NONSENSE FROM THE BIBLE (11 page)

Can anyone seriously suggest that Hosea Chapter One has any connection with Jesus or can be used as a prophecy concerning Jesus?

Prophecy? Nonsense!

PROPHECY OF THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS

The story is that when Herod the Great ruled Judea as King he was told that a child who would be ‘King of the Jews’ had been born in his province. At first he ordered a search for him.  This failed so he then gave an order for all the male children under the age of two years to be killed!

The Prophecy

 Jeremiah 31:15

Thus saith the LORD;
A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 

The fulfillment?

Matthew 2:16-18

Then
Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
 
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
 
In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping
 
for
 
her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Problem 1

To link the verses in Jeremiah to the alleged slaughter of the children in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus is laughable! - It appears that many of the so called prophecies were invented simply to apply to the later content and events by the writers of the New Testament. Here is an obvious one. In the account of the killing of the children by Herod and suggesting that this was prophesied by Jeremiah is absurd.

In Jeremiah, the verse is taken out of context of the 40 verses of this chapter - the entire chapter is supposed to be prophesy, most being completely unrelated events. Bible scholars and teachers can take their pick and attach no end of explanations and variations to the meaning of such scriptures. This is a prime example. This reference to Rachel’s weeping was because of the terrible suffering of her descendants when the Nation of Israel had been taken into captivity in 722-722 BCE.

Problem 2

Did the killing of the children really happen? Apart from this entry in the Gospel of Matthew, this horrific event is not recorded anywhere! The idea that Herod the Great who was firmly established as the King and had adult sons to succeed him, would fear a baby born to a carpenter and his wife from Nazareth is ludicrous.   

None of the Roman and Jewish historians of that time even mention this massacre. These include Josephus who recorded several other examples of his sometimes barbaric acts of punishment and noted: ’
he never stopped avenging and punishing every day those who had chosen to be a party to his enemies
.
*22

It is therefore extremely unlikely that the slaughter of the innocents ever happened.

Prophecy? Nonsense!

PROPHECY THAT JESUS WOULD BE PRECEDED BY JOHN THE BAPTIST

The Prophecies?

Isaiah 40:3

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, 
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Malachi 3:1

Behold, 
I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me
: 
and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant
, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

If we read the following verses 2-5 and place the above first verse in context, this messenger cannot be the one who preceded Jesus

Malachi 3:2-5

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

The Fulfilment? 

Matthew 3:1-2

In those days came John the Baptist
, 
preaching in the wilderness of Judaea
, 
And saying, Repent ye
: 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The so called prophetic verses could refer to anyone at any time but they are useful if you were writing a story of the coming of the long awaited Messiah.

Luke 7:

24. 
And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 

27. 
This is he, of whom it is written
, 
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee
. 

Prophecy? Nonsense!

PROPHECY JESUS WILL SHEPHERD 

THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

The Prophecy

Ezekiel 37:24  

And
David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd:
they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 

The fulfillment?

Matthew 2:6  

And
thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

This is supposed to be a prophecy about Jesus. The verse in Matthew in some translations translates the word ‘governor’ as ‘shepherd’.

Problem

This has to be complete nonsense as Jesus was never a governor, shepherd or ruler over Israel - at most he could symbolically be called a shepherd. He was a religious leader who was sentenced to death. The so called prophecy is clearly about King David (1040-970 BCE) who had ruled as King from 1010 BCE until his death.                

It is clear from the context of Ezekiel’s prophecy that he was expecting the former King David to be raised from the dead. The prophecy is about David not about Jesus!

Ezekiel 37:12-14  

Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. 

(Read the entire chapter to note the context)

Prophecy?  Nonsense!

PROPHECY OF JESUS ENTERING 

JERUSALEM ON A DONKEY

The Prophecy?

 Zechariah. 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The Fulfilment? 

Matthew 21:1-5

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them,
Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

These verses tell it all, again:
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet in the book of Zechariah.
 Jesus was a student of the Jewish holy books which we now refer to as the Old Testament. He and his followers were fully aware of all the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. Obviously if you wanted others to believe that you were in fact the Messiah, you would be sure to do everything to fulfil those prophecies. To find a donkey tied up in a small town at the time would not be a problem. Rather like saying today go into the town and find a Taxicab parked at the roadside.

Prophecy? Nonsense!

PROPHECY OF THE BETRAYAL OF JESUS BY JUDAS

The Prophecy?

Psalm 41:9

Yea,
mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 55:12-14

For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

Can this credibly be considered as prophecy concerning Jesus and his betrayal by Judas? This verse clearly states that it was a man who was his equal and was also his guide. If Jesus was the son of God was he just ‘a man’ who was an equal to Judas and who needed him to be his guide?

The above extracts are from the Psalms written by David and were songs, many of which concerned his own life. To use these as prophecies concerning Jesus is naïve and ridiculous, they could refer to anyone who had been a friend of David.

The Fulfilment?

John 13:18-21

I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

Matthew 26:47-50

And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

Prophecy? Nonsense!

PROPHECY THAT JESUS WOULD BE SOLD FOR THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

The Prophecy?

Zechariah. 11:12-13

And I said unto them,
If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver
. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.

The Fulfilment? 

Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.  Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?

The so called prophecy again is taken out of context from a chapter in the book of Zechariah and concerns a dispute between him and three shepherds. It is absurd to tie the above verses together as a prophecy and it’s fulfilment by Jesus.

Prophecy? Nonsense!

PROPHECY CONCERNING THE PIERCING OF THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS

The Prophecy?

Psalm 22:16

For dogs have compassed me
:
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.