Pagan Prophecies of Christ?
"But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." - Daniel 2:28
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There may be a temptation to despair by some when noticing the incessant campaign to corrupt truth and sound doctrine, hearing the voices and influences of demonic spirits that surround on every side. Do not fear, friend, for the God of heaven shall not be thwarted; His designs are uninfluenced, and none can stay His hand.
Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan. Consider: it is not only devils that seek to influence our traditions and guide the vision of mankind. There is evidence of another strain of prophecy given, even within the heart of classical paganism itself, as a marker and a testimony of God's great love and concern for all mankind. The Holy Spirit, in times past, has even usurped the voice of Oracles and false prophets, to bring truth where there was none, and light where there was only darkness.
In the ancient days of Rome, Greece, and Babylon, the land was filled with raving, frenzied prophets and prophetesses. Each god had their possession and spoke to mankind, informing and deceiving by devilish influence. Yet among these, there was a class of legendary elderly women called the Sibyls, who, for hundreds of years, interlaced with their infernal madness profound truths and clear prophecies of the coming Christ and a plain monotheism that stood in stark contrast against the pagan backdrop of multitudes of deities. While their work underwent a long history of redaction, additions, and editing, even up to the 6th century, many of their words are very ancient, pre-dating even the advent of Christ.
Early Christians took note of these, and some were even called "believers in the Sibyls" because they so often used their utterances as an apologetic to evangelize to the idolatrous world around them.
Legends say one of the earliest Sibyls was even a pagan daughter-in-law of Noah, explaining the synergies of both plain monotheism and the messianic fervor that were uncharacteristic in pagan cultures. Modern scholars are so confounded by the accuracy of these words, they presume they were all later additions to the texts by Christian interpolation and a corruption of their original texts.
Alas, scholars are shirking the testimony of those closest and most related to the time, for this idea of corruption even existed in the very infancy of the church age. Consider this simple retort from Lactantius, an ante-Nicene Father, and tutor of Emperor Constantine, in 304 A.D:
"Being refuted by these testimonies, some are accustomed to fall back on the claim that these poems were not written by the Sibyls, but were invented and composed by our own writers instead. However, he who has read Cicero, Varro, and other ancient writers will assuredly not think this. For they make mention of the Erythraean [Sibyl] and the other Sibyl, from whose books we bring forth these examples. And those authors died before the birth of Christ according to the flesh. However, I do not doubt that in former times, these poems were regarded as ravings. For, at that time, no one understood them . . . Therefore, they were neglected for many ages. But they received attention after the birth and passion of Christ."
The perspective of Lactantius sheds light on the intricate interplay between the Sibylline Oracles, their origins, and their reception within early Christian circles. He clearly argues against the claim that the Sibylline Oracles were mere inventions by Christian writers. By pointing to Cicero, Varro, and other ancient authors who acknowledged the Sibyls and their prophetic utterances, he demonstrates these references predate the birth of Christ according to the flesh. While acknowledging that in former times, these Sibylline poems were regarded as ravings, their cryptic nature made them difficult to understand and lead to neglect. However, Lactantius notes a significant change after the birth and passion of Christ, as the Sibylline Oracles received renewed attention due to their perceived connection to divine revelation and the unfolding Christian narrative.
There is even an account of early church father Athenagoras of Athens, who, in a letter titled "A Plea for the Christians" to Marcus Aurelius in ca. AD 176, quoted verbatim a section of the Oracles. They are mentioned in the midst of a lengthy series of other classical and pagan references such as Homer and Hesiod, stating several times that all these works should already be familiar to the Roman Emperor. Copies of the actual Sibylline Books (as reconstituted in 76 BC) were still in the Roman Capitoline Temple at this time. How then were these prophecies forged by Christians, who at that time were small in number, politically powerless, and mercilessly persecuted? How were they able to make the forged copies so numerous that philosophers and emperors would be familiar with their corruptions without question? How is it that their forgeries existed on the legendary level of Homer and Hesiod in so short a time, in just a mere generation? How could they slip them into the Temple unnoticed and accepted? While it is clear that later interpolations exist, there is a corpus of the Sybilline tradition that pre-dates Christ, and these were the core used by the earliest Christians as an apologetic to the pagans, and the later interpolations of the later centuries were unknown to them.
Church Father Origen, writing in 248 AD as a response to the pagan critic Celsus, who authored a critique of Christianity around 170 AD, notes, "[Celsus claims] that certain Christians believe in the Sibyl." While Celsus writes disparagingly towards Christians, he acknowledges at a very early date that many Christians held a positive view of the Sibylline Oracles and also tacitly admits that the passages were indeed Sibylline.
It seems that those who wish to discredit these prophecies are doing just what was attempted to be done with the piercing Biblical prophecies of Isaiah. Scholars said, "These statements are simply too accurate to be legitimate. These prophecies of Messiah are not mere interpolations of vague imagery. They must be written after the fact." Such was the running argument for generations of Biblical skeptics, that is, until the Dead Sea Scrolls unveiled full copies of Isaiah that were demonstrably written before the advent of Christ, proving the prophetic Spirit alive.
Other Early Church Testimony Concerning the Sibyls
Examples of Early Sibyllian Oracles:
"The Nourisher and Creator of all things, who placed the sweet breath in all, and made God the Leader of All... But whom God gave for faithful men to honor."
"I am the one and only God, there is no other God."
"Do you not tremble, nor fear God most High? There is only one uncreated God, who reigns alone, all-powerful, very great, from whom nothing is hid."
"But there is one God of pre-eminent power, who made the heaven, the sun, the moon, the fruitful earth, and the waves of the sea . . . Worship Him who alone is ruler of the world, who alone was, and is from age to age."
"With five loaves at the same time, and with two fishes, He will satisfy five thousand men in the wilderness . . . He will walk on the waves. He will release men from disease. He will raise the dead and drive away many pains. And from the bread of one pouch, there will be the satisfying of men."
"He will afterward come into the hands of the unjust and the faithless, and they will inflict blows with impure hands on God."
"Know Him as your God, who is the Son of God."
Why Pagan Prophecies?
In the Bible, we have precedent for the strange occurrence of pagan prophets speaking the truth of God. We have the story of Balaam, son of Beor, a non-Israelite seer often maligned in the Scriptures as an example of what a prophet ought not to be. His story shows him to be a man of selfish ambition, prophesying for money, gain, and favor. The basis of his story is that he is hired by Balak, King of Midian to prophecy against Israel. He did what the Lord asked of him, but only because he had no other choice (Numbers 22-24).
Outside of the Bible though, we find he was also a man of double allegiances. Preserved in the Deir Alla Inscription in modern-day Jordan, we find a fragment from "The Book of Balaam, son of Beor, seer of the gods" which is a prophecy of wrath and apocalypse given by pagan deities, Baal and Ishtar, through Balaam.
The fact is this: Balaam was a man who the Lord God used in the Bible to prophesy what was needful, but he was not a "man of God." Seers, mediums, and soothsayers are always open to spiritual forces, but indiscriminately, without guard, barrier, or discernment. This reality is often taken advantage of by devils and deceptive spirits to convey their agendas. However, since there is no guard upon them, the Spirit of God has, at times, used such persons.
The implications of this could be haunting and confusing. It may bring up questions like, "If they were right about this, what else were they right about?"
The fact is, Truth is true, no matter where it is found. Any truth is measured against the Scripture's testimony. Truth is never made untrue because of it's source. Even a fool may utter a wise word. It is only untrue being contrary to the word of the true God. We would be wise to admit this.
Yet many of the early Christians so embraced these utterances of the Sibyls and believed that God had planted seeds of truth in the Greek and Roman cultures through the Sibyls.
[Addressed to Pagans:] "You may in part easily learn right religion from the ancient Sibyl. For, by some kind of powerful inspiration, she teaches you. Through her oracular predictions, she teaches truths that seem similar to the prophets." - Justin Martyr, 160 A.D.
Conclusion
It would seem these sorts of events, both Balaam, and the Sibyls, are a demonstration of God's great love for people. In Balaam, he was used to bring blessing upon Israel when a curse was desired. In the Sibyls, God used those who were seen as having divine authority to gave the Gentiles a foretelling of His saving plan in Christ. He would not leave people in utter darkness. His love extended even to those who heed the words of devils.
A similar phenomena is also occurring with Jesus appearing to many Muslims in dreams. We ought not to think that God will reach out for those whom He loves, for those whom He died. (Links: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8)
God's love extends beyond the boundaries of religious affiliation or cultural identity. He desires a relationship with every human being, regardless of their background or beliefs. Through His sovereignty and providence, He is not limited by human categories or expectations, but works in mysterious ways to accomplish His purposes. He can use any means necessary to reveal Himself to those who are seeking Him, even if they are not part of the traditional religious framework. He meets individuals where they are and speaks to them in ways that they can understand and relate to - but always points to Christ.
The Jews were keepers of the untarnished prophecy, held and preserved for all time that every generation might see their fulfillment. But the Sibyls spoke to a completely contrary, unbelieving world - God taking advantage of their authority, as well as their indiscriminate spiritualism, to bring light where none was to be found.
The result was a stark contrast between the Messianic prophetic verses and the devilish rantings. The result was countless souls converted from paganism to Christ in the dawn of Christianity by the rightful use of their testimony. The result was showing a demonstration of the powerful love of God to go to any length to reach so very many.
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