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HINDUISM, SIKHISM AND ISLAM: ARE THESE GOD'S RELIGIONS
CHAPTER 15
Proofs of the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
Muslims claim that either Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion, or someone in His place was crucified. We will see from the biblical account that the man who was crucified was Jesus Christ and He indeed died. The account will show that Jesus Christ could not have survived all that He went through. We will look at the following seven proofs that Jesus Christ actually died on the cross and did not survive it.
1) Reliability of the source.
2) Crucifixion was an agonizing, excruciatingly painful experience.
3) According to the biblical account, besides being crucified, Jesus Christ was actually killed by a spear to His side.
4) Death at the hands of Roman torturers and executioners was certain. They knew how to kill a man, and that was the task assigned to them. They made sure He was dead.
5) One of Jesus Christ’s disciples and many women were eye-witnesses of His death. They knew He was dead. They knew that it was Jesus Christ who was crucified and was dead. Eye-witnesses also included the chief priests and other Jewish leaders. He was even buried by a prominent one among them, who was a member of the Sanhedrin.
6) Jesus’ disciples and women knew that He was laid in a tomb and where the tomb was, and that the tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers.
7) And finally, God prophesied the coming and death of Jesus Christ in many Old Testament prophecies. God the Father assured that Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, and Jesus Christ knew that was the very reason He came to earth.
Let’s look at each of these proofs.
1) Reliability of the Source
We have already proved that the Bible is the word of God, whereas the Quran is not. Therefore, when we evaluate the reliability of the two sources for the account of events surrounding the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must accept the account in the Bible and reject the lies in the Quran.
2) The Crucifixion was an Excruciating Experience
The Beatings and Scourging Before the Crucifixion
Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death was a public event witnessed by the Jewish leaders who wanted Him dead, Roman soldiers and officers whose job it was to ensure that He was dead, common Jewish folk, women among Jesus Christ’s family and friends and even one of the twelve witnessed that He died on the cross and knew where He was laid in a tomb. It was not done secretly in a corner. Even before Jesus Christ was crucified, He went through a trial by the Jews, then by the Roman governor Pilate, then by King Herod who happened to be in Jerusalem at that time. He was severely beaten during these trials and finally scourged, before being crucified. Let’s look at a description of these events in the Bible.
Before His scourging by Roman soldiers, Jesus Christ had suffered beatings and savage treatment at the hands of the Jews. He was first tried before the Jewish Sanhedrin. After the Jewish High Priest pronounced Him worthy of death because He admitted that He was the Christ, His treatment at the hands of Jews at the trial is described in Matthew 26:67-68 (NKJV): “67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands [meaning slapped Him on His face as hard as they could], 68 saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?"
The extent of this beating is indicated in the prophecy of Isaiah 50:6: "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting" (NIV).
The Sanhedrin then turned over Jesus to the Romans to be tried because the Jewish leaders could not pass the death sentence on any one. After His trial before Pilate, Jesus Christ was given over to Roman soldiers to be scourged before being crucified.
Here is a description of the Roman scourging from the United Church of God (UCG) booklet titled “Jesus Christ: the Real Story”:
“Death at the hands of Roman torturers and executioners was certain and could come from several causes. Journalist Lee Strobel, in an interview with Dr. Alexander Metherell, describes the death of Jesus from a medical point of view (The Case for Christ, 1998, pp. 193-200).
“Jesus had been beaten repeatedly and lashed with a Roman scourge before His crucifixion (Matthew 27:26). The leather scourge, a type of whip, was designed to inflict maximum pain and damage on the victim. It was braided with pieces of bone and metal woven into the ends that tore into the flesh with each stroke. The scourge would rip into the underlying muscles and produce strips of quivering, bleeding flesh.
“Eusebius, a third-century historian, reports that "the sufferer's veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure" (quoted by Strobel, p. 193). Many victims would die from the scourging before they could be crucified.
“The extreme pain, coupled with loss of blood, would often cause the victim to go into shock—his blood pressure would drop and cause fainting, collapse and intense thirst. The Gospels record that Jesus experienced these symptoms on His way to Golgotha. Weakened to the point of collapse, He couldn't bear the weight of the beam He was carrying and a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, was forced to carry it part of the way for Him (Mark 15:21). When He was crucified, He said, "I thirst" (John 19:28).
God prophesied this type of treatment of the Christ in Isaiah 52:14 (Revised English Bible): "His form, disfigured, lost all human likeness; his appearance so changed he no longer looked like a man." What this tells us is that He was so badly beaten, so bloodied and maimed, that He was scarcely recognizable as a human being.”
“Pilate appears to have thought that when he had Jesus brought out to the crowd after the beatings and scourging, He would present such a pitiable spectacle that it would satiate His accusers' thirst for blood (John 19:1, 4-6). But their hatred of the bloodied man from Nazareth would not be satisfied. They insisted He be crucified.”
Pilate then handed Jesus Christ over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. The Roman soldiers then further treated Jesus Christ brutally because He was now a man condemned to die. That brutal treatment is described in Matthew 27:27-31 (NIV): “27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”
The Agony of the Crucifixion
According to Dr. Alexander Metherell, a medical doctor quoted by Lee Strobel in his book “A Case for Christ”, p. 196, (as quoted in the UCG booklet) “Because of the terrible effects of these beatings and the scourging, from a medical standpoint Jesus would have already been in serious to critical condition even before He was taken away to be crucified.
“In a crucifixion, the Romans typically used iron nails, five to seven inches long and about three eighths of an inch square, driven into the victim's wrists and feet to fasten him to the wooden members.” Nails were driven into the wrists, between the arm bones, because the hands themselves could not support the weight of the body.
“The nails pounded through the wrists would have crushed the median nerve, the largest nerve going to the hand, causing indescribable pain. "The pain was absolutely unbearable," says Dr. Metherell. "In fact, it was literally beyond words to describe; they had to invent a new word: excruciating. Literally, excruciating means 'out of the cross…' Nails driven through the feet would have brought similar pain.
“Because of body weight and the stress produced on the body from being hung by His arms, Jesus Christ’s arms would have stretched several inches and both His shoulders dislocated.
“The prophecy of Christ's suffering in Psalm 22:14 refers to this exact condition: "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within me."
“Dr. Metherell continues with a description of the agonies Jesus endured: "Once a person is hanging in the vertical position...crucifixion is essentially an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation (which means dying due to inability to breathe normally). The reason is that the stresses on the muscles and diaphragm put the chest into the inhaled position; basically, in order to exhale, the individual must push up on his feet so the tension on the muscles would be eased for a moment. In doing so, the nail would tear through the foot, eventually locking up against the tarsal bones.
"After managing to exhale, the person would then be able to relax down and take another breath in. Again, he'd have to push himself up to exhale, scraping his bloodied back against the coarse wood of the cross. This would go on and on until complete exhaustion would take over, and the person wouldn't be able to push up and breathe anymore" (Strobel, pp. 265-266).
That is how excruciating a death by crucifixion is. After the beating, the brutal scourging by Roman soldiers that sometimes killed the victims, Jesus was so exhausted and weakened that He was even unable to carry His cross the full way. The Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross part of the way. Then Jesus was crucified around 9.00 a.m. to begin suffering further agony. He was on the cross for about 6 hours and died around 3.00 p.m. But crucifixion is not what finally killed Jesus Christ on the cross.
3) The Cause of Jesus' Death
As was common for the victims, many died from the trauma of the crucifixion or eventually suffocated because of inability to breathe normally. Many people assume that is how Jesus died on the cross. But that is not what eventually killed Him.
As with many other aspects of Jesus’ life, God had prophesied many details of His crucifixion and death which will be covered in detail later. God had also prophesied how Jesus would die on the cross. Zechariah the prophet talking about the people of Jerusalem wrote in Zechariah 12:10: "They will look on me, the one they have pierced" (NIV).
The Bible speaks of the great importance of Jesus Christ's shed blood. In Acts 20:28, Paul warns the Church pastors to shepherd the ‘Church of God which Jesus has purchased with His own blood.” Peter the apostle says in 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV): “18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
Jesus Himself said that the wine of the New Testament Passover represented "my blood...which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28, NIV). Clearly pouring out of Jesus’ blood for the sins of humanity was the central focus of Christ's sacrifice.
This is how John describes how Jesus died in John 19:30-37 (NKJV): “30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." 37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."
John’s description of the event makes it appear that Jesus died on the cross and then later was stabbed by one of the Roman soldiers, "bringing a sudden flow of blood and water" (verse 34, NIV). But the problem with this interpretation of events is that once the heart has stopped its pumping action after death, dead bodies no longer bleed like that. So, Jesus’s blood could not have been poured out. The explanation is provided in the UCG booklet “Jesus Christ: The Real Story” p.38-39:
“This problem is resolved when we consider many older manuscripts of Matthew's Gospel, which contain words that appear in a few Bible translations but were left out of most modern versions. These missing words tell us the proper sequence of events.
“The Twentieth Century New Testament, which includes these words, reads: "And about three [o'clock in the afternoon] Jesus called out loudly: 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani'—that is to say, 'O my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' Some of those standing by heard this, and said [mistakenly]: 'The man is calling for Elijah!'
"One of them immediately ran and took a sponge, and, filling it with common wine, put it on the end of a rod, and offered it to him to drink. But the rest said: 'Wait and let us see if Elijah is coming to save him.' However, another man took a spear, and pierced his side; and water and blood flowed from it. But Jesus, uttering another loud cry, gave up his spirit" (Matthew 27:46-50).
“The words missing in the modern translations are “However another man took a spear, and pierced his side; and water and blood flowed from it.” These words show the correct sequence of events: that Jesus was stabbed in the side with a spear, uttered a loud cry and then died. Other versions that contain the missing words include the Moffatt Translation and the Rotherham Emphasized Bible, and various other Bible versions include a footnote or marginal reference noting the omitted words.
“So, does Matthew's account conflict with John's? No. Both describe the same events, but from different perspectives.
“Matthew jumps immediately from Jesus' death to a description of the temple veil being torn in half, while John focuses on the fact that, in contrast to the two criminals crucified with Jesus, not one of His bones was broken. John then explains parenthetically how Jesus had already died so that His bones did not need to be broken in fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 34:20 and the symbolism of the Passover lambs, which were to be slain and not have a single bone broken, because His side had been pierced with a spear in fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10.”
The Passover lambs that had their blood shed to save the Israelites (Exodus 12:6-7, 13) pictured Jesus as, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
The Final Fatal Blow
What was this final, fatal thrust like that ended Jesus' life? The UCG booklet “Jesus Christ: The Real Story” continues:
“John Lyle Cameron, M.D., explains: "The soldier was a Roman: he would be well trained, proficient, and would know his duty. He would know which part of the body to pierce in order that he might obtain a speedily fatal result or ensure that the victim was undeniably dead...
"The soldier, standing below our crucified Lord as He hung on the cross, would thrust upwards under the left ribs. The broad, clean cutting, two-edged spearhead would enter the left side of the upper abdomen, would open the...stomach, would pierce the diaphragm, would cut, wide open, the heart and great blood vessels, arteries and veins..., and would lacerate the lung.
"The wound would be large enough to permit the open hand to be thrust into it [compare John 20:24-27]. Blood...together with water from the...stomach, would flow forth in abundance. The whole event as described by St. John must, indeed, have happened, for no writer could have presented in such coherent detail so recognizable an event, unless he or someone had actually witnessed its occurrence" (quoted by R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: John, 2000, pp. 212-213).
The idea that Jesus didn't really die, that He fainted or was drugged and was later resuscitated as Muslims try to theorize, has no basis in fact when you consider the clear statements that He died. The apostle John had been an eyewitness to that death, having been right there with others as these events unfolded (John 19:25-27, 35).
As quoted earlier John said in John 19:35: “35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.”
John was the disciple Jesus loved (John 21:20). He certainly would have known that the man who died on the cross was Jesus Christ, not someone substituted in His place.
So far we have seen that the crucifixion itself was an excruciating experience, which in Jesus’s case was preceded by brutal beatings and Roman scourging that many times killed its victims. Then Jesus was actually killed with the thrust of a spear, the mode of death which God had prophesied.
For the next proof let’s see how Roman soldiers made sure that Jesus was dead.
4) The Roman Execution
After the scourging when the Roman Governor Pilate had brought Jesus before the people, he wanted to release Him, but the people cried out for Him to be crucified. Then John 19:16 says: “16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified.”
Being crucified meant Jesus was condemned to die by crucifixion. A Roman centurion was put in charge of the execution with Roman soldiers to assist him. Romans were very thorough with their executions because Roman law required the death penalty for a soldier failing to carry out the sentence. The Roman centurion and his soldiers were putting their own lives at risk if they failed to carry out the execution of Jesus Christ.
Severity of Roman discipline for failing to carry out the task assigned is illustrated in an example in the Bible. Acts 12 describes an incident in which king Herod had put Peter in prison. But at night an angel came and brought Peter out of jail. Then the next morning the people wondered what had become of Peter. Acts 12:18-19 (NKJV) then describes what happened: “18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.”
Herod had the entire guard executed because they had let one prisoner escape. Another incident took place in the life of Paul, described in Acts 16:22-28 (NKJV), when Paul and Silas were put in prison “22 Then the multitude rose up together against them [that is Paul and Silas]; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."
Here we see the reaction of the jailor when he thought the prisoners had escaped. He knew the sentence for him was death if the prisoners had escaped. So he thought he was better off dead by his own hand rather than be put to death by Roman soldiers.
Therefore, one should not doubt that the centurion and the soldiers charged with the execution of Jesus would have made sure that He did not survive the crucifixion. That was made sure in many ways.
Jesus was crucified around 9 am. Then from 12 noon to 3 pm there had been an earthquake and there was darkness over the land. The Jewish holy day feast, the first Day of Unleavened Bread was approaching at sunset. The Jewish authorities who were witnessing the crucifixion wanted the three being crucified to die quickly because they and the people wanted to hasten home to keep the Feast.
John states in 19:30-23 (NKJV): “31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”
Thus because of the darkness in the land, and the approaching holy day, the Jews obtained permission from Pilate to break the legs of the three being crucified to speed up their death. The Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two robbers crucified with Jesus, but Jesus was already dead. The reason was that in the darkness, one of the Roman soldiers had already pierced Jesus’s side with his spear. When the soldiers came to break the legs of the three men, they found Jesus to be already dead. Roman soldiers knew when a man was dead. They knew He was not breathing. Labored breathing would be visible on the cross. When the man was not breathing, he would be still. The Roman soldiers made sure that Jesus was dead. The Roman executioners were experts who knew when a man was dead.
Some have claimed that the Roman soldiers were actually trying to save Jesus’ life by not breaking His legs. Why would the Roman centurion and the soldiers with him try to do that because they knew that in doing so they would be signing their own death warrants? Moreover, Jesus was perceived as a threat to the Roman Empire, because if He gained a following, the Romans would have the fear that he would lead an insurrection against Roman rule as others had done in the past. You can be sure the Roman soldiers charged with executing Him wanted Him dead and they made sure of that. The Roman soldier who pierced His side with a spear was also making doubly sure of that.
After Jesus was dead, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and begged him to give Jesus’ body to him. Mark 15:42- 45 (NKJV) describes Pilate’s reaction and what happened: “42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45 So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”
On hearing the request from Joseph of Arimathea, Pilate was somewhat surprised that Christ was already dead. To make sure that He was dead, he called the centurion charged with His execution to confirm it. The Centurion who witnessed the execution would have confirmed it earlier with the soldiers that Jesus was dead for sure. Only after Pilate confirmed that Jesus had been dead for some time did he give permission to Joseph of Arimathea to take the body. Joseph of Arimathea, a very rich and prominent member of the Sanhedrin certainly knew who Jesus was, that He was dead, and knew that he had laid the dead body of Jesus in his own tomb.
5) Eye-Witnesses to Jesus’ Death
The next proof that Jesus died on the cross is that there were numerous eye-witnesses of His death from all walks of life. These eye-witnesses included Romans, top Jewish leaders, many common Jewish folk who walked by throughout the time He was on the cross, many women who were His relatives and among those who ministered to Him during His three-and-a-half-year ministry, Jesus’ own mother, and even John the apostle, one of His twelve disciples.
The Jews were not allowed to sentence a man to death. That is why the Jewish leaders had to take Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, to have Him sentenced to death by crucifixion. To carry out the death sentence a Roman Centurion was put in charge with Roman soldiers. They had to make sure that the sentence was carried out and Jesus indeed died on the wooden cross or beam. Here is the account from the Bible that the centurion witnessed the crucifixion and death.
Matthew 27:54: “54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.”
The parallel account in Mark 15:39 (NKJV) states: “39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"
The centurion did see and make sure that Jesus had breathed His last on the cross. Matthew also mentions there were others with the centurion, which obviously means Roman soldiers who were charged with carrying out the execution. Here are the other references to soldiers witnessing the crucifixion and death.
Luke 23:36-37 (NKJV): “36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."
John the apostle provides more details in John 19:23-24 (NKJV): “23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore the soldiers did these things.”
Matthew 27:35-36 also repeats soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ clothing.
These accounts tell us that the Roman soldiers were keeping watch to make sure that no one rescued Jesus Christ from the cross and that He died on it. They also taunted Him occasionally and divided His garments but cast lots for His top garment. John even mentions that the number of soldiers was four, in addition to the centurion.
Then Jesus Christ’ eye-witnesses included Jewish leaders, even the chief priests. Matthew 27:41-43 (NKJV) states: “41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.”
Notice again, among the crowd that witnessed His crucifixion and death were the chief priests, the scribes and elders [which would have included members of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court of justice]. They wanted Jesus dead and watched Him die on the cross.
Besides the Jewish leaders, a great many of the common folk also followed Jesus witnessed the crucifixion. Luke writes in Luke 23:27, 35 NKJV): “27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him, Verse 35: “And the people stood looking on.”
In addition to the multitudes Luke 23:49 states: “49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.” This means that many of Jesus’ acquaintances and relatives witnessed these events. They certainly would have known that it was Jesus who was crucified and died on the cross.
The number of the common people who witnessed the crucifixion may have numbered in the thousands, and hundreds could have stayed right till the very end till Jesus died. Remember this was the time of the feast of the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. Huge crowds would have been gathered in Jerusalem from all over the land and even from other nations for the Feasts. They knew Jesus because of the many miracles He had done throughout the land. That’s why the number of witnesses to the crucifixion would have numbered in the thousands.
Many of Jesus’ acquaintances, family and close relatives, including His own mother and aunt witnessed the crucifixion till His death. All the gospels mention this fact. John says in John 19: 25-27 (NKJV): “25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”
Mark provides slightly different details in Mark 15:40-41 (NKJV): “40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.”
Matthew 27:55-56 (NKJV) states: “55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.”
Again, remember this was the time of the feast of the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread. Many women had come to Jerusalem from Galilee to keep these feasts with Jesus. They all witnessed His crucifixion and certainly stayed till His death. That is proved by the fact that they even followed to see where He was laid in the tomb. Matthew states in 27:59-60 (NKJV): “59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary [Mark identifies her as the mother of Joses], sitting opposite the tomb.”
Luke writes in 23:55 (NKJV), “And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.”
So Jesus’ mother, her sister His aunt and other women saw His crucifixion and stayed till He died on the cross. At least two of these women followed when Joseph of Arimathea took His body and laid it in his own tomb so that they could come later to anoint it with spices. All these relatives and friends would have been certain that it was Jesus who died on the cross, not a substitute. All these people would have had to conspire to lie if another man had been substituted for Jesus on the cross. That is so far-fetched.
Joseph of Arimathea, probably the richest member of the Sanhedrin, and thus one of its most prominent members knew Jesus was dead. That is why He begged Pilate for Jesus’s body. He along with Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin had bought spices to bury the body of Jesus. They both knew He had died on the cross. They handled His dead body, carried it to be laid in Joseph’s own tomb. John 19:38-40 says: “38 And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.”
This process could have taken more than an hour. So these two members of the Sanhedrin handled Jesus’ dead body for more than an hour. They certainly knew it was Jesus they were handling and that He was dead.
Finally, John, one of the twelve apostles also observed Jesus’s crucifixion and death till the end. As quoted earlier, John wrote in 19:25-27 that Jesus gave charge to the disciple He loved to take care of His mother after He died. Then in John 21:20, 24 (NKJV) he writes “20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper…Then in verse 24 he writes: “24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.”
John thus clearly identifies himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, and charged him to take care of His mother after His death and who wrote this account in the gospel. John was there at the cross when Jesus gave him that charge. He witnessed the crucifixion and His death.
With so many eye-witnesses from all walks of life to the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross, we can be certain that He indeed died and was laid in the tomb. So many people would not have been fooled into believing that He was dead if He had not actually been crucified and died on the cross. The entire event was held publicly from the time Jesus Christ was arrested for the trial. Nobody would have fooled any one by substituting another man for Jesus on the cross. Those who handled His dead body knew it was Jesus’ body.
6) Jesus Was Laid in a Tomb
Sura 4:157-158 in the Quran says, “…they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so they killed him not for sure. 158 Nay! Allah took him up to Himself”.
This means that if Allah took Him up to Himself, His body was no longer on the cross. That is one of the ways Muslims interpret this verse. This means that if Jesus’s body was no longer to be found, then it could not have been laid in a tomb. So the fifth proof that Jesus died is that He was laid in a tomb. One does not put a live person in a tomb but a dead one.
Can you imagine the sensation it would have caused if a live man hanging on a cross or beam suddenly vanished into thin air! But there is no mention of any such thing happening in the Bible. For 580 years all the world accepted the events as described in the Bible, till Muhammed came along with his account contradicting them. But the account surrounding the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that Muhammed brought to the world is totally inconsistent with reality. To try and justify the lie he brought, he had to tell another lie that the account in the Bible was altered. Another mere statement without any proof! On the contrary we have provided a mountain of evidence to prove that the entire Bible has been very carefully preserved and the version we have in the original languages is indeed the inspired word of God.
We have already mentioned the Bible verses about Jesus being laid in the tomb. Members of the Sanhedrin were prominent men among the Jews. And Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent member even among these well-known leaders. He was probably the richest among them. He laid Jesus in his own tomb with his own hands, assisted by Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin. People in Jerusalem would have known where Joseph’s tomb was because he was a famous man. The disciples certainly knew about it because Peter and John visited the tomb after 3 days and 3 nights.
The Jewish leaders, the chief priests and the Pharisees also knew where the tomb was in which Jesus had been laid. They too knew He was dead because they had witnessed Him die on the cross. They knew of the sign Jesus had given to them that He was the Messiah. And the sign was that He would lie in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights and then be resurrected. They wanted to make sure that no hoax was perpetrated by His disciples to make that claim. Matthew describes in 27:62-66 (NIV) the measures they took to prevent that:
“62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.”
We see there were many eye-witnesses to the fact that Jesus had died and had been laid in a tomb. Only dead men are laid in tombs. Thus Sura 4:157 in the Quran is a blatant lie of the arch deceiver, told to Muhammed, faithfully transmitted by him to his followers.
7) God Foretold Jesus’ Death in Many Prophecies
The seventh and final proof that Jesus did indeed die on the cross is that God the Father made sure that He died on the cross. God the Father and Jesus Himself foretold His death in many Old Testament prophecies. If Jesus did not die, then all these prophecies have been unfulfilled. Literally proof of God’s truthfulness and His Almighty Power are at stake. But as God and Jesus Christ fulfilled all their prophecies about ancient empires and nations, they certainly would have made sure to fulfill their prophecies about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at specific Old Testament prophecies that foretold the death of the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled.
Peter told the crowd of Jews in Acts 3:18: “18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”
The UCG booklet: “Jesus Christ: The Real Story” states on p. 16:
“To claim that you are God is one thing—but to convince people that you are indeed what you say you are is quite another. So how did Jesus' closest followers come to be so convinced that they would lay down their lives for that belief?
“Many Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled in precise detail by Jesus of Nazareth. Neither the Jews nor the disciples of Jesus understood at the time that Jesus was fulfilling the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament—even though at times He told them this was the case (Luke 18:31; Matthew 26: 56).
“After Jesus was resurrected, He began to help His disciples understand the Scriptures, and the disciples were inspired to declare that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. The proof they offered was the very Scriptures [or prophecies] they had not previously understood.”
Then on p 18: “The New Testament writers cite messianic prophecies from the Old Testament more than 130 times. By some estimates the Old Testament contains 300 prophetic passages that describe who the Messiah is and what He will do. Of these, 60 are major prophecies. What are the chances of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person?
“…the mathematical odds that all of these prophecies could have converged by chance in the events of the life of Jesus are staggeringly minute—to the point of eliminating any such possibility.
“Astronomer and mathematician Peter Stoner, in his book Science Speaks, offers a mathematical analysis showing that it is impossible that the precise statements about the One to come could be fulfilled in a single person by mere coincidence.
“The chance of only eight of these dozens of prophecies being fulfilled in the life of one man has been estimated at 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That would be 1 chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000.
“How can we put this in terms we can comprehend? Dr. Stoner illustrates the odds with this scenario: "Take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas [with its approximate land area of 262,000 square miles]. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one.
"What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."
“But that is only eight of the dozens of prophecies of the Messiah. Using the science of probability, the chance of as many as 48 of these prophecies coming to pass in one person is 1 in 10 to the 157th power—a 1 followed by 157 zeros (1963, pp. 100-109).
“One or two fulfillments in Jesus' life could be dismissed as coincidental. But when the instances of fulfilled prophecies are counted up, the law of probability quickly reaches the point where mere probability becomes certainty. This is one of the proofs Jesus was the promised Messiah—the messianic prophecies were accurately and precisely fulfilled in Him.”
Virtually every aspect of Jesus' suffering and death was spelled out in considerable detail centuries before it actually happened. Here are the scriptures that prophesied Jesus’s crucifixion and death:
First of all, the Old Testament sacrifice of lambs at the Passover was a prophecy that Jesus Christ would be the sacrificial Lamb of God who would be sacrificed for the sins of mankind.
John 1:29 tells us, “29 The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” In contrast the Jews expected the Messiah (which means Deliverer) to be a King who would deliver them from the hated Roman rule. They never imagined that the Messiah would first come to deliver them from the bondage of sin by dying for the sins of humanity.
Hebrews 10:4 (NKJV) tells us: “4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Then verse 12 says: "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God."
Only the shed blood of the Creator could pay the death penalty for the sins of all His creation. Thus. the Lambs sacrificed at the Passover were a prophecy of the sacrifice of the coming Messiah.
Prophecies Concerning His betrayal, suffering and death
Jesus fulfilled many prophecies in the 24 hours before He died. These include:
• Messiah would be betrayed by a familiar friend. This was prophesied in Psalm 41:9, "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me." This prophecy was fulfilled by Judas Iscariot in John 13.
• Messiah would be forsaken by His followers was prophesied in Zechariah 13:7: "Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." This was fulfilled when all His disciples forsook Him and fled when He was arrested (Mark 14:50).
• The price of His betrayal would be 30 pieces of silver. This was prophesied in Zechariah 11:12-13: "…so they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter"--that princely price they set on me.” This was fulfilled when Judas Iscariot covenanted for 30 pieces of silver with the chief priests to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-15).
• That Messiah would be put to death with criminals was prophesied in Isaiah 53:12: "And He was numbered with the transgressors." This was fulfilled when "two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left" (Matthew 27:38).
• Messiah would be crucified. This was prophesied in Psalm 22:16: "They pierced My hands and My feet." Remarkably, this prophecy described a form of execution, the crucifixion, which would not come into practice for some 800 years after it was written.
• Messiah’s body would be pierced. This was prophesied in (Zechariah 12:10): "They will look on Me whom they pierced". In fulfillment John tells us in John 19:34 that "One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out."
• Messiah would be offered vinegar and gall. This was prophesied in Psalm 69:21: "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. This was fulfilled when Jesus was offered vinegar with gall to drink as stated in Matthew 27:34, “34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall.”
• None of His bones would be broken was prophesied in Psalm 34:20: "He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken." When the Jews came to break the legs of the 3 crucified men, they did not break Jesus’ legs because He had already died on the cross when the Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear, as described in John 19:32-34.
• People would cast lots for His clothing. This was prophesied in Psalm 22:18: "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots". John confirms in John 19:23-24 that this prophecy was fulfilled.
• Messiah would not retaliate was prophesied in Isaiah 53:7 (NKJV): "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." Its fulfillment is described in Matthew 27:12-14: “12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.”
• Messiah would pray for those who would have Him put to death. This was prophesied in Isaiah 53:12: "He... made intercession for the transgressors." This was fulfilled when Jesus prayed on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34).
Thus, we see that the God of the Bible prophesied in detail the manner of the death of the Messiah and all the prophecies were fulfilled in precise detail in the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Probabilistically it is impossible for a particular one man to fulfill all the prophecies by mere coincidence. Therefore, we can be certain that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah and He died as God foretold.
God of the Bible is also a truthful God. Paul the apostle tells us in 1 Titus 1:2 that God cannot lie! He simply does not lie.
In contrast to the God of the Bible, compare the Allah of Islam. In Sura 4:157-158 Allah of Islam said: “…they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so they killed him not for sure. 158 Nay! Allah took him up to Himself”.
Yusuf Ali’s translation renders the words “but it appeared to them so” as “so it was made to appear to them.” This is also how Muslims interpret this passage. They say that Allah made it appear to the Jews and others who witnessed the event that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. But He was not actually crucified and did not die because Allah made Him ascend to himself.
Why would Allah feel the need to deceive the Jews into seeing Jesus crucified and dying on the cross, but actually take Him off to ascend to himself? Why would Allah need to deceive anybody? The Koran in this verse thus states that Allah is a deceiver. That actually is the truth. In contrast to the God of the Bible who cannot lie, the Allah of Islam actually states in Sura 4:157-158 that he deceived the Jews into believing that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross when he actually made Him ascend to himself. Thus, Allah of Islam stands exposed as a deceiver. In truth he is deceiving his Muslim followers with his lies in the Quran.
It is tragic that Muslims are willing to accept one mere statement in the Quran in Sura 4:157-158 that Jesus was not crucified and did not die on the cross. They need to critically examine the evidence for the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ and reject the lies in the Quran as told to Muhammed by a lying demon masquerading as the archangel Gabriel. The one who masquerades around as the Allah of Islam is none other than Satan the devil.
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