Another issue of importance.  Was the crucification the will of God or
a tragic mistake.  I believe it was a tragic mistake.  God's will can
never be accomplished through the disbelief of man.  Jesus came to
this world to build the kingdom of heaven on the earth.  He
desperately wanted the Jewish people to accept him as the Messiah.  If
the crucification was the will of God how could Jesus pray that this
cup pass from him.  Was this out of weakness.  NEVER.  Many men and
women have given their lives for their country or other noble causes.
Is Jesus less than these.  No he is not.  He knew the crucification
was NOT the will of GOD.  God's will was that the Jewish people accept
Jesus as the Messiah and that the kingdom of Heaven be established on
the earth with Jesus as it's head. (Just like the Jewish people
expected). If this had happened 2000 years ago can you imagine what
kind of world we would live in today.  It would be a very different
world.  And that is eactly what GOD wanted.  Men and women of that age
could have been saved by following the living Messiah while he was on
the earth.  Jesus could have established a sinless lineage that would
have continued his reign after his ascension to the spiritual world to
live with GOD.  Now the kingdom of heaven on the earth will have to
wait for Christ's return.  But when he returns will he be recognized
and will he find faith on this earth.  Isn't it about time for his
return.  It's been almost 2000 years.

Mike



And the two simplest refutations are these:

(1)  What impact?  The only record of impact comes from the New Testament.
I have no guarantee that its books are in the least accurate, and that
the recorded "impact" actually happened.  I find it interesting that no other
contemporary source records an eclipse, an earthquake, a temple curtain
being torn, etc.  The earliest written claim we have of Jesus' resurrection
is from the Pauline epistles, none of which were written sooner than 20 years
after the supposed event.

(2)  It seems probable that no one displayed the body of Jesus because no
one knew where it was.  I personally believe that the most likely
explanation was that the body was stolen (by disciples, or by graverobbers).
Don't bother with the point about the guards ... it only appears in one
gospel, and seems like exactly the sort of thing early Christians might make
up in order to counter the grave-robbing charge.  The New Testament does
record that Jews believed the body had been stolen.  If there were really
guards, they could not have effectively made this claim, as they did.