This blog, separate from the main blog, will focus on the missionary claim that Jesus fulfilled many prophecies found in the T'nach (Jewish bible). In fact Jesus (if he ever lived, and if the stories in the Christian bible are to be believed) fulfilled not even one messianic prophecy. We must start by defining prophecy (what is it?). This blog will begin answering those questions first, and then we will begin to examine one by one the various "proof texts" which missionaries claim Jesus fulfilled prophetically. The number of prophecies claimed varies by different missionary websites. We will tackle the claim that Jesus fulfilled 365 prophecies. On the face of it most people might think that prophecy is one area Jew and Christian would agree upon, but it isn’t. Christians use the term to mean "predicting the future." This is not the meaning of the Hebrew. The Hebrew word for prophecy is נְבוּאָה / navua (a feminine noun). A נָבִיא / navi (prophet) had direct communication with G-d (through dreams and / or visions with the exception of Moses who spoke directly with G-d), and who relayed G-d’s message to his or her own generation. The way a Christian uses the term "prophet" or "prophecy" would be a רֹאֶה Ro'eh (“Seer”) not a נָבִיא Navi (“Prophet”). The prophet Shmuel (Samuel) is called a רֹאֶה Ro'eh (“Seer”) in Divrei Hayamim Alef / 1 Chronicles 9:22, 26:28 and 29:29, but he is also called a נָבִיא Navi (“Prophet”) in Divrei Hayamim Beit / 2 Chronicles 35:18, showing that the two terms are not identical. There is also the word חֹזֶה Ḥozeh (“Visionary”). This word describes someone who experiences “visions." Other than Moses all prophets did communicate with G-d through visions and dreams. Some messages had meaning for the current and future generations, but all prophecy must have a message for the current generation (of that prophet), be direct from G-d (or G-d may use an angel to deliver the message as he did with later prophets -- it is farther from G-d but still prophecy) and cannot contradict the Torah. The message may also be important to future generations -- and those were handed down to us in the form of the section of the T'nach called Nevi'im / Prophets. Prophecy MUST be understood by the prophet -- even though s/he has a dream or sees a vision they must understand the meaning -- not need an explanation to understand it. Thus prophecy is a personal relationship and contact between a צדוק / tzadoq (righteous person) and G-d. This is usually through dreams although Moses had communication with G-d while he was awake. נְבוּאָה / Navua doesn’t mean fortune telling or predicting the future, although sometimes these are present. The word is based on niv sefatayim / ניב שפתיים meaning "fruit of the lips," which emphasizes the navi's role as a speaker. A navi is really a spokesperson for G-d – one who speaks to his or her generation on behalf of G-d. The greatest navi to ever live was Moses. He could hear G-d clearly and directly (as if “face to face”).“When Moses came into the Tent of Meeting to speak to Him, he heard the Voice speaking to him." (Bamidbar / Numbers 7:89). Most other naviim (prophets) heard from G-d as if through a prism, or a fog – through dreams and visions “I make Myself known to him (other prophets than Moses) in a vision. I speak to him in a dream." (Bamidbar / Numbers 12:6).The Rambam wrote that to be a prophet one must be wise, have a clear mind, be; of impeccable character, and totally in control of their emotions. A prophet is mature, of a calm nature and full of joy. A prophet is not interested in material things or the frivolities of life. A prophet’s desire is to devote themselves entirely to knowing and serving G-d. At the height of prophecy all Jews were prophets – and prophecy existed in Israel because having all the Jews together in the holy land made for a holy enough link for it to exist and thrive. There were Yeshivot (schools) dedicated to training people to be navis – because one must be very much a tzedak (righteous person) to have that kind of a link to G-d. Not all prophets were Jews (though most were) and there were women as well as men prophets. Even if a person meets all the criteria G-d may not give them prophecy (and for now we are not in an age of prophecy so there are no prophets. Jesus and Mohamad could not have been prophets, because prophecy was gone by then). If a prophet did tell of what would happen in the future such a statement was given either as a promise or a warning. Promises always come to pass. Warnings from prophets (of potential calamities) may or may not happen. Any negative prophetic warning can always be prevented through prayer and repentance. Think of the story of Jonah and the people of Nineveh who were able to avoid the curse by heeding the prophet’s warning. . . So prophecy is a message from G-d (in the case of Moses directly, to other prophets through dreams and visions -- and in some cases by angels delivering the message). In all cases of true prophecy the prophet understood immediately the meaning behind a vision or dream -- it did not have to be explained to them. In one of my favorite books, The Guide for the Perplexed the Rambam (Maimonides) discusses eleven levels of prophecy, the first two of which are not actually prophecy. He wrote "The first and the second degrees are only steps leading to prophecy, and a person possessing either of these two degrees does not belong to the class of prophets [found in the T'nach / Hebrew Bible]." These first two levels fall under the heading of רֽוּחַ הַקּֽוֹדֶשׁ / ru'aḥ hakodesh -- often mistranslated as "holy spirit" (translated it would be a spirit of the holiness), but it means divinely inspired by G-d. With divine inspiration a very holy man or woman connects to G-d, but it is not a form of direct communication. G-d is not speaking to them with a message they are to relay to the then living generation. Instead they speak in their own words, inspired by Him. A person so inspired is still their own person and physically is not impacted in any way. Sometimes people so inspired are referred to as prophets, even though they may not rise to that level. The Rambam continues: "When such a person is occasionally called prophet, the term is used in a wider sense, and is applied to him because he is almost a prophet." The first degree of prophecy (which is not actually prophecy) is the divine inspiration that a person gets which encourages him towards a noble end This influence is called "רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים / ru'ah Elohim" -- a spirit from G-d. A prophet must not only receive a message directly from G-d, the message must be for the then living generation and the prophet communicates the message to them. For a person with ru'ah Elohim they are driven to perform noble deeds, it may have no message or communication to others. The Rambam writes: "The first degree of prophecy consists in the divine assistance which is given to a person, and induces and encourages him to do something good and grand, e.g., to deliver a congregation of good men from the hands of evildoers; to save one noble person, or to bring happiness to a large number of people; he finds in himself the cause that moves and urges him to this deed." This brings us to the second level -- where the person is also divinely inspired, but this person is overcome with an urge to communicate the message to the people of his generation. "The second degree is this: A person feels as if something came upon him, and as if he had received a new power that encourages him to speak. He treats of science, or composes hymns, exhorts his fellow-men, discusses political and theological problems; all this he does while awake, and in the full possession of his senses. There is, however, a difference between the visions experienced by prophets in a dream or vision and those Daniel experienced connected with the ru'ah hakodesh -- divine inspiration. A prophet immediately knows (upon regaining his or her senses) that what happened was prophecy. A person who has a vision (as did Daniel) does not understand the meaning -- it must be explained to them: "My spirit-I, Daniel-became troubled within its sheath, and the visions of my mind terrified me." Daniel 7:15. True prophecy (levels three - eleven listed by the Rambam) are understood by the prophet. The levels of prophecy, from three to eleven increase in ability / holiness. The final and greatest level of prophecy was that of Moses to whom G-d communicated directly, as if "face to face" without a dream or a vision. Common to all of the levels of prophecy are that prophet’s mind merges with the divine and transcends his own faculties. When a prophecy is received their bodies get weak, they may tremble, become confused or even paralyzed. Some simply fall asleep to receive prophecy. None of this happens with the first two levels where a person is physically not impacted. The Book of Daniel is not found in Prophets in the T’nach and is not considered prophecy. This is not because Daniel himself was not a prophet (opinions vary as to whether he was or was not a prophet) -- but the fact that Daniel did not understand the visions he was shown. They had to be explained to him.... Christians upon hearing that the Book of Daniel is not prophetic are usually outraged – but consider the definition you’ve been given. Daniel had to have the visions explained to him thus he was under a spirit of holiness, definitely given a message from G-d by an angel -- but he himself did not understand the message! Thus the information in Sefer Daniel (the Book of Daniel) is not prophecy. This does not lessen its value or importance. The messages to Daniel were critical to understanding the rise and fall of the Second Temple as well as what will happen in the true messianic era (which has not happened yet)... The T’nach itself gives us a stern warning against listening to soothsayers and diviners. Vayikra / Leviticus 19:26-31 “you shall not indulge in sorcery, and you shall not believe in lucky times. . . You shall not turn to the mediums, nor shall you seek after the wizards, [and thereby] be defiled by them; I am the L-rd your G-d.” This creates problems for Christianity. The Christian bible is full of stories of Jesus talking to the dead, demons, the "devil", etc. are all forbidden. (D'varim / Deuteronomy 18:11 and 19:31). We are warned not to follow false prophets – including those who show us miracles. Miracles do not “prove” a prophet (let alone a messiah). "If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying "Let us follow gods of others that you did not know (at Sinai) and we shall worship them do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, for HASHEM, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love HASHEM, your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul. HASHEM, your G-d, shall you follow and Him shall you fear; His commandments shall you observe and to His voice shall you hearken; Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave. And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be put to death, for he had spoken perversion against HASHEM, your G-d Who takes you out of the land of Egypt, and Who redeems you from the house of slavery to make you stray from the path on which HASHEM, you G-d, has commanded you to go; and you shall destroy the evil from your midst." (Artscroll) D’varim / Deuteronomy 13:2-6. If someone adds to or subtracts from the Torah -- changing any of its lessons and mitzvot -- they are a false prophet. D'varim / Deuteronomy 18 says there will be prophets after Moses -- and that these prophets will not change or "add to" Torah. Both Jesus and Mohamad changed the unchangeable rules of the Torah, thus they would have been false prophets. By the time of Jesus (and later Mohamad) prophecy had been gone for hundreds of years. As Israel was destroyed and holiness declined (with the encroachment of Hellenism) prophecy became more and more sporadic. The last prophets realized that it was declining and that we were entering a period when there would be no more prophecy for a long time. Therefore Ezra, a prophet, called a Sanhedrin which came to be known as the Men of the Great Assembly. There were 120 members rather than 70. They codified the T’nach and Siddur (prayer book) and prepared the Jews for the move from the era of Proecy to the era of Knowledge . . .the era we are still in today. The T’nach tells us of the end of prophecy.We have not seen our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and no one with us knows how long. (T'hillim / Psalms 74:9).Two things converged to bring prophecy to an end. One is the Diaspora -- the dispersal of Jews from the land of Judah (Israel). The majority of Jews did not return to Israel from the Babylonian (Iranian) exile, and without a majority of Jews in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel aka the land of the living) prophecy is limited. The second reason prophecy ended is because the Men of the Great Assembly appealed to G-d to remove the desire for idolatry and with it went the gift of prophecy (Talmud, Yoma 69b). With the end of prophecy came the "Age of Wisdom." We still have the spirit of G-d in our midst and we have His Torah, along with His sages. The instructions had been given, now it is up to us to implement them. This is why the last of the prophets implemented the T'nach (Jewish bible, including Prophets and Writings) as well as the Siddur (Jewish prayer book). Thus we know for certain that Jesus was not a prophet. There is proof within the Christian bible itself that Jesus was not a prophet (or rather that he was a false prophet). According to the Christian bible, Jesus “prophesied” the following: Matthew 16:28 (NIV) “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." The generation that Jesus addressed died 20 centuries ago, ergo this was a false prediction. Jesus also predicted the time he will spend in the tomb (the “Sign of Jonah”):Matthew 12:40 (NIV) “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus died on Friday afternoon and “rose” on Sunday before dawn – a total of some 36 hours. The Gospel of Matthew says that Jesus remained in the tomb from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening at nightfall - a total of some 26 hours (Matthew 28:1). Neither equal three days. Conclusion: If Jesus was a prophet at all, he was a false one. But it is immaterial as we know Jesus was NOT a prophet as prophecy ended with the last of the prophets in the T'nach (Ezra and the other prophets in the Great Assembly).
4 Comments
Bob M
7/18/2016 02:23:41 pm
GREAT! More on the same subject here: http://www.truth2u.org/?s=365
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2/10/2018 10:42:22 am
Are you saying: Because Jesus was not a Prophet that he was unable to give the correct time? Three days equal 72 hrs.
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Jesus was not a prophet because:
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Uche
3/12/2018 04:29:42 pm
Thanks Sophiee for this write-up and the clarification it brings. As you rightly pointed out, those of us with xtian past and background have a different idea about Prophecy.
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