The ability to work miracles was not the only unusual power of Jesus. He also made predictions. The predictions which He made were out of the ordinary and so are worthy of study. They are called prophecies and are important because they throw additional light upon the already clear identity of Jesus.
The word “prophecy” has been used very loosely in both ancient and modern literature, and has thus acquired a variety of meanings. This makes it imperative that its meaning in this discussion be precisely defined. As it is used here, a prophecy is defined as a detailed and certain prediction of a definite future event, the foretelling of which is impossible by natural prevision or guess because the event predicted depends on many free causes for its fulfillment. By this definition, correct guesses or predictions made after a study of the possible concurrent causes are not prophesies; nor can one label as prophecies those ambiguous statements which could be fulfilled by the concurrence of a variety of events such as were the statements given out by the ancient pagan oracles.
For a prophecy to have any value in apologetics, it must already have been fulfilled. It is after the details of a prophecy have taken place that unaided reason will stamp it as a prediction made without guess or prevision and will inquire into the type of intelligence which could have made this prophecy.
Attentive reading of the Gospels shows that Jesus made certain statements which He intended to be understood as predictions of future events. These statements must be examined to determine whether or not they are detailed enough to be true prophecies. Historical documents must be searched to determine whether or not these predictions have come to pass.
The prophecies of Jesus which have apologetic value can be broken down into four categories, namely, those which deal with Jesus Himself, those which deal with the destruction of Jerusalem, and those which deal with persons close to Jesus, those which deal with Jesus’ followers in future ages.
- Jesus’ predictions concerning Himself deal with the events which were to accompany His passion and death:
“But while they were all marveling at everything he did, he said to his disciples, ‘Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men’” (Luke 9:44-45).
“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21).
“When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified’” (Matthew 16:1-2).
“And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day’” (Matthew 20:17-19).
A considerable number of details are included in these four predictions of Jesus. They are sufficiently detailed and definite to exclude the possibility of guess or prevision, for Jesus specifies the time, place, and circumstances of arrest, and the manner of His death.
In fulfillment of these prophecies, the Gospels show that it was at the Paschal time (see also Matthew 27:62) that Jesus was put to death.
“Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garder a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. There, accordingly, because the Preparation Day of the Jews, for the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus” (John 19:41).
The Gospels imply that the place of Jesus’ condemnation and death was the city of Jerusalem. Olivet, Gethsemane and Calvary were proper places near Jerusalem. Then, too, it must be noted that Jesus was tried before the Jewish Sanhedrin which convened in Jerusalem. A third reason for saying that Jesus suffered and died at Jerusalem was the fact that Pilate was there at the time. Ordinarily the Roman procurators resided at Caesarea on the coast, but at every Paschal season they took a detachment of soldiers with them and went to Jerusalem to guard against a possible Jewish insurrection. This accounts for the fact the Pilate happened to be in Jerusalem when Jesus died.
The Gospels show that Jesus was mocked before He died:
“Then they (the soldiers) spat in his face, and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you’” (Matthew 26:67).
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him” (Matthew 27:27-31).
There is clear evidence that Jesus died by crucifixion:
“Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left” (Luke 23:31-32).
This group of prophecies of Jesus concerning Himself is concluded by pointing out that Jesus foretold that he would arise from the dead.
“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken” (John 2:19-22).
The Gospels which contain the prophecies of Jesus are themselves the historical documents which prove that they were fulfilled.
- The second category of Jesus’ prophecies includes those prophecies make concerning persons who were close to Him.
These persons were Peter, Judas and Mary Magdalene.
- In a detailed fashion Jesus foretold that Peter would deny him. On the occasion of the Last Supper, Jesus said to the Apostles.
Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter declared to him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times” (Matthew 26:31-34).
Notice how the Evangelist includes in this passage a detail which precludes the possibility of Jesus’ having natural prevision. He pictures Peter and the other Apostles vehement in professing their allegiance to Jesus.
St Matthew’s Gospel contains the account of the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy of Peter’s denial.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a maid came up to him, and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the porch, another maid saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:69-75).
- Jesus predicted that Judas would betray Him.
And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Is it I, Master?” He said to him, “You have said so.” (Matthew 26:21-25)
The following passages show that Jesus’ prediction concerning His betrayal by Judas came to pass.
“Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Hail, Master!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. (Matthew 26:45-50)
- Jesus prophesied that the fact that His Body was anointed by Mary Magdalene would become universally known. This prophecy is brief but the amount of detail that it contains makes it impossible for it to have been made by guess or prevision. It has great apologetic value.
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he sat at table. But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for a large sum, and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13)
The fact that the story of the anointing of Jesus’ body by Mary is included in all the integral manuscripts of the Gospels, either in the original language or in translations in all countries since the time of the Apostles, is proof that this prophecy has been fulfilled.
- Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. He couched it in such detail that there can be no doubt that He was referring to a definite event.
And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it; for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles.” (Luke 21:20-23)
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.” (Mark 13:1-3)
Although the Jewish writer, Josephus (cv. 37-95 A.D.) has written a great deal on this subject, space permits only the inclusion of certain passages which touch upon the prophecy of Jesus. The entire account can be read in his writing entitled The Jewish Wars. These are the passages which touch upon the prophecy of Jesus:
- …So upon this confirmation of Vespasian’s entire government, which was now settled, and upon the unexpected deliverance of the public affairs of the Romans from ruin, Vespasian turned his thoughts to what remained unsubdued in Judea. However, he himself made haste to go to Rome, as the winter was now almost over, and soon set the affairs of Alexandria in order, but sent his son Titus, with a select part of his army, to destroy Jerusalem. (The Jewish Wars, Bk. IV, Ch. 11, 5).
So Titus retired into the tower of Antonia, and resolved to storm the temple the next day, early in the morning, with his whole army, and to encamp round about the holy house. But as for that house, God had, for certain, long ago doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was come, according to the revolution of ages; it was the tenth day of the month Lous (The month of August in the Macedonian calendar), upon which it was formerly burnt by the king of Babylon; although these flames took their rise from the Jews themselves, and were occasioned by them; for upon Titus’s retiring, the seditious lay still for a little while, and then attacked the Romans again, when those that guarded the holy house fought with those that quenched the fire that was burning the inner [court of the] temple.… At which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders, and without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking, and being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched somewhat out of the materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there was a passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house, on the north side of it. (The Jewish Wars, Bk. VI, Ch. 4, 5).
So the Romans being now become masters of the walls, they both placed their ensigns upon the towers, and made joyful acclamations for the victory they had gained, as having found the end of this war much lighter than its beginning; for when they had gotten upon the last wall, without any bloodshed, they could hardly believe what they found to be true; but seeing nobody to oppose them, they stood in doubt what such an unusual solitude could mean. But when they went in numbers into the lanes of the city with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook without and set fire to the houses whither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest; and when they were come to the houses to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men, and the upper rooms full of dead corpses, that is, of such as died by the famine; they then stood in a horror at this sight, and went out without touching any thing. But although they had this commiseration for such as were destroyed in that manner, yet had they not the same for those that were still alive, but they ran every one through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with their dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men’s blood. And truly so it happened, that though the slayers left off at the evening, yet did the fire greatly prevail in the night; and as all was burning, came that eighth day of the month Gorpieus (The month of September in the Macedonian calendar) upon Jerusalem, a city that had been liable to so many miseries during this siege…. (The Jewish Wars, Bk. VI, Ch. 8, 5).
Now when Titus was come into this [upper] city, he admired not only some other places of strength in it…. To conclude, when he entirely demolished the rest of the city, and overthrew its walls, he left these towers as a monument of his good fortune (The Jewish Wars, Bk. VI, Ch. 9, 1).
It was in circumstances such as Josephus describes that Jesus’ prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem came to pass.
- At various times during His public ministry, Jesus predicted what would befall His followers because of their loyalty to Him. The predictions are detailed and definite enough to rule out ambiguity. Jesus said:
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13* This will be a time for you to bear testimony. (Luke 21:12)
There is abundant evidence in ancient literature that the prediction of Jesus concerning the fate of many of His followers has been fulfilled. One of the earliest references to the persecutions directed against the followers of Jesus is found in a writing of the pagan Latin writer Tacitus:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.” (Tacitus, Annales, Bk. XV, 44).
There are scores of other texts in the writings of the ancient Christian writers, which prove the fact that Jesus’ followers were persecuted for His sake.
The predictions of Jesus which have been examined in these pages are prophecies of apologetic value. In each case the prophecy itself has been detailed and definite and free from ambiguity. The accounts of their fulfillment are clear and unmistakable.
The student will acquire a deeper insight into the purpose of Jesus’ prophecies as soon as he realizes the period of time in which they were fulfilled. The fulfillment was so spaced that their force was driven home to widening groups of persons. The first two groups of Jesus’ prophecies came to pass at the time of Jesus’ passion and death and so were designed to influence the Apostles and some of the Jews. The second group of prophecies forced its attention on a much greater number of people, namely, all the Jews in Palestine as well as the visitors from the diaspora (Jews who lived outside of Palestine) who were trapped in Jerusalem at the time if its destruction. The last category of prophecies will force their attention upon the people of every age for in all ages Jesus’ followers will be persecuted.