If this is true then why would Jesus be deceptive in proving that He was the risen Christ?
Thomas the disciple needed proof that Jesus was indeed the risen Christ who had been crucified therefore Jesus showed him scars in His hands and side as proof.
SCRIPTURE:
Then said He to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing"
So here is my Question:
"Do Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus showed Thomas replicated scars and not the actual scars He received for our Salvation?"
My Answer:
The book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth states on pp. 143-5:FLESHLY BODY NOT TAKEN TO HEAVEN
However, many persons believe that Christ took his fleshly body to heaven. They point to the fact that when Christ was raised from the dead, his fleshly body was no longer in the tomb. (Mark 16:5-7) Also, after his death Jesus appeared to his disciples in a fleshly body to show them that he was alive. Once He even had the apostle Thomas put his hand into the hole in His side so that Thomas would believe that He had actually been resurrected. (John 20:24-27) Does this not prove that Christ was raised alive in the same body in which he was put to death?
No, it does not. The Bible is very clear when it says: “Christ died once for all time concerning sins . . . , he being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18) Humans with flesh-and-blood bodies cannot live in heaven. Of the resurrection to heavenly life, the Bible says: “It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body. . . . flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom.” (1 Corinthians 15:44-50) Only spirit persons with spiritual bodies can live in heaven.
Well, then, what happened to Jesus’ fleshly body? Did not the disciples find his tomb empty? They did, because God removed Jesus’ body. Why did God do this? It fulfilled what had been written in the Bible. (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31) Thus Jehovah saw fit to remove Jesus’ body, even as he had done before with Moses’ body. (Deuteronomy 34:5, 6) Also, if the body had been left in the tomb, Jesus’ disciples could not have understood that he had been raised from the dead, since at that time they did not fully appreciate spiritual things.
But since the apostle Thomas was able to put his hand into the hole in Jesus’ side, does that not show that Jesus was raised from the dead in the same body that was nailed to the stake? No, for Jesus simply materialized or took on a fleshly body, as angels had done in the past. In order to convince Thomas of who He was, He used a body with wound holes. He appeared, or seemed to be, fully human, able to eat and drink, just as did the angels that Abraham once entertained.—Genesis 18:8; Hebrews 13:2.
While Jesus appeared to Thomas in a body similar to the one in which He was put to death, He also took on different bodies when appearing to His followers. Thus Mary Magdalene at first thought that Jesus was a gardener. At other times his disciples did not at first recognize him. In these instances it was not his personal appearance that served to identify him, but it was some word or action that they recognized.—John 20:14-16; 21:6, 7; Luke 24:30, 31.
For 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus made appearances in a fleshly body to his disciples. (Acts 1:3) Then he left for heaven. (end quote)
So if Jesus appeared in the same body he sacrificed, would it not appear that he had invalidated the ransom? It certainly would, especially to Satan who would then charge him as being fraudulent. Also, please consider Galatians 1:1, where Paul in effect said that Jesus is not a man.
Hi Rusty (and anyone else), if you read our comments carefully, you'll see that Jesus is a spirit who materialized. There is a scriptural precedent for this. Also, Jesus is a man now experientially, not ontologically. That's because Jesus said he is not from our lower (physical) world in John 8:23, and Peter said he is not physical but is a spirit in 1 Peter 3:18. Regarding Hebrews 13:8, Jesus' personality is the same regardless of being a spirit being in heaven. Did you know that we can only live on earth or in earthly conditions? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:50 that physical bodies cannot enter heaven. So Jesus cannot have a physical body outside of earth, for Jesus said that heaven is a higher world than our lower world in John 8:23. Also, please consider Galatians 1:1, where Paul in effect said that Jesus is not a man. Jesus is a man now experientially (by experience), not ontologically. Ontologically he is a spirit as Peter and Paul said.
Additional comment:
Yes, the angels who materialized as "humans" still existed as angels. Of course they were not children of Adam requiring a redeemer! :-) When finished, they dematerialized like the ascending Jesus did when a cloud obscured him from view. Thanks for asking!
LINK
Additional reading:
- Jesus’ Resurrection Body http://jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2012/10/jesus-resurrection-body-this-blog-entry.html
- Passing Through the Curtain http://jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2014/12/passing-through-curtain.html
- Dismantling Trinitarianism http://jimspace3000.blogspot.com/2014/01/dismantling-trinitarianism-you-foolish.html
