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Christianity - Christian religion online book
CHAPTER II.
MESSIANIC PROPHECIES.
NEARLY all religious history is prophetic of the coming of Saviors,
Messiahs, Redeemers, and virgin-born Gods. Most religious countries, and
more than a score of religious systems, had a standing prophecy that a
divine deliverer would descend from heaven and relieve them from their
depressed state, and ameliorate their condition. And in most cases that
prophecy was believed to have been fulfilled by the birth of a being,
who, as he approached the goal of moral and intellectual manhood
exhibited such remarkable proof of superiority of mind as to be readily
accepted as the promised Messiah.
We can only find room for a few citations and illustrations in proof of
this statement. Many texts have been hunted out and marked in the
Christian bible, by interested priests, as prophetic of the coming and
mission of Christ. But a thorough, candid, and impartial investigation
will convince any reader that none of these texts have the remotest
allusion to Christ, nor were they intended to have. On the contrary,
most of them refer to events already past. The others are the mere
ebullitions of pent-up feelings hopefully prayerful in their
anticipation of better times, but very indefinite as to the period and
the agencies or means in which, or by which, the desired reformation was
to be brought about. A divine man was prayed for and hopefully expected.
But no such being as
p. 35
[paragraph continues] Jesus Christ is anticipated, or alluded to, or
dreamed of, by the prophecies. And it requires the most unwarrantable
distortion to make one text refer to him.
But this perversion has been wrought on many texts. We will cite one
case in proof. In Isaiah's "famous prophecy" so-called, the phrase "Unto
us a child is born" (Isa. ix. 6), the context clearly shows, refers to
the prophet's own child, and the past tense, "is born," is an evidence
the child was then born. And the title "Mighty God," found in the text,
Dr. Beard shows should have been translated "the Mighty Hero," thus
proving it has no reference to a God. And "the Everlasting Father"
should have been rendered, according to this Christian writer, "the
Father of the Everlasting Age." And other texts often quoted as
prophecies by biased Christian writers, the doctor proves, are
erroneously translated, and have no more reference to Christ than to
Mahomet.
It is true the Jews, in common with other nations, cherished strong
anticipations of the arrival of a Mighty Deliverer amongst them; and
this august personage some of them supposed would be a God, or a God-man
(a demi-God). Hence, such prophetic utterances as "Behold, a king shall
reign in righteousness" (Isa. xxxii. 1), "And all nations shall flow
unto Zion" (Isa. ii. 2).
The Hindoo Buddhists long previously indulged similar anticipations with
respect to the triumph of their religion. Hence, their seers prophesied
that at the end of the Cali Yug period, a divine child (Avatar, or
Savior) would be born, who would understand the divine writings (the
Holy Scriptures) and the sciences, without the labor of learning them.
"He will supremely understand all things." "He will relieve the earth of
sin, and cause justice and truth to reign everywhere. And will bring the
whole earth into the acceptance of the Hindoo religion." And the Hindoo
prophet Bala also predicted that a divine Savior would
p. 36
[paragraph continues] "become incarnate in the house of Yadu, and issue
forth to mortal birth from the womb of Devaci (a Holy Virgin), and
relieve the oppressed earth of its load of sin and sorrow." Much more
similar language may be found in their holy bible, the Vedas. Colonel
Wilford tells us the advent of their Savior Chrishna occurred in exact
fulfillment of prophecy found in their sacred books.
And the Chinese bible also contains a number of Messianic prophecies. In
one of the five volumes a prophecy runs thus: "The Holy one, when he
comes, will unite in himself all the virtues of heaven and earth. By his
justice the world will be established in righteousness. He will labor
and suffer much. . . . and will finally offer up a sacrifice worthy of
himself," i.e., worthy of a God. And a singular animal, called the Kilin
(signifying the Lamb of God), was seen in the yard, with a stone in its
mouth, on which was inscribed a prophecy of the event. And when the
young God (Chang-ti) was born, in fulfillment of this prophecy, heavenly
music, and angels and shepherds attended the scene." (See "History of
China," by Martinus; also Halde's "History of China."
We will also give place to a Messianic prophecy of Persia. Mr. Faber, an
English writer, in his "History of Idolatry," tells us that Zoroaster
prophetically declared, that "A virgin should conceive and bear a son,
and a star would appear blazing at midday to signalize the occurrence."
"When you behold the star," said he to his followers, "follow it
whithersoever it leads you. Adore the mysterious child, offering him
gifts with profound humility. He is indeed the Almighty Word which
created the heavens. He is indeed your Lord and everlasting King"
(Faber, vol. ii. p. 92). Abulfaragius, in his "Historia Dynastarium,"
and Maurice, in his "Indian Skeptics Refuted," both speak of this
prophecy, fulfilled, according to Mr. Higgins, by the advent of the
Persian and Chaldean
p. 37
[paragraph continues] God Josa. And Chalcidus (of the second century),
in his "Comments on the Timeas of Plato," speaks of "a star which
presaged neither disease nor death, but the descent of a God amongst
men, and which is attested by Chaldean astronomers, who immediately
hastened to adore the new-born deity, and present him gifts."
We are compelled to omit, for the want of room, the notice of numerous
Messianic prophecies found in the sacred writings of Egypt, Greece,
Rome, Mexico, Arabia, and other countries, all of which tend to show
that the same prophetic spirit pervaded all religious countries,
reliable only to the extent it might have issued from an interior
spiritual vision, or have been illuminated by departed spirits. And we
find as much evidence that these pagan prophecies were inspired, and
also fulfilled, as those found in the Jew-Christian bible, thus reducing
all to a common level. The possibility of the interior vision being
expanded and illuminated by spiritual beings, so as to enable the
possessor to forestall the occurrence of future events, we, however, by
no means deny, since we have abundant proof of it in connection with the
practical history of modern spiritualism. (See Chapter XXXIV, section
2).
Christianity - Christian religion online book
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