Mythology and the Messiah

    When I first began researching ancient mythology for this article I was writing under the impression that many pagan myths paralleled the life of Christ; the miraculous events surrounding his birth, ministry, death, and ultimate resurrection. The reason for my assumption was obvious: virtually everyone, including historians, authors and mainstream archaeologists seemed to be arriving at the conclusion that the biblical authors plagiarized ancient themes of redemption, victory over evil, and salvation, from the myths of old. Indeed, I didn't have to look very far to find articles, books, and even a few History Channel and National Geographic specials to support this claim.
    However, upon closer examination of the myths in question, I soon discovered that much of the alleged evidence used to support these pseudo-messianic theories is circumstantial at best, or otherwise nonexistent.
    Suffice it to say, I was dumbfounded by just how many people were being deceived by those who are attempting to use mythical parallels as evidence against Christianity.
    That being said, while historically unfounded, the basis for the plagiarism hypothesis seems obvious: Christianity originated in the First Century AD whereas contemporary pagan myths had existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Therefore Christianity must have borrowed ideas from other religions.

    At first glance, the logic of this argument seems sound. However, upon further study, it soon becomes clear that the plagiarism hypothesis is in fact a poat-hoc fallacy that not only ignores historical and cultural evidence to the contrary, but also crucial counter-evidence found in the scriptures themselves.

    According to the book of Genesis (ca. 1440-1400 BC) there was a time when all mankind knew about God. They did not necessarily worship Him, but they at least knew of Him.
    For example: Genesis 4 recounts the story of Cain and Able–both of whom made offerings to the Lord (Yahweh/Jehovah) thousands of years before the Old Testament Law was written. Likewise, Noah also built an alter and made sacrifices to the Lord after exiting the Ark in Genesis 8:20.
    In Genesis 4:26 we are told that "...people first began to worship the Lord (Yahweh/Jehovah) by name." While Genesis 14:17-20, speaks of a meeting between Abraham–the first of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and father of the Jewish Nation–and a Canaanite named Melchizedek, who is identified as the King of Salem (that is, Jerusalem) and a priest of the Most High God.

    All that to say, there is strong evidence from the earliest biblical text to support the notion that at least some of the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia were worshiping the Hebrew God, Yahweh/Jehovah at least 430 years before the Jewish religion ever existed.

    That said, this conclusion is also based in part on what some might consider to be another post-hoc fallacy: the belief that ancient, pagan religions based their mythologies on historical events from the biblical record, simply because the biblical record states that these events took place before the pagan religions began. However, if one attempts to use this argument to dismiss the biblical record, then one must also be willing to apply the same logic to the rest of history. After all, every history book in existence was written long after the events they record actually took place, and generally hold to an interpretation of history that favors those who wrote them. (History is written by the victor after all.) Yet, despite this admittedly biased representation of historical evidence, most historical documents are widely accepted, while the Bible is generally dismissed without so much as a second thought.
     However, if the Bible is indeed an historically accurate document that truthfully records the dawn of human civilization, then the aforementioned conclusion is no longer in error, and is in fact highly plausible.
    If this is indeed true, and the biblical record is historically sound, then it is not outside the realm of possibility for ancient societies to share a common mythology. This is especially significant when you stop to consider the fact that, like the rest of the Old Testament, Genesis is filled with Messianic Prophesies, all of which would be fulfilled by Jesus Christ some 1400 years later.
   
    The first of these Messianic Prophesies is recorded in Genesis 3:15:

 "And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
    and you will strike his heel."

~ Genesis 3:15 NLT (New Living Translation) 

    This one prophesy–which predates both Judaism and Christianity by thousands of years in the biblical timeline–is enough to form the foundation of every alleged pseudo-messianic myth from Adonis to Zoroaster. Therefore one could easily argue that Judaism and Christianity did not borrow their inspiration from ancient, pagan religions, but rather the ancient, pagan religions created their mythology based on a prophesy given to mankind by the Most High God when sin first entered the world.
    However, as previously stated, most–if not all–of these alleged similarities are not ancient at all, but are in fact post-Christian and/or modern fabrications. (ie. the Horus-Jesus Myth.)

    In short, any parallels that may exist between ancient mythology and the Bible can be attributed to the fact that mankind once knew of God; they had heard of the coming Messiah, but slowly lost sight of God's promise as truth gave way to myth. But unlike the vague prophecies and myths of paganism, God's prophecies were specific and to the point, and were ultimately fulfilled by the only true Messiah–a man named Jesus, in the year 30 AD.
    The old religions, along with their mythologies, are all but forgotten. Yet Jesus, the stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone of a church that will never be overcome. (Matthew 16:16-18, Acts 4:11-12)

Related Articles on this Blog:

Was Jesus Real?

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead

Debunked: Jesus vs. Mithras

Debunked: Jesus vs. Horus

The Dying and Rising God: Jesus or Osiris?     


Other Resources to Watch:

The Case for Ancient Monotheism 

Two Years and Counting

I can hardly believe it has been nearly two years since I posted my first article here on The Evidence is Plain. Since then God has put it on my heart to address dozens of topics, and has used my gifts--my love of writing, history, and science--to spread His Truth around the world.

That being said, moving into 2016, I am reminded just how little I know. God is so magnificent; His plain so wonderful, that even the wisest among us can only just begin to comprehend Him.
I have done my best to share the truth of Jesus Christ with as many people as I can. But I admit that I don't know all of the answers. Some day everything will be revealed (1 Corinthians 13:12) but until that day, it is my hope and prayer that God will continue to give me wisdom and the words to write so that the truth will be heard and that every lie, misconception, and falsehood would be refuted.

If you happen to be a skeptic, or if you are merely curious to see what God has been putting on my heart of the past two years, then I encourage you to browse the blog archive. I have written to address over 80 topics and misconceptions about Christianity, so it is entirely possible that you will find the answers that you're looking for. If after housing the archive you still have a question you would like answered, please leave a comment below, and I will do my best to reply--either by comment or article.

My the peace of the Lord be with you.

The Prophecy of History

Following in the footsteps of my previous article, The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great, I thought I would mention another Old Testament prophecy of unrivaled accuracy and significance: Daniel's Prophecy of History.

   As I stated before, many people believe that the Torah was written during the Babylonian captivity, and that the Jewish religion and Law did not exist until then—historical evidence to the contrary not withstanding. That being said, one thing that all historians agree on is that the Book of Daniel was indeed written during the Babylonian Exile, sometime during the mid 500s BC. It is this historical fact that makes what is said in Daniel 2:24-45 so fascinating.

   “Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

   Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”

   The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

   “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

   “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

   “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.

   “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.

   “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

~Daniel 2:24-45 New Living Translation (NLT)

   In this well-known passage, Daniel describes the rise and fall of every major empire in world history starting with the Babylonian Empire under king Nebuchadnezzar II (the Head of Gold). After the Babylonians came the Achaemenid Empire of Cyrus the Great (the Chest and Arms of Silver) followed by Alexander the Great's Macedonian Empire (the Belly and Thighs of Bronze). After this came the Legs of Iron, which smashed and crushed all other empires before them. These were the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Finally, Daniel spoke of the Feet of Iron and Clay, a conglomerate of nations—some strong, some weak—seeking strength through alliances and intermarriage. These represent the nations of the post-Roman world, right up to the present day.  

   Not only did Daniel prophesy every major empire in world history, he also gave us very specific information concerning Xerxes the First's invasion of Greece in 480 BC, as well as the rise and fall of Alexander the Great, and the subsequent division of his Empire. Both of these accounts can be found in Daniel 11:2-4.

   “Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.
   “Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others... ”

~Daniel 11:2-4 New Living Translation (NLT)

   Both history and the Bible tell us that events transpired exactly as Daniel foretold. Xerxes the First did use his wealth to go to war against the kingdoms of Greece in 480 BC. (Ester 1) And Alexander the Great accomplished everything he set out to do, only to die suddenly at the age of 32, at the height of his power. With no legitimate heir to the throne, Alexander’s empire was divided up and given to four of his generals—thus fulfilling the words of Daniel 11:3-4. 

   

   Now some may continue to argue that Daniel was a fictional character, dreamed up by the despondent Jewish exiles in Babylon—a sort of "super prophet" created to give the people hope. But this does not negate the fact that the author of Daniel, whoever he was, somehow managed to accurately predict the rise and fall of every major empire in human history over the last 2,500 years.   
   Furthermore, if Daniel were a fictional character, why would his creator give him both a Jewish and Babylonian name, and make him a prominent political figure in both the Babylonian and Persian Empires? Remember, the people who would have been reading the Book of Daniel were Jewish exiles living in Babylon. Ergo, every single Jew could have refuted Daniel's existence at the time the book was written. Instead, the book was added into the Jewish Scriptures. 

   The only logical explanation for this is that Daniel was indeed a living, breathing person, and that he was well known at the time that he lived. If he were not a living, breathing person, then no one would have taken the prophecies in the Book of Daniel seriously. Not only that, they probably would have stoned the man who had written the book for being a false prophet. 

   This is the same sort of logic that I used to defend the existence of Christ in Was Jesus Real?: You cannot claim that something miraculous has happened in a city where every single person can disprove your claim through eye-witness accounts and first-hand testimony. The same thing goes for prominent political figures. 

   Think of it this way: If you were to go to your neighbor claiming that your brother is the President of the United States of America, he wouldn't believe you—unless your brother really is the President. Not only that, he would probably have you committed. 

   So then, how is it that a book of the Bible written in the mid 500s BC. was somehow able to accurately predict the rise and fall of every major empire in history over a span of 2,500 years? Either someone in ancient Babylon was extremely lucky with their predictions, or God revealed his plan to a Prophet named Daniel some 2,500 years ago. 

   Given the historical evidence, my money is on the latter. 

The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great
c. 600 or 576-530 BC.

   There are many people in the world today who believe that the Bible is little more than a book of myths—something that I am sure you are all aware of. Indeed, it is no secret that many people believe that the Bible was written by men, changed over time as their ideals and philosophies evolved, moving ever closer to cultured enlightenment. Many of these people also believe that the Old Testament—its prophesies, historical records, and laws—are not contemporary to the events they record, but were instead written down during the Babylonian Exile sometime during the mid 500s BC. This would of course support the belief that the Jewish Torah—and indeed, the very foundation for both Judaism and Christianity—is of a fictitious nature; a grand history dreamed up by despondent exiles in a land not their own. 
   However, if one takes the time to examine the historical record, one will soon discover that there are numerous problems with this theory. Indeed, there are far to many historical facts, philosophical loopholes, and errors in reasoning for me to do more than scratch the surface on the subject. 

   That being said, I am going to give you one example of how it is utterly impossible for the Old Testament to have been created during the Babylonian Exile: The Prophecy of Cyrus the Great.

“This is what the Lord says—

    your Redeemer and Creator:

‘I am the Lord, who made all things.

    I alone stretched out the heavens.

Who was with me

    when I made the earth?

I expose the false prophets as liars

    and make fools of fortune-tellers.

I cause the wise to give bad advice,

    thus proving them to be fools.

But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!

    By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’

and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt;

    I will restore all your ruins!’

When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’

    they will be dry.

When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’

    he will certainly do as I say.

He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;

    he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’”

This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one,

    whose right hand he will empower.

Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear.

    Their fortress gates will be opened,

    never to shut again.

This is what the Lord says:

“I will go before you, Cyrus,

    and level the mountains.

I will smash down gates of bronze

    and cut through bars of iron.

And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—

    secret riches.

I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,

    the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

“And why have I called you for this work?

    Why did I call you by name when you did not know me?

It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,

    Israel my chosen one.

I am the Lord;

    there is no other God.

I have equipped you for battle,

    though you don’t even know me,

so all the world from east to west

    will know there is no other God.

I am the Lord, and there is no other. ...

... I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose,

    and I will guide his actions.

He will restore my city and free my captive people—

    without seeking a reward!

    I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
~Isaiah 44:24-28, 45:1-6, 45:13 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis added]

   As is clearly stated by the Prophet Isaiah, this Old Testament passage refers to Cyrus II, King of Persia. But what few people realize is that the Prophet Isaiah lived and died at the turn of the 8th and 7th centuries BC. (c. 740-681 BC. ) Which means that this prophecy about Cyrus the Great was made approximately 100-150 years before Cyrus II was even born. (c. 600-576 BC. ) 
   So then, how is it that the Bible could accurately predict the rise of the Achaemenid Empire, and even go so far as to call its ruler by name? Not only did the Bible predict these events, it even goes on to describes Cyrus II's war-standard in Isaiah 46:11.

The Standard of Cyrus the Great

“... I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—

    a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding.

I have said what I would do, 
    and I will do it.”
~Isaiah 46:11 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis added]

   How could Isaiah have known that a king named Cyrus would have a bird of prey as his banner before the man was even conceived? Furthermore, how could he have predicted the events surrounding the fall of Babylon and the rise of the Persian Empire? And how could he have known that Cyrus II would return the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem 100 before the Babylonians had even conquered Judah? (The approximate date for the Babylonian conquest of Judah is somewhere between 587 and 581 BC. ) 

   Is it possible that Cyrus somehow learned of this prophesy—despite having never traveled west of the Euphrates river until his invasion of Mesopotamia—and then proceeded to fulfill every word, to the letter, through ambition and sheer will-power alone? Unlikely. The odds of someone accurately fulfilling such a specific prophecy are virtually nonexistent. Humanly speaking, it can not be done—not without some sort of supernatural intervention and/or orchestration.

   The same thing can be said of Isaiah's prophesies about Jesus Christ. Not only did Jesus fulfill Isaiah's prophesies to the letter, he also fulfilled every other messianic prediction in the entire Old Testament.

   So how can this be? How could a book, written by dozens of authors over thousands of years accurately predict the rise and fall of nations, and call a king by name before his parents were even born? The answer lies in Isaiah 46:8-10.

“Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!

    Remember this, you guilty ones.

Remember the things I have done in the past.

    For I alone am God!

    I am God, and there is none like me.

Only I can tell you the future

    before it even happens.

Everything I plan will come to pass,

    for I do whatever I wish.”

~Isaiah 46:8-10 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis added]

   The Bible's prophesies are specific and accurate because the Bible was written by the only one who knows history before it even begins—The Lord God Almighty. 

Case closed.

Where is Noah's Ark?

Noah's Ark: The Holy Grail of Creationism.

For millennia, people have scoured the slopes of Mount Ararat in pursuit of this ancient, sea-faring vessel with mixed success. Many have claimed to have found it, only to have their discoveries disproved. Even to this day many Christians continue to search these remote, Turkish mountains for the remains of the vessel that could prove the validity of the Genesis account. But still the question remains: where is Noah's Ark?

Now while I would be ecstatic if the Ark were found, It is my belief that the vessel has been all but destroyed.

Think about it for a moment. Noah's flood was an apocalyptic event the likes of which the world has not seen since. The entire world was covered by water, mud, and volcanic debris. The ecosystem was all but destroyed--save for the specimens carried within the Ark--and the very earth itself had been shattered by intense, seismic activity when the fountains of the deep burst open. Not only that, all traces of human civilization had been washed away as well, just as God had intended. (Genesis 6:1-8) In that sense, the world Noah and his family would have encountered upon exiting the Ark would have been post-apocalyptic in every sense of the word.

Because of this, it is my hypothesis that the Ark itself would have served as shelter for Noah's family and their descendants for quite some time after the flood, as they waited for the ecosystem to recover. Grasses and fast growing plants like wheat and barley would have been the first crops they would have been able to produce--and indeed the first plants to grow in the post-flood world. It would have taken decades for the earth's forests to repopulate, resulting in a marked lack of timber resources for building and fuel.

Because of this, I feel that Noah's descendants would have reacted in much the same way we ourselves would if we were faced with the prospect of surviving in a post-apocalyptic environment, meaning that they would have made use of all available resources--most notably, the Ark itself.

After the flood, Noah's Ark would have been the largest timber resource in the Ararat region. As such, I present to you the hypothesis that early human settlements were in fact built from the salvaged remains of the great vessel itself. The Ark's timbers would have been ideal not only for constructing settlements, but also as a fuel source, seeing as how the Ark had been coated with pitch both inside and out. (Genesis 6:14)

Additionally, it is important to note that Mount Ararat itself is in fact a dormant volcano in an incredibly unstable seismic zone. Meaning that there is a high possibility that the remains of the Ark were lost to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes thousands of years ago. Assuming the Ark remained on Ararat, and was not disassembled by early settlers.

Of course this is all speculation, and not at all relevant to the message of Jesus Christ. While the discovery of Noah's Ark would give unprecedented credence to both the Bible and the Creation Account, it is not necessary for salvation, nor is it the foundation of the Christian faith. All that matters is knowing who Jesus is, and what he has done for you. Everything else, while fascinating, is peripheral. In the end Jesus is all that matters. (Acts 4:12)