MATTHEW 2: IS IT FALSE OR IS IT TRUE?

BY

MESSIAH TRUTH

I. I. INTRODUCTION

The common theme of many claims made by Christian apologists and missionaries to
their Jewish targets is that Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies contained in the
Christian "Old Testament", and various passages from the New Testament are cited as
evidence of their fulfillment. A Jewish person, one who lacks a good Jewish
education and who might be looking for some spiritual nourishment, could easily be
convinced about the efficacy of these claims.

In this essay, the content of an entire chapter out of the first book in the New
Testament, Chapter 2 in the Gospel of Matthew, is analyzed in order to test the
validity of such claims. It is demonstrated that, under scrutiny, claims of prophetic
fulfillments attributed to this chapter do not survive.

II. II. MATTHEW 2 IN THE KING JAMES VERSION

The King James Version (KJV) translation of the second chapter in the Gospel of
Matthew is replicated below, including footnotes to identify verses that are claimed to
be describing the fulfillments of specific prophetic messianic passages from the "Old
Testament". The actual statements of these alleged "fulfillments" are shown in
highlighted text:

Matthew 2(KJV)

(1) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
(2) Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his
star in the east, and are come to worship him.
(3) When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him.
(4) And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people
together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
(5) And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by
the prophet,
(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.[1]
(7) Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared.
(8) And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the
young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may
come and worship him also.
(9) When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which
they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the
young child was.
(10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
(11) And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with
Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense
and myrrh.
(12) And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to
Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
(13) And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth
to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother,
and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will
seek the young child to destroy him.
(14) When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and
departed into Egypt:
(15) 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.[2]
(16) 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.
(17) Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
(18) 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.[3]
(19) But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a
dream to Joseph in Egypt,
(20) Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the
land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
(21) And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into
the land of Israel.
(22) But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of
God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
(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.

[1] v. 6 - Micah 5:2[1 in the Hebrew Bible]

[2] v. 15 - Hosea 11:1
 [3] v. 18 - Jeremiah 31:15[14 in the Hebrew Bible]

The references to the prophetic passages in the (Christian) "Old Testament" are taken
from footnotes in popular Christian Bibles such as the New American Standard Bible
(NASB) and the New International Version (NIV) Bible.

III. III. CAN BOTH MATTHEW 2 AND THE HEBREW BIBLE BE TRUE?

In the second chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, the author records four events which,
according to him, were foretold by the Jewish prophets and were fulfilled by Jesus.
Each of the four "fulfillment" accounts in Matthew 2 is now contrasted against the
claimed corresponding prophetic statement in the Hebrew Bible to test its validity.

A. A. Claim #1: Bethlehem Is the Messiah's Birthplace1[1]

According to the opening verse, Jesus was born in Bethlehem:

Matthew 2:1-2(KJV) – (1) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of

Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from
the east to Jerusalem, (2) Saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Upon hearing this proclamation, a very concerned King Herod summoned the
chief priests and scribes to the royal court. He wanted to know where this child
was born, and was told the following:

Matthew 2:5-6(KJV) – (5) And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of

Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, (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.

In Matthew 2:6, the author attempts to quote the verse Micah 5:2 from the "Old
Testament", which is Micah 5:1 in the Hebrew Bible.

This passage suffers from two major problems. First, according to the historians,
Herod reigned for some 33 years, from 37 B.C.E. to 4 B.C.E. This implies that, if
the story in Matthew 2 were true, the events described thus far would have had to
take place prior to the advent of the Common (Christian) Era. In other words,
Jesus would have had to be born not later than 4 B.C.E. to fit into this scenario.
The chronology of the historical events conflicts with the time of birth of Jesus
according to Christian theology.

Second, the claim that Jesus fulfilled the purported prophetic statement, that the
Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, is based on the misapplication of this passage.

1[1]
In another essay, Bethlehem: The Messiah's Birthplace?, this particular claim is analyzed in
detail, in terms of linguistic context and consistency with the Hebrew Bible.
 Table III.A-1 shows side-by-side English renditions of the verse from the Gospel
of Matthew in the New Testament (Mt 2:6), of the original verse from the Book of
Micah in the KJV "Old Testament" (Mic 5:2), and of the original verse from the
Book of Micah in the Hebrew Bible (Mic 5:1). Also displayed, for reference, is
the corresponding verse from the Hebrew Bible.

Table III.A-1 – Comparison of Matthew 2:6 with Micah 5:1[2]

Hebrew Text

King James Version King James Version Jewish Translation from

Translation from the Translation the Hebrew
Greek
Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2 Micah 5:1
And thou Bethlehem, in But thou, Bethlehem And you, Bethlehem
the land of Juda, art not the Ephratah, though thou be Ephratah - you should have
least among the princes of little among the thousands been the lowest amongst
Juda: for out of thee shall of Judah, yet out of thee the clans of Judah – from
come a Governor, that shall he come forth unto you [he] shall emerge for
shall rule my people Israel. me that is to be ruler in Me, to be a ruler over
Israel; whose goings forth Israel; and his origin is
have been from of old, from old, from ancient
from everlasting. days.

The information in Table III.A-1 demonstrates that Matthew 2:6 not only "twists"
the original text in order to make it fit the story line, it is not even a complete
quote of the verse in the KJV "Old Testament".

Is the original verse, Micah 5:1, really a prophecy that (mashi'ah), the
Messiah, will be born in Bethlehem? Without a doubt, the entire passage is
messianic; it is about King David's ancestry, which will also be the ancestry of
(mashi'ah), who will be a descendant of King David. Since Bethlehem was
the place from which King David's family hailed, it is also the place of origin of
(mashi'ah), though not necessarily his place of birth.

Support for the claim by the author of the Gospel of Matthew, that Jesus was born
in Bethlehem (Mt 2:1) is found in the New Testament, in the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 2:4-7(KJV) – (4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the
city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) (5) To be
taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. (6) And so it
was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered. (7) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and
 wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn.

The author of the Gospel of John writes that some people believed the Messiah to
come from Bethlehem, while others asserted that he was of Galilean origin:

John 7:40-43(KJV) – (40) Many of the people therefore, when they heard
this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. (41) Others said, This is
the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? (42) Hath not
the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the
town of Bethlehem, where David was? (43) So there was a division among
the people because of him.

However, he does not capitalize on the opportunity to demonstrate that Jesus

fulfilled Micah's prophecy and state that Jesus was born there. Consequently, this
omission might indicate that the author of the Gospel of John did not necessarily
concur with the authors of the other two Gospels that Jesus, in fact, was born in
Bethlehem, and he lets stand the opposing assertion that Jesus was of Galilean
origin (see also Jn 1:46). This is consistent with all other references (except for
those of his birth) in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, that Jesus was from
Nazareth. Curiously, the author of the earliest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of
Mark, is silent on this matter.

Aviram Oshri, a senior archaeologist with the Israeli Antiquities Authority, has
been excavating in the area of an Israeli village, known as Beit Lehem haGalilit,
Bethlehem of the Galilee, which is located a few miles west of Nazareth. This
town of Bethlehem is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as being in the territory of
the Tribe of Zebulun, which included the lower Galilee (Josh 19:15). From his
findings, Oshri concludes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of the Galilee, not in
Bethlehem of Judea. Here is a translated portion of the summary to his article:

What has been described above indicates that Jews occupied Bethlehem
of the Galilee in the time of Jesus. During the Byzantine era there is a
massive Christian presence in that place, a presence that has, if fact,
continued to our times with the settling of the Templars. In addition, we
learn from the New Testament that the life of Jesus centers around the
lower Galilee and the Kineret [the Sea of Galilee]. According to the New
Testament, the pregnant Mary rode [on a donkey] to be in her hometown,
[yet] it makes no sense that a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy
would ride such a distance [Bethlehem of Judea is situated some 70 miles
{~113 kilometers} south of Nazareth]. The distance from Nazareth to
Bethlehem of the Galilee, in contrast, is only about 7 kilometers [~4
miles]. The explanation that ties Jesus to Bethlehem in Judea is clear
enough; the Christian claim is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Messiah,
according to the Old Testament, will come from the House of David, and
 his [David's] origin is from Bethlehem in Judea. Therefore, if this
historical entity existed and was named Jesus, and if he were born in
Bethlehem, then it follows that it is Bethlehem of the Galilee, and not that
of Judea.2[2] [Clarifying editorial comments within the brackets are mine.
(UY)]

It is also interesting to note that, in contrast to the important messianic attributes

spelled out by the Jewish prophets in the Hebrew Bible, being born in Bethlehem,
even if it were true, would be inconsequential.

Consequently, Matthew 2:6 is:

 X Inconsistent with the accepted historical chronology

 X Is a misapplication of a passage from the Hebrew Bible

Conclusion: Claim #1 becomes Pious Fraud Example #1.

B. B. Claim #2: The Return of Jesus from Hiding in Egypt Is Foretold by

Hosea

Matthew 2:13-15 tells of a dream Joseph had, in which an angel appeared to him
and told him to flee with his family to Egypt and stay there till he is told to return.
Upon waking, Joseph did as told, and remained in Egypt until the death of Herod.
In the last verse of the passage, the author of the Gospel of Matthew makes the
claim that the return from Egypt by Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, is the fulfillment of
an "Old Testament" prophecy:

Matthew 2:15(KJV) - 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.

Table III.B-1 shows side-by-side English renditions of the verse from the Gospel
of Matthew in the New Testament (Mt 2:15), of the original verse from the Book
of Hosea in the KJV "Old Testament", and of the original verse from the Book of
Hosea in the Hebrew Bible. Also displayed, for reference, is the corresponding
verse from the Hebrew Bible.

Table III.B-1 – Comparison of Matthew 2:15 with Hosea 11:1

Hebrew Text

King James Version King James Version Jewish Translation from

2[2]
Original article (in Hebrew) - http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_Item_ido.asp?
sec_id=17&sub_subj_id=184&id=273#as. A report on this appears in The Guardian -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1377287,00.html.
 Translation from the Translation the Hebrew
Greek
Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
And was there until the When Israel was a child, For, when Israel was
death of Herod: that it then I loved him, and young, I loved him, and
might be fulfilled which called my son out of from Egypt I called my
was spoken of the Lord by Egypt. son.
the prophet, saying, Out
of Egypt have I called my
son.

The phrase "… Out of Egypt have I called my son …" in Matthew 2:15 points
to Hosea 11:1 in order to convey the notion that the flight of baby Jesus to Egypt
to escape Herod’s homicidal intentions was not an arbitrary event. Rather, it was
the fulfillment of what Hosea had foretold.

To test the validity of the claim, consider the passage Hosea 11:1-2 (two
renditions are shown, a Jewish translation and the KJV translation):

Hosea 11:1-2 – (1) For, when Israel was young, I loved him, and from
Egypt I called my son. (2) [Yet, as much as] they [the prophets] called to
them [Israel], so did they turn away from them; they sacrificed to the
Ba’als [ (la'bealim)] and burnt incense to the idols.

Hosea 11:1-2(KJV) – (1) When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and
called my son out of Egypt. (2) As they called them, so they went from
them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.

In either rendition, it is clear that the entire first verse, Hosea 11:1, does not
describe a child/Messiah fleeing to Egypt and then being summoned back. The
prophet relates how G-d called the fledgling nation of Israel out of Egypt. In the
second verse, Hosea 11:2, Hosea tells how, in spite pleas by the prophets, those
called out of Egypt sinned against G-d – they worshipped the (bealim)3[3],
Ba'als, and other idols.

The author of the Gospel of Matthew would have created a serious dilemma, had
he quoted both verses in their entirety. The context of Hosea 11:1 is that it is not
prophetic, but simply a restatement of an event in the history of Israel. Likewise,
Hosea 11:2 is a continuation of the recounting of events in the history of Israel.
To attribute Hosea 11:1 to Jesus would be tantamount to making him and his
Jewish parents idol worshippers and, thus, they all would be sinners. The author
avoided this problem by lifting out of this historical passage just the phrase that
suited his purpose, "Out of Egypt have I called my son".

3[3]
The Hebrew term (bealim) is the plural of the noun (ba'al), the head god of the
Canaanites.
 Did this trick solve the problem? Not really, since by going back to the source,
Chapter 11 in the Book of Hosea, one would realize that this son is Israel - the
Jewish nation, and not Jesus.

Conclusion: Claim #2 becomes Pious Fraud Example #2.

C. C. Claim #3: The Killing of All Children by King Herod Is Foretold by

Jeremiah

King Herod, apparently angered at being mocked by the wise men and desiring to
neutralize the threat to his throne posed by this newborn child of whom they
spoke, kills all of Bethlehem's children of age two years and younger:

Matthew 2:16-18(KJV) – (16) 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. (17) Then was fulfilled that which was spoken
by Jeremy the prophet, saying, (18) 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.

Of particular interest here is Matthew 2:18, which is, according to the author of
the Gospel of Matthew, the alleged fulfillment of a prophesied sadness that would
follow the massacre of the children by King Herod.

Table III.C-1 shows side-by-side English renditions of the verse from the Gospel
of Matthew in the New Testament (Mt 2:18), of the original verse from the Book
of Jeremiah in the "Old Testament" (Jer 31:15), and of the original verse from the
Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible (Jer 31:14). Also displayed, for reference,
is the corresponding verse from the Hebrew Bible.

Table III.C-1 – Comparison of Matthew 2:18 with Jeremiah 31:14[15]

Hebrew Text

King James Version King James Version Jewish Translation from

Translation from the Translation the Hebrew
Greek
Matthew 2:18 Jeremiah 31:15 Jeremiah 31:14
In Rama was there a Thus saith the LORD; A So said the L-rd: "A voice
voice heard, lamentation, voice was heard in Ramah, is heard in Ramah,
and weeping, and great lamentation, and bitter lamentation, bitter
mourning, Rachel weeping; Rahel weeping weeping, Rachel is
weeping for her children, for her children refused to weeping for her children;
and would not be be comforted for her she has refused to be
comforted, because they children, because they comforted upon her
are not. were not. children, for they are
gone."

This verse from the Book of Jeremiah is part of a passage, Jeremiah 31:2-20 [1-19
in some Bibles], that is chanted in every Jewish synagogue as part of the prayer
services on the second day of Rosh haShanah, the Jewish New Year. Perhaps
the primary reason this passage found its way into the liturgy is that its last three
verses speak of the efficacy of repentance. Another reason is that the passage
contains a prophecy of the national restoration of Israel, which brings to the
Jewish people a heartening message of hope to encourage them in their darkest
ages. The verse in Jeremiah 31, which immediately follows the one being
"quoted" in Matthew 2:18 as the original prophecy, continues with this positive
message:

Jeremiah 31:15[16 in Christian Bibles] – So said the L-rd, "Refrain your

voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for there is reward for
your work," the word of the L-rd, "and they shall return from the land of
the enemy."

This verse points to a delightful and idyllic picture of the joy of a redeemed Israel.
Probably more Jewish liturgy and music has been drawn from this chapter in
Jeremiah than from any other single chapter in the Hebrew Bible!

The allusion to Rachel's weeping over the disappearance of her children has no
connection to the killing of the children by King Herod, as suggested in Matthew
2:17-18.

Conclusion: Claim #3 becomes Pious Fraud Example #3.

D. D. Claim #4: The Prophets Foretold of Jesus Being from Nazareth

Joseph finds out that Herod had died, and that he is to bring his family back to the
Land of Israel. However, since Herod's son was the ruler in Judea at that time,
Joseph decides to go north to the Galilee to settle in the town of Nazareth. The
author of the Gospel of Matthew claims that this, too, was a fulfillment of
something which was foretold by the Jewish prophets:

Matthew 2:23(KJV) - 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.

A search of the Hebrew Bible for passage containing the substance of that which
was allegedly "… spoken by the prophets …" will not yield any results. There
are no such verses in the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, nowhere in the Hebrew Bible
 is there any reference to the Messiah as a Nazarene and, in fact, the town of
Nazareth is never mentioned therein. Since there are no references in the
Hebrew Bible against which this passage may be compared, one could ask, "What
might have been the author's agenda here?"

Various speculations exist concerning a possible answer to this question. One

suggestion is that the author was referring to the description of the Messiah as a
(netser), an offshoot, used in Isaiah 11:1, a metaphorical allusion to a new,
flourishing scion from King David's lineage. This idea is problematic since, even
though the metaphor is utilized by Isaiah, nowhere in the Hebrew Bible is it
indicated or implied that (mashi'ah) will actually bear the name
(netser). Moreover, the author of the Gospel of Matthew wrote "… which was
spoken by the prophets …", i.e., he refers to a plurality and not to a single
prophet who may have made such a prophetic statement. Since there exists no
other messianic application of the Hebrew term (netser) in the Hebrew Bible,
the attempt to force the connection with Isaiah 11:1 fails.

Another suggestion is that the author was using a "play on words" with the
Hebrew root verb (natsar), [to] guard, [to] watch [over]. However, this
idea, too, cannot be supported from within the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew name
for Nazareth is (natsrat) or (natseret), which may have a possible
connection with the verb (natsar), primarily due to the geography of the town,
as it is situated on an elevated plateau. However, one who hails from Nazareth is
called (notsri; pronounced noh-tsree), a term that has become the Hebrew
word for a Christian. However, the common noun derived from the verb
(natsar) is (notser), a guard, a watchman, and such a term is never used in
the Hebrew Bible in connection with (mashi'ah).

Still another proposed idea is that the author is referring to Jesus as being a
Nazirite, an English term that comes from the Hebrew noun (nazir), one
who is consecrated through a vow (e.g., Num 6:2, Jdgs 13:5). However,
nowhere in the Hebrew Bible is it stated, alluded, or implied that (mashi'ah)
4[4]
will ever take the vow of a (nazir) . Moreover, there is no linguistic
relationship between the Hebrew word (nazir), Nazirite, which derives from
the root verb (nazar), and the Hebrew word (notsri), Nazarene, which
derives from the root verb (natsar).

4[4]
Nazirite vows were taken by both men and women for personal reasons, such as giving thanks
for a recovery from an illness, or for the birth of a child. The Nazirite vow includes three
elements: (1) the hair to remain unshorn during the period of the vow; (2) abstinence from
intoxicants; (3) avoidance of contact with a dead body. The minimum period for the Nazirite vow
was 30 days; it can extend over a period of several years, and can even be a lifelong dedication.
It is interesting to note that, since the Bible does not necessarily encourage such a lifestyle, when
his period of abstention ended, a (nazir) was required to bring a sin offering to atone for the
sin he had committed against his own person.
 The strongest evidence, the "smoking gun", may be found within the verse
Matthew 2:23 itself, since it provides the reason for Jesus being called a
Nazarene [NazwraioV (Nazoraios), of/from Nazareth in Greek]. Jesus is called
a Nazarene because he resided in the town of Nazareth [Nazareq (Nazareth; in
Greek)]. This has no relevance to the Hebrew words (netser), (natsar), or
(nazir) and, therefore, any speculations about what the author of the Gospel
of Matthew had in mind here, in terms of references to Hebrew words, are moot.

Consequently, whether or not the author of the Gospel of Matthew did this with
intent, the outcome remains the same, Matthew 2:23 points to a nonexistent
prophecy in the Hebrew Bible.

Conclusion: Claim #4 becomes Pious Fraud Example #4.

IV. IV. SUMMARY

This study of Chapter 2 in the Gospel of Matthew identified and analyzed four claims
made by its author, of allegedly "fulfilled" prophecies from the "Old Testament". The
analysis demonstrated how these claims turned into four examples of pious fraud, and
how the author deceived his readers by retrofitting his stories to appear as fulfillments
by Jesus of alleged prophecies by the Jewish prophets. In typical fashion, the authors
of the New Testament searched for, and found, in their Greek translations of the
Hebrew Bible, passages that had "Christological appeal", and then wrote "Jesus
stories" around them to create the impression they were "fulfilled".

Though not the earliest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew is the first book in
the New Testament and, thereby, it sets the tone for the rest of that portion of the
Christian Bible. This is, perhaps, the most compelling motivation for a study such as
was presented herein.

The first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew (and in the New Testament) provides the
material for two other essays.5[5] In these two essays, the claims are demonstrated to
be false relative to the Hebrew Bible. With the first two chapters in the New
Testament having no credibility, how can anyone accept the entire book as valid, let
alone as Scripture?.

Regardless of the truth, Paul advocated the perpetration of "divine deception":

Romans 3:7-8(KJV) - (7) For if the truth of God hath more abounded
through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? (8) And
not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,)
Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

5[5]
One essay, Was She or Was She not "A Virgin"? Her OB/GYN Would Have Known, concerns
the claimed fulfillment of a prophecy from the Christian "Old Testament", the "miraculous" Virgin
birth of Jesus (Isaiah 7:14). The other essay, Genealogical Scams and Flimflams, deals with the
claims about the genealogies of Jesus.
 1 Corinthians 9:19-22(KJV) – (19) For though I be free from all men, yet
have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. (20) And
unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are
under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the
law; (21) To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without
law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are
without law. (22) To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak:
I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

2 Corinthians 12:16(KJV) – But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless,

being crafty, I caught you with guile.

These passages, in effect, give Christian missionaries the "license" to perpetrate their
deceptive deeds. Only by carefully studying such texts can one discover how
deceptive, insidious, and sinister they really are.

Source: www.messiahtruth.com/matthew.html

Feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Return to Refuting Alleged Old Testament Prophecies Pointing to Jesus

Return to Homepage