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The testimony of the Scriptures is that the purpose of prophecy is to let us know that God exists and that He has a plan for this world. By the foretelling of persons, places, and events hundreds of years before their occurrence, the Bible demonstrates a knowledge of the future that is too specific to be labeled a good guess. By giving examples of fulfilled prophecy, the Scriptures give a strong testimony to their own inspiration. The Bible is literally “God-breathed”. (2 Timothy 3:16) The Greek word, “theopneustos”, means “God-breathed”, inspired by God. This is the only use of this word in the Bible to describe its inspiration of God.
An example of this would be the prophecy of King Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). The prophet Isaiah, writing about 700 b.c., predicts Cyrus by name as the king who will say to Jerusalem that it shall be built and that the temple foundation shall be laid.
At the time of Isaiah’s writing, the city of Jerusalem was fully built and the entire temple was standing. Not until more than 100 years later would the city and temple be destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 b.c. After Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians, it was conquered by the Persians in about 539 b.c. Shortly after that, a Persian king named Cyrus gave the decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. This was around 160 years after the prophecy of Isaiah!
Further, Isaiah predicted that a man named Cyrus, who would not be born for about 100 years, would give the command to rebuild the temple, which was still standing in Isaiah’s day and would not be destroyed for more than 100 years. This prophecy is truly amazing, but it is not isolated.
There are, in fact, literally hundreds of prophecies which predict future events. The idea that the fulfillment of the predictions is a result of coincidence or chance is absurd, in light of the evidence. God has given sufficient evidence of His existence and of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures by means of fulfilled prophecy.
@SW-User
An example of this would be the prophecy of King Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). The prophet Isaiah, writing about 700 b.c., predicts Cyrus by name as the king who will say to Jerusalem that it shall be built and that the temple foundation shall be laid.
At the time of Isaiah’s writing, the city of Jerusalem was fully built and the entire temple was standing. Not until more than 100 years later would the city and temple be destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 b.c. After Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians, it was conquered by the Persians in about 539 b.c. Shortly after that, a Persian king named Cyrus gave the decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. This was around 160 years after the prophecy of Isaiah!
Further, Isaiah predicted that a man named Cyrus, who would not be born for about 100 years, would give the command to rebuild the temple, which was still standing in Isaiah’s day and would not be destroyed for more than 100 years. This prophecy is truly amazing, but it is not isolated.
There are, in fact, literally hundreds of prophecies which predict future events. The idea that the fulfillment of the predictions is a result of coincidence or chance is absurd, in light of the evidence. God has given sufficient evidence of His existence and of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures by means of fulfilled prophecy.
@SW-User
Things work just the opposite in the spiritual world. Man says to God, “Show me…and THEN I’ll believe!” God says, “Believe! And THEN I’ll show you.”
Can you predict the future with 100% accuracy? Hardly. Yet God can. He DID and He DOES, in His Holy Word.
God tells us in His Word, what happened in the past, what is happening today, and what we can expect in the future, with perfect, precise accuracy.
@SW-User
Can you predict the future with 100% accuracy? Hardly. Yet God can. He DID and He DOES, in His Holy Word.
God tells us in His Word, what happened in the past, what is happening today, and what we can expect in the future, with perfect, precise accuracy.
@SW-User