Incredible Facts of Jesus' Death
The Holy Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of the Living God.   Do not get confused with the forms of execution that involved being hung upon a tree. Hangings and decapitated heads placed on sticks are not the same form of execution. These forms of execution were used prior to the Roman Empire. All other forms of execution were rather quick in their end result of death. However, crucifixion was a different animal all together. Its development during the Roman Empire’s rise was a picture of their brutality against non-Roman citizens, their heavy-handed policing of conquered nations and their scare tactics used for anyone who engaged in criminality. From the earliest accounts of the history of crucifixion, it was considered the most horrible form of death. The process of crucifixion was horrible in itself. Roman citizens were even exempt from it. First came a scourging with a whip that was usually embedded with nails or pieces of glass or bone to heighten the pain. Many died from the scourging before they got to the cross. After carrying the cross or part of the cross piece to the outskirts of the city, the condemned person was then tied or nailed to the cross depending upon the method used by the soldiers who carried out the punishment. The place of execution was outside of the city so as to be used as a form of scare tactic as a grim reminder of the justice that awaited those who engaged in criminal activities.
Death came from asphyxiation or pure exhaustion and if they were bound with thongs it might take days to die. The crucified one would not be able to raise himself up to allow his lungs to breath and that was hastened by the breaking of the legs. The history of the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion confirms ALL of these historical facts. Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, and my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.” John 19:23, 34, “the soldiers crucified Jesus…one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” Psalm 34:20, “he protects all His bones, not one of them will be broken." John 19:32-33, “The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.” Psalm 22:16, “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.” Mark 15:24, “They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha…and they crucified Him.” There are several more prophecies that concern the way in which the Messiah would die. These are just a few! They important thing to understand is that the Messiah would die for us. Isaiah 53:12, “Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” The amazing thing about this form of capitol punishment was that it was written hundreds of years BEFORE its conception by the Romans! The Word of God spoke of crucifixion before the Romans came into power. Another incredible circumstance was that crucifixion was only used for a short time in history. The Messiah had to come during that small window of time. The time of Roman power was the ONLY time that the prophecies could be fulfilled! Only thru God’s eyes could the events of the Messiah be prophesied! That is proof enough that the Holy Bible IS the Word of the Living God!