Bibliology Session 9-Fulfilled Prophecy Part 1

Defending Inspiration Prophecy in the Bible Nature of Prophecy Prophecy is an authoritative, and accurate declaration of events that have not yet occurred at the time of the announcement, history written in advance. Therefore, by its very nature, prophecy is evidence of the supernatural. UNIQUE TO THE BIBLE. Extent of Biblical Prophecy It has been calculated by Barton Payne that nearly 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic in nature, that is, 8,352 verses out of 31,124 total verses. Only 4 books in the Bible do not contain any predictive material. He notes that 1,817 total prophesies are contained in the scripture, detailing 737 separate events. Several hundred of these predictions have already been fulfilled. Fulfilled prophecy is perhaps the greatest evidence attesting to the supernatural nature of the Bible. Purpose of Prophecy 1. To Demonstrate the God of the Bible as allknowing & all-powerful. 2. To Authenticate a God given message or a God sent messenger (Deuteronomy 18). 3. To Broadcast to the world that the God of the Bible is the only God to worship (Isaiah 45:20-23). Test of Prophecy 1. 100% Accuracy for every uttered prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:22). 2.100% Agreement with every genuine prophet that came before (1 Corinthians 14:32). Resource Recommendation Examples of Prophecy 1.Assyrian Captivity 2.Fall of Nineveh 3.Duration of the Babylonian Empire 4.Rise of Cyrus the Great 5.The Wealth of Persia 6.Sequence of World Powers from Babylon to Rome 7.Conquests of Alexander the Great 8.The Fall of Tyre 9.The History of the Intertestamental period. 10.Three Hundred Separate Prophecies fulfilled in the 1st Coming of Christ, including 70 Weeks prophecy. Fall of Nineveh Two books of the Bible are written about Nineveh. 1. Jonah (783-746 B.C.) 2.Nahum (663-612 B.C.) The repentance of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah bought them somewhere around another 100 years of existence, which was necessary in order to fulfill other prophecies. Fall of Nineveh Isaiah 7:8,17-25; Hosea 11:5; Amos 5:27 all prophecy that the nation of Assyria will one day bring about the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But if God judged Nineveh, and wiped them out, then these prophesies would be meaningless. Therefore God raised up Jonah, sent him to Nineveh to bring about their repentance, thereby allowing them to continue as a nation for another 100 years. Fall of Nineveh Although God used Nineveh to judge the Northern kingdom, He then foretold of the judgement of Assyria because of their sin (Isaiah 10). The destruction of Nineveh was prophesied in 10 different passages in the O.T. Nahum chapters 2-3, however, give elaborate detail concerning its fall. 74% of the little book of Nahum is predictive giving copious details of the fall of Nineveh. Fall of Nineveh The Babylonian Chronicles, discovered at Babylon throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, record the taking of Nineveh from the perspective of the Babylonians. The discovery of these chronicles has been immensely helpful in corroborating the Biblical account. Nahum 2:6 describes how a river was instrumental in breaching the city walls of Nineveh. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus also states this. Excavations of Nineveh Nahum 2:10 describes Nineveh as becoming “empty, and void, and waste.” When the armies of Alexander the Great passed over Nineveh, they did not even know it was beneath their feet. Many scholars doubted the very existence of the city till in was discovered in 1842. Duration of Babylonian Empire Jeremiah 27:1-8 was written to warn Judah to submit to the mighty kind Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 7, however, details that the yoke of Babylon will be upon the nations, and they will serve “him, and his son, and his son’s son.” In other words, Babylon will be supreme world power for a mere 3 generations. Sequence of World Powers From Babylon to Rome (Daniel 2) Sequence of World Powers The accuracy and copious amount of prophecy detailing the sequence of world empires as recorded in the book of Daniel has long astounded Bible students. Not only does Daniel get the sequence right, but even the number of major battles, and the aftermath of those battles are foretold with stunning precision. Sequence of World Powers These predictions are astounding when one considers that when Daniel foretells of the rise of nations like Greece or Rome, these “nations” were still city states, and had not yet had any significant appearance on the world stage. Sequence of World Powers For example, the Greek city states were never a united force until the Persian invasion nearly 100 years after Daniel predicted their rise. Even then, the Greek ascendency to greatness would still take over a century to occur. While Greece was dominant, Rome was still a small city state struggling with neighboring Italian tribes. Cyrus the Great Isaiah 44-45 foretold of the rise of Cyrus the Great, as well has the impending doom of Babylon. Several details concerning the carrier of Cyrus, as well as the fall of Babylon are contained in the Biblical text. These prophecies were fulfilled in 538 B.C. Perhaps most startling is the appearance of the Name “Cyrus,” 150 years before the events occur. Cyrus the Great According to Jewish history recorded by Josephus, the book of Isaiah was presented to king Cyrus when he rode into the conquered city of Babylon. The 150 year old Isaiah scroll, mentioning Cyrus by name, startled him. This resulted in his releasing of the Jews from captivity exactly 70 years after their capture, thus fulfilling yet another prophecy. Cyrus the Great Isaiah 44-45 prophesied the rise of Cyrus the Great, and the fall of the city of Babylon. Daniel 5 records this event as history. The Cyrus Cylinder, discovered in the ruins of Babylon in 1879, confirms the fulfillment of this prophecy. Three Major Victories of Persia Daniel 8:1-4 pictures ancient Persia as a ram. In antiquity the ram was a symbol of the Persian empire. This golden ram head dates back to the period of Persian dominance. Three Major Victories of Persia Daniel 8:1-4 note that three major conflicts, one westward, one northward, and one southward, will give rise to the Persian Empire. Persia first pushed westward, and took Babylon. Their northward push met the famed kingdom of Lydia (mythical Midas). Their push south came against Egypt. These three great victories eliminated competition for the empire. Sequence of Persian Rulers Read Daniel 11:2. History bears this prediction out. After Cyrus the Great, the next kings of Persia were Cambyses II Smerdis (a.k.a. Artexerxes) Darius Hystaspes Xerxes Here is a relief of Xerxes located in the ruins of Persepolis. Wealth of Persia Daniel 11:2 notes that the fourth king from Cyrus, known to history as Xerxes, will be the wealthiest of all Persian kings. History reveals that this indeed was the case. Historical Xerxes is believed to be one in the same as the Biblical Ahasuerus, the husband of Esther. The wealth of Persia largely came from its conquests. Persia was the height of culture during its zenith.