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The Prophetic Word

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References

Scientific Evidences of the Bible’s Inspiration by Bert Thompson (Apologetics Press)

Ready with an Answer by John Ankerberg and John Weldon

The Prophet Motive by Kenny Barfield (Gospel Advocate)

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Against Odds

David wrote of Christ’s crucifixion in Psalm 22 - 1,000 years before the event

Micah wrote of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem in Micah 5:2 - 700 years before

Daniel wrote of Christ’s coming in Daniel 9:24-27 - 530 years before it happened

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Against Odds

Probability of a chance fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem estimated to be 1 in 300,000

For 8 prophecies to be fulfilled by chance, the odds decrease rapidly to 1 in 1017

For 48 prophecies to be fulfilled by chance, the odds are 1 in 10157!

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Against Odds

But Borel’s Law of Probability states that events with probabilities less than 1 in 1050 are impossibilities

There are over 200 prophecies concerning Christ - all fulfilled. What is the probability that this is the result of chance?

Impossible to be a chance occurrence

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Some Significant

Prophecies

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The Assyrian Captivity

“The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, . . . . " Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known -- wood and stone.” (Deuteronomy 28:49,64)

Cause of God’s judgment against Israel: unfaithfulness

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The Assyrian Captivity

Written by Moses in 15th century BC - 700 years in advance of the event

History records that Assyria struck the northern kingdom of Israel in 722-721 BC and deported the people

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The Babylonian Captivity

““Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,” says the LORD. “And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”” (Isaiah 39:6-7)

Prophecy against Judah - also due to unfaithfulness

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The Babylonian Captivity

““behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says the LORD, “and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. . . . . And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”” (Jeremiah 25:9,11)

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The Babylonian Captivity

Prophecies specifically mention Babylon by name at a time when Babylon was not

yet a significant power the name of the king who would lead the

Babylonians the duration of the captivity in Babylon some of the things Babylonians would do

Prophecy of the Babylonian captivity of Judah written by Isaiah in 700-680 BC - 100 years before the event

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The Babylonian Captivity

Fulfilled in every detail

History records that in 606 BC Nebuchadnezzar struck Judah and carried her into captivity in 587 BC for 70 years

“Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles,” (Daniel 1:3)

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King Cyrus - Prophecy

“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; . . . Who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.””” (Isaiah 44:24,28)

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King Cyrus - Fulfillment

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:1-2)

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King Cyrus

Prophecy that includes fine detail

“For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.” (Isaiah 45:4)

An impossibility that prophet Isaiah in his time could have guessed or influenced the name of a king, much less dictate that he would set Judah free from the Babylonian captivity

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King Cyrus

Written after the fact?

Historical records show Cyrus reigned from 559-530 BC and wrote his edict in March 538 BC,

Internal and external evidences show book of Isaiah was written around 700 BC - 150 years in advance

Prophecies of Judah’s restoration also made by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10-14)

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King Cyrus

Purpose:

“That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;” (Isaiah 45:6)

Not a sensational work, but an unmistakable sign of divine work given as warning to Judah against apostasy - and warning to all future generations of His hand in world history

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Four Empires

Four kingdoms prophesised by Daniel (Daniel 7, 8, 11)

The Babylonian Empire the time when Daniel was living in

The Medo-Persian Empire the time when Daniel was living in

identified specifically (Daniel 8:20)

The Greek Empire identified specifically (Daniel 8:21)

include details such as the break-up (Daniel 8:22)

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Four Empires

The Roman Empire based on the characteristics described - a terrible

kingdom (Daniel 7:7) based on the timing of the establishment of Christ’s

kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14)

How could Daniel predict events up to 500years in advance?

Were the prophecies written after the fact?

Was book of Daniel written in 165 BC(as claimed by skeptics), or 6th century BC?

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Four Empires

Linguistic evidence from Dead Sea Scrolls confirms authorship of book of Daniel is in 6th century BC

Even if late date of 165 BC is assumed: it still cannot explain the prediction about the

Roman Empire - Rome did not conquer Palestine till 63 BC

Unable to explain the prediction about the arrival of the Messiah from the time the decree to rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity (Daniel 9:24-27)

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Fate of the Nations

Numerous prophecies made concerning the end of the pagan nations in the Near East

Egypt

Assyria

Babylon

Philistia

All fulfilled as attested by archaeological evidences

Phoenicia (Tyre & Sidon)

Edom

Moab

Israel & Judah

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Tyre

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.”” (Ezekiel 26:3)

“For thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people.” (Ezekiel 26:7)

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Tyre

““I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,” says the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 26:21)

Written in the 6th century BC - much details given

Fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar who began the destruction, and Alexander the Great who completed the prophecy - and fulfilled in the details as well

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Tyre

Fulfilled in detail as recorded by history:

that Nebuchadnezzar would be involved

that many nations would be involved (Babylon as well as Greece)

that Tyre would become bare as a flat rock

that fishermen would spread nets over the destroyed site

that the debris would be thrown into the sea

that the city would not be rebuilt Present day Tyre is NOT at the same site

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Tyre

“They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water.” (Ezekiel 26:12)

Alexander the Great used the rubble of the city on the mainland to build a causeway to gain access to the island city

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Bethlehem

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

A prophecy concerning the birth of Christ in Bethlehem - 700 years in advance

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Ex Post Facto?

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Pro- or Post-phecies?

Numerous events prophesied in the Bible occurred - as archaeology has established their historicity

Bible prophecies therefore a strong evidence of existence and work of the Divine

Raises questions amongst skeptics of whether books containing prophecies were written before or after the event (ex post facto)

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Pro- or Post-phecies?

Atheists and liberals, who deny an Omnipotent God, assign late dates to several books of the Bible to exclude possibility of predictive prophecies - especially those that were fulfilled to to minute details

Hence, skeptics claim - with little or no evidence - that most books in Old Testament originated after the exile - around 2nd or 3rd century BC

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Archaeological Evidences

Archaeology answers the skeptics

Evidence that Bible prophecies were written in time periods before the events occurred - in many cases, long, long before

Strong evidences of early dates for the origin of several prophetic books

Not important to show exact date - enough to show period of origin, that they were written before the predicted events

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Dating the Books

Accurate and detailed knowledge of conditions, background and setting of the period described in the books and confirmed by archaeology

Political condition Cultural, architectural, customs Knowledge of individual personalities

Comparative study against writings of the same period

Words, phrases and language used Style of writing

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Dating the Books

Book of Isaiah and Jeremiah are 8th century BC and late 7th century BC works respectively

Books of Daniel and Ezekiel are 6th century BC works

Above find verification in the Dead Sea Scrolls

If books are late works, they would not have been included in the Dead Sea Scrolls by the conservative Qumran community

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Dating the Books

Due to large number of fulfilled prophecies, ability to show early origin of some books enough to establish the case for possibility of divine prophecies

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Role of Prophecies

Prophecies play a critical role to allow people to discern who were truly prophets of God and who were false prophets

Prophecies also served as warnings to the Jews who were inclined to fall into idolatry

Purpose is essential to lead Israel and all of God’s people in the right path

All above meaningless if they were written“ex post facto”

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Role of Prophecies

Archaeology confirms that idolatry was widespread in Israel and Judah, hence verify necessity for prophets to bear God’s warnings

If Bible prophecies were written “ex post facto”, then Purpose of prophecies cannot be fulfilled There were in effect no confirmed warnings

against idolatry Entire Bible is deceptive because most of the

books contain the prophetic element