Why Study Bible Prophecy? [Part 1]
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The Bible contains many prophecies. Some of the prophecies found in the Bible have already been fulfilled. These fulfilled prophecies, which have a 100% record of accuracy, provide great assurance that the Bible’s unfulfilled prophecies will also be fulfilled with an accuracy rate of 100%.
More than 28% of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament) is considered to be prophecy, while more than 21% of the New Covenant Scriptures (New Testament) are prophecy. Dr. Mark Hitchcock rightly points out that, “The Bible is a book of prophecy. It contains about 1,000 prophecies, about 500 of which have already been fulfilled down to the minutest detail.”[1] Of these many biblical prophecies, many are about the second coming of the Messiah.
Before we examine some prophecies, it is important to understand the role of Bible prophecy in our lives as believers. Far too often, Bible prophecy is categorized as those parts of the Bible that do not have application for us presently. Many well-meaning people refrain from reading and/or teaching on the prophetic passages for a variety of reasons. However, all of God’s Word (especially prophecy!) has application for our present circumstances.
Perhaps you’ve been avoiding prophecy because you were taught that it’s not really understandable. Or maybe you have an interest in Bible prophecy but you’ve never heard a teaching on it that was faithful to the biblical text. Regardless of your experience and understanding of Bible prophecy, there are some important reasons to study this important subject. I am hoping this two-part article will help provide a solid foundation for further study of prophetic Scripture. Here is the first reason (there are many more!) why the study of Bible prophecy is important for us today (the other reasons will be covered in Part 2).
1. Fulfilled Bible prophecy strengthens our belief that God’s Word is accurate and should be trusted.
The Bible is the inspired, infallible word of God. If something were predicted in the past and then turned out to be a wrong prediction, the Bible would lose its authority as being inerrant. One of the main ways we know the Bible to be accurate and reliable is because the Bible makes predictions about the future that actually come to fruition.
These prophecies cover a variety of topics. Some relate to the Messiah’s birth, life and death, to destruction of certain kingdoms, and God raising up other people to lead those kingdoms, and on and on. What other book on this planet has a 100% accuracy record like the Bible? Of course, there are none.
Now, this does not mean everything the Bible has predicted has already come about. As I mentioned, there are 500 yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies. The Bible does predict some events and some people still to come in the future.
Let’s take a quick look at some events that the Bible foretold before they actually happened for which we have archaeological evidence today. In other words, the reality of the Bible’s prediction can be seen with our eyes and touched with our hands.[2]
The first example is a prophecy in 2 Kings, which is also found in 2 Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 37. In those three passages, it is prophesied that Jerusalem was to be delivered from invasion and siege of the Assyrians. Then the Assyrian king was to withdraw and return to his own city.
Now do we have archaeological confirmation for this? Yes, we do.
Are you aware that the Taylor Prism records Sennacherib’s boast of laying siege to Jerusalem, but not its capture? Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, records a retreat of the Assyrian army. The Babylonian Chronicles record Sennacherib’s assassination. All these sources were discovered with the advent of archaeology. And all of them were written by sources other than the Bible. Interestingly enough, they confirm exactly what the biblical text has told us for millennia.
Let’s take a look at another example. In Ezekiel chapters 26, 28:1-10 and in Zechariah 9:3-4, it was prophesied that the city of Tyre was to be captured by the Babylonians, its island scraped bare like a rock, its stones and timbers thrown into the sea. Tyre was to become a place where fishermen spread nets, never to be rebuilt.
Now, the historical fulfillment of this happened when King Nebuchadnezzar, leading the Babylonians, laid siege to Tyre from 585 to 572 BC. Also, Alexander the Great came along in 332 BC and built a causeway, throwing stones and timbers into the sea. Tyre’s final destruction was by the Muslims in 1291.
We see archaeological confirmation of the Bible’s prophecy in the Babylonian Chronicles. A Babylonian court document called the court of Nebuchadnezzar, as well as unearthed tablets, actually provide details of this Babylonian siege. The historical records of Herodotus and Josephus Flavius in his work Antiquities also provide other details of this exact same fulfillment.
One more example arises from the books of Nahum and Zephaniah. Both prophets predicted the Assyrian capital of Nineveh would be destroyed. Not only that, but the attackers of Nineveh would have red shields and garments.
We see the historical fulfillment of Nineveh’s fall to the Babylonians in 612 BC, and we see archaeological confirmation of that prophecy’s fulfillment. For example, the Babylonian Chronicles record a coalition formed by a Babylonian king in red painted shields and tunics of the Median and Babylonian armies. Nineveh was left desolate, its location forgotten until discovery in the late 18th century. It was excavated between 1820 and 1846.
For those of us who already believe the Bible is God’s authoritative word, this is no surprise. But it’s nice to have these kinds of affirmations that the Word of God is what the Word of God says it is.
Isaiah 42:9 says, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.” And in another passage, Isaiah 42:6-8, we find the following:
“I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to idols.”[3]
One of the ways we know God is God is because He foretells the future. Now there have been a lot of people who have guessed at the future and guessed correctly, but how many people have guessed 500 times about major events and been right with 100% accuracy?
Come back next week to read Part 2.
Written by Levi Hazen, Executive Director
Enjoy Bible prophecy? Life in Messiah co-hosted a Bible Prophecy Conference called Uncovering the Messages of the Minor Prophets. Watch here:
Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOWoaKGRWuA
Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbS7S4AM_3E
In your view, why is it significant that so much of the Hebrew Scriptures is prophetic?
How do you see history and archaeology supporting the biblical record?
How will this alignment of prophetic text with historical reality strengthen your witness?
Endnotes:
[1] Hitchcock, Mark. ISIS, Iran, Israel: And the End of Days (p. 36). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
[2] Now to see these examples for yourself, I suggest you buy a helpful reference book called Charts of Bible Prophecy. It’s by Dr. Wayne House and Dr. Randall Price, and it has been a very helpful resource for me. And on page 16 of their workbook, they lay out several of these examples for which archaeological evidence of historical fulfillment of prophecy exists.
[3] All scripture references are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.