Blood animal sacrifices are not mandatory for atonement. Review the plethora of passages revealing a repentant heart will do just fine. Understand the various forms of payment (ie animals, flour, jewelry, incense, etc.) when a temple in Jerusalem exists, is based on affordability, offense, or circumstance to teach the accidental violator a lesson so as to not repeat their violation. Our court system today is based on this concept. Moreover, human sacrifice has always been forbidden (see Leviticus 18:21, 20:3; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; 18:10; 2 Kings 3:27, 16:3, 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3, 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Psalm 106:35-38; Ezekiel 16:20-21 as some examples) AND no human can die for another’s sins (see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:1-32; 33:12-20; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Psalm 49:7). In other words, Jesus didn’t die for your sins. All you need is repentance.
When the author of Hebrews uses Psalm 40 to make the reader think a human sacrifice (Jesus) was required for atonement, he changed out what the Psalm actually says. In other words, the author lied. Intentionally deceived and still deceives unsuspecting readers. As Ronald Reagan said, “Trust but verify.” Look this stuff up for yourself.
The Hebrew Bible vaguely introduces the concept of a messiah figure expected to manifest in the future. In this video teaching, we explore 10 criterion of the final Messiah.
Many Christians are told Isaiah chapter 53 is all about Jesus. If one were to only read that chapter in all of the Book of Isaiah while also ignoring what the other prophets of the Hebrew Bible prophesied about, then it would be easy to assume Isaiah is describing the death of Jesus on the cross. However, one cannot grasp all the author is conveying by only reading one chapter and jumping to conclusions. Whether Christian or Jewish, we must learn to stop making Scripture fit our preconceived notions and rather, let Scripture interpret Scripture within context and how the author refers to terms throughout.
Repeated Themes
Whenever one studies a book, they often start with: What is the series or book’s overall theme? Let’s explore the theme of the Book of Isaiah before identifying the character of Isaiah 53. As I read Isaiah 53, I recognized a familiar theme manifest. In several other chapters penned by Isaiah as well as others throughout the Hebrew Bible, God’s chosen people, particularly the righteous remnant, are often persecuted, and afflicted, not because of their actions, but because of the actions of others associated with them. Certainly, throughout the pages of the Bible and over the course of history, many of God’s chosen people at times were stiff-necked and rebellious (as some are still today); however, there are others, a remnant, who chose to live righteously by adhering to the laws of Torah, or God’s ways, that apply to them as individuals to the best of their ability and will be eventually rewarded. Consider how the prophet Jeremiah warned the House of Judah of their sins and pending captivity should they not repent. We see in the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Daniel, the righteous prophet, Jeremiah, as well as Daniel, were carried off into captivity alongside their rebellious brethren. Eventually, however, after 70 years, the House of Judah was redeemed and restored by the arm of the LORD. Isaiah was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, known as the House of Israel, many of whom were also rebellious while others were righteous. Nevertheless, prior to the captivity of the House of Judah, both the rebellious and the righteous remnant of the House of Israel were attacked and carried off by the Assyrians (too bad the House of Judah didn’t learn from the House of Israel’s sins). Consider how all of the Egyptians suffered the plagues because of Pharoah. Similarly, have you ever told your teenagers to be careful who they hang around with because if one friend does something illegal, the others associated with them can also be charged with the crime? For example, one kid uses drugs in a vehicle, while his friends are also in the car. The teens are pulled over by police and the cops end up arresting all of them because of the one’s rebellious, illegal choice. Guilty by association.
Conversely, we also see in the Bible, others can be spared because of their association with the righteous. Recall how Noah, a righteous Gentile, was mocked while being obedient, and yet, he and those associated with him (his family) were spared of the great flood of judgment by the arm of the LORD while the rest of the world drowned. Similar concepts are portrayed by the righteous deed of Rahab, a Gentile; subsequently, she and her house were spared of God’s judgment. As a sidebar, notice these Gentiles were saved by their response to obedience (their action), not mental belief. Furthermore, Abraham bargained with God that if there were just ten righteous in a city, would God not spare that city (Genesis 18)?
These concepts manifest repeatedly throughout the Jewish Bible, including in the Book of Isaiah. Righteous by association and guilty by association.
Now, as a Christian, you may be thinking those associated with Jesus will be righteous and subsequently, saved by association, and those who reject Jesus or never heard of Jesus will be condemned and excluded. Interestingly, many religious Jews perceive association with Jesus as guilty (idolatrous) and excluded by association because the first commandment God instructed Israel on (and to teach the world) is to not worship any other creature or thing as if they are God. Jews have learned this lesson repeatedly starting with the Golden Calf incident, the Assyrian captivity, and Babylonian captivity. So, you can understand why many Jews balk at Christian missionaries or Christian programs broadcasted in Israel — they don’t want to be guilty by association and find themselves suffering in captivity again!
While we are on the topic of Christianity evangelizing Jews, you never see Jews forcing God or Torah onto others through violent means such as the Crusades or other forced conversions. More often than not, you will find Jews to be kind, inviting, and inclusive, knowing God also is kind, inviting, and inclusive. This isn’t to say all Christians are violent or evil, by any means. Many modern-day Christians are Israel’s biggest and only fans. Furthermore, while you will see Christians and Muslims persecuted for their faith sporadically over history and present-day, you will never see other religions suffer as much as the Jewish people consistently have. Whether righteous or rebellious, all Jews have suffered merely for being Jewish.
But Why?
Israel, wherever he (Israel) is scattered, has been “chosen” to serve the nations. Israel, or Jews, are commissioned to be moral ambassadors as they make the One True God and His ways, and literal salvation known through their lifestyle or their deeds, also known as their obedience to mitzvot (the commandments) See Isaiah 49:1,3,6-8. Because of his (Israel’s) appointed assignment to lead in love, the world historically loathes Jews. The world prefers to sojourn this life apart from a moral compass. Hence, the atrocities Jews have suffered, and still suffer. Israel, the Jewish people, are the suffering “servant” of Isaiah 53 for this reason. By the righteous Jews’ suffering, we are healed, or righteous by association.
Dissecting Isaiah 53
The subject of Isaiah 53 can be found in Isaiah 52:13 and in numerous places throughout Isaiah. The “servant” is Israel and all about God redeeming them, both the people and the land.
Let us dig further for a greater understanding. In the final verses of Isaiah 52, specifically verses 13-15, leading up to the often misunderstood Isaiah 53, we see “My servant” will be raised up and revered by many after having misunderstood the identity of “My servant”. It also says Kings will be shocked at the fact God’s servant is suddenly being elevated. Considering most of the world is under the umbrella of Christianity, will it really be shocking if Jesus is the so-called “servant” Isaiah is referring to? Is Jesus eventually being elevated to rule and reign a concept Gentiles are unfamiliar with? Of course not! It’s the entire hope of Christianity, no? Compare Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 62:1-4, 12. Notice Scripture doesn’t say Jews will be shocked upon the elevated servant, but rather, that Gentiles and Kings/Government leaders of other nations will be shocked. Interestingly, Jeremiah, the prophet, also reveals that the Gentiles (the nations) will be shocked upon realizing they inherited lies (while the Jews inherited truth) in Jeremiah 16:19. Furthermore, many other Scriptures reflect similar sentiments of Israel being eventually restored, extolled, and elevated (compare Deuteronomy 26:19, 28:1,10 as well as Isaiah 2,11, 60-62, 62:2-4; Ezekiel 34-48; Jeremiah 29-31; Micah 4; Zechariah 8; Zechariah 14, as some examples).
“What other passages refer to Israel as ‘him’?”
Now, that we have considered the theme and a few verses leading up to Isaiah 53, let’s discuss pronouns used in the Scriptures. In regards to Isaiah 52 and 53, I asked myself, “What other passages refer to Israel as ‘him’?” Surprisingly, numerous Scriptures refer to Israel in the masculine (Isaiah 45:11,46:8,56:8; Jeremiah 31:9-11,18,20-22; Hosea 7:8-10, 8:14, 10:6, 11:1,5, 12:1-4, 13:12-13). It would appear when collective people are referred to in the Jewish Bible, such as Israel/Jacob/Ephraim/Judah, pronouns such as him/his and them/their are used. Whereas when Scripture references specific cities such as Zion, Jerusalem, Holy City, Samaria, Babylon, etc, it uses the feminine pronouns (Isaiah 10:11,47:1,5, 51:17-18, 52:1-2, 62:1-2).
“Has Israel been defined as ‘My Servant’ such as in Isaiah 52:13?”
I then asked myself, “Has Israel been defined as ‘My Servant’ such as in Isaiah 52:13?” Again, surprisingly, yes. Isaiah 44:1-2,21-22, 45:4, 48:20, 49:3; (other general references 50:10; 52:13).
When reading any other book, would you insert a different subject just because they have similarities and then deem that one chapter is all about a different person not identified within the book? For example, while reading a book about the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust, no one would pick out one chapter and say, “Oh, this must be about Anne Frank, because she was a Jew that suffered in the Holocaust” when there is no mention specifically of Anne Frank.
More specifically, let’s examine each verse of Isaiah 53 to see other themes of these same sentiments further proving this text is about Israel, not specifically and exclusively Jesus.
Isaiah 53 | Verse-By-Verse
Isaiah 53:1 arm of the LORD = strength; see Isaiah 51:9, 59:16; 63:5 and Psalm 44:4 all of which speaks to this pattern is all of God’s doing, His strength and His will, the arm of the LORD;
53:2 no form or comeliness is likened to Zephaniah 3:12 referring to the remnant as meek and humble;
53:3 the servant is despised and rejected; despised and we did not esteem him is similar to Psalm 44:13-15, but especially Isaiah 49’s reference to Israel being rejected by men, yet later esteemed or raised up just as the later part of Isaiah 52 and 53 speak to. Notice the entire passage of Isaiah 49 is about Israel, the servant (vs 3), who is afflicted by men (vs 13-14), and just as Isaiah 52:13-15 speaks to the “servant” being miraculously extolled higher than kings which shocks the kings that this little nation is now honored, Isaiah 49:23-26, Isaiah 51 speak to the same prophecy as does all of Isaiah 60, but specifically Isaiah 60:14-15, as well as Isaiah 62:2-4;
53:4 wounded, stricken, smitten and afflicted by God – compare to the remnant of Israel being afflicted in Zephaniah 3:19, Psalm 44:24-25, Isaiah 51:7,12 (notice Isaiah 51:9 referring to the arm of the LORD just as Isaiah 53:1 and the close proximity of these parallel verses); also, see Isaiah 60:14-15;
53:5 all of Israel will suffer for the sins of Israel (i.e. even the righteous remnant such as Daniel and Jeremiah were carried off into the Babylonian captivity). Also, compare the servant being bruised for iniquities then healed to Israel being bruised for their iniquities in Isaiah 30:9-15, then bind up the bruise and healed in Isaiah 30:26;
53:6 is about the entire community being held accountable for sins. Should one person sin, they all suffer; hence, why there are incidents in the Jewish Bible of drastically removing the offender from the camp (i.e. Joshua 7-9). God is big on community, unity, and being in one accord; hence, why God stresses throughout Torah that we are responsible for one another (think Cain and Abel; love your neighbor; priests sacrificing for the entire community should there be unintentional sin members committed) or how God’s entire justice system is designed to hold one another accountable. Remember, the prophet Isaiah was the prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom of Israel/10 tribes/House of Israel. So when the majority of the House of Israel sins, hence “we (House of Israel) like sheep have gone astray”, everyone suffers including the few righteous ones just like Jeremiah and Daniel suffered in the Southern Kingdom/House of Judah when the Babylonians took the Jews to Babylon and held them captive. Some of Judah had sinned and consequently, God sent the Babylonians to discipline them for 70 years due to their violation of God’s land laws. Nevertheless, the righteous remnant paid heavily too (Jeremiah, Daniel, and others). We see that same concept in the second part of the verse, “and the LORD has laid on him (righteous remnant of House of Israel) the sins of us all (the majority of people of Israel/House of Israel)” and is likened to Zephaniah 3:13 as well as Ezekiel 34 and Psalm 44:11;
53:7 the servant/he didn’t open his mouth is also referenced of the righteous remnant of Israel learning to not open their mouth in rest and quietness Isaiah 30:15, Numbers 10:36, and Zephaniah 3:13, and Psalm 46:10/11 (depending on if you are using the Hebrew or Christian Bibles); sheep for slaughter, the sheep being representative of Israel, is also found in Jeremiah 11:19 and 12:3 as well as Psalm 44:22;
53:8 the righteous servant/remnant being cut off from land of living is also referenced in Jeremiah 11:19 whereas Israel being cut off from the land/living in general is mentioned in 1 Kings 9:6-7 and Ezekiel 37:11;
53:9 no deceit in his mouth is also referenced in Zephaniah 3:13 of no deceit being in the mouth of the righteous remnant (even the author of the Book of Revelation seemed to understand this reference is about Israel see Revelation 14:5 and how it is referencing the 144,000 righteous remnant of Israel found in Revelation 7);
53:10 again references bruising the servant as did 53:5 and 30:26; note: Jesus/Yeshua had no physical seed or offspring to carry on his legacy, but Israel’s descendants continue to be fruitful and multiply. The prophet Isaiah also prophecized a tenth of the holy seed will remain in chapter 10:13;
53:11 -12 by his knowledge – knowledge or wisdom in the Bible always refers to Torah/God’s laws see Hosea 4:6 as an example or Proverbs 3. Obeying Torah is defined as being righteous and received by God (see Psalm 95:6-11; 103, 119 and Isaiah 1:16-20, as just a few examples, but really it is everywhere in the Tanakh/Jewish Bible.) Also, notice Isaiah 26 speaks all about salvation and the importance of learning righteousness in Isaiah 26:8-12 or Isaiah 48:17-19. Israel, specifically the Jewish people, are called to be the light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6-8 and 49:3,6), and how are Jews to be the light? By living Torah, obeying God’s voice, which is Torah (Deuteronomy 28:1; Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; 4:2) so that the world might come to know how to be physically saved or spared and therefore not perish (Hosea 4:6). The righteous remnant repeatedly intercedes and suffers on behalf of the people (see Moses and Aaron and all the prophets as examples), but moreover, the righteous remnant lead in love simply by example of a Torah-observant lifestyle (to the best of their ability). Isaiah 53 speaks to the affliction of Israel; Isaiah 54 speaks to the literal, physical salvation of the Jews/Israel; Isaiah 55 is an invitation for all to follow their example; Isaiah 56 explains the Gentiles/foreigners who also keep God’s covenant (Torah), are also saved/gathered to Mt Zion.
Notice the prophets say nothing about one must believe in a Messiah to die for their sins for forgiveness, they simply must repent and turn to the LORD and His ways.
Next, after pondering such concepts, I thoroughly researched the Scriptures to find where it indicates a person will need to die for my sins and that one is eternally damned in their sins. To my surprise, I found “salvation” is always referencing a literal, physical saving, no one can die for another’s sins for we each are held accountable for our individual sins (Deuteronomy 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6, Jeremiah 31:29-30, Ezekiel 18:19-24, 33:12-20) while often collectively subjected to disciplining judgments as previously discussed above. Moreover, to benefit from God’s grace, all one must do is repent and He will gladly forgive (see Psalm 103 and Isaiah 1:16-20 or the story of Jonah and how even the Gentiles had been forgiven simply for repenting or the repeated message of the Prophets).
Christianity teaches if you don’t believe in Jesus you are damned to hell, eternally lost, part of the Anti-Christ Spirit, etc. while the Hebrew/Jewish Scriptures teach if you believe in Jesus you are an idolater and will be held accountable for your sins as we all are. In fact, it could be argued the trouble of Jacob, as prophecized by Daniel 12 (and other passages of judgment on Israel), could be because of Christians and Messianics propagating idolatry (the worship of Jesus) in the land of Israel. Choose this day whom you will serve and choose wisely.
Friends, Israel, more specifically the righteous Jewish remnant, are the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. I hope you will research all these Scriptures prayerfully.
Christianity teaches that Jesus, the perfect sinless lamb-of-God had to die for people’s sins so they can be forgiven and make it to heaven. Christianity also touts that it is only through a blood sacrifice a person can receive atonement for any sin, whether intentional, unintentional, past or future sin. It is propagated to congregants that all of us, whether Jew or Gentile, are eternally doomed unless we believe Jesus is the Messiah who died and overcame sin and death through the resurrection. Guilt, condemnation, and fear are the key ingredients while dangling promises of heaven and eternal life to motivate people to believe. These beliefs come from various places throughout the New Testament, which just by cleverly labeling it the “New” Testament sends the message anything before it is old news, invalid, and irrelevant. Out with the old, in with God’s new and improved way of doing things. And yet, Malachi 3:6 and 1 Samuel 15:29 clearly state God is neither a human nor does God change. We do. With that said, let us explore what the “Old” Testament, or Hebrew Bible, has to say about sin, sacrifices, forgiveness, believing in the Messiah to be saved, etc.
These verses of 1 Samuel 15:29 are from Christian versions.
While it is true that all of man sins eventually as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:23 and it is true sin has consequences as he further explains in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death,” it is not necessarily death or blood of an animal or blood of a human in Jesus’ case that can make it right or to put in Biblical terms, make atonement. It can be confusing, however, when a Christian cherry-picks verses, as they (formerly we) seem to specialize in doing in order to propagate a doctrine. Christian missionaries and ministers often point to Leviticus 17:11 which in part states, “For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” That is their AH-HA GOTCHA moment. And yet, when studying sacrifices and other passages found in the Hebrew Bible, we see God provides a variety of methods to teach His people a tangible lesson about sin and forgiveness; moreover, He provides grace and mercy well before Jesus and still today regardless of Jesus.
First, understand, that there are many different types of sacrifices, most of which are a form of praise and worship and have nothing to do with sin such as the burnt offering, meal offering, the daily morning and evening offerings, various offerings during the feasts of the LORD, etc. In fact, the sin and trespass offerings, also known as the purification and guilt offerings, are only for unintentional sin, meaning you, your household, the congregation, or the nation accidentally violated God’s law without realizing He had a law against such a thing.
Second, please study and know there is no sacrifice for intentional sin only unintentional sin. Understanding this concept is critical. I encourage you to get a Strong’s Concordance or Google the terms unintentional and intentional in the Bible. You will not find any sacrifice for intentional sin for if you knowingly and purposely sinned, you went through God’s judicial process and would have been eventually stoned or cut off (same thing) should the account of two or three witnesses manifest. The sin or purification offering is for if a sin was unintentionally committed against the LORD whereas the trespass or guilt offering was if a person unintentionally sinned against another person and by default the LORD as well. You will notice Leviticus chapters 4-6 states that those who unintentionally sinned against their brother, neighbor, or another person had to make restitution to the person they accidentally sinned against. Hence, love God, love others concept taught in both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. While reading about the trespass also known as the guilt offering, notice in Leviticus 5:6-13, that the Torah teaches if a person cannot afford to bring a lamb, goat, turtledoves, or a pigeon, they can instead simply bring flour for forgiveness. Flour for forgiveness?! And yet, there is no blood in flour so based on Christian theology, how could that person be forgiven? Nevertheless, Scripture reveals that a person shall be forgiven indeed (see vs. 13). The overall message, God is teaching His people is, yes, sin has consequences, and He uses the concept of sacrifices whether it be ideally a costly sacrifice of an animal or even flour to reveal even unintentional sin is not to be taken lightly (pun intended) and yet certainly forgivable upon repentance. Now learn your lesson and don’t let it happen again.
The Book of Hebrews, along with other New Testament books, replaced words from various Scriptures found in the Hebrew Bible. Consequently, Christians are led to believe God required a human sacrifice to put an end to animal sacrifices. Compare Hebrews 10:5-8 to the Psalm the author cited in Psalm 40:6-8. We can see in this example the anonymous author of Hebrews significantly revised the Psalm, making it seem like a human sacrifice was required.
Rather, the sin sacrifice of animals is simply a tangible physical means God uses to reveal the concept of consequences and accountability for ourselves and one another. God recognizes humans need physical, tangible memorials to help us remember Him and His instructions for living – see Numbers 15:37-41 as another tangible physical reminder. God commanded the Israelites to wear tzittzits, strings from the hem of their garments to remind them to obey God’s commands.
Similar to the lesson of the sin sacrifices, as a parent, at times you take away your kid’s electronics or TV time when they sin. Upon doing so, it’s not because you need their electronics, rather you are insisting they sacrifice something with the hopes of teaching them what they did is not permissible in your eyes and they ought not to do it again. You, like our Heavenly Parent, hopefully, are fair and just upon deciding what they must sacrifice on an age-appropriate and offense-appropriate level or affordability level. Flour.
Third, understand sacrifices cannot be made in your backyard or just anywhere you please, but rather can only be made in the place the LORD chooses being in the Temple in Jerusalem (see Exodus 20:24; Leviticus 17:3-6; Deuteronomy 12:13-14, 16:5-6), which at this point in time does not exist. This is the only reason sacrifices are not currently happening. Nevertheless, notice what King Solomon proclaims in a prophetic prayer as he dedicates the first temple. In 1 Kings 8:22-53, but especially highlight verses 44-50 for it is there we see Solomon describes a variety of scenarios for both Jew and Gentile to receive forgiveness including when Jews are dispersed in various lands, taken captive, etc. with no capability of accessing the Temple, all they must do is repent and God will forgive them! Lamentations 3:22-26 as does Psalm 50-51, Psalm 103, Isaiah 1:16-20, and numerous other passages throughout the Hebrew Bible clearly state all one must do is pray to God and repent for their sin and He will gladly forgive them! I implore you to search this out for yourself. Explore terms like sin, forgiveness, salvation, etc. in the Hebrew Bible – an enlightening picture will unfold.
Fourth, did you know that Torah, God’s teachings, will be taught to the entire world from Jerusalem? Several passages such as Isaiah 2; Micah 4; and Ezekiel 44 reveal Torah will be taught. Moreover, the nations must also comply with Torah, God’s voice, His law one day INCLUDING worshipping God on the Jewish Sabbath according to Isaiah 66:22-24 AND bring sacrifices, according to Zechariah 14:16-21.
Fifth, please study the future prophecies found in Ezekiel 36-48, which include the resurrection, regathering, and restoration of all twelve tribes of Israel to the land of Israel. Within those incredible chapters notice the prophet Ezekiel shares that not only will God’s Torah be willingly obeyed by the House of Judah and the House of Israel, but that sacrifices will once again resume. What’s fascinating is these sacrifices are being led by the prince, presumably what some refer to as the Messiah, or an anointed ruler (see Ezekiel 44-46). Notice in Ezekiel 45:15-25, that the “prince” makes sin or purification offerings as well as all the other offerings on behalf of himself and the people, but only for unintentional sins as discussed previously. If Jesus is the one and only Messiah or “prince,” the perfect sinless lamb of God who made a sacrifice once and for all as the anonymous author of Hebrews proclaims, why does the Hebrew Bible prove otherwise?
Also, you will find there is no sinless Messiah described in the Hebrew Bible for it clearly states there is no one without sin according to 1 Kings 8:46 and Ecclesiastes 7:20.
Lastly, in Jeremiah 31, the chapter that predicts the new covenant, notice verse 30 says, “But everyone shall die for his own iniquity.” That’s strange don’t you think? Why doesn’t it say that Jesus will be the final sacrifice as he will die for everyone’s iniquity and the world will live happily or heavenly ever after? Why doesn’t it say this here in Jeremiah 31 particularly when it is discussing the New Covenant? The entire chapter of Jeremiah 31 is revealing the future full regathering and restoration of Israel one fine day in the New Covenant and yet, is still speaking of people dying for their own sin – being responsible for their own sin not trusting in Jesus to do it for them.
The law and prophets clearly speak to this several times as if giving plenty of advance warning of a future religion that will teach such concepts – most likely because this concept of human sacrifices has been a pagan practice since before ancient Israel even existed! Please review Deuteronomy 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6; Psalm 49:7; Ezekiel 18 and 33, all of which speak to the fact that a human cannot die for another human’s sins. Everyone is accountable to God for themselves. So why do we think Jesus, a human, can die for our sins?
Also, now knowing the law and prophets speak nothing towards such concepts of a Messiah dying for our sins, nor do we need to believe in a Messiah to be saved, and we now understand human sacrifice for the atonement of sin is forbidden, plus forgiveness is granted simply by repenting when a temple is not in place, and when it is in place, flour can be used as a substitute for blood, and if God does nothing without revealing it to His prophets first as Amos 3:7 states, why would we suddenly think God changed not only His pure language (see Zephaniah 3:9) from Hebrew to Greek, did away with His instructions found in Torah, and yet didn’t reveal it to His prophets of such dramatic changes or that a person must believe in His one and only son, the Messiah, in order to be forgiven and saved?
Ironically, I discovered this and so much more when I attempted to write an article proving Jesus is the Messiah using only the Old Testament. Needless to say, upon doing so, over many astonishing and grievous months, God “flip-flopped” my faith as His word clearly declares Jesus did not die for my sins, your sins, or anyone’s sins but his own!
Imagine investigating a missing-person case. Several witnesses come forward. Each insists they were present at the scene, yet their accounts differ significantly regarding who was there, what happened, and when events occurred. As an investigator, would you confidently close the case based solely on those testimonies?
This is the question I found myself asking while examining the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ resurrection.
The resurrection is presented as the defining event of Christianity. If true, it would be one of the most important events in human history. Therefore, it deserves careful scrutiny. As a student of Scripture and a self-described “Detective of the Divine,” I approached the Gospel accounts looking for consistency, corroboration, and evidence.
What I discovered was not a single, unified testimony but a collection of narratives that differ in noteworthy ways. The Gospels disagree about how many women came to the tomb, when they arrived, who they encountered there, and when Jesus allegedly appeared to them. While Christians often argue that differing details demonstrate independent testimony, investigators also recognize that significant contradictions can raise questions regarding reliability.
The purpose of this article is not to mock faith or attack sincere believers. Rather, it is to examine the evidence and ask whether the resurrection accounts meet the standard of proof one would expect for such an extraordinary claim.
Let us dissect and discuss…But first, grab your New Testament.
Consider how and when the women saw the resurrected Jesus such as: In Matthew 28:1-8, Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” came to the tomb around dawn the day after Sabbath and experienced an earthquake when an angel came down from heaven and personally rolled away the stone. Supposedly it scared the guards, plural, to death paralyzing them in fear. In Mark 16, after Sabbath was over, early in the morning, when the sun had risen, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (and Jesus), and Salome brought spices to anoint the body. At first, they were perplexed as to who will roll the stone away for them, but when they arrived, the stone was already rolled away for them. What happened to the earthquake and seeing the angel descend? The speculated but not proven author of Mark skips over that detail. Seems like a highly important detail to somehow forget. Upon arriving at the open tomb, they see a young man inside. No mention of the guards in that version.
A few verses earlier, evidently the tomb’s stone is able to be moved by just 1 person since Joseph (not Mary’s husband) rolled it himself in Mark 15:46 so that leads me to believe 2 or 3 women could have rolled it if just 1 man could have. In Luke 24, on the 1st day of the week, very early in the morning, certain women and “other women with them” so now we have a group of women went to the tomb with spices to anoint the body. Upon arriving, like in Mark, but unlike in Matthew, they discover the stone is already rolled away. After going inside the tomb, suddenly not 1 man as recounted in Mark, but in Luke’s version 2 men were inside the tomb.In John’s version found in John 20, he describes just 1 woman went to the tomb, Mary Magdalene, while it was still dark so not at dawn or after dawn like the other versions describe. No mention of any earthquake nor other women or 1 or 2 men or angels are told to us in John’s version, but we do learn Peter and another disciple race to the tomb and reveal another interesting clue and that is that the linens Jesus was wrapped in were neatly folded within the tomb (John 20:5-7). Verse 9 of John 20 states the disciples did *not* know of any Scripture (in Tanakh) prophesying the Messiah must rise from the dead because there is none. Rather, the Messiah is to bring world peace, unity, and elevate the Jews to assist in teaching Torah to the world as a light to the nations (Isaiah 2, 11, 42, 49, 53-56 among others).
Also, we learn in John’s version that both Joseph and the Pharisee Nicodemus wrapped and anointed Jesus’ body in spices (John 19:38-42) upon his burial. If Nicodemus and Joseph already anointed Jesus’ body, then why did the women need to come again to do so at the time of his burial in Luke 23:56 PRIOR to Sabbath and why did the women return to do so AGAIN AFTER Sabbath as defined in Mark 16:1? Matthew writes about a guard or guards being there to seal the stone whereas none of the other gospels do; Joseph rolled the tomb in place; Yet, the women wondered how they would unroll the stone as if impossible to do so- then why come to anoint him in the wee hours of the morning or at dawn, depending on which version, if the stone cannot be unrolled and if they cannot unroll it themselves? This does not make sense.
Assuming Jesus lived and died though there are no historical writings of such events (read Was the New Testament Inspired by God or Rome), clearly, his body was missing or the Pharisees and Romans could have simply opened the tomb to dispute the claim of the resurrection. I suppose they still could have done so, but we know not of historical documents stating this theory so for the sake of argument, let’s say Jesus indeed existed, died, and the body was indeed missing. Conversely, had the Pharisees or other Jews or the Romans discovered Jesus indeed did resurrect from the dead, wouldn’t that have been the catalyst to producing far more believers instantly rather than just a small group who were already Jesus’ fans? How come we have no documentation of detailed accounts of the resurrected Jesus appearing to any of the alleged 500 Paul claims though Paul didn’t even personally know Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)? Not to mention Paul’s order of appearance list also contradicts the gospels. There is no account of Jesus revealing himself to anyone but primarily the women first, then some men, IF any of that is even true. Wouldn’t the resurrected Messiah be sure to reveal himself to his accusers? To those who didn’t believe him? Wouldn’t that be far more magnificent and noteworthy to propel God’s mission? Wouldn’t that be far more effective and critical in sharing the ‘good news’ of the gospel, particularly to the so-called lost sheep Jesus was sent to (Matthew 15:24) as in the Jews?
Let’s say for the sake of argument, the Pharisees or Romans inspected the tomb and verified Jesus’ body was missing. Is it not possible though that the body was removed? Who would have the most motive to remove Jesus’ body?
We are told the disciples did not believe the women when they came to them to report Jesus’ body was removed. Also, interestingly enough in John’s version, found in John 20:1-2, Mary Magdalene runs to the disciples to tell them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Wow! Did she see him or not? In other accounts, she ran into Jesus either at the tomb or upon leaving the tomb prior to seeing the disciples (Matthew 28:7-10; Mark 16:8-11). In John’s version, she runs to the disciples first to tell them Jesus’ body is missing, but then later, after Peter and another disciple inspect the tomb, Mary Magdalene speaks to two angels and Jesus appears to her, which she then ran to the disciples again to report what happened (John 20:11-18). Do you see the confusion in the timetable and details of the various gospels?
These many different accounts of the same epic moment seem suspicious and become less credible the more the reader compares the testimony of the so-called witnesses. But back to motive…the disciples, being men of various trades, although disappointed and humiliated, could easily have gone back to their occupations. However, there is one person in particular who had EVERYTHING to lose if Jesus did not rise again. Mary, Jesus’ mother, not only would have been financially ruined if Jesus did not rise from the dead being her other sons would be the laughing stock of town, but she could have been stoned per the law being now the truth she was not “miraculously impregnated” by the Holy Spirit but rather by Joseph or whomever. Is it not strange the women knew where Jesus’ body was being each account testifies the women were there when he was placed in the tomb unlike the disciples, AND showed up either in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn to anoint his body when they or Nicodemus already did so while allegedly not knowing how they would open the tomb themselves, AND there are so many different versions of the details of what happened next, AND the linens just happen to be folded neatly all pointing to the women?! Is it not possible wanting to spare Mary, the mother of Jesus and their friend, the women got together to remove the body under the guise of anointing the body, folded the linens neatly in place upon unwrapping them, and then after making it look like he vanished, ran to the men to tell them their many different versions of what happened?
Could the women be bringing anointing oils because Jesus wasn’t actually dead? Were they using these oils for medicinal purposes? Why use such oils on a dead body? Were the women coming to where his body lay to nurse him back to health? Could Jesus have walked off on his own or with assistance?
Furthermore, could the women or men have hallucinated having been under great post-traumatic stress? Could they have seen a ghost as some versions express? How many reports are there in modern ages of people seeing their dead loved one’s ghost or ghosts in general? Plenty, interestingly enough. There even is a ghost story in 1 Samuel 28:11-19 where the medium saw the ghost of the Prophet Samuel, much to her horror. The ghost of Prophet Samuel was recognizable, had a physical appearance, could clearly communicate, and EVEN still give a prophecy to King Saul, and yet, the dude was still technically dead! So could the disciples have seen and likewise conversed with Jesus’ ghost?
Could they have concocted seeing Jesus or could they have been deceived into seeing someone else posing as Jesus since they did not recognize him? Or could have the unknown authors of the gospels created the story themselves since there is no other documentation of Jesus’ life let alone a resurrection? Why would not people document the most epic event in all human history – his miraculous resurrection?! Even if he actually did rise again, others in the Tanakh/Old Testament rose again such as Elijah resurrected children (1 Kings 17 & 2 Kings 4), does that make Elijah or those children THE MESSIAH? Even so, Jesus still doesn’t fit the majority of the profile of the Messiah as described by the prophets-besides being born in Bethlehem (Micah 5).
Also, if Jesus did rise from the dead, Matthew 7:53 says the graves were opened and there were numerous resurrected people walking around. What happened to those people? How come NO ONE ELSE documented anywhere that historians know of this hugely monumental event? Maybe because it is largely fiction just as has been proven about Herod’s non-existent census.
Moreover, why create a following and rise from the dead just to vanish? If Jesus actually did exist and survived the crucifixion, isn’t it possible Jesus could just have disappeared so the Romans couldn’t properly kill him off?
Or, is it possible all of it is fiction?
Detective’s Final Report
After reviewing the available evidence, I am left with several observations:
The resurrection narratives contain notable differences regarding the participants, timing, and sequence of events.
The Gospel accounts are formally anonymous writings. While church tradition later attributed them to specific individuals, the texts themselves do not identify their authors.
Independent contemporary documentation of the resurrection event itself is lacking. This is especially significant given the extraordinary nature of the claims.
The resurrection claim must ultimately be evaluated alongside the broader question of whether Jesus fulfilled the messianic expectations described throughout the Tanakh.
From a Jewish perspective, the primary test of messiahship is not whether someone performed miracles or was believed to have risen from the dead, but whether that individual fulfilled the prophetic mission assigned to the Messiah: gathering the exiles of Israel, establishing universal peace, rebuilding Jerusalem, and bringing the nations to knowledge of the One God.
As a result, I do not find the evidence sufficient to conclude that the resurrection accounts establish Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel. The accounts may reflect sincere beliefs, evolving traditions, misunderstandings, or theological interpretations developed over time. However, as a Detective of the Divine, I must follow the evidence where it leads.
For me, the case remains unresolved on historical grounds and unproven on biblical grounds. When measured against the standards established in the Hebrew Scriptures, the messianic claim remains unsubstantiated.
As such, I close my notebook and consider this case closed, or you could say dead.
~Carrie Renee, Revised 6.17.2026; originally published August 28-29, 2020
Earlier this afternoon on the Feast of Firstfruits / Passover (Leviticus 23:4-14), which happens to correspond with Easter this year, my teenage son, who lives in Maryland with his dad, sent me a text, ‘Happy Easter.’ I responded with, ‘Happy Firstfruits.’ While lounging in the cockpit on the back of our sailboat enjoying the blue skies and fair winds here in Texas, it is then my son and I transitioned from texts to an important phone conversation.
“Mom, Why don’t you say, ‘Happy Easter’ anymore?,” my soon to be 15 year old inquired.
“I’m happy to explain it to you, Christian, if you really want to know. But I should forewarn you, it will probably not be what you want to hear.”
After all, what kid, teenager or not, doesn’t want an Easter basket full of candy and other free goodies, right?!
After asking my son, Christian, if he remembered learning about Emperor Constantine in 6th grade when we did cyber school that year, I went on to tell him what the school’s curriculum did not share with us…
How Easter & Sunday Became Doctrines In The Church
Although Christians have been persecuted since shortly after Jesus’ death and resurrection, most of whom were Messianic Jews in the beginning, the Roman Emperor Constantine seemed to significantly alter church history – some for the better, but more for the worse.
312 A.D.
In 312 A.D., Constantine experienced a vision of a cross in the sun, which he and his army interpreted as a vision pertaining to Jesus Christ. Up until then and even thereafter, Constantine had been a worshiper of various Roman gods, such as the Sun-god.
313 A.D.
Most likely due to his vision, Constantine ended persecution of the Christians in 313 A.D. through the ‘Edict of Milan’. This act was the ‘for the better’, but below it gets far worse!
321 A.D.
However, a few years later on March 7, 321 A.D., out of his love and worship for his false Sun-god, which the Roman people worshiped specifically on the 1st day of the week, as opposed to Jews and Christians that worshiped their God on the 7th day of the week, Constantine decided to order all businesses and activities, except certain agriculture, to cease on Sundays. Sunday, or ‘dies Solis,’ the day of the Sun, was declared the Roman day of rest in honor of their Sun-god. In doing so, the Emperor’s motive was to unify the God of the Holy Scriptures with the pagan, Roman sun-god, by decreeing everyone worship and rest the same day.
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles…”
Jeremiah 10:2 (NKJV)
325 A.D.
A few years after creating a day of rest to honor the Roman sun-god, the Emperor Constantine along with the Roman Catholic Church, in 325 A.D. at the famous ‘Council of Nicaea’, discussed and decided on many theological issues. It was at this summit, doctrines such as the ‘Trinity’ were established as well as the erroneous and poisonous virus of antisemitism still transmitted in churches today. In that meeting, the early church fathers along with the Emperor, decided ‘Easter’ should be celebrated rather than Passover, to purposely separate themselves from the Jews following ‘that evil way,’ which happens to be the only way, according to the Jewish Bible. Those attending this meeting, clearly, did not understand when Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me,’ He and His disciples were doing Passover (Luke 22) not Easter.
Historical records tells us Constantine wrote the following edict:
“It was, in the first place, declared improper to follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this holy festival, because, their hands having been stained with crime, the minds of these wretched men are necessarily blinded. By rejecting their custom, we establish and hand down to succeeding ages one which is more reasonable. …
“Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries. … Let us with one accord walk therein, my much-honoured brethren, studiously avoiding all contact with that evil way. They boast that without their instructions we should be unable to commemorate the festival properly. This is the highest pitch of absurdity. For how can they entertain right views on any point who, after having compassed the death of the Lord, being out of their minds, are guided not by sound reason, but by an unrestrained passion, wherever their innate madness carries them.”
“To sum up in few words: By the unanimous judgment of all, it has been decided that the most holy festival of Easter should be everywhere celebrated on one and the same day, and it is not seemly that in so holy a thing there should be any division.”
“And you shall not walk in the statues of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore, I abhor them…I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.”
Leviticus 20:23-24 (NKJV)
365 A.D.
Many years later, the Council of Laodicea made decisions regarding what day is the Sabbath. Keep in mind the Romans were used to resting on Sunday in order to worship the Sun-god. This was their proclamation about the Sabbath – notice the virus of antisemitism continues to spread throughout the Roman Catholic Church in those days:
“Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ” (Council of Laodicea, 29th Canon).
You’ll notice in that statement the Council of Laodicea essentially acknowledges the Jews have the seventh-day Sabbath as the correct, God-appointed day of rest, but out of the Romans’ hardened, prejudiced heart, they decreed believers must work on the Sabbath while Sunday, the day already designated as a day of rest to honor their false sun-god was more appropriate. It was in this verdict, many Christians, out of fear of persecutions and being shunned, adhered to this changing of God’s law.
“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way…”
Deuteronomy 12:29-31 (NKJV)
Early 400’s A.D.
Augustine, a theologian of that era, had this to say:
“The holy doctors of the church have decreed that all the glory of the Jewish Sabbath is transferred to it [Sunday]. Let us therefore keep the Lord’s Day as the ancients were commanded to do the Sabbath” (Robert Cox, Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, 1853, p. 284).
If you are interested in many more alarming facts coming directly from the Roman Catholic Church regarding their decision to change the Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day, click this link:
In regards to the term, ‘Easter,’ this is the English translation of the fertility goddess known as ‘Ishtar’ in the Babylonian culture, or ‘Eastra’ in the Anglo-Saxon culture, or ‘Astarte’ in the Canaan culture, or ‘Inanna’ in the Sumerian culture, or as ‘Venus’ in the Roman culture, or ‘Aprhodite’ in the Greek culture. Regardless of which culture, fertility and sex was the heart of this goddess and sacrifices were made to her around Pesach / Passover.
In summary, I pray the truths I shared with my son, not coincidentally named Christian, will guide him as he and others continue their faith journey with God and circumnavigate His course.
A few years after creating a day of rest to honor the Roman sun-god, the Emperor Constantine along with the Roman Catholic Church, in 325 A.D. at the famous ‘Council of Nicaea’, discussed and decided on many theological issues. It was at this summit, doctrines such as the ‘Trinity’ were established as well as the erroneous and poisonous virus of antisemitism still transmitted in churches today. In that meeting, the early church fathers along with the Emperor, decided ‘Easter’ should be celebrated rather than Passover, to purposely separate themselves from the Jews following ‘that evil way,’ which happens to be the only way, according to the Jewish Bible. Those attending this meeting, clearly, did not understand when Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me,’ He and His disciples were doing Passover (Luke 22) not Easter.