| GOD'S WORD THE BIBLE: | Evidence for Inspiration |
|
|
PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE One of the most astounding facts to be considered about the Bible is the prophecies which have been made by it's authors which at later times were fulfilled in history. There is no other explanation for this phenomena other than the fact that these prophesies were made by men who were inspired by God who alone has the ability to know the future. (Isaiah 46:9-10) "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, {10} Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; THE NATION ISRAEL The
topic of biblical prophecy by itself has been the subject of entire
books. The scope of this presentation will only permit a brief consideration
of the subject. One of the more notable biblical prophecies concerns
the scattering of the nation of Israel throughout the world and
it's eventual regathering in it's original homeland.
Moses predicted that the people would be unfaithful to God and as
a result would be uprooted from the land and scattered among the
nations, " I call heaven and earth to witness against you today,
that you shall surely perish quickly from the land where you are
going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on
it, but shall be utterly destroyed. {27} "And the LORD will
scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number
among the nations, where the LORD shall drive you." (Deuteronomy
4:26-27) Moses again says, "Moreover, the LORD will scatter
you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end
of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone,
which you or your fathers have not known. {65} "And among those
nations you shall find no rest, and there shall be no resting place
for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling
heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul." (Deuteronomy
28:64-65) This prophecy found partial fulfillment first in 722 B.C.
with the Assyrian captivity and then in 586 B.C. with the Babylonian
captivity. Finally in 70 A.D. the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed
the temple leaving the Jews with nothing. They were persecuted by
the Romans and were consequently scattered throughout the then known
world where there dispersion continued throughout history. Moses
also predicted the eventual regathering of the nation of Israel
in their homeland, "So it shall be when all of these things
have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set
before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD
your God has banished you, {2} and you return to the LORD your God
and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that
I command you today, you and your sons, {3} then the LORD your God
will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and
will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God
has scattered you. {4} "If your outcasts are at the ends of
the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from
there He will bring you back. {5} "And the LORD your God will
bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall
possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your
fathers.(Deuteronomy 30:1-5) The prophet Isaiah also spoke of the
regathering of the nation of Israel, "Then it will happen on
that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His
hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt,
Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the
sea. {12} And He will lift up a standard for the nations, And will
assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed
of Judah From the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:11-12).
To the amazement of the entire world in 1948 against all odds the
nation of Israel was "reborn" once again in their homeland.
Since then many Jews have migrated from the four corners of the
earth back to Israel just as the prophets had predicted. THE
CITY OF TYRE Another
notable example of fulfilled prophecy is the city of Tyre. The prophet
Ezekiel predicted the city would be attacked by many nations including
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. The end result would be that
the city would be scraped clean down to bare rock only to become
a place where fisherman would spread their nets. Ezekiel 26:3-21.
Nebuchadnezzar did lay siege to the mainland city of Tyre resulting
in it's eventual downfall. Finally Alexander the Great while laying
siege to the island city of Tyre scraped every timber and stone
available from the mainland to make a causeway from the mainland
to the island city. The result was the fulfillment of Ezekiels prophecy
where to this day the ancient city remains unbuilt and a place where
fisherman anchor their boats and spread their nets to dry on the
bare rocks. JESUS
CHRIST AND PROPHECY The
most significant examples of fulfilled prophecy are found in the
life of Jesus Christ. Josh McDowell in his book "Evidence That
Demands a Verdict" discusses in detail over 60 specific prophecies
made in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the life, death
and resurrection of Jesus. Furthermore, enlarging upon that he references
over 300 prophesies that are applicable to Jesus. The following
ten items provides some examples of fulfilled prophecy in the person
of Jesus Christ: 1).
Born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14 / Matthew 1:18-25; In
closing we may say that a book consistently displaying the ability
to predict future events is one that transcends the capabilities
of man and most likely has it's origin in God. The Bible is such
a book who's ability to predict the future is best explained by
reason of it's inspiration by God. |
|
|
|
|
|
|