The Bible proves itself (2)

When we turn to the Bible, we do not defend the Word with human reasonings. No—we open the Scriptures and let them speak for themselves. Just as a lion defends itself when released, so the Word proves its power and reliability. Last time we saw how the Bible, as a library of seventy books, forms a unity only explainable if God Himself is the Author. This time we turn our attention to another unique feature of the Bible: its foretelling.

human prediction, God’s foretelling

The difference is fundamental: humans predict, based on observations and models, but God foretells. That is: He declares beforehand what will happen, and it does. The Greek word for prophecy, propheteia, literally means fore-telling. In 2 Peter 1 we read that prophecy was never by human will, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Foretelling is reserved only for God, who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10 CLNT).

the foretelling about Cyrus

An impressive example of divine foretelling is found in Isaiah’s prophecies about Cyrus, king of Persia. More than a hundred years before Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon, God spoke through Isaiah that Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the temple founded again (Isaiah 44:26). Even more remarkable is that the name of the king who would do it—Cyrus—was named in advance (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).

Reading history in 2 Chronicles 36, everything happened exactly as foretold:

• After Jerusalem’s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, the people experienced seventy years of exile, as Jeremiah had foretold.
• At the end of that period, God stirred the spirit of Cyrus, who issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
• Cyrus himself acknowledged that JHVH, the God of heaven, had commissioned him.

Thus, more than two centuries after Isaiah’s foretelling, everything was fulfilled in detail.

foretelling to Abraham

Another precise foretelling is found in Genesis 15. God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land, oppressed there, and that after four hundred years they would leave with great possessions (Genesis 15:13–14). In Exodus 12 we read that the sons of Israel indeed departed Egypt 430 years after Abraham’s call, exactly on the very day (Exodus 12:41). Not only was the event fulfilled, but the timing was precise.

the coming of Christ foretold

The entire Hebrew Bible testifies to the coming of the Messiah. From the beginning it was foretold:

• that He would come from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15),
• from the line of Abraham, Judah, and David (Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 11:1),
• born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1),
• and that He would suffer and rise from the dead (Isaiah 53; Psalm 16:10).

In the book of Acts, we read how the apostles continually prove from the Scriptures that the Nazarene Jesus corresponds perfectly to the profile the prophets outlined for the Messiah. The Gospel is the proclamation that God has fulfilled His promises in Jesus Christ. This is good news because it proves that God has fulfilled (and continues to fulfill) His Word.

prophecy in our days

Foretellings are not limited to the past. Even today we see how the prophetic setting is unfolding. In the past century, nations and peoples have again appeared on the world stage:

• Egypt (1922),
• Lebanon (1943),
• Syria (1946),
• Amman (Ammon, Jordan; 1946),
• Israel (1948),
• Jerusalem as capital (1967),
• and Palestine (1988).

It is remarkable that these peoples and regions—absent from nationhood for centuries or even millennia—have been “put on the map” exactly as the prophets spoke. We also witness the moral decline of the “Christian West,” the explosive growth of information and communication technology, and the preparedness of means for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Each confirms what the prophetic Word foretold.

Moreover, biblical chronology points to the end of six millennia since Adam. From God’s perspective (2 Peter 3:8) the seventh day—the great Sabbath—draws near. Hosea 6 speaks of two days (= two millennia) during which God will hide His face from Israel, followed by Israel’s resurrection on the third day. Thus not only the wondrous formation of the setting, but also the timeframe indicates that the return of the Messiah is near.

a trustworthy Word

When we see how precisely God fulfills His Word, it gives confidence. His plans are not thwarted by human hands. He speaks, and it happens (Isaiah 46:11). The foretellings about the past have been fulfilled down to the year and day; so it will be with what is yet to come.

Therefore God’s Word is a rock to stand upon. What He promises, He also accomplishes. In a time of uncertainty and confusion, that is the sure foundation on which we may stand and build.

Ask Me about the future things…
– Isaiah 45:11

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