This week we continue our “Case for the Bible” with evidence of fulfilled Prophecy. In addition to the abundance of evidence we have covered in the Manuscript and Archeology categories, the evidence in this category is so overwhelming that even ardent atheists have been swayed. Nothing is more profound than Biblical prophecy and its fulfillment!
There are many people over the centuries that have claimed prophetic abilities but they all fall short when it comes to accuracy in their predictions and specific details of the fulfillments. This is not the case with the Bible.
The difference we find in the prophecies of the Bible is that these prophecies are always 100% accurate with a 0% failure rate!
Prophecy begins as far back as the “Fall” of man where God immediately promises a plan of salvation (Genesis 3) that will eventually be fulfilled in the person of Jesus. God’s plan of salvation becomes clearer as it unfolds in the Covenants throughout the Old Testament. When we study these specific Covenants it reveals a picture of Jesus and what He would do:
- Genesis 3:15 – The Original Promise of a righteous seed that would bring salvation known as the Adamic Covenant
- Genesis 6:18 – Passed on through Noah and the Noachian Covenant
- Genesis 12:3 – Expanded to Abraham and his offspring through the Abrahamic Covenant (to Isaac, then Jacob, and the blessing of Judah 49:10-12)
- Exodus through Deuteronomy – Unfolded by Moses through the Law called the Mosaic Covenant
- 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 – Specified in David’s royal lineage referred to as the Davidic Covenant
These Covenants are then supported by hundreds of prophecies by various prophets that point to this promise of a coming Messiah, and Jesus fulfills them all! For example, the book of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before the time of Jesus yet many parts of Isaiah read like a biography of Jesus! Stop for a minute and read Isaiah chapter 53.
Doesn’t this chapter sound like it was written in the first century A.D. after Jesus was crucified? But no, Isaiah wrote in the 8th century B.C., hundreds of years before it actually happened! Here is another passage from Isaiah that gives a powerful example of God’s foreknowledge and sovereignty:
A prophecy of the Messiah and the Covenant Promise made sure:
I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.
–Isaiah 42:6-9
Who wrote these prophecies concerning the coming of a Messiah, and when were they written?
- The Old Testament contains over 300 places where prophecy is given concerning a promised Messiah
- In addition to Moses, Joshua, and other Old Testament authors, there are at least 16 other prophets who wrote about the coming Messiah
- These prophets wrote to the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel from the time prior to, during, and after their captivity and exile (Northern Kingdom to Assyria and Southern Kingdom of Judah to Babylon), 855-430 BC
- God spoke through these prophets in very different circumstances (wartime, peacetime or in captivity), and to different people or groups – some prophesied to kings, some to foreign nations and others to the people in general
- God communicated to these prophets either directly, in dreams and visions or through angels
- Many of the prophecies are two-fold and relate to things the Nation of Israel would face both eminently and futuristically
- These Old Testament prophets not only made predictions but they were investigative reporters that exposed moral corruption and condemned it
- God also used these prophets to warn the people to repent, but most of the time they did not listen and suffered the consequences for their actions
Prophets spoke for God in two main ways:
1. Proclamations: These forthtellings pointed the people back to God and His principles by…
- condemning society’s immorality and wickedness
- exposing religious hypocrites
- calling out people to repent from their wickedness
- warning of God’s wrath and judgment
- speaking of God’s desire to forgive and restore a relationship
- explaining God’s plan to redeem His people
2. Predictions: These foretellings came directly from God; they were never small in nature; and were not generalized (like predicting a sporting event or the stock market). The predictions were specific usually concerning the Nation of Israel, in some cases concerning an individual, and in many cases pointing to the promised Messiah. These predictions…
- related to spiritual matters
- often focused on what would happen if the people did not repent
- in some instances, were encouraging or motivating
- include hundreds about the coming Messiah that are fulfilled in Jesus
- include future events (apocalyptic) yet to be fulfilled (studying these types of predictions, or end times, is referred to as eschatology)
Prophecy is the most compelling evidence for the reliability, inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible. No other book or person has the amazing prophetic accuracy that the Bible has! Of the 26 other “so called” religious books not one has prophetic predictive accuracy.
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The mark of true prophecy is 100% accuracy
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27% of the Bible contains predictive prophecy
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The Bible’s prophecy has been 100% accurate
Skeptics often say things like: “Couldn’t a group of Christians have just thought up these prophecies and then placed them in the Bible after the fact or, couldn’t Jesus have attempted on his own to fulfill these prophecies?”
Answer: NO WAY! Because…
- Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the Old Testament prophecies are not made up:
- The Dead Sea Scrolls contain the entire Old Testament (except the book of Esther) including a complete copy of Isaiah, dated between 200 and 100 BC, as well as all the other prophets and prophecy passages
- The Dead Sea Scrolls match our Old Testament today with over 95% accuracy (any errors are simply grammatical, spelling or word order, and nothing in meaning or doctrine is affected)
- Jesus could not have planned prophecies concerning specific circumstances of his life, for example:
- Specific details of His birth
- The time in which He lived
- Specific details of His death
If we look at the mathematical probability of just 8 prophecies being fulfilled in the person of Jesus we would find this to be equivalent to 1 chance in 10 to the 17th power:
That is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!
For fulfillment of 48 prophecies it would be 1 in 10 to the 157th power:
- That’s 1 in 10 with 157 zeros after it!
- Imagine the number that describes the fulfillment of all the rest!
JESUS FULFILLED THEM ALL!!!
Going Deeper
Watch Josh McDowell’s presentation that includes the amazing fulfillment of prophecy in Scripture:
“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
2 Peter 1:19-21
Reflection
- Read the book of Isaiah and take note on places where it reads like a biography of Jesus.
- How do the Dead Sea Scrolls help confirm the authenticity of the Old Testament prophecies related to Jesus?
- Review the mathematical probability that Jesus could have fulfilled just 8 prophecies? What about 48? Commit to sharing this with someone.
- PTRs: Prayer Focus—Thankfulness for the overwhelming evidence for the truths of Scripture.
Bible Study
Each week we do a Bible study to practice our Bible study skills. Read through the short book of James, then answer the following questions:
Introduction: Most Scholars agree that the book of James (and the book of Galatians) were the earliest books of the New Testament (c. AD/CE 49-50). This book is written in what some say is a contrast to Paul’s writings concerning faith – but is it? This book actually focuses on works as the evidence of faith. It is not a pre-salvational focus, but actually a post-salvational one. As you read this book notice how the focus is on the Christian walk. The author points out that while many Christians possess all the right answers, they contradict the gospel with their lives. They profess to trust God and follow Him, yet they cling to the world and its values. The writer confronts this hypocrisy with the challenge to believers to show their faith, because genuine faith will inevitably produce good works.
“Practicing Hermeneutics”
- Who is the author of this book, what do we know about him and where else in the Bible can we find him? Extra Credit: He is often confused with others who have the same name, how can we tell which one he is?
- Who was the audience and what do we know about them? Extra Credit: What was going on in the culture at the time?
- What is the genre’ and purpose for the writing of the book? (Remember genre’ is the literary style of the book and most of the Biblical books fall under categories like historical narrative, Church history, epistle, prophecy, wisdom literature, end times literature etc.).
- Context: Outline the topics or themes in this short book.
Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Bible” by looking at specific Bible passages for fulfilled prophecy!
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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