For those who believe in the resurrection, what makes it different from these other extraordinary sightings?

Question

Paul wrote that 500 people saw Jesus at once (1 Cor 15:6). If his recounting is true, it's obvious they saw something, but it's not clear to me why that thing couldn't have been a vague figure misinterpreted as Jesus. Here are some similar events:

• 108 people saw the Virgin Mary appear at a waterfall and then to the adults of the group at Mass. Link Among the observers were doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, engineers, and lawyers.

• A second example comes from Cairo, Egypt in 1986, at a Coptic church. Mary had appeared a number of times between 1983 and 1986. Once she appeared on the roof, four Coptic bishops arrived to authenticate the vision. They did indeed see her. At other times she was seen by (non-Christian, obviously) Muslims. Link

• During the supposed Miracle of Fatima, many people claimed to see the sun exhibit strange behavior, whirling toward the earth. Link

• Betty Parris (age 9) and her cousin Abigail Williams (age 11), the daughter and the niece, respectively, of Reverend Samuel Parris, began to have fits described as "beyond the power of epileptic fits or natural disease to effect" by John Hale, the minister of the nearby town of Beverly. Link

• Sixty-two pupils at the Ariel School aged between six and twelve said that they saw one or more silver craft descend from the sky and land on a field near their school. Some of the children claimed that one or more creatures dressed all in black then approached and telepathically communicated to them a message with an environmental theme, frightening them and causing them to cry. Several of them have maintained their account into adulthood. Link

Answer 1

The question is, basically, "How does believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ differ from believing in these four examples of miraculous sightings of wondrous things, and of the appearances of the virgin Mary?"

The answer is very simple. It is that believing that the Son of God rose from the dead on the third day (whether one saw him alive after his crucifixion or not) is an essential part of being granted everlasting life by Christ (Mark 10:30b & John 1:4 & 3:15, 36).

Believing in any appearances of anything, or anyone else, never gives everlasting life to anybody.

Here are some words of Jesus, before he was crucified, to warn his followers about things that would deceive them:

"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many... And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many... Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:5, 11 & 23-24 A.V.

[In a vision of two symbolic 'beasts', the second one] "...exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great signs, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those signs..." Revelation 13:12-14 A.V.

Beware signs and wonders, in and of themselves. There is only one accompaniment that may authenticate them. When Jesus sent the twelve Apostles out, it was to "preach that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." Mark 6:12-13 A.V.

This means that any supernatural things seen or experienced on earth, which are not accompanied with preaching repentance, is not approved of by the risen Christ. When there is a genuine preaching of Christ, it is in order to get people down on their knees in repentance, to acclaim him as the only means of being pardoned by God for their sins, as they trust only in what he achieved on the cross, and by his resurrection, and acclaiming him as the only great high priest and mediator between God and men (Hebrews 7:25 & 9:11-16).

But, praise God, those who are given everlasting life by Christ do not need to have ever seen him with their eyes, or in any vision. That is why the Apostle John wrote his account of Jesus, writing:

"Then [Jesus] said 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. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." John 20:27-31 A.V. [Emphasis mine]

If what has already been written in God's word, by eyewitnesses, is not good enough for anybody, then nothing else ever shall be. To reiterate, the difference is that believing in the name of the living Christ gives life everlasting. Believing in anything else never will.

Answer 2

OP: Paul wrote that 500 people saw Jesus at once (1 Cor 15:6). If his recounting is true, it's obvious they saw something, but it's not clear to me why that thing couldn't have been a vague figure misinterpreted as Jesus [emphasis added]

From what I read, the question isn't about the gospel or Christ, but rather about knowing the difference between seeing paranormal events or spiritual visions and those who saw Jesus after the resurrection. How do we know the difference?

The primary difference is prophecy with fulfilled prophecy versus personal or group visions.

There are no recorded prophecies that the vision of Jesus' mother would take place. So, although it might be pious, believed, yet it could easily be false.

There are no recorded prophecies of aliens visiting earth, dropping coins. As much as people may accurately recount their visions, these may easily be false.

In short, visions are simply at best, interesting perhaps, but are in no way salvific.

For Christ's resurrection, however, it was prophesied and believing it is salvific.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. Acts 2:27, Psalm 49:15

The whole of Acts 2 outlines the prophecies of Christ's resurrection.

Additionally, the 500 sighting of Jesus is within the context of others within the 40 days from resurrection to ascension.

to Cephas, the 12, 500, James, apostles, Paul (1 Cor 15).

Were they all deluded? James (brother of Jesus per the flesh) and Paul for example also did not believe Christ would be resurrected until after Christ appeared to them.

Moreover, Christ talked with them, ate with them, performed miracles again for them, and instructed them. See John chapter 21.

Jesus told Thomas to touch Him, proving He was real.

Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Luke 24:39

There is no sense in the OP visions that there was an actual real person being encountered in those visions. To paraphrase Jesus, those visions cited are of ghosts.

So, to answer the OP, the difference is very clear on a number of points.

After the prophesied resurrection, Jesus appears to believers and non-believers, He talks, has a flesh and bone body that may be touched, eats, teaches, and ascends in bodily form to heaven.

Answer 3

Prophecy fulfillment

Ezekiel 37:12

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

Matthew 27:52-53

52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

None of the other extra-ordinary sights mentioned have a biblical prophecy about them.

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Resurrection is also a teaching of Jesus/bible

• John 5:21
• John 11:25
• Romans 4:17
• etc (not exhaustive list)

Mary appearing, strange sun behavior, extreme fits, and supposed alien/foreign visits are not necessarily biblical teachings.

Answer 4

Rene Descartes argued in Meditations on First Philosophy that the cause must always be greater than the effect, or "no effect can have a greater amount of reality than its cause". The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cause which permits Mary (if these cited phenomena are factual) to visit the faithful and bestow blessings. That is the difference between Christ's miraculous rising from the tomb and Mary's appearances.

Consider Job. That man experienced great loss and suffering, but retained his faith in God. That suffering became a channel by which God could pour wisdom into Job's mind and heart. In the Bible, God delivered to Job a speech longer than any other single address to any other person and possibly a place as the first book in the Bible to be written.

By this principle, if a person should experience a greater loss than Job and respond in faith, then God would surely bestow upon them even greater blessings. Consider the words of the prophet Simeon that he spoke to Mary:

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. (Luke 2:34-35)

At the foot of the cross, Mary's soul was pierced. She saw her beloved son Jesus die an unjust death. By this event, apart from Jesus losing his own life, Mary bore the greatest loss that anyone in history has ever suffered, for Jesus is infinite, eternal and all-loving, the one who gave the most, therefore is worth the most. We know from Scripture that Mary did not abandon her faith or leave the church after this happened. Therefore, she must by this principle have received a far greater blessing than even Job, which she is authorized and empowered to share with the church. Yet it is Jesus' self-sacrifice that created this situation and so as great as Mary's faith is and as great as are the blessings she has showered upon believers, the gift of eternal life is greater still, and that is what Jesus gave us all, even Mary.

Answer 5

Oh, Doubting 'Christian Montgomery', must you see the resurrected Jesus and each Church accepted Apparition, putting your fingers in every Stigmata of them before you Believe?

As Testified in Scripture, Jesus' resurrected Being was very intimately experienced by all the Apostles, and arguably progressively less so by those that may not have known anything about Him and His earlier ministries, miracles, and teachings, yet witnessed Him and-or His Ascension.

So, the significant difference being that Scriptural Testimony as the highest Authority, where Catholic Affirmation of acceptance of any specific Apparition is not a required by Faith to be Believed, but Prudence suggests that it should be.