D. Prophecy in the Bible

“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’; (Isaiah 46:9-10)

THE NATION ISRAEL

Entire books have been written on the subject of prophecy. Here we will present a few examples for consideration. One of the more notable biblical prophecies concerns the scattering of the nation of Israel throughout the world and then their eventual regathering in their 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 their 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.

“Son of man, because Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste,’ 3 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘and she will become spoil for the nations. (Ezekiel 26:2-5).

Nebuchadnezzar did lay siege to the mainland city of Tyre resulting in its 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 Ezekiel’s prophecy where the ancient city became a place where fisherman anchored their boats and spread their nets to dry on the bare rocks.

JESUS CHRIST AND PROPHECY

Some of 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 he believes 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

2). Born at Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 / Matthew 2:1-6

3). The promised prophet: Deuteronomy 18:18; John 6:14

4). The Lord of all: Psalm 110:1 / Luke 2:10-11; 20:41-44;

5). The Son of God: Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:32-33; Romans 1:3-4

6). Anointed by the Holy Spirit: Isaiah 11:2; Luke 4:16-21

7). A light to the nations: Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:12-17, John 8:12

8). Details of His death:

-mocked and sneered at: Psalm 22:7-8; Matthew 27:31

-they divided His garments: Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24

-His heart burst: Psalm 22:14; John 19:34

-being thirsty, offered wine and gall: Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34

-none of his bones were broken: Psalm 34:20; John 19:33

-his side was pierced: Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34

-His hands and feet were pierced – Psalm 22:16 / Luke 23:33, John 20:25;

-The Lamb of God: Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29

9). His resurrection: Psalm 16:10: Acts 2:31

10). His ascension to God: Psalm 68:18, 110:1 / Acts 1:1-11, 2:32-36, Hebrews 1:1-3

JESUS THE SUFFERING SERVANT

As we consider prophecy fulfilled in the life of Jesus there is a compelling account found in the book of Acts, about Philip the evangelist who encounters a man reading from the prophet Isaiah. This story illustrates both how the prophets spoke of Jesus and how that prophecy can become a life changing experience for those who study it.

“…there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

“HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER;

AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT,

SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.

“IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY;

WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION?

FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.”

The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:27-36)

The portion of scripture which the eunuch was reading is found in Isaiah 53. The entire chapter foreshadows the coming Messiah Jesus, who was not only to be a great King but also the suffering servant. We invite you to read the entire chapter.

The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53

53:1 Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

And like a root out of parched ground;

He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him,

Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

3 He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10 But the LORD was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

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 has its origin in God. The Bible is such a book and its ability to predict the future is another reason why we believe that God has spoken to our world in and through its prophets and its pages!