As a successful cold case detective, J. Warner Wallace became so well-known at solving decades-old murders, he ended up as the foremost expert on national TV true crime shows.

Debunkers say Jesus in the Biblical accounts only showed up to His closest followers, those most likely to lie about His Resurrection. But McDowell said the opposite is true.

"He appeared to the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, who was anything but a follower of Christ. He despised Christ as a false Messiah," McDowell said.

He also pointed out Jesus appeared to James, saying, "You take James, His brother. James was not a follower of Jesus Christ. He was embarrassed by Christ, his brother, going out and doing these things and claiming these things. But James ended up coming to Christ and became a leader of the Jerusalem church."

No Two People—Much Less 500—Have the Same Hallucination

The Bible talks about Christ after His Resurrection showing up before 500 people. Some debunkers say that was likely just a mass hallucination. Neither Wallace nor McDowell buys that.

McDowell interviewed five experts and learned, "No two people ever have the same hallucination because there's no external reference to it. It's all internal."

Wallace added, "There's just no history of kind that of group hallucinations with the kind of detail that we see in the Gospels. So I was never fond of that explanation." (Image: Cold Case Christianity by J. WArner Wallace)

Worshipping Jesus

McDowell stated, "In my research to refute Christianity, I became convinced the Church would never have been founded without the Resurrection. Everything that they did pointed back to that."

One huge thing they did: break the Sabbath and worship Jesus as they did it. Remember: all the early Believers were fervent Jews who had believed they faced dire danger if they broke the Sabbath.

Alex McFarland—who organized this Truth for a New Generation conference—points out how that changed right after Jesus' Resurrection.

"Pious Jews whose very relationship with God is contingent on keeping a Sabbath that they've observed for centuries, suddenly overnight begin to worship on Sunday. Why? Something must have happened. Well, Sunday was Resurrection day."

"Now you have to understand what it meant to the Jew if they ever broke the Sabbath," McDowell explained. "It could mean death."

The Resurrection Proves It All

But the Resurrection on a Sunday had been the proof positive that Jesus was indeed the Risen Lord, worthy of worship on that day of the week.

"If Christ physically rose from the grave, then that proves His identity, message and credentials," McFarland pointed out. "What was His identity? God Incarnate. What was His message? Salvation by faith in what He did on the cross. His credentials? Virgin born, sinless life, rose from the dead, i.e.: He is the Savior."

McDowell told CBN News the meaning of it all is so powerful and overwhelming, it still touches him deeply more than half a century after he first came to believe Jesus was indeed the Resurrected Son of God, able to conquer death.

"It gives me hope that as Christ was raised from the dead, I shall be, too. Because of that," he stated.

McFarland added, "In the empty tomb, we have it all, ironclad, guaranteed. I tell people the tomb was left empty so that your life could be made full."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Courageous: Worship Leader Sean Feucht Prepares to Confront Anti-Israel Evil, Darkness, and Horror

'Australian Censorship Commissar' Orders X to Globally Remove Video of Islamic Terror Attack on Christian Bishop

New Emails Expose Biden's Connection to Whistleblower Who Got Trump Impeached

Tennessee Passes Bill Letting Teachers Carry Guns at Schools

Transgender Movement Is Losing Its Influence on Social Media to Shut Down Debate

Ohio Attorney General Breaks Down Leftist Legal 'Trick' to Block GOP Efforts to Protect Kids

Nearly 2,000 Minnesota Students, 15 Teachers Walk Out of LGBTQ 'Indoctrination' Lesson

Pro-Life Advocates to Hold Prayer and Worship Service at the United States Supreme Court on the Eve of 'Idaho v. United States' Abortion Case

'Just a Disaster': Biden's Title IX Rule Empowers LGBTQ Movement, Erases Women and Justice

WATCH: Brave School Girl Reveals in Graphic Detail How TRANS Student Savagely Assaulted Her Friend While Blasting Woke School Officials for Letting it Happen

United For Israel March Happening on the Columbia University Campus, April 25th

As Anti-Israel Activists Vandalize Texas Congressman's Office, He 'Stands With Israel'

Did Letitia James Accidentally Reveal the Real Reason for Her Trump Witch Hunt?

Unredacted Motion Reveals Collaboration between Biden White House and NARA to Concoct Classified Docs Case against Trump

Report: the WHO Makes Major Changes to the Pandemic Treaty, and They're Good Ones; But Will It Last?

Israelis Remember Hostages, Fallen Soldiers, Terror Victims as Passover Begins

She Survived a Death Camp. Facing Biden DOJ Charges, She Is Prepared to Die in Prison

Planned Parenthood Committed 392,712 Abortions, Received $699.3 Million in Taxpayer Funding in 2023

Student Loan Forgiveness: Morally Reprehensible and Legally Invalid

Columbia Classes Go Virtual Before Passover Amid Protests