Prophecy, God's track record.

The Bible is the only known religious document with historically verifiable prophecies that have consistently been fulfilled... God has been establishing His track record for millennia... He has consistently predicted future events that have been fulfilled just as He said they would be. We are very fortunate to be living when we are, because so many of the prophecies recorded in the Bible have been fulfilled.... There are many ministries that have more complete works on prophecy than this post contains, there are dozens of them that have been fulfilled in a way that can be confirmed by secular history... Nevertheless, here are a few examples:

Genesis 12:2. God said He would make Abraham’s name great and make him into a great nation... Although God spoke to Abraham about 2,000 B.C., and Moses, by revelation, wrote this prophecy down about 1,450 B.C.,... today the people of three great religions of the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all know about and honor Abraham... How could anyone have known so long ago that Abraham would have a great name and become a great nation? Moses could not have known this when he wrote... but God, who has His hand on history, reveals Himself as the God of all creation by foretelling the future.... Interestingly, the “great nations” at the time the prophecy was spoken have disappeared. The Sumerians, Elamites, and Hittites were powerful nations ... but the majority of people today, even if well educated, know little about them. That the prophecy about Abraham was so accurately spoken by God thousands of years before Christ, gives us confidence that when He speaks of what is still future....He is just as accurate.

Genesis 16:10. The Word of the L ord given to Hagar, the slave of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was, “...I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”.... Who would have ever thought that Ishmael, the only child of Abraham and Hagar, would grow into a nation of millions and millions of people? Man could not possibly have known that... but God reveals He is the God of creation by foretelling the future.... Today, thousands of years after the prophecy was spoken, we know those descndants as Arabs, and it is well known they trace their own ancestry to Abraham through Ishmael.

Isaiah 44:26-45:6. Isaiah the prophet foretold that Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt by Cyrus... We know that Isaiah prophesied between 776-696 B.C. because Isaiah 1:1 says Isaiah lived in the time of Uzziah (who started reigning in 776 B.C.), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (who ended his reign in 696 B.C.).. Cyrus was a king of the Persian Empire, and he came to the throne in 559 B.C., almost 150 years after Isaiah died... In 538 B.C., he entered Babylon and shortly thereafter commanded that Jerusalem and the Temple be rebuilt (Ezra 1:1-4)



When Isaiah foretold the rebuilding of the Temple, it had not even been destroyed yet!... It was still standing, and it continued to stand for more than 100 years after his prophecy.... In 586 B.C. it was burned to the ground by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. God told Isaiah what the future had in store for the kingdom and people of Israel, and even told Isaiah that a man named “Cyrus” would command that the Temple be rebuilt.... Only God can predict the future with that kind of accuracy, and the Bible is the only book ever written that contains prophecy so clear and exact... The history of the reign of Cyrus and what he did for Israel is common knowledge and can be read in any good encyclopedia.


This is just a small sampling of the many prophecies spoken long ago, recorded in Scripture, and fulfilled in such a way that their accuracy can be seen and documented, not only in the Bible, but in secular history as well. That future events are accurately predicted over and over again in the Bible is one of the great proofs that God authored it.... Most of these facts can be found with a simple search,ie..google, etc.

The Old Testament prophets also foretold the coming of the Messiah in great detail.... According to the Old Testament, the Messiah would:

Be a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 12:3; Gen. 22:18) ...be from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10) ...be a descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12 and 13) ... be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) .... ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9) .... suffer (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53:5 and 6) ... be silent before his accusers (Isa. 53:7) ...be considered a criminal and executed with them (Isa. 53:12).... make intercession for those who really were criminals (Isa. 53:12).... be killed (Isa. 53:8)... have his hands and feet pierced (Ps. 22:16 (this is especially interesting because crucifixion was not yet practiced when Psalms was written... so there was no known reason to pierce anyone’s hands and feet)....have people gamble for his clothing (Ps. 22:18)... as a criminal be assigned a burial place with the wicked... but actually end up being buried in the tomb of a wealthy man (Isa. 53:9).... get up from the dead (Ps. 2:7-9; Ps. 16:10 and 11; Isa. 53:9-12).... ascend into heaven from where he will one day return to rule the earth (Ps. 110:1; Dan. 7:13 and 14)

Jesus Christ fulfilled all these prophecies and even more......but my favorite i s concerning Isreal...this was a nation that had literlly disappeared...scattered, with only a remnant left...yet the prophecies in Ezekial and many other places foretold hundreds of years before the fact, that Isreal would return to their homeland...then in 1948...well you know the rest...for more detail on Isreal you can go here....

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/nationhood.htm

Originally posted by checkbaiter
The Bible is the only known religious document with historically verifiable prophecies that have consistently been fulfilled... God has been establishing His track record for millennia... He has consistently predicted future events that have been fulfilled just as He said they would be. We are very fortunate to be living when we are, because so many of t ...[text shortened]... or more detail on Isreal you can go here....

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/nationhood.htm

But isn't there more to prophecy than a "track record"?

Originally posted by kirksey957
But isn't there more to prophecy than a "track record"?

When you look for a doctor, don't you check his track record?
When you get your automobile repaired, who do you call?
I would say God's track record is pretty good in comparison to other religions....🙂

Originally posted by kirksey957
But isn't there more to prophecy than a "track record"?

The point is...how does this rate as "evidence for God"?
And furthermore...how about His Word?

Originally posted by checkbaiter
When you look for a doctor, don't you check his track record?
When you get your automobile repaired, who do you call?
I would say God's track record is pretty good in comparison to other religions....🙂

I think you missed my point, but since you brought up the analogy of a doctor, let;s go with that. No, I do not check his/her track record as I have no idea how to check it. People go to doctors for a variety of reasons beyond wanting to get well. They may have heard someone is "good" or they may just be assigned to a doctor when they go to the hospital. One of the points I wanted to make is that some of the focus needs to be on the prophet. What is it that the prophet was saying? Why was the prophet "chosen" by God? Is there something beyond the "track record" that God wants to make known?

A little hint: prophets unlike a lot of doctors were not running popularity contests.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I would say God's track record is pretty good in comparison to other religions....🙂

That's funny, the adherents of other religions say the same thing. I wonder why that is? Have you researched any of the prophesies from the Vedas, or the Mahabharata or Ramayana? Of course not. Yet you take yourself to be qualified to hold forth on the prophetic success of other religions.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
The Bible is the only known religious document with historically verifiable prophecies that have consistently been fulfilled... God has been establishing His track record for millennia... He has consistently predicted future events that have been fulfilled just as He said they would be. We are very fortunate to be living when we are, because so many of t ...[text shortened]... or more detail on Isreal you can go here....

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/nationhood.htm

Yes, who could have forseen it?! Those human beings sure breed like rabbits. One man becoming a nation? Well, hell, it had to start somewhere, right?

A relevant thread:

http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=20620

Originally posted by kirksey957
I think you missed my point, but since you brought up the analogy of a doctor, let;s go with that. No, I do not check his/her track record as I have no idea how to check it. People go to doctors for a variety of reasons beyond wanting to get well. They may have heard someone is "good" or they may just be assigned to a doctor when they go to the hosp ...[text shortened]... known?

A little hint: prophets unlike a lot of doctors were not running popularity contests.

Yes, I understand, but these are prophecies that have been fulfilled. The big one in my mind concerns Isreal. The bible prophets were all of God. The evidence shows that.

Deut 18:21-22
21 "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'--
22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
(NKJ)

Originally posted by bbarr
That's funny, the adherents of other religions say the same thing. I wonder why that is? Have you researched any of the prophesies from the Vedas, or the Mahabharata or Ramayana? Of course not. Yet you take yourself to be qualified to hold forth on the prophetic success of other religions.

Yes, I did a quick search. Can you tell me of any prophecies from any that you mentioned that can be proven? That is, that came to pass exactly as prophesied?

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
A relevant thread:

http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=20620

Thanks ATY..will have to read through this.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Yes, I did a quick search. Can you tell me of any prophecies from any that you mentioned that can be proven? That is, that came to pass exactly as prophesied?

Do your own research. My point was merely that you were ignorant of the prophesies of other religions, and hence unjustified in making any claims concerning the extent to which apparently fulfilled prophecies support Christianity as the one true faith.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
The Bible is the only known religious document with historically verifiable prophecies that have consistently been fulfilled... God has been establishing His track record for millennia... He has consistently predicted future events that have been fulfilled just as He said they would be. We are very fortunate to be living when we are, because so many of t ...[text shortened]... or more detail on Isreal you can go here....

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/nationhood.htm

All of this presumes that the things in the Bible were in fact written before the so-called
prophecied event took place. For example, Jesus' so-called prediction that the Temple would
fall is recorded in documents which post-date that fall and, thus, could be viewed as suspect.

Nemesio

I predict that The Amazing Randi will show all Biblical prophesies to be faked or trivial.

Originally posted by KneverKnight
I predict that The Amazing Randi will show all Biblical prophesies to be faked or trivial.

He will have to be much better than Houdini....🙂