Did Jesus Die on the Cross? (Part 1)

*** Disclaimer ***
I don't specifically believe in what I am about to reveal, nor does it reflect any majority beliefs or accurate historical or biblical scholarship. I am only representing this information to show you an example how the conflicting verses in the Bible can be used to theorize just about anything, including today's Christian dogma.
***************

What if I told you I can show you directly from the Bible that Jesus did NOT die on the cross, and that he survived the crucifixion?
Well if you haven't read the above disclaimer you would probably close this window and count it as garbage rhetoric.

We must first start with the witnesses surrounding Jesus during the time of his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection accounts.
Mary Magdalene One of the only witnesses to Jesus' crucifixion and the first to see Jesus outside of his tomb
Joseph of Arimathea Jesus' secret disciple, member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. Witness to Jesus' trial and crucifixion. Took Jesus from the cross to the tomb on his personal property.
Nicodemus Also a member of the Sanhedrin, witness to Jesus' trial and helped Joseph of Arimathea with Jesus' body
Pontius Pilate Prefect of Judaea, judge at Jesus' Roman trial.
Doubting Thomas Apostle Thomas, who rejected the idea of resurrected Jesus, until he physically seen his wounds.

Crucifying "to put to death by nailing or binding the wrists or hands and feet to a cross"
deaths usually occurs from asphyxiation from not being able to support your body weight.
Resurrection  "the state of one risen from the dead"

Resurrection according to the Bible:
1 Corinthians 15:35-45 "It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."
The resurrected body is raised as a spirit.
Luke 20:27-36  "nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels..."
Jesus states the body cannot die again, and they are spiritualized.
Hebrews 9:27 "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment"
One death, then judgement day.

TIMELINE:(approximates)
*Friday before Passover during the night. Gethsemane Mark 32-41
  *6:00am - Trials Mark 15:2-5  Matthew 27:11-14 Luke 23:1-5 John 18:28-37
  *7:00am - Sentenced to death. Matthew 27:26 Mark 15:15 Luke 23:23-24 John 19:16-17 
  *8:00am - Led to Calvary Matthew 27:32-34 Matthew 27:32-34 Luke 23:26-31 John 19:17 
  *9:00am - Placed on Cross Mark 15:24-25 Luke 23:33 
  *10:00am - Mocked - Matthew 27:39-40 Mark 15:31 Luke 23:36-39 
  *11:00am - Jesus speaks to Mary John 19:26-27 
  *12:00pm - Mark 15:33 
  *3:00pm - Jesus Dies Matthew 27:45-50 Mark 15:33-41 Luke 23:44-49 John 19:28-37 
  *?? Friday Night- Placed in Tomb Matthew 27:57-61 Mark 15:42-47 Luke 23:50-56 John 19:38-42 
*Saturday - Passover. No mention of any events, only mention of the day is in Mark Mark 16:1
*Sunday - Mary goes to the tomb. Mark 16:1 Matthew 28:1-10 Luke 24:1-12 John 20:1-10 
Now we have a overview of the timeline.

We will start with the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane.
Jesus gets arrested and then "ALL" his disciples fled. Mark 14:50 Matthew 26:56
Except Peter Matthew 26:58
Then Peter is spotted and he denies Jesus 3 times. Even to the point of cursing.
This was just hours before Jesus' death.

During Jesus' trial Pilate shows very little interest in extending punishment onto Jesus. He even goes out of his way to release a murderer. Matthew 27:15-18 Mark 15:9-11  
His wife even thinks Jesus is innocent because of a dream she had. Matthew 27:19  
Pilate tells them he has found no basis to charge him, and neither did Herod. Luke 23:13-16
Through the entire trial Pilate tried to set Jesus free. John 19:12 Luke 23:20-22
Because the priests riled up the crowd, Pilate unwillingly releases Jesus to them to be crucified, stating he washes this mans blood from his hands. Matthew 27:24
Nowhere in the Bible does it say Jesus is beaten to a bloody pulp to an inch of his life. Actually in Luke it fails to mention any flogging, he is simply handed over. 
Before Jesus is handed over Pilate has him flogged. Mark 15:15 Now if Pilate thought Jesus was innocent, would he then have Jesus flogged to the point of an inch of his life? The soldiers had nothing to do with Jesus' arrest, they had no personal vendetta against Jesus to cause them the need to punish Jesus with a horrific flogging. Rationally, Pilate would have given the people a small show to satisfy them, then quickly handed him over to get it over with.
Pilate made a sign out of rebellion of what was happening, and the priests took notice. John 19:19-22

Some interesting things happened on the way to be crucified: 
1) Matthew 27:32 Mark 15:21 They forced a man named Simon of Cyrene to carry the beam.  
Why did they force this Simon to carry the beam? If John the beloved was there why didn't they make him carry it? It is also interesting that in the gospel of John he fails to mention Simon at all and states Jesus carried his own cross. John 19:17
"According to some Gnostic traditions, Simon of Cyrene, by mistaken identity, suffered the events leading up to the crucifixion, and died on the cross instead of Jesus." Simon of Cyrene Second Treatise of the Great Seth 
Although if these ancient texts were deemed historically accurate we end this right here, but this was just an example that there were people who considered themselves followers of Jesus that believed he had not died on the cross.

2) Matthew 27:34 According to Matthew, Jesus takes a sip of wine mixed with gall. Then he refuses it.
Now gall is a form of bile, which is very bitter. It is suggested that the gall used in the drink of Matthews gospel was opium based from poppy. It also could be from gall extracts made into poison or venom. Gall
Jesus tastes this and either he knew what it was, or the taste of it was so bitter. Either way he refuses it.
It would be important to note that regardless of what the drink was intended for, a mixed drink made of a bile substance that was given to a man about to endure a cruel death penalty was rationally high concentrate. So even a sip would have had some small effect.
Some suggest that it was this drink or the drink that was given to him later that he actually consumed contained venom that lead to Jesus' "perceived" death.

3) Matthew 27:35 Mark 15:24 Luke 23:34 John 19:23-24
It's unanimous that Jesus' clothes were removed from him and divided and handed out by casting of lots. Also look at John's account, It is important to note this gospel makes a point that Jesus was completely stripped naked as even his underwear had to be decided by casting of lots.


Continue on to Part 2.