Information Related to "Can You Believe Bible Prophecy? (9/99)"
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Can You Believe
Bible Prophecy?
by Noel Hornor and Roger Foster
If you aren't sure whether the Bible
should be trusted as the inspired Word of God, you belong to a significant majority.
Surveys of Americans, Europeans and others repeatedly confirm that few know what
the Bible says.
The majority of those questioned could not even recall the names of the four Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
Most people are familiar with some stories from the Bible but have limited knowledge
and understanding of its content. Many who say they do not believe the Bible reject
it without even reading it.
Our educational systems lock out the Bible. Even religious leaders vigorously disagree
on which and how much of its teachings apply to whom. Those who take the time to
study it are in the distinct minority. It is little wonder biblical illiteracy is
so widespread.
The Importance of Prophecy
The Bible claims that it was inspired by God. It even quotes Him saying, "I am
God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that are not yet done . . ." (Isaiah 46:9-10,
emphasis added throughout).
How credible is the Bible's claim that it can foretell the future, that it contains
the very words of God predicting events long before they come to pass? Can we find
reliable evidence to back up this statement?
On a more personal level, what evidence would make that claim believable to you?
Are you prepared to accept the reliability of the Bible if its claims can be documented
and verified? If the Bible indeed predicts the future--and if God Himself will bring
to pass what the Bible foretells--what are the implications for us of that demonstration
of God's inspiration and power?
Believe it or not, it is prophecy, the most-scoffed-at part of Scripture, that is
one of the elements of the Bible easiest to check for accuracy. Many biblical prophecies
have already come to pass. By comparing the Bible's predictions with what actually
happened, we can test the Bible's reliability. We can discover for ourselves whether
it should be regarded as the inspired Word of God.
An excellent example of where the Bible can easily be tested is prophecies foretelling
the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. Amazing details of His life and work were
revealed and recorded by several writers centuries before He was born. The sheer
number of these predictions, with their astonishingly accurate details, powerfully
support the validity of Bible prophecy.
(You will find a partial listing of the many prophecies about Christ and references
to their fulfillment in "Jesus Christ in Prophecy" Sidebar 1. We urge you to look
up each scriptural reference, including the prophecy and its recorded fulfillment,
in your own Bible.)
God's Challenge to Skeptics
God has long urged skeptics to examine prophecy as a proof of His existence and
reliability. To those who in ancient times worshiped worthless idols rather than
the true God, He issued this challenge: "Bring in your idols to tell us what
is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider
them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what
the future holds, so that we may know you are gods" (Isaiah 41:22-23, New International
Version).
God recorded prophecy and its fulfillment to prove He is truthful and we can trust
His words. By predicting events centuries in advance, then insuring they come to
pass, He gives us irrefutable proof of both His existence and the inspiration of
His Word, the Bible.
If we can demonstrate that God has already fulfilled many prophecies, it should be
obvious that He also has the power to fulfill prophecies of the future. "Indeed I
have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass," He tells us. "I have purposed it;
I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:11).
Since so much prophecy relates to conditions and events leading up to Jesus Christ's
return--a time world conditions indicate may be quite soon--shouldn't we take God
up on His challenge? Wouldn't it be helpful to know what the Bible predicts concerning
that time, and whether those prophecies are believable?
The prophet Daniel predicted, long in advance, many events that have already occurred.
But some of his prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. Concerning some of those future
prophecies, God told Daniel to "shut up the words, and seal the book until the time
of the end . . ." (Daniel 12:4).
This verse indicates that certain major prophecies will be much more understandable
to those who serve God as the time of the end approaches. Daniel also indicates that
the prophetic meaning of certain crucial world events and conditions leading up to
the time of the end will be understood by the people of God even as they are occurring
(Daniel 12:9-10; Amos 3:7).
The Bible presents itself as a trustworthy guide in these matters. It has accurately
predicted much of what we know as history. Similarly, it was written to help us understand
what is yet to happen.
Let's compare several Bible prophecies to their fulfillments. Let's discover whether
these occurrences are evidence that demonstrates that the Bible is indeed the Word
of God and whether it is a trustworthy source of information critical to our future.
Some people have referred to Bible prophecy as history written in advance. Is it?
Daniel in the Skeptic's Den
The prophecies of Daniel supply many keys for establishing the accuracy of all
Bible prophecy. Many of his prophecies are so specific that, if they can be demonstrated
to be true, only the most prejudiced minds could continue to doubt and reason their
way around them.
The actions of some skeptics are quite revealing. They do not even attempt to challenge
the accuracy of the content of Daniel's prophecies. They don't dispute that
they are astonishingly accurate. Rather than admitting that Daniel's words are indeed
inspired, however, they resort to labeling his book a fraud.
How? They simply deny that the book was written in the sixth century B.C., as indicated
by the historical events recorded in the book itself. Instead they claim it was penned
by an unknown author sometime after 200 B.C., long after many events prophesied in
the book had already occurred. This, Daniel's critics conveniently allege, is the
only plausible explanation for the book's startling prophetic accuracy.
Examining the Skeptics' Approach
Let's consider the nature of these critics' approach. They begin by disputing
Daniel's authorship because he refers to himself in the third person in his early
chapters.
However, as Gleason L. Archer Jr., professor of Old Testament and semitics at Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, points out, this "was the custom among ancient authors
of historical memoirs" (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 1985, Vol. VII,
p. 4). Daniel was merely adhering to the accepted writing conventions of his time.
In relating some of his personal feelings and experiences, however, Daniel did appropriately
write in the first person (Daniel 7:15; 8:15; 9:2; 10:2).
The identity of Daniel's critics is also significant. The first person known to have
questioned the authenticity of Daniel's authorship was the Greek scholar and historian
Porphyry, who lived A.D. 233-304.
Porphyry is labeled by historians as a Neoplatonist, meaning he subscribed to the
doctrines of the Greek philosopher Plato. What were his fundamental beliefs? "Porphyry
is well known as a violent opponent of Christianity and defender of Paganism"
(Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition, Vol. 22, p. 104, "Porphyry").
Since Porphyry was an enemy of Christianity, his objectivity is questionable when
he writes about Christianity or the Bible. Further, he revealed no factual basis
for his opinion, and his view contradicts the testimony of Jesus Christ, who explicitly
refers to Daniel as the author of the book that bears his name (Matthew 24:15).
The biblical scholar Jerome (A.D. 340-420) refuted Porphyry's contention. Thereafter
no one took Porphyry's remarks seriously again until many centuries later. ". . .
He was more or less dismissed by Christian scholarship as a mere pagan detractor
who had allowed a naturalistic bias to warp his judgment. But during the time of
the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, all supernatural elements in Scripture
came under suspicion; and Porphyry's theory received increasing support . . ."
(Archer, p. 13).
Scholars with liberal leanings still recycle these centuries-old arguments. Historian
Eugene H. Merrill, professor of Old Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary,
says their beliefs are built on feeble evidence. ". . . (Daniel's)
rhetoric and language are eminently at home in the sixth century (B.C.), the era
in which the book purports to have been written," says Dr. Merrill. "It is only on
the most subjective and circular lines of evidence that the man (Daniel) and his
writing have been denied historicity" (Kingdom of Priests, 1996, p. 484).
Phenomenal Prediction and Fulfillment
The accuracy of Daniel's prediction of remotely distant events is spectacular.
For example, he wrote the "70 weeks" prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) in "the first year
of Darius" (verse 1). The first year of Darius was 539 B.C. (Merrill, p. 486).
In this prophecy God specifies a period of 70 "sevens" or 70 "weeks of years," to
complete the salvation of His people. A total of 69 of these "weeks of years" (7
+ 62 X 7 = 483 years) specifies the period that would elapse from the order
to rebuild the Jerusalem temple (Ezra 1:1-4) until the first appearance of the Messiah,
Jesus of Nazareth, 31/2 years before His death. That decree was given in 457 B.C.
(Archer, p. 114).
Exactly 483 years later (taking into account the fact there is no year 0 between
1 B.C. and A.D. 1) Jesus Christ began preaching in Galilee (Mark 1:1,14). In this
amazing prophecy, Daniel predicted "the precise year of Christ's appearance
and the beginning of his ministry in A.D. 27" (Archer, p. 9). His death was
also predicted in Daniel 9:26.
Daniel's final "week of years" (the 70th week) was to be delayed until the time of
the "abomination of desolation" mentioned by Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:15). At that
time, says Daniel, "the horde of an invading prince will work havoc on city and sanctuary.
The end of it will be a cataclysm, inevitable war with all its horrors. The prince
will make a firm league with the many for one of the seventy (weeks of years); and,
with that one half (31/2 years) spent, he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And in the train of these abominations will come the perpetrator of desolation; then,
in the end, what has been decreed concerning the desolation will be poured out" (Daniel 9:26-27, Revised English Bible). To better understand this prophecy, be sure to read
"Just What Is the Abomination of Desolation?," beginning on page 9.
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
Daniel records another remarkable prophecy, his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's
dream, in chapter 2. In the second year of his reign the Babylonian king had a troubling
dream that none of his counselors could explain. Babylonian culture placed considerable
emphasis upon dreams, and Nebuchadnezzar was convinced this one was of great importance
(Daniel 2:1-3).
His dream gives us a "disclosure of God's plan for the ages till the final triumph
of Christ" and "presents the foreordained succession of world powers that are
to dominate the Near East till the final victory of the Messiah in the last days"
(Archer, pp. 39, 46).
The Bible records that Daniel, under inspiration from God and without prior knowledge
of the dream's content, explained the details of the dream to Nebuchadnezzar: "You,
O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor
was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image's head was
of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thigh of bronze, its legs
of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay" (Daniel 2:31-33).
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar his Babylonian Empire was represented by the head of gold
(verses 37-38). The silver, bronze and iron-and-clay components of the image, or
statue, represented three powerful empires that were to follow mighty Babylon (verses 39-40).
This divine interpretation of the dream provided Nebuchadnezzar as well as Daniel
with an astounding preview of history. The dream occurred and Daniel interpreted
it about 600 B.C. The image in the dream represented the sequence of great empires
that would dominate the civilized world's political scene for centuries. Notice how
accurately it was fulfilled.
"The silver empire was to be Medo-Persia, which began with Cyrus the Great,
who conquered Babylon in 539 . . . This silver empire was supreme in the
Near and Middle East for about two centuries" (Archer, p. 47).
"The bronze empire was the Greco-Macedonian Empire established by Alexander
the Great . . . The bronze kingdom lasted for about 260 or 300 years before
it was supplanted by the fourth kingdom" (ibid.).
"Iron connotes toughness and ruthlessness and describes the Roman Empire that
reached its widest extent under the reign of Trajan" (ibid.). Trajan reigned
A.D. 98-117, and the Roman Empire itself ruled for many centuries.
The fourth empire was depicted as having 10 toes. The feet and toes are composed
partly of iron and partly of clay, as verse 41 explains. "Verse 41 deals with
a later phase or outgrowth of this fourth empire, symbolized by the feet and ten
toes--made up of iron and earthenware, a fragile base for the huge monument. The
text clearly implies that this final phase will be marked by some sort of federation
rather than by a powerful single realm" (ibid.).
Another Dream Adds Important Details
Additional aspects of this succession of world-ruling empires were revealed to
Daniel in a later dream. This time the four empires were represented by four beasts:
a lion (Babylonian Empire), a bear (Persian Empire) and a leopard (Greco-Macedonian
Empire) and a fourth beast described as "terrible" and unlike the other three (Daniel 7:1-7).
"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful
and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking
in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the
beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7:7, NKJV).
What does this description mean? It is a reference to the great power of the Roman
Empire, which crushed all who opposed it. "Thus the superior power of the colossus
of Rome . . . is emphasized in the symbolism of this terrible fourth beast"
(Archer, p. 87).
What is the meaning of the 10 horns? The ultimate fulfillment of this part of the
prophecy is yet in our future. "The ten horns appear to refer to an end-time
revival of the Roman Empire . . ." (Archer, p. 25).
This concurs with Daniel 2:44, which obviously indicates that the second coming
of Christ will occur in a time during which vestiges of the fourth beast, or kingdom,
still exist: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever."
The greater part of these prophetic events, as detailed by the two dreams, has already
been fulfilled. Babylon, the dominant power of Daniel's day, fell (the circumstances
are recorded in Daniel 5). It was succeeded, in turn, by the Medo-Persian Empire,
the Greco-Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire--just as
revealed to and recorded by Daniel.
The fulfillment of these detailed prophecies dramatically affirms the divine inspiration
of the Bible. The odds against any person being able to accurately predict these
monumental occurrences in the history of mankind defy all rational possibilities.
Therefore, Daniel's statement that "there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets,
and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days,"
becomes all the more credible (Daniel 2:28).
The Bible's Most Detailed Prophecy
Daniel 11 records another phenomenal prophecy. The chronological setting is given
in Daniel 10:1 as the "third year of Cyrus king of Persia." A "man,"
no doubt an angel (Daniel 9:21), came to tell Daniel what would occur in the "latter
days" (Daniel 10:14).
The prophecy that follows is the most detailed in the Bible. The third year of Cyrus
was more than 500 years before the birth of Christ. Yet this prophecy foretells events
that would begin to occur almost immediately and will continue until the return of
Christ.
The initial stages of the prophecy confirm the accuracy of the Bible because they
are already fulfilled. They can be verified by a careful study of the Persian and
Greek empires. It is unimaginable that any human being on his own could foresee such
fine historical detail.
Some elements of what follows are intricate, requiring close attention. But a comparison
of the prophetic words with the historical record makes them clear.
The first 35 verses of Daniel 11 predicted, centuries in advance, the protracted
wars and political intrigue between two political entities labeled the "king of the
South" and the "king of the North.î
In secular history the various kings of the south were of the Ptolemy dynasty, ruling
from Alexandria in Egypt. The kings of the north ruled from Antioch in Syria, often
under various forms or combinations of the names Seleucus and Antiochus.
At this point the prophecy Daniel 11 takes on a different tone, shifting to "the
time of the end" near the end of verse 35. To quote Dr. Archer again: "With
the conclusion of the preceding pericope (extract) at verse 35, the predictive material
that incontestably applies to the Hellenistic empires and the contest between the
Seleucids and the Jewish patriots ends" (p. 143). (For a thorough explanation of
this extremely accurate and detailed prophecy, be sure to request your free copy
of our booklet Is the Bible True?)
Interpreting Prophetic Evidence
Liberal and conservative scholars agree that all of Daniel 11 up to verse 35
contains strikingly accurate descriptions of the whole sweep of events from the reign
of Cyrus to the unsuccessful effort of the infamous Antiochus Epiphanes to stamp
out the Jewish faith.
However, scholars differ greatly in their approach to the prophetic evidence. It
is vital we understand the basis of those differences.
Dr. Archer explains that to some scholars the biblical "pattern of prediction and
fulfillment (presents) compelling evidence of the divine inspiration and authority
of the Hebrew Scriptures, since only God could possibly foreknow the future and see
to it that his announced plan would be precisely fulfilled."
Others, however, take a vastly different view. Assuming God does not exist, they
believe there can be no inspired prophecy or its divinely guided fulfillment. Like
Porphyry, they must brand the books of the biblical prophets as fraudulent, claiming
the only explanation for their startling accuracy is they must have been written
after the fact. To think otherwise would require them to accept a divine Being who
can foretell events down to their smallest details.
Differing Responses to Evidence of God
Some atheists admit they reach their conclusions because they simply do not want
God telling them how to live.
For instance, Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) wrote of his bias: "I had motives for
not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and
was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption . . .
The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with
a problem in pure metaphysics; he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid
reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should
not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous
to themselves . . .
"For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness
was essentially an instrument of liberation . . . We objected to the morality
because it interfered with our sexual freedom . . . There was one admirably
simple method of . . . justifying ourselves in our political and erotic
revolt: we could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever" (Ends and
Means, 1937, pp. 270, 272-273).
Huxley admitted his reasons for rejecting a God who would tell mankind how to live.
How much more plainly can it be said? Many of those who work so hard to challenge
and deny the authority of the Bible do so because they do not want God telling them
what to do.
Will You Trust Such Evidence of God?
What is your to response to such evidence of God? Can you honestly accept its
implications? Does solid evidence that much of Bible prophecy has been fulfilled
precisely as it was written impress you?
In this article we have only scratched the surface of prophecies that have already
been fulfilled precisely as predicted. Many books detail the fulfillment of hundreds
of prophecies. You can trust Bible prophecy as proof of an all-knowing, almighty
God who can foretell the future and then bring it to pass.
Bible prophecy is not simply a dry, dusty record of predictions fulfilled in history.
Prophecy is living. Even now, many biblical prophecies are coursing toward their
fulfillment. Based on the many past prophecies fulfilled in minute detail, we can
be confident that God's predictions through His prophets will come to pass.
The stage appears to be set for many astounding prophecies to be fulfilled in our
times. We would do well to heed the words of Him who tells us, "I have purposed it;
I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:11).
Sidebar 1: Jesus Christ in Prophecy
The introduction to the Jewish New Testament lists 52 prophecies fulfilled in
Christ's birth, life and death as stated in 81 passages in the Old Testament (pp.
xxv-xxix). Although some prophecies were clear, many of the prophecies could not
be understood at the time they were written, even by the prophets themselves (see
Daniel 12:8-9). They came to be understood only in hindsight by the apostles and
writers of the Gospels through the inspiration of God's Spirit.
Among other things, the Old Testament prophets predicted:
-- He would come from the line of King David (Isaiah 11:1-5; Matthew 1:1,6).
-- He would be preceded by one who would announce His coming (Isaiah 40:3,5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3).
-- He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-20).
-- His birth would occur in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1).
-- He would be rejected by His own people (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11).
-- He would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9; John 13:18-30).
-- The price for His betrayal would be 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:15).
-- A potter's field would be purchased with His betrayal money (Zechariah 11:13; Matthew 27:3-10).
-- He would be slain as the silent Passover Lamb of God (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12;
John 19:14-16).
-- He would be condemned and executed like a criminal (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 22:36-37;
Matthew 27:28).
-- His hands and feet would be pierced (Psalm 22:16; Luke 23:33; 24:38-40).
-- No bone in His body would be broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:33-36).
-- Exactly what His dying words on the cross would be (Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34).
-- His garments would be claimed by others by the casting of lots (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24).
-- He would be buried with the wealthy (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60).
Jesus Himself could not have controlled how all of these prophecies were fulfilled.
No one can control the circumstances of His own birth, who his ancestors are and
where he is born. Nor could He control the actions of others in betraying Him, putting
Him to death and laying His body in the unused tomb of a wealthy man.
Yet these remarkable details were given through a variety of prophets from several
hundred years up to a thousand years in advance. Even details of Christ's death by
crucifixion were predicted by King David many hundreds of years before the practice
of crucifixion became common as a method of execution.
Why this precise accuracy in foretelling Christ's birth, life and death? God was
providing irrefutable evidence for all who would carefully read and consider these
facts that His prophecies can be trusted.
Therefore we have every reason to conclude that, just as the details of Christ's
birth, life and death came to pass exactly as predicted, so will the prophecies related
to His second coming. We should expect them to be fulfilled precisely as they are
revealed in God's Word.
Sidebar 2: The Prophetic Perspective
The amazing scope of biblical prophecy can be properly appreciated only if we
first understand the essential nature of its content. When the apostle Peter said,
"For prophecy never came by the will of man" (2Peter 1:21) he was not restricting
the word prophecy to mean only predictions.
His use of prophecy in this context included everything these "holy men of
God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (same verse). Predictions were only
a part of their messages. They also wrote about the state of nations and peoples,
reviewed history and urged repentance.
In other words, the Bible represents its prophets as spokesmen for or agents of God.
The author of the book of Hebrews aptly expressed this when he wrote, "God, who at
various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son . . ."
(Hebrews 1:1-2).
The job of God's prophets was to diligently represent God's point of view in everything
they said. Advancing the cultural or political point of view of their people was
simply not their calling. In fact, their messages were often highly critical of the
behavioral and cultural trends of the people to whom they were sent.
Why is it essential that we understand the perspective of the prophets? It's mainly
because of the way many modern scholars misrepresent them.
Far too often modern writers and teachers portray the prophets as nationalistic statesmen
who merely reflected a gradually developing national consciousness in ancient Israel
and Judah.
Nothing could be further from the truth. God send these prophets to ancient Israel
and Judah to critique the prevailing national point of view, not reflect it.
God sent them to explain His perspective of the state of His people and the
world in the past, present and future. They address the great dilemmas of humanity
and explain how God will solve them. The culture they represent is the way of life
God has taught from the beginning of mankind's existence.
© 1999 United Church of God, an International Association
Related Information:
Table of Contents that includes "Can You Believe Bible Prophecy? (9/99)"
Other Articles by Noel Hornor
Other Articles by Roger Foster
Origin of article "Can You Believe Bible Prophecy? (9/99)"
Keywords: Daniel prophecy Bible
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