[سواها قلبي]

C - The difference between Matthew and Mark regarding the story of the cleansing of the Temple and the fig tree:

Let us read the Gospel text to understand the possible way in which "God" spoke to a tree. The Gospel says that Christ spoke to a tree.

The Gospel of Matthew says:

" Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, .... Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. (( Now in the morning,)) as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.."
(21: 12-21 )


*** Let's take the conclusion from here: The incident of cursing the fig tree occurred after Jesus returned from purifying the Temple. Therefore, the time of the incident occurred after the Temple had been purified.

However, the Gospel of Mark says about this incident:

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it. 15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city. 20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." 22 " So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.


It is clear that in the Gospel of Matthew he cursed the fig tree after he finished purifying the temple. But here in Mark the incident happened first while he was leaving. So of course according to Matthew all of its events were supposed to happen on the same day. But in Mark he drew his attention to it the next day in two different accounts.


One of the stories says that it was not the time for figs. This means that the knowledge of Christ, who was said to be God or the Son of God, did not reach the level of knowledge of the ordinary farmer who knows whether it was the time for figs or not. He did not know whether the tree he saw as far as the eye could see bore figs or not. Both stories say that this hungry god went to the tree and when he did not find any figs on it, he cursed it.

*** Wasn't it from the tree's logic that you said to it, "My Lord, you created me without figs... Why do you curse me?"


2- The problem of predictions that are impossible to achieve.

Next, we come to a serious issue, which is the problem of impossible predictions. What is agreed upon among religious scholars, especially those of the holy books, is that one of the definitions of a prophet is someone sent by God Almighty or someone who speaks by inspiration from his Creator, and that his narratives do not include any successors.

It is certain that the prophet who confirms what happened in this world will confirm what he promised in the afterlife. However, when a prophecy is attributed to a prophet, or even more than one prophecy that proves that the worldly life we ​​live has ended, then what will be the fate of the prophecies of the afterlife?

What he promised will certainly not be fulfilled either.. I think this is an agreed upon rule..

Regarding the topic of prophecies in the Gospels, we find the following:

A- The prediction that the end of the world will occur in the first century AD:

The Gospels say that Jesus Christ:


1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. and commanded them ..... "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves...... When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly,
I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 10:1-23

** That is, Christ's return to earth will occur before his disciples complete their preaching in the cities of Israel.

*** It also happened before the contemporaries of Christ, who lived in the first half of the first century AD, had died:

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
Matthew 16

In another way that confirms the above, the end of the world and the return of Christ to Earth must occur before the generation that lived in the first century AD perishes:


"29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ....... 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." Matthew 24"

Both the Gospels of Mark 13:24-30 and Luke 21:25-32 agree with this serious report by Matthew.


It is clear, as John Fenton says:

"None of this happened as Matthew predicted..." (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, p. 21).

Therefore, the predictions attributed to Christ in the Gospels about the end of the world in the first century AD are impossible to fulfill and cannot be defended.

(b) The prediction that Judas the traitor will accompany Christ to the afterlife:

In a dialogue that took place between Christ and his disciples about who would be saved in the afterlife, Peter asked his teacher about the reward of those who believe in him, and he said:

" 27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" 28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19)



** Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples to whom this prophecy was made. After his betrayal, he became known as the “son of perdition” because he was expelled from the company of Christ in this world and the hereafter. Thus, this prophecy became impossible to fulfill.

If we go back to the equivalent of this paragraph in the Gospel of Luke, we find - as John Fenton says ** that he deleted the verse twelve, and perhaps that is because he was thinking of Judas Iscariot... (Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, p. 317)...


C- The prediction that Christ would be buried in the earth for three days and three nights:

Some Jews tried to confuse Jesus, so they said to him:

"38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." 39 " But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. " (Matthew 12)

This saying is common in the Gospels and is mentioned repeatedly in most of them and in more than one place. It is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark in (8:31, 9:31, 10:34).

It is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, with an important difference that the reader will notice, in his saying:

"29- ... He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation."

*** Luke here got rid of the story of three days and three nights..

The three days are mentioned in the Gospel of John (2:19).. And we read in the Book of Jonah (Jonah, peace be upon him) what happened to him:

" Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three ........ So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land." ( Jonah 1 : 17 ) Jonah 2: 1-10)

It is clear then that in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled, the crucified one must remain in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights.

But if we go back to what the Gospels mention about the events of the crucifixion and resurrection, we find that the crucified one was taken down from the cross on Friday evening (the day of the crucifixion):


"42 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea,

went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ... 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. 46 Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. " (Mark 15)

The disciples and followers of Christ discovered that the grave was empty in the early hours of Sunday morning. The Gospel of Matthew says about this:

" Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. .... But the angel answered and said to the women, He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. " (Matthew 28: 1-6)

The Gospel of John also says:

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb." (John 20)

By a simple calculation, we find that:

The number of days the deceased spent in the belly of the earth (in the grave) = 1 day (Saturday).

The number of nights the deceased spent in the belly of the earth (in the grave) = 2 nights.. (Saturday night and part of Sunday night at best)

*** Thus, it became impossible to fulfill this prophecy that said that the dead person would remain in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights.


There's more to come... Your brother, Al-Athram