The Most Disturbing Deaths of All Time – The Skeptic’s Journey Part 5

THE MOST DISTURBING DEATHS OF ALL TIME – THE SKEPTIC’S JOURNEY PART 5

SOURCES

The Skeptic’s Journey is based on a true story and is the testimony of a converted atheist and his search for truth over more than 15 years.

The Fate of the Apostles. Sean McDowell. Routledge, 1 edition, February 24, 2016.

In The Fate of the Apostles, Sean McDowell provides a comprehensive, reasoned, historical analysis of the fate of the twelve disciples of Jesus along with the apostle Paul and Jesus’ brother, James. McDowell assesses the evidence for each apostle's martyrdom and determines its significance to the reliability of their testimony.

Whatever Happened to the Twelve Apostles? Christianity.com, April 28, 2010. https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/whatever-happened-to-the-twelve-apostles-11629558.html

How Did The 12 Apostles Die? A Bible Study. Jack Wellman. What Christians Want To Know, 2013. https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/how-did-the-12-apostles-die-a-bible-study/

Top 10 Violent Ways Jesus’s Disciples Died. Aaron J. Daigle. Listverse.com, September 30, 2017. https://listverse.com/2017/09/30/top-10-violent-ways-jesuss-disciples-died/

THE MOST DISTURBING DEATHS OF ALL TIME – THE SKEPTIC’S JOURNEY PART 5

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

[Skeptic] Would you die a tortuous, horrible death, for a lie? History records the excruciating deaths of a group of people who all died for the very same reason. These 12 men suffered 8 different, extremely painful forms of execution. They were beheaded, stoned, skinned alive, speared, stabbed and even crucified 3 different ways. But why?

[David] This is part 5 of “The Skeptic’s Journey”, a true story of an atheist’s multi-year search for truth. Our skeptic prefers anonymity, so we are using others to portray him, but the words used throughout this series are his exact words. This is his story… his journey.

[Skeptic] Like I said in part 1 of my journey, I couldn’t accept the miracle of creation without any proof. Then in part 2, I discovered that science doesn’t currently have the concrete answers I was searching for either.

[Skeptic] So, in part 3, I delved into the Bible and was extremely surprised when I discovered over 300 Old Testament prophesies that were all fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Then, I learned that these documents were carbon dated before he was born, and I was even more confused.

[Skeptic] Convinced Jesus had to be a fake, in part 4, I examined numerous non-Biblical historical documents only to find multiple sources, even some from anti-Christian authors, that not only verify his existence, but also mention his miracles as if they were a fact. This was so frustrating.

[Skeptic] So, I decided to look into the lives of his closest friends and followers. If Jesus was the ultimate magician, then those closest to him would have known the truth and would have helped him in his attempt to impersonate this Savior. It seemed to be the only remaining answer.

[Skeptic] I’ve got to tell you… it just keeps getting weirder. I didn’t find any evidence to suggest his followers were con men. In fact, almost all of his followers continued on in his ministry after his death.

[Skeptic] And here’s the crazy part: almost every single one of them died horrible deaths for claiming they saw Jesus alive, after his crucifixion and burial, and for believing he was the Son of God:

• Paul and James, the son of Zebedee, were beheaded.
• Jesus’ own brother, James, was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus.
• Peter was crucified upside down. His brother, Andrew, was tied to a cross with ropes, where he hung for more than 2 days before he died.
• Philip, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot were crucified like Jesus.
• Another James, the son of Alphaeus, was stoned. And when he didn’t die immediately, he was clubbed to death.
• Mathew was stabbed to death.
• Thomas was speared to death.
• Bartholomew also died a horrible death. Although accounts differ, he was either skinned alive, stoned to death or crucified.  

[Skeptic] The historical records are questionable on some of the details for some of these martyr stories, but I have to admit the majority of them have strong historical documentation, even some from non-Biblical sources. And there is no historical evidence to the contrary. 

[Skeptic] I consider myself a rational and intelligent human being… but I think I’m losing my mind.

[Skeptic] I started this effort to promote science and debunk these myths of the Bible. And now, science has let me down, and the Bible is showing me things I just can’t explain.

[Skeptic] Why are these the most disturbing deaths of all time? It’s not just because these are 8 very gruesome ways to die…. And it’s not just because it happened to Jesus’ closest 12 friends and followers.

[Skeptic] The reason these are the most disturbing deaths of all time is because if we were to take these men at their word, the word for which they died for, then we would be forced to admit to ourselves that Jesus is the Son of God.

[Skeptic] I just can’t do that.

[Skeptic] I’m going back to science… I going to take a deeper look at evolution and its proof of the origin of man. I’ve got to get my mind off of this research.  

[David] Would you die a tortuous, horrible death, for a lie? Who do you say Jesus is? No matter where you stand on the spectrum of belief, I encourage you to continue with us in viewing The Skeptic’s Journey, a true story.

[David] Thanks for watching. If you liked this video, please let us know. Click here to subscribe to our channel and here to continue watching The Skeptic’s Journey. As always, you can help us produce more videos like this by making a tax-deductible donation to our ministry at ChristianyEngaged.org. Thanks, and God bless.