Chapter Nine
False Prophecies about Jesus
How “Biblical Prophecy” Fails to Support the Jesus Story
- Kenneth Humphreys, “Jesus Never Existed”
Many Christian apologists will point to the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus allegedly fulfilled as proof that Christianity holds the true understanding of God. This is classic circular reasoning, using the Bible to prove the Bible. Essentially, these defenders of the faith are saying, “The Bible says that Jesus is the Son of God. We know that this claim is true because Jesus fulfilled many of the Bible’s prophecies. We know he fulfilled these prophecies because the Bible tells us he did.”
Accepting for a moment such ridiculous circular reasoning, we can play in the court of the Christian apologist and use the Bible to discredit the story of the divine Jesus. There are many false prophecies or misquoted verses in the Gospels that relate to Jesus. They include:
- False Prophecy and Misquote: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive”
- False Prophecy: The “David to Jesus” bloodline
- Misquote: The “slaughter of the innocents”
- Misquote: “Out of Egypt”
- Misquote: “He shall be called a Nazarene”
- False Prophecy: “One Flock, One Shepherd”
- False Prophecy: Jesus is coming soon!
1. False Prophecy and Misquote: “Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive”
This prophecy is from Isaiah 7:14, which is mistranslated in the King James Bible as follows:
(KJV) Isaiah 7:14 …Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This passage in Isaiah is mistakenly regarded as a prophecy for the coming of Jesus Christ. However, when the whole scripture is read and the passage is taken in context, it's clear that this is not the case for three reasons:
Incorrect Translation: The original text in Hebrew doesn't use the word for “virgin” which would be “bethulah”. The word that was actually used is “almah” which means “young woman”. So the correct translation (as it appears in the NRSV) is (bold emphasis added):
(NRSV) Isaiah 7:14 …Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall call him Immanuel.[2]
That a young woman might bear a son is hardly a great prophecy. This certainly happens all the time. That the child would be called “God with us” (Immanuel), while rare today, happened a number of times in that era. The Jews had many declared “messiahs” during the time of Roman occupation, as they were understandably looking for any sign that they might be liberated at any time by their god. Therefore, this whole prophecy seems much like predicting a hot day in Arizona in the middle of July (which is the habit of all successful prophets anyway).
The Prophecy Referred to the Days of Isaiah: Isaiah was speaking of a revelation for his time. It was for the King Ahaz, to offer him reassurance that the Israeli-Syrian alliance against him would not prevail. These events were hundreds of years before the alleged life of Christ and therefore the whole prophecy had nothing to do with Jesus.
Isaiah 7:1-8 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.
This Prophesy Was a False Prophesy: The Bible itself acknowledges that the Biblegod's promise was a false promise, for Syria and Isreal did prevail against Ahaz.
2nd Chronicles 28:5 Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
Once again, it would appear that Yahweh’s a flip-flopper. He promised Ahaz victory and then delivers the king to his enemies. This story ought to give Christians pause about their loyal service to Yahweh. Is he going to be so loyal in return?
2. False Prophecy: The David-to-Jesus Bloodline
The New Testament authors appear to have created a bloodline from David to Jesus in an effort to make good a prophecy in Psalms:
Psalms 89:3-4 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Psalms 89:34-37 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
The Davidic dynasty ended with Zedekiah. So much for the biblical god’s vow by his “holiness” (an absurdity anyway, since who would God swear to were It to make a vow). The authors of Psalms forgot one basic rule of prophecy: always keep them vague so you can always claim they came true no matter what happens.
No doubt the New Testament authors were concerned that this prophecy clearly hadn’t come true in their days under Roman occupation. A way to make the prophecy good is to claim that Jesus is the blood descendant of David. Tracing the bloodline from David to Jesus allows them to claim that the prophecy is fulfilled because Jesus reigns upon the throne of Heaven.
There are two contradictory bloodlines offered in the New Testament. Similar names are in bold and shared names are in underlined bold:
The Matthew Version: (Matthew 1:6-16) (28 Generations) David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asaph, Jehosahphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amos, Josiah, Jechoniah, Salathiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadoc, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph, Jesus.
The Luke Version: (Luke 3:21-31) (43 Generations) David, Nathan, Mattatha, Menna, Melea, Eliakim, Jonam, Joseph, Judah, Simeon, Levi, Matthat, Jorim, Eliezer, Joshua, Er, Elmadam, Cosam, Addi, Melchi, Neri, Shealthiel, Zerubbabel, Rhesa, Joanan, Joda, Josech, Semein, Mattathias, Maath, Naggai, Esli, Nahum, Amos, Mattathias, Joseph, Jannai, Melchi, Levi, Matthat, Heli, Joseph, Jesus
Of the 43 generations cited in Luke, only seven (7) are shared or similar names with the 28 generations cited in Matthew. Being generous and counting the similar names as shared, this is approximately a 16% consistency rate. The consistency degenerates further as we examine these names.
Of the seven shared names in the two accounts, two are slightly altered. Should we assume that Joseph’s grandfather, Matthan and Matthat, are the same man and that Shealtiel and Salatiel, the fathers of Zerubbabel, are the same man? Wouldn’t this actually mean that either Matthew or Luke got the names wrong and therefore wrote two errors into the Bible? Counting them as shared names is too generous for a book said to be “The Word of God”.
Not counting David, Joseph and Jesus (names that would have obviously been necessary for anyone trying to fabricate a David-to-Jesus bloodline), we can only find two perfectly shared names comparing the two alleged genealogies: Eliakim and Zerubbabel. For them, there is a chronological discrepancy as Eliakim is Zerubbabel’s grandchild in Matthew and his 15 times great grandfather in Luke.
Neither of these two genealogies agree with the Old Testament account of David’s bloodline. The Old Testament book First Chronicles offers a slightly different account than the one found in Matthew. The names that exist in Chronicles that are missing in Matthew are in bold while the slightly altered names are underlined:
The First Chronicles Version of the David Bloodline to Jeconiah: (1st Chronicles 3:10-16) Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa (Asaph in Matthew), Jehosaphat, Joram, Ahaziahm (Uzziah in Matthew?), Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon (Amos in Matthew), Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah
In Matthew, four names from the First Chronicles’ account are missing and three names are changed. There’s a serious discrepancy in the name of Joram’s son. It’s Ahaziahm in First Chronicles but Uzziah in Matthew.
And so, having established a bloodline from David to Jesus (albeit with three contradictory accounts which, by themselves, should discredit the doctrine of biblical inerrancy since all three can’t be correct), the Bible proclaims that the prophecy of Psalms is fulfilled:
Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
There's just one problem: Joseph isn’t the biological father of Jesus!
All three contradictory accounts for the alleged genealogy of Jesus are wrong according to the story provided in the Bible. Jesus was allegedly the “Son of God”, conceived “immaculately” by the Holy Spirit. Mary allegedly never “knew” Joseph or any other man prior to her alleged conception of Jesus.
Jesus, since he wasn’t Joseph’s biological son, didn’t carry the blood of Joseph and therefore wasn’t a descendant of David. Psalms 89:3-4 is a false prophecy, no matter which alleged bloodline you prefer.
Lee Strobel Tries to Explain
Lee Strobel attempts to address these contradictory bloodlines in his book “The Case for Christ”. He interviews one Michael Blomberg who comes up with two possible reasons for the conflicting genealogies. One is that the Matthew version was Joseph’s bloodline while the Luke version was Mary’s.
"Luke then would have traced the genealogy through Mary’s linage."
-Michael Blomberg, “The Case for Christ”.[3]
The most obvious problem with this apology is that Mary’s name isn’t listed in the Luke bloodline. Joseph is instead named as the son of Heli. Another problem is that there are some shared or similar names in both bloodlines.
Another attempted apology is that one genealogy reflected bloodline while the other reflected a legal linage. This might theoretically create two different accounts if someone adopted rather than have a direct offspring. Michael Blomberg continues:
“A second option is that both genealogies reflect Joseph’s lineage in order to create the necessary legalities. But one is Joseph’s human lineage-the Gospel of Luke-and the other is Joseph’s legal lineage, with the two diverging at the points where somebody in the line did not have a direct offspring. They had to raise up legal heirs through various Old Testament practices.”[4]
The problem with this apology is how much it stretches credibility. First, the Matthew bloodline includes 28 generations while the Luke version has 43, more than half-again as many. Second, how many adoptions are we to believe happened? Of the 43 Luke names, only 7 are shared or similar. A final problem is the wording of Acts 2:30, which specifically refers to “the fruit of (David’s) loins”. This would seem to preclude adoption.
Blomberg goes on to say:
“The problem is made greater because some names are omitted, which was perfectly acceptable by the standards of the ancient world. And there are textural variants –names being translated from one language to another, often took on different spellings and were then easily confused for the name of a different individual.”[5]
This is a curious admission of biblical errancy. So we’re to believe that such slop was within acceptable standards of ancient Jewish genealogy? If some of the names were spelled wrong, completely changed or simply missing, it wasn’t a problem to them? Perhaps this is so but isn’t the Bible supposed to be the Word of God?
3. Misquote: The Slaughter of the Innocents
Matthew alleges a horrible atrocity by King Herod in which all the children in or around Bethlehem two years of age and younger were put to the sword.
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 inquired 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.
* Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15 (out of context) in these verses.
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.
There are three suspicious aspects of Matthew 2:16-18. First, there is no historical evidence of such a mass slaughter.[6] An atrocity of this scale would be nearly impossible to hide from posterity. Why would we have no historical record of this massacre if it really happened? Second, none of the other three Gospels mention this event. Luke mentions Herod but is just as silent as historians on the alleged killing of the infants around Bethlehem. Finally, the whole event seems oddly similar to the circumstances that surrounded the birth of Moses:
Exodus 1:22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
The Jewish prophet, Moses, was saved from a tyrant’s infanticidal rampage. Apparently the early Christians felt the need to keep this tradition and have their principle religious icon born to the same danger.
Whether or not the atrocity took place, it can’t be said to fulfill and Old Testament prophecy because there was no such prophecy. Reading the entire chapter 31 of Jeremiah, which Matthew quotes out of context, it’s clear that Verse 15 refers to the Babylonian captivity. The author of the Book of Jeremiah provides words of comfort to his followers in the verses that follow:
Jeremiah 31:16-17 Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
Liar! Liar!
It’s hard to believe that Matthew, or whoever wrote the Book of Matthew, didn’t know better than to misquote Jeremiah 31:15 in such a way. It’s more likely this is a deliberate lie. If Matthew can lie about the matter of a “fulfilled prophecy”, what else can he lie about? His testimony is discredited.
4. Misquote: “Out of Egypt”
Matthew seemed especially eager to see prophecy fulfilled by Jesus, even where prophecy didn’t actually exist. He claims that Jesus’ family’s flight to Egypt and their return fulfills a prophecy.
Matthew 2:14-15 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
This passage in Matthew refers to the Old Testament account of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, specifically the passage of Hosea. The nation of Israel is referred to as the child of Yahweh. It’s clear this is not a prophecy at all when you read the verse in context.
Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Trying to call Hosea 11:1 a prophecy regarding Jesus is simply disingenuous. It’s another one of Matthew’s lies.
Question: How can the testimony of a liar and any of his lies be admitted into a book said to be “The Word of God”?
5. Misquote: “He Shall Be Called a Nazarene”
Matthew claims Jesus fulfilled another non-prophecy:
Matthew 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
What prophecy was this? Where is it found? The Gospel authors weren’t in the habit of citing chapter and verse. Perhaps the author refers to a passage in Judges where an angel speaks to a barren woman and declares that she shall bear a son (this is how Sampson’s story begins):
(KJV) Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
(NRSV) Judges 13:5 For you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.[7]
Notice how in the New Oxford translation, “nazirite” is in lower case, improper if it is to refer to a person of a city. In fact, the word means “one who is consecrated”. If Matthew is referring to this passage in Judges, he is slyly changing the meaning of the word and using a prophecy that refers to the birth of Sampson and the struggles of the Jewish people of the time against the Philistines (both Sampson and the Philistines were long gone by the time Jesus arrived). This would be consistent with Matthew’s style, as we’ve already established that he’s a liar and his testimony can’t be trusted.
The KJV uses the term “Nazarite” (capitalized), which would refer to a citizen of Nazareth but this word doesn’t fit with either the context of the verse or the story of Sampson that follows. Sampson was born in Zorah[8], a town considerably to the south of where Nazarath was to be. It seems likely that the KJV was altered to retroactively fit the prophecy.
Side Note: There is no historical evidence that the town of Nazareth existed during the first century AD.[9] Saying “Jesus of Nazareth” should be a lot like saying “George Washington of Denver Colorado”. Lee Strobel presents an argument that Nazareth was simply a “tiny village” at the time, which is why it escapes the notice of archeologists.[10] If this were so, why would anyone be known for having come from an insignificant hamlet? The name “Jesus of Nazareth” should have prompted the query, “Jesus of WHERE”?
6. False Prophecy: “One Flock, One Shepherd”
John predicts that Jesus will unite all Christians.
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Apparently, Jesus did not foresee how many factions of Christianity there would be and how they would spend the next two thousand years killing each other. Sadly, this prophecy was a false prophecy.
7. False Prophecy: Jesus Is Coming Soon
Many American Christians today believe we are living in the “end-times”. [11] Reading the Bible, it becomes clear that Christians felt the same way 2,000 years ago. Many biblical passages promise that Jesus will return within the lifetimes of the current generation. Two millennia and countless generations later, we’re still waiting (assuming that there ever was a first coming and that Jesus is not a completely mythological character). Today’s doomsday criers are nothing new.
The Bible makes many false promises that Jesus will return “very soon” or, in most cases, within the lifetimes of the authors (bold emphasis added):
Matthew 10:23 …verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.[12]
Matthew 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.[13]
Matthew 26:64 …I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.[14]
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Romans 13:11-12 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light
Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly…
First Corinthians 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short…
First Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
First Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed,
Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Second Thessalonians 2:2 …the day of Christ is at hand.
Hebrews 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
James 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
First Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
First John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
First John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Revelation 1:3 …the time is at hand.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I come quickly…
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly…
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly…
Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The time is near? Coming soon? Jesus is coming quickly? He will come within the disciple’s lifetimes? He will come before they’ve gone over all the cities of Israel? The day of the Lord is at hand? All this was written 2,000 years ago and we’re still waiting.
Perhaps the most dramatic prediction of Jesus’ second coming is Paul’s description of the “rapture” (bold emphasis added):
First Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Note that Paul uses the pronoun “we”. He, like many other Christians at the time, apparently believed that he would be among the faithful who would be raptured up to see Jesus in the clouds (another reference to the old belief that Heaven and God were in the sky). Two thousand years later, he’s long dead and many Fundamentalist Christians still believe that the rapture is just around the corner. Since the rapture didn’t occur within Paul’s lifetime, it too is a false prophecy.
Old Testament False Prophecies of “The End Times”
Biblical quotes citing the end times are “at hand” predated the alleged life of Jesus. Here are examples in the Old Testament (bold emphasis added):
Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
Obadiah 1:15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Nothing ever changes. Religious leaders and self-appointed prophets are forever screaming about the “end times” being neigh. Fear is a useful tool of control. How long are they going to get away with crying wolf?
More Prophecies?
There are many more Old Testament prophecies that Jesus allegedly fulfilled, at least according to Fundamentalists who seek to prove that he was the Messiah. Most of these biblical claims can’t be verified without using the Bible, which, as mentioned, is circular reasoning. Anyone can make up a story based on old prophecies and then claim that they’re fulfilled. Anyone can embellish a real story to claim that the old prophecies are fulfilled. What Christians need to do is provide historical evidence outside of scripture to verify that Jesus did indeed fulfill them.
Other Arguments for Christianity
In addition to trying to use the Bible to prove the Bible, Christian apologists are known to resort to other fundamentally flawed arguments to defend their faith:
“Would the Disciples and Apostles Have Died for a Lie?”
This argument, often framed as a rhetorical question, attempts to use folklore to prove mythology. It evokes Hollywood images of early followers of Christ being persecuted by dastardly Pagans, bravely facing their death as they look forward to being reunited with their lord and savior.
It’s questionable how accurately this folklore reflects what really happened. We must remember that winners write the history books. As already covered in the previous chapter, the victorious Christians were quite willing to doctor historical documents to benefit their religion. Surely they would also have been willing to fabricate heroic stories that feature the kind of faith that stands even against the most brutal of persecution.
However, setting aside these concerns, the question posed by this argument may be intended as rhetorical but the answer isn’t so obvious. Even in the modern age, crazy cults emerge in which fanatical followers are willing to embrace death for their beliefs. Jim Jones, the Hale-Bopp cult, the followers of David Koresh and the 9/11 hijackers are all grim testimonies to this tragic fact.
Fanaticism proves nothing.
“They Dated the Calendar”
Some Christians will point out that we use the terms BC (“Before Christ”) and AD (“Anno Domini” or “Year of Our Lord”) to mark the years. They sometimes present this as evidence that Jesus existed.
The practice of using the BC and AD dates started in the sixth century under the directive of Pope John.[15] As covered in the previous chapter, the dates are wrong according to the Gospel accounts. Matthew suggests that Jesus was born before 4 BC. Luke suggests that Jesus was born after 6 AD. Even if Jesus existed, Pope John obviously got it wrong.
“The Muslims Also Recognize Jesus as a Prophet”
Yes, they do. And the Pagan Romans worshiped the Greek god Zeus. They called him “Jupiter” but essentially he was the same god. That proves that Zeus is real, right?
Obviously, that’s a silly argument. The Romans largely copied the ancient Greek religion, making a few alterations as they desired. A copycat religion can’t be used to prove the legitimacy of the original. Therefore, Islam, which was heavily influenced by Christianity, can’t be used to validate Christianity.
“The Jews Also Recognize Jesus as a Prophet”
No, they don’t. Ask a rabbi.
“How Could a Lie Be So Widely Accepted?”
There are many variations on this argument but it all boils down to an appeal to popularity. Christians boast how the Bible has been the greatest best seller of all time and how Christianity has such a large following. How could all these people be wrong?
“[Jesus was] a very REAL person whose positive effect on the world to this day has been greater than any other known person's, claiming over 40% of the world population.”
-A Christian’s Response[16]
In other words, how could a mythical or mortal Jesus make such a profound impact on our world?
The answer is twofold:
- Life is scary.
- Death is scary.
Life is scary because we don’t know what will happen next. Death is scary because it presents an even greater unknown. Christianity tells us not to worry about either one. Jesus will watch over us during our life and then, after death, will take us to a paradise where we’ll be with our loved ones forever. This religion speaks to our deepest needs for a sense of security in an uncertain world.
Who wouldn’t want such a story to be true? How could Christianity fail to become popular? It’s easy to understand how it could be so widely accepted even though it’s completely absurd.
Conclusion
The Christian claims that Jesus fulfilled biblical prophecies are debunked by a close examination of these cited verses in the Old Testament. Jesus’ alleged promise to return soon or within the lifetimes of his disciples is a further embarrassment to the claims that he was a divine being. Even accepting the faulty reasoning of trying to use the Bible to prove the Bible, the Christians’ own vaunted scripture fails to support the idea of a divine Jesus.
Thus concludes this book’s review of the Bible. As the reader can judge, it contains errors about the nature of God’s Creation so severe that they can’t be dismissed with even the most liberal metaphoric license. It features examples of magic and mysticism that aren’t consistent with our experience in the natural universe. It contradicts itself, as we might expect from a book written by different authors over the ages. It’s morally bankrupt according to modern sensibilities and therefore has no moral authority in our time. It fails to present a consistent and believable character in Jesus, instead offering a confusing depiction of this central icon with an equally bewildering notion of salvation through a bloody human sacrifice.
Most of all, the Bible can’t be regarded as revelation. Revelation is defined as God making a disclosure to a person. Such an experience is only possible when God is present, where you have the matchless honor of being with our Creator. This is not an experience that can be packaged and passed along from one human being to another in a book. Any attempt, no matter how well written the book might be, would surely be lame in comparison to the actual experience. One may as well try to write a book that explains what a Beethoven symphony sounds like to one who has always been deaf or what colors look like to one who has always been blind. There are some things in life that must be experienced in order to be properly understood.
To sum up the conclusion in a single sentence: the Bible does not bear close examination using God’s Gift of Reason.
In the next part of this book, we examine the nature of Fundamentalist Christianity, a religious faction that holds this discredited and contradictory Bronze Age tome to be the literal and inerrant “Word of God”. We will also review their efforts to transform American society through a campaign that’s been dubbed, “The Culture War”.
|| PREVIOUS CHAPTER || TABLE OF CONTENTS ||NEXT CHAPTER ||
