This week and next we are segueing into our next series by making a connection between the Old and New Testaments based on prophecy and its fulfillment. 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 Biblical prophecies is that they are always 100% accurate!

Prophecy begins as far back as the “Fall” where God immediately promises a plan of salvation (Genesis 3) that will eventually be fulfilled through 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 and curse called the Adamic Covenant
Genesis 6:18 – Passed on through Noah included in the Noachian Covenant
Genesis 12:3 – Expanded to Abraham called the Abrahamic Covenant (and on throughout the rest of Genesis from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob, and culminating in 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 called the Davidic Covenant
These Covenants are then supported by hundreds of prophecies by various prophets that point to the promise of a coming Savior 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 sounds like it was written in the first century A.D. after Jesus was crucified? But no, Isaiah wrote some 800 years before it actually happened! Here is a 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 16 prophets who also 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 the Messiah and things the Nation of Israel would face both eminently and futuristically
These Old Testament prophets not only made predictions but they were investigative reporters and preachers that also exposed moral corruption, condemned it, and demanded repentance

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 and were never small in nature. They were not generalized (like predicting a sporting event or the stock market), but 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.

The mark of true prophecy is 100% accuracy
27% of the Bible contains predictive prophecy
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) and 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; 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 17^th power:

That is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!

For fulfillment of 48 prophecies it would be 1 in 10 to the 157^th power:

That’s 1 in 10 with 157 zeros after it!
Imagine the number that describes the fulfillment of all the rest!

JESUS FULFILLS THEM ALL!!!

Going Deeper:

Watch Josh McDowell’s presentation that includes the amazing fulfillment of prophecy in Scripture:

Join us next week as we continue to look at the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies and their specific passages!

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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.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15