In previous lessons, we have weighed the affirmation
of archaeology and the testimony of history as evidences of the trustworthiness
of the Bible. Today, we will add to
those witnesses, THE PROOF OF PROPHECY.
The old fisherman, Simon Peter, wrote this:
For
we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
For He received from God the
Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And
we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy
mountain.
And
so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light
that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in
your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of
Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will
of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet.1:16-21).
The abundance and detail of prophecies given and
fulfilled are another powerful proof that the Bible is true. Could you predict in 150 years who will be
elected President of the United States, or who will be leading Russia or
China? Can you name them? Isaiah named Cyrus as the King of Persia who
would release the Jews from captivity, 150 years before the events (Isaiah 44:28-45:1)! Jeremiah prophesied the fall of Jerusalem and
captivity of the Jews for 70 years exactly as it happened (Jeremiah 25:11-12). Daniel tells us of the rise of four world
empires, as he describes Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 2, 7-8). One can even calculate the time from his era
to Christ’s crucifixion (9:24-27) as he speaks of seventy “weeks” of years—490
years (see the chart).
By the way, if those first 483 years were literally
fulfilled, then I would expect the final 7 to be, as well. That clock for Israel could resume ticking at
any point, when the church is raptured
Concerning Jesus, the Old Testament predicted where He
would be born, the circumstances of His birth, His life and ministry, His
crucifixion, and resurrection—over 300 total prophecies. Maybe they were just really good
guessers!
It has been calculated that the odds of even 8 of
those prophecies being fulfilled by coincidence would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.
Suppose that we take that many silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover the entire state two feet
deep. Now mark one of these silver
dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly.
Then, blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he
wishes, that he had one chance to pick up one silver dollar and it be the one
marked. What chance would he have of
getting the right one? Just the same
chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and
having them all come true in any one man!
Yet, we are not talking about eight, but over 300 prophecies! Prophecy proves the Word of God to be utterly
trustworthy.
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