By Daniel R. Vess
Prophecy, when fulfilled, provides strong evidence that the Bible is not a man made product, but divinely inspired. Prophecy is internal evidence which comes to life when we see its fulfillment on the external pages of historical testimony.
Definition of Prophecy
Prophecy is "a declaration of future events, such as no human wisdom of forecast is sufficient to make - depending on a knowledge of the innumerable contingencies of human affairs which belongs exclusively to the omniscience of God: so that form its very nature prophecy must be divine revelation" (M'Llvaine, Evidence of Christianity, p. 238). Justin Martyr defined prophecy as "to declare a thing shall come to be, long before it is in being and then to bring about the very thing according to the same declaration - this, or nothing is the work of God".
One of the best working definitions of prophecy came by Homer Hailey in the form of a syllogism.
1) Man cannot know the future; only god can foretell history or events.
2) The Bible foretold the destiny of nations and the coming of Christ.
3) Therefore, the Bible is the Word of God, not of man.
Point number three is the natural conclusion and represents the proposition of this lesson. Number two will be proved in this series and in the lesson on Messianic Prophecies. The first premise is accepted by all because it is easily proven, even to an atheist.
Before moving on it is most appropriate to deal with mis-definitions of Biblical prophecy. Prophecy is not mere guesswork, a forecast, a calculation, a conjecture, a vague generalization, or an educated analysis of a forth coming situation. Weathermen can't even forecast. In Boston, forecasters predicted the worst snowstorm in the 1974 season. Schools closed, snow plows readied, but not a single snowflake fell! "About 60% accuracy is the best they can do and that's only for predicting whether temperature and precipitation will be above or below normal." Henry M. Morris studied 72 prophecies form the 10 prominent psychics he found "it is remarkable that not one was fulfilled in 1978 as predicted." In contrast, when the Bible makes a prophecy everything comes to pass.
The Criteria of Biblical Prophecy
The Bible encourages its readers to test all prophecies. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1). In order for a prophecy to be genuine it must meet certain tests of validity. 1) The event must be beyond the power of men to foresee. 2) Proper timing is essential. The prophecy must be written before the event. 3) It must contain predictions applicable to the event. 4) The language of the prediction must be unambiguous and unmistakable. Many man-made prediction contain generalizations without any specific details. "In Greece, too, oracles were pronounced by the Pythian prophetess, who by vapors and the like was aroused to a practice of mantic art. In Dodona it was the voice of the divinity of Nature, which they sought to read in the rustling of the trees and the murmuring of the water. How uncertain these sources were was well known to heathen antiquity. The ancients complain of the enigmatical character of the Sibyline utterances and the doubtful nature of what was said" (ISBE, IV:2466). Nostradamus and Jean Dixon are famous for making many vague predictions, most of which were not fulfilled. 5) It must have a clear and verifiable fulfillment. (H.W. Everest, The Divine Demonstration, p. 26). The acid test of a true prophet is that it must be true. "But the prophet who resumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?' 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." (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). If a prophet is wrong just one time, he if a false prophet. According to this passage he wouldn't get a second chance to give another bogus prediction.
The Value of Fulfilled Prophecy
The predictions of the Bible become more meaningful as time goes on. Especially true in cases where God said a city would never be rebuilt or nations never to reign over others again. As archaeology brings more evidence to light, the prophecies stand the tests of time.
Prophecy is a more valuable eye-witness testimony. Peter wrote, "and we have the word of prophecy made more sure" (I Peter 1:19-21, ASV). A miracle would have been impressive to an eye- witness. However, no one is alive today that has seen a Biblical miracle preformed. All today, can read the Biblical predictions and observe the historical facts to witness their fulfillment.
Unique to Christianity is the use of prophecies as proof of its own legitimacy. None of those in other religions are willing to go out on a limb. By giving predictions about the future they would jeopardize their reputations and be exposed as impostors. The oracles by pagans are not considered prophecy because: "There is not a single one of them that meets the tests required to prove supernatural agency which every scripture prophecy evidences" (Randolph S. Foster, p. 111). Only the Bible challenges any person or pagan religion to produce an equivalent prophecy. "'Present your case,' Says the Lord. 'Bring forth your strong reasons,' says the King of Jacob. 'Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination" (Isaiah 41:21-23). "Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me" (Isaiah 45:21).
One Genuine Prophecy: Cyrus
"One real case of fulfilled prophecy would establish a supernatural act" (Ramm, p. 86). "The enemy of Christianity must silence all our guns; we need to fire only one of them," (p. 88). Yet there is a great multitude of fulfilled prophecies. Thousands can be culled from the pages of the New Testament. Prophecies abound concerning the ancient nations and cities of distant civilizations, such as, Egypt, Tyre, Niniveh, and Babylon. Not to mention the nearly 300 messianic prophecies.
The one case of fulfilled prophecy we will fire is selected due to its daring forecast and great fulfillment. Isaiah prophesied concerning one who will permit the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem. It even names the ruler's name. Between 730 and 710 B.C. Isaiah prophesied: "Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd. And he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "You foundation shall be laid."' Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held - To subdue the nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:" (Is. 44:28; 45:1). Both archaeology (Cyrus Cylinder) and the Bible clearly demonstrate its fulfillment. "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 'Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem, And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem'" (Ezra 1:1-4; cf. 2 Chronicles 36:22,23).
If you found the diary of a man living in Spain in the 1840's that clearly predicted that Bill Clinton would be president of the United States and further predicted that one of his first acts as president would be to promote homosexuals in the military, every newspaper and TV station in the world would covet the rights to the story.