 15. In fact, the Apostle Paul claims that over 500 folks had seen Jesus after his resurrection:
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. –I Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV
In short, Paul also believed that if there was no resurrection—then there would be no Christianity:
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. –! Corinthians 15:14 ESV
Islam:
Islam teaches that Jesus was only a prophet and did not die on the cross so had no need to be Resurrected. He only appeared to die and later was taken directly into Heaven by God:
That they said (in boast), “we killed Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah,” but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. -Sura 4:157
Most Muslims believe that someone else died in the place of Jesus and that he never suffered crucifixion. Since he never died –than the resurrection never happened. In fact according to Islamic teaching, Jesus never died period. God took Jesus directly to Paradise alive like he had done with Enoch and Elijah:
But Allah took him unto Himself –Sura 4:158
Response: Again, it is hard to conceive of Christianity surviving the first century except for the resurrection. Again one of the greatest disparities between Christianity and Islam revolves around Jesus—who he is, what he did, and what he is going to do.
If the prophet Muhammad is to be believed than the Apostles and the 500 or so followers of Jesus who saw the Resurrected Lord are all liars and suffered persecution and many times horrible deaths to preserve a lie.
This doesn’t make sense at all. No, the very lives, actions, testimonies, and martyrdom of the Apostles stand against Islam and the ‘prophet’ Muhammad.