The physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave is essential to the Christian faith because it further proves God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for sins. His bodily resurrection also guarantees the physical bodies of believers will be raised to be like His rather than subject to the grave forever.
When Jesus was resurrected, His physical body was glorified yet still retained its human form. His new body consisted of flesh and bones, and His hands and feet still bore the crucifixion marks. Although His body could be touched and consume food, it also materialized and disappeared instantaneously, something His pre-resurrection body could not do.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to several people on different occasions over forty days. He appeared to the women at the tomb, His disciples, and more than five hundred followers at once before ascending to heaven in a cloud.
During the three days Jesus’ body was in the grave, He descended to the “Paradise” side of hell, also known as Abraham’s Bosom, to proclaim His victory over sin and death. See “Did Jesus go to Hell after the cross” for more details.
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
