Prophecy, fulfilment of OT

The principle that all prophecy achieves its purpose

Isaiah 55:10–11 NASB95

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

See also Dt 18:22

Fulfilment of prophecy concerning individuals in the OT

1 Kings 20:35–36 NASB95

35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the Lord, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you.” And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and killed him.

See also 1 Ki 8:15–21; 1 Ki 8:23–24; 1 Ki 13:21–22; 1 Ki 13:24–26; 1 Ki 14:12–13; 1 Ki 14:17–18; 2 Ki 1:6; 2 Ki 1:17; 2 Ki 7:1–2; 2 Ki 7:16–18; 2 Ki 22:15–20; 2 Ki 23:30

Fulfilment of prophecy concerning the nation of Israel

1 Kings 12:15 NASB95

15 So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the Lord, that He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

See also 1 Ki 11:29–39

Fulfilment of prophecy concerning the royal house

1 Kings 15:29 NASB95

29 It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,

See also 1 Ki 14:7–11; 1 Ki 16:1–7; 1 Ki 16:12; 1 Ki 21:20–29; 2 Ki 9:30–10:11; 2 Ki 10:30; 2 Ki 15:12

Fulfilment of prophecy concerning battles

1 Kings 20:13–21 NASB95

13 Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” 14 Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” And he answered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000. 16 They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18 Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.” 19 So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 They killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.

See also 1 Ki 22:17; 1 Ki 22:35–38; 2 Ki 19:20–37

Fulfilment of prophecy concerning the Babylonian exile

The rise of the Babylonians

Habakkuk 1:6–11 NASB95

6 “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs. 7 “They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves. 8 “Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. 9 “All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand. 10 “They mock at kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress And heap up rubble to capture it. 11 “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.”

See also 2 Ch 36:17

The fall of Jerusalem and exile of the population

2 Kings 20:17–18 NASB95

17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘Some of your sons who shall issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away; and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”

See also 2 Ki 21:10–15; 2 Ki 24:2; 2 Ki 24:10–16

The fate of King Zedekiah

Jeremiah 21:3–7 NASB95

3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the center of this city. 5 “I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation. 6 “I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence. 7 “Then afterwards,” declares the Lord, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.” ’

See also Je 32:3–5; Eze 12:12–14; 2 Ki 25:1–7; Je 39:1–7

The length of captivity

Jeremiah 29:10 NASB95

10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

See also 2 Ch 36:21; Da 9:2

Fulfilment of prophecy concerning Jesus Christ

Luke 24:44 NASB95

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

See also Lk 18:31; Ac 3:18

Fulfilment of other prophecy

Acts 2:14–21 NASB95

14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; 18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy. 19 ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below, Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. 21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

See also Joe 2:28–32; Jos 6:26; 1 Ki 16:34; 1 Ki 13:1–3; 2 Ki 23:16–18; 1 Ki 17:14; 1 Ki 17:16; Mt 2:17–18; Je 31:15; Mt 3:1–3; Is 40:3

Prophecies modified before fulfilment

1 Ki 21:20–26; Is 38:1; Is 38:4–5