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The officers answered, Never man spake like this man (61:15) Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? (61:16) Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? (61:17) But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed (61:18) Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) (61:19) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? (61:20) They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet (61:21) And every man went unto his own house. John 7:31-53 (61:22) These verses of John make clear that it was correctly assumed by the people of Christ's time that His birthplace would be Bethlehem. No doubt this thinking had been given them by the Pharisees who appear to boldly assert the same. At first glance then, to some it may appear that this prophecy did indeed lead people to the Christ. There was a division among the people; some believed, and some didn't. Some recognized Him as the Christ, while others questioned His fulfilling the prophecies (61:23) Upon thoughtful examination of these verses, however, it becomes clear that there is not only no real evidence that anyone in the situation described above was led to the Christ by the prophecy of Bethlehem, but it actually shows that the prophecy was a barrier to belief in Him
(61:24)
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