But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out. – John 19:34, AMP

Opponents of Christ have come up with many arguments over the centuries to explain away the resurrection. My favorite one is the Swoon Theory. The Swoon Theory suggests that Christ didn’t really die on the cross; He just fainted. Then, after a little recovery time in the tomb, He showed Himself to others, claiming that He had risen from the dead.

Let’s say for a moment that the Swoon Theory proponents are correct. If they are, then that would mean the following:

1. Christ was able to survive a beating so ferocious that His face was unrecognizable. His back had also been torn to shreds and was bleeding profusely as a result of the Roman scourging. Roman scourging was so traumatic that many victims died from it before they could be crucified.

2. Christ was able to survive crucifixion, a horrible, slow death that puts holes in your hands and feet, that causes bones to pop out of joint, and that ends in suffocation as the legs and arms become so weary that they no longer can support the victim from slumping into a position that results in suffocation.

3. Christ was able to survive having a spear thrust into His side, which, some medical research suggests, may have even pierced His heart.

4. Christ was able to hold His breath long enough to fool the Roman soldiers into thinking He was no longer breathing and, therefore, dead. Roman soldiers, intimately familiar with death, were not easily fooled.

5. In such a state, Christ laid in a dark, cold tomb with no food, no water, and no medical attention for three days and actually got better, not worse. Then, He was able to unwrap Himself from yards of grave clothes and move a tremendous stone by Himself that normally took multiple men to move.

6. Christ was so quiet in moving the stone and in leaving the tomb that the highly trained Roman soldiers guarding the tomb didn’t notice Him leaving.

7. Christ was able to heal so swiftly that, three days after His crucifixion, His body showed almost no signs of the trauma. Although He still had holes in His hands and feet, His face had healed, his back had healed, and He was fresh and energetic.

The Swoon Theory is quite absurd. There is absolutely no evidence to support it, and to believe it requires more faith than believing in the resurrection, which is supported by much evidence. But imagine for a moment that the Swoon Theory is true. For Christ to survive and to accomplish all of the above would have been just as miraculous as rising from the dead!

Of course, the resurrection, not the Swoon Theory, is the truth. But despite which miracle you choose, Christ did what no human could do. So, pick your miracle; Christ is God either way.

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