 Prophetic Evidence
There is a solid link between the authenticity of the Bible as a whole
and the reality of Jesus and his resurrection. If the Bible is
fiction, most of the evidence supporting Jesus is wiped out. If Jesus
is proven to be an imposter, the credibility of the Bible is
destroyed. If Bible prophecy supports Bible credibility, then this is
another reason to believe what it says about Jesus. Bible Prophecy is
unique in that it contains very specific predictions that leave no
room for "adjusting" the interpretation to suit later history as it
unfolds. The following is an example:
God's prophetic warning to Israel
Deuteronomy 28 details a list of blessings and curses that would
fall upon Israel, blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience.
In considering the following Bible predictions, bear in mind that they
are part of God's warning to Israel of the punishment for disobedience.
The prophet Jeremiah explains (32:35) that one of the sins
that prompted God to punish Israel was their practice of burning their
children in sacrificial fires to the pagan god "Molech".
| Prophecy | Fulfilment |
|---|
| However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow
all his commandments ... all these curses will come upon you ... "You
will be uprooted from the land which you are entering to possess. The Lord
will scatter you among all the peoples, from one end of the earth to the other."
Deut. 28:15,63 |
"Jews (from Judah)... the term later came to designate the
followers of the religion Judaism. Before World War 2 the Jewish population
scattered over the world amounted to 16 million; it is estimated that some
6 million Jews perished in massacres during the war. There were about 14
million Jews in the world in the early 1970's with 7 million in the Americas,
4 million in Europe and 3 million in Africa and Asia." "In 1290
the Jews were expelled from England, in 1392 from France, in 1492 from Spain
under Torquemada; in 1497 from Portugal.
Columbia Encyclopedia (Vol 12, Pg. 3530) |
| Among those nations you shall have no ease, nor shall you find a
resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you
a trembling heart, homesick eyes and a languishing spirit; you will sense
danger night and day, your life will be in suspense, having no security
whatever."
Deut. 28:63-66 |
Many exiles perished; others found asylum in the Netherlands and in the
Turkish possessions. The German Jews fled to Poland but there too they
were subjected to persecution. When a country suffered economically or in
war its Jews were likely to be the scapegoat."
Columbia Encyclopedia (Vol 12, Pg. 3531) |
The Bible accurately predicted Israel's scattering throughout the
world and their persecuted by their host nations. How was it able to
do this? Most significantly, the Bible predicts that Israel would
survive, enabling people to be regathered and placed in their
traditional land. This happened in 1948. Ezekiel 38 speaks of
this regathering from the nations of the world, and a time of turmoil
that has not yet appeared (this turmoil precedes the type of peace
that the world is currently yearning for -- read Ezekiel 38 - 48).
King David predicts the events in Jesus' life
The Bible (as Christians know it) comprises the Old and New
Testaments. There is a four hundred year gap between the end of the
Old Testament and the time of Christ, so any Old Testament prophecies
fulfilled in the time of Christ are remarkable. The Old Testament
makes many prophecies about Christ, the following table compares
Psalm 22 (accepted as prophetic of Jesus) with events in Jesus' life...
| Old Testament | New Testament |
|---|
| My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Psalm 22:1 |
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:46 |
| "He trusts in the Lord; Let the Lord rescue him. Let him
deliver him, since he delights in him." Psalm 22:8 |
He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for
he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" Matthew 27:43 |
| A band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. Psalm 22:16 |
And they crucified him... Look at my hands and my feet (Jesus to the apostles after his crucifixion) Matthew 27:35, Luke 24:39 |
| They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. Psalm 22:18 |
they divided up his clothes by casting lots Matthew 27:35 |
King David predicted that the Messiah would have his hands and feet
pierced. Why would David envisage such a punishment? It was not a
method of punishment used by Israel; it was a Roman practice. It
would be impossible for Christ to manipulate the system of government
to ensure that the method of capital punishment would involve the
piercing of his hands and feet. Similar prophecies in the Old
Testament add further weight to Jesus' claim to be the son of God:
Isaiah predicts Jesus' suffering
The prophet Isaiah predicted the events of Jesus' life 700 years
before he existed. The table below makes a comparison between
Isaiah's prophecy and the New Testament account of events. As you
compare the Old Testament prophecies, bear in mind that they are
contained in the Holy Book of the Jews who do not accept that Jesus is
the Messiah -- this means that there is no opportunity for tampering
with Old Testament texts.
| Prophecy -- Isaiah 53 | New Testament Fulfilment |
|---|
| He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar
with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised,
and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3 |
"What shall I do with ... the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
"Crucify him!" they shouted. "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Mark 15:12-14 |
| But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his
wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 |
But we see Jesus ... crowned with glory and honor because he suffered
death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God. Heb 2:9, 1 Peter 3:18 |
| He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 |
The high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer?
What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus
remained silent. Matt 26:62-63 |
| He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his
death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:9 |
Two robbers were crucified with him
There came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, ... Joseph took the
body ... and placed it in his own new tomb Matt 27:38, Matt 27:57-60 |
| Though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his
offspring and prolong his days. Isaiah 53:10 |
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who
have fallen asleep.... For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be
made alive... Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong
to him. 1 Cor 15:20-23 |
| For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12 |
So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and
he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those
who are waiting for him. Heb 9:28 |
The Old Testament portrayed the life of Christ hundreds of years
before he existed. There are aspects of Old Testament prophecy that
are utterly impossible for an imposter to fraudulently fulfil, for
example:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."Isaiah 49:6, NIV
Consider the impact of Christianity throughout the world. Consider
that the Christians who spread their faith during the first hundred
years after the appearance of Jesus were greatly persecuted. In the
face of this adversity, Christianity took a hold in the Roman empire,
eventually becoming the state religion which enabled its spread
throughout the world. The spread of Christianity throughout the
non-Jewish world fulfils the prophecy that it would become "a
light for the Gentiles". (Acts 26:23).
It is believed that the prophecies listed above are specific. This
means that there is an ample opportunity to criticise should they
prove to be inaccurate. The miracle of Bible prophecy is undermined
by some who claim that others have also been able to predict the
future. Nostradamus is a notable example. The Columbia Encyclopedia
says of Nostradamus and his work:
His rhymed prophecies under the title 'Centuries' (1555) gained him favour in the French court. Obscure and symbolic, the predictions have been subject to many interpretations.Columbia Encyclopedia -- Vol 16, Pg. 4895:1978
Those who have read his prophecies will be familiar with the lack of
specific detail in his work. A feature which makes it difficult to
measure against later history.
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