The Bible claims to have been written by men who were directly inspired by God. These men, who lived across 16 centuries and various civilizations and cultures, insisted without hesitation that their words were from God.
These men had no apparent motive for “pretending” – in fact, many of them were far from wealthy, and a good number of them died as martyrs.1Hundreds of prophecies were made by Bible writers;2 some vague, some precise, some regarding near events, and some regarding events of the distant future.
Some pertained to individuals, some to nations, and some to a coming “Messiah” Who would bring eternal salvation to all peoples of the earth who placed their faith in Him (much more on this in the next chapter).
Some related to the whole of humanity, its future, and its ultimate destination.
And some were about us – about the consequences we could all be experiencing in the very near future.
But before examining prophecies that remain to be fulfilled (i.e., those which speak of future happenings), let’s first investigate some prophecies of the past to give a sampling of just exactly “how accurate” Bible prophecies really are.
Prophecies of the Jews and Jerusalem
No nation is consistently at the center of world attention more so than the tiny country of Israel.
This diminutive state, about the size of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, has been the flashpoint of world events from its very inception – from the time God chose them to be His people and their birth into Egyptian slavery, to the two million strong who “somehow” trekked from Egypt en mass through the deserts of Sinai to their current homeland in Palestine.
God – through His Prophets – had specifically promised Palestine would be Israel’s land.
But with His promises came not only blessings (if Israel obeyed His commands), but also severe consequences (if they disobeyed His commands).
Unfortunately, the road Israel would choose would be the latter, disastrous course.
And many of the catastrophes that would come upon the Jews were spectacularly prophesied centuries in advance of their occurrences.
Here are some examples:
Jerusalem’s Destruction Predicted
In 539 B.C. the Biblical Prophet Daniel raised to the Jews the frightful specter of a horrific, unavoidable disaster.
In one of the most amazing prophecies of all time, Daniel stated exactly when the so-called Jewish “Messiah” (also called “Anointed One” or “the Christ”) would appear.
And just after the appearance of the Christ, Daniel prophesied that Jerusalem – and its temple – would be destroyed.
Here is the prophecy (my comments in brackets):
“So, you are to know and discern that from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem [this took place ~457 B.C.3], until Messiah [the “Christ”], the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks [note: 1 day = 1 year in Biblical prophecy4, so, 7×7 + 62×7 = 483 years]…
“…Then after the sixty-two weeks [i.e., after 483 years have passed] the Messiah will be cut off [the Christ will be killed]…and the people of the prince who is to come [Roman commander Titus] will destroy the city [Jerusalem, see previous sentence] and the sanctuary [temple at Jerusalem]. Its end will come with [like] a flood…“5
In this incredible prophecy, Daniel, claiming to be foretelling the future by means of Divine Inspiration, specifically ordained that the “Christ” would appear exactly 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, which historians indicate occurred near 457 B.C.
Here’s the math:
457 B.C. + 483 years = 26 A.D.
26 A.D. is the year Jesus Christ began His ministry in Israel.6 (4 years must be subtracted from modern calendars due to early calendar errors.)
Could Jesus be, as He had always insisted, the promised Messiah, the Christ?
But there was more.
Daniel had also prophesied that after the Messiah appeared, Jerusalem and its temple would be destroyed…
Catastrophic Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold
When Jesus Christ arrived “on Messianic schedule” in 26 A.D., He reminded His disciples of Daniel’s prophecy made 500 years prior concerning the now looming destruction of Jerusalem.
He also took the opportunity to warn His stunned listeners that the promised cataclysmic devastation of Jerusalem was right around the corner.7
Jesus advised His disciples that when they saw the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem, they were to leave the city immediately.
They were not to return to Jerusalem for anything, anyone or any reason.
Those who were in the city were to flee. Those in the countryside were to head for the mountains.
As stated previously, Jesus prophesied that the ensuing destruction would not just be horrific – it would be the worst catastrophe ever experienced in humanity’s history (note that the End of the World – a much more catastrophic event – will end human history). He said:
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again.“8
The destruction of the Jewish temple would be so absolute that not even a single stone of the temple would be left atop another.
Jesus told His followers to pray to God this disaster did not happen on the Sabbath or in the winter. He forewarned that pregnant women would be in the gravest of danger. He prophesied that Jerusalem would be shattered, the temple would be razed, the Jews would fall to the sword, and survivors would be taken prisoner to all nations.
Jewish Diaspora had been prophesied.
But there was more.
Jesus also stated to His incredulous disciples that Jerusalem would be “trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.“9
The Jews, in other words, would eventually re-occupy Israel – after the nations had fulfilled their allotted time in control of the city of Jerusalem.
Just 40 years following Jesus’ predictions and death – and a full 600 years after Daniels’ – His prophecies began to frightfully unfold.
Horrors Unsurpassed in History. The tragic destruction of Jerusalem was triggered by the Jews’ revolt against Roman occupation.
The inflexible, rebellious, and uncooperative disposition of the Jews would bring to bear upon them the entire military wrath of the most powerful nation on earth:
The Roman Empire.
Ground Zero would be Jerusalem, which would be surrounded and besieged in 69 A.D. by the Roman commander Titus. In due time the Roman soldiers would penetrate the walls and “flood into” the weakened and defenseless city. Just as Daniel had prophesied: the end would “come like a flood…”
Roman military orders were simple:
Kill.
Everyone.
And the Romans would conduct their grizzly business with ice-cold calculation.
The ensuing slaughter and related spectacles involved horrors – just as Jesus had prophesied – unparalleled in all of human history.
First, the Roman commander Titus apparently purposefully chose to besiege Jerusalem during the Passover, knowing that hundreds of thousands of Jews from Judea would be trapped within the tiny city. Historians estimate that 1.1 million Jews would perish in the minuscule walled township which barely occupied a square kilometer.
The ensuing carnage would be unprecedented in human history – before or since – especially considering world population at the time was significantly less (~300 million by modern-day UN estimates10) than it is today (~6.5 billion).
Allegations of unspeakable atrocities surfaced: disease, starvation, cannibalism. The tiny township could simply not sustain the masses of people crammed within it.
Piles of bodies, withered and lifeless from starvation, had been tossed like refuse over the city walls. Women were reduced to eating their own children to survive. People who attempted to escape the horrendous conditions were unmercifully crucified in full view of the inhabitants, or slain by the sword.
After the enraged Romans breached the walls, they unleashed the unrivaled human slaughter. The refusal of the Jews to simply surrender brought carnage so unimaginable that the hardened Roman commander Titus reportedly looked to the sky and petitioned God not to hold the suffering against him.
When the massacre of Judea was completed, an estimated 1.5 million Jews would lay dead across Judea. The few remaining Jewish survivors died in gladiatorial combats or were sold into slavery.
Perhaps no other known spot on earth has seen more bloodshed – in such little time – than the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.11 12
And in a further tragic paradox, all the deceased bore this single, disconcerting commonality: they had either ignored or rejected the ample forewarnings of both Daniel and Jesus Christ.
The destruction of Jerusalem – exactly as was divinely predicted – was an unprecedented disaster.
And the Jewish temple?
Just as prophesied, it too was demolished – set ablaze and reduced to rubble. The fire melted the gold-leaf ornamentation on the temple ceiling, causing the precious fluid to leak down into the crevices of the ruins below. In order to remove the gold, Roman soldiers reportedly pried apart the stones, thereby dismantling the entire edifice.
Christ had predicted it exactly: “…not one stone would be left standing on another.”
Today, the infamous temple “Wailing Wall” is all that remains of the entire original temple site.
And one final note of interest:
Not far from the Vatican in Rome the Arch of Titus still stands, erected in the first century as a stark reminder to Titus’ 70 A.D. obliteration of Jerusalem. Also nearby sits the ruins of the infamous gladiatorial Coliseum, financed from the plunder of the Jewish temple.
The massive arena would be employed for the next 5 centuries for the purpose of spectator sport human massacre, which would ironically include many Jews and Christians.13
The Dispersion of the Jews Foretold
All of the prophecies about Jerusalem and the Jewish temple had precisely come to pass – hundreds of years after having been uttered.
But many other prophecies had also been given.
Although both Daniel and Jesus had foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, Jesus had added another critical component:
He had prophesied that the Jews would be dispersed “to all nations.”
It happened – in a Jewish Diaspora that would dwarf post-Babylonian Captivity.
Although the 70 A.D. Jerusalem destruction had been devastating, a few Jews remained in the region and some actually lived in the city in the decades following. However, in 135 A.D. the Jews were totally banished from Jerusalem after yet another unsuccessful rebellion in which the entire city of Jerusalem was almost entirely demolished by Rome, who subsequently rebuilt it as a pagan city under the Emperor Hadrian.
The Jews were gone from Jerusalem and scattered across the world.
Forever, it seemed.
Except that Jesus had also prophesied of their eventual return (noticed next).
Nor had Jesus been the only Prophet to prophesy of the Diaspora. Moses, near 1500 B.C. wrote:
“…the LORD will scatter you [Jews] among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods – gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.“14
And following the Roman holocaust of 70 A.D. the Jews would indeed be “scattered from one end of earth to the other” – to locales such as Babylonia, Syria, Egypt, Cyrene, Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, and China.
Centuries later, in 1948, the new state of Israel would be formed, and millions of Jews would descend on Palestine.
Today, while numerous Jews have returned to Israel, a large concentration remains in various vicinities, most notably North America, Russia, and Ukraine – although Jewish communities also can be found in South America, South Africa, and Australia.
The largest collection of Jews had formerly been in Central and Eastern Europe – that is, until Hitler’s World War II decimation of the Jews in the Nazi Holocaust.
And one more note of interest:
As the Jews were forced out of Israel – in turn by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans – other nations filled the vacuum in Palestine.
This too had been accurately predicted by Biblical Prophets. Moses had long ago prophesied:
“…those you allow to remain [in the land of Israel] will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.“15
Perhaps no nation on earth has had more “thorns in the side” and “trouble in their land” due to foreigners within (and just outside) their boundaries than Israel – whose land is segmented into Palestinian regions, and whose diminutive boundaries are surrounded by hostile enemies. Without question, Moses’, Jesus’, and Daniel’s prophecies have dramatically come to pass.16
The Jews of long ago decided to ignore God’s commands to completely drive out the inhabitants of Israel. Consequently, modern Jews are now witnessing Moses’ prophecies spectacularly unfold, as peace between Israelis and Palestinians appears to be unattainable.
More suffering seems inevitable.
Indeed, it appears likely that the Israeli – Palestinian conflict will engulf the world, as millions of fanatical Muslims seem eager to sacrifice their own lives to kill supporters to the cause of Israel.
In our modern nuclear age, a global catastrophe appears to be “just a matter of time.” This prophetic possibility will be examined later.
Jewish Reoccupation Prophesied by Christ
Jesus had plainly prophesied that the Jews would be scattered.
But He had also indicated Jerusalem would eventually be reoccupied by the Jews:
“They [the Jews] will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”17
Following the dispersion of the Jews “to all the nations” – Jesus implied a reoccupation would occur after the “times of the Gentiles were fulfilled.”
History bears out that this is exactly what happened. Many Gentiles reoccupied Jerusalem after the state of Israel was formally established in 1948. But this happened only after the “times of the Gentiles [nations] were fulfilled” – that is to say, only after a period of time would pass in which Jerusalem would be controlled by foreign nations.
History confirms that Jerusalem was rebuilt into a pagan Roman city after 135 A.D. It was subsequently overtaken by the Muslims in 638, ruled by the Turks in the 11th century, conquered by Roman Catholic “Crusaders” in 1099, and then again by the Muslim Ottomans in 1517 – who maintained dominance until World War I (1914-1918).
During World War I, the British defeated the Ottomans and became the legal administrators of Jerusalem (via a 1922 League of Nations mandate).
But the true reoccupation of Israel and Jerusalem did not jump-start until after Hitler’s decimation of 6 million Jews, which brought global sympathy on the Jewish plight and instigated the mass reoccupation of Israel by Jews from around the world.
It was not until the 6-day war of 1967, when Israel took control of all Jerusalem, that the fullness of Jesus’ amazing prophesies of Jerusalem was realized. Jesus had prophesied everything with stunning accuracy: unprecedented destruction, Diaspora, multifaceted foreign control, and reoccupation.18
Jewish Persecution Predicted
After delivering Christ to Pilate for crucifixion – and threatening universal revolt if Pilate did not submit to their requests – the Jews (after Pilate insisted Jesus was innocent) replied:
“Let His [Christ’s] blood be on us and on our children.“19
It appears this Jewish wish has been granted.
However, long before first century Jewish leaders had accepted personal responsibility for killing the innocent Christ, Moses (near 1400 B.C.) had divinely predicted not only the Diaspora, but also severe ensuing Jewish persecution. He prophesied what would happen to the Jews if they turned their backs on God’s laws:
“You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening, ‘If only it were morning!’ – because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.”20
Not even the staunchest skeptic could deny the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Following the crucifixion of Christ, the Jews have easily claimed “first prize” for the most persecuted race on earth, and anti-Semitism seems to be alive and well in our modern world.
Their dispersion to the nations, their natural abilities in finance management, their exclusive and discriminatory traditional customs – not to mention “Christ killer” accusations – have fueled the flames of their misguided persecutors.
As a result, Jews have often been wrongly denied basic civil rights, heavily taxed, robbed of their possessions, forced into concentration camps and ghettos, hunted, tortured and slaughtered like cattle.
While most of their persecution followed their crucifixion of Jesus, some predated Christ. It is alleged that as far back as 700 B.C. Jews were tortured, killed and exiled – by the Assyrians.
Later the Babylonians murdered numerous Jews and took them away from their homeland as captives for 70 years.
Then came the aforementioned destruction of Jerusalem by Titus (70 A.D.) in which the Romans murdered an estimated 1.5 million Jews. By 135, the Romans had succeeded in slaughtering another 580,000.
During the Crusades, tens of thousands more perished as Jewish villages were crushed and men, women and children were savagely burned alive.
European nations, including England, France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium – actually banned Jews from their borders.
The Nazi’s then gassed, shot, and starved 6 million Jews in the literal execution of their “final solution” – the attempted extinction of the Jewish race.
All this persecution was the result of irrational, racial prejudice. And all of it was ominous fulfillment of precise, consequential prophecies made centuries prior.
Finally, it should be noted that while millions of Jews internationally have returned to their original homeland and are growing in power, their evil oppressors (the Nazis, Romans, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians) have either vanished or been reduced to 3rd world countries.
Incredibly, Biblical Prophets had foretold many of these ironic outcomes as well (more on this in a moment).21
Many Nations Will Come to Jerusalem
The Prophet Zechariah, prophesying more than 500 years before Christ – at a time when Jerusalem was in shambles, when the temple was in dire need of repair, and when the Jews had only recently been released from Babylonian captivity – divinely predicted the day when “many and powerful nations would come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty.“22
Although this prophecy was presented at a time when few would have believed it possible, it has obviously come to pass.
No other city is the focal point of more diverse religious attention than Jerusalem. It is considered by billions to be the spiritual capital of earth.
Three major universal religions, representing billions of followers, regard Jerusalem as their “sacred city.” Christians regard it as the origination-point of their religion. Muslims believe it to be the location from which Mohammad ascended to heaven.
And Jews had both their temples built there – right on the very spot where Abraham sacrificed Isaac on the altar near 2000 B.C. – and exactly on the spot where the Muslim Dome of the Rock now “insultingly” sits ever since its construction in 692 A.D.
Therefore, millions of people from the most powerful nations on earth make frequent pilgrimages or plan religiously motivated vacations to Jerusalem.
Indeed, it has all come true exactly as prophesied:
“…many and powerful nations have come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty.”
Jerusalem Will Be Enlarged to the Northwest
Adding to these incredible prophecies were those of Jeremiah (~600 B.C.) regarding the eventual enlargement of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah prophesied that not only would Jerusalem be rebuilt, its perimeter would ultimately expand in a northwesterly direction:
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when this city [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt for me from the Corner Gate…to Goah [Hill]…[and circling back around to encompass as far as]…the brook of Kidron…to the corner of the Horse Gate [at the old temple].’“23 (This describes an area extending to the northwest of the Old City of Jerusalem.)
Apparently only in recent times (mostly since the reoccupation of Jerusalem in 1948) has this prophecy come to pass.
2500 years after the prophecy, any modern map will conspicuously reveal that the old part of the city, just as Jeremiah predicted, has indeed expanded to the northwest – to incredibly cover the correct area described by Jeremiah centuries ago.
Babylon’s Future Predicted
Jerusalem was certainly not the only city about which Prophets prophesied.
Far from it.
Indeed, the enemies of Israel were frequently the targets of God’s wrath, as prophesied in advance through the Biblical Prophets.
And no city bears the distinction as “enemy of God’s people” more so than Babylon, the nation responsible for destruction of the first temple, and the nation guilty of dispersing the Jews from their homeland for 70 years.
Astonishing Prophecies
In 700 B.C. one of the most astonishing prophecies of all time was articulated about the most outstanding and corrupt metropolis in the history of civilization:
Babylon.24
Both Isaiah and Jeremiah – Biblical Prophets – predicted that (a) Babylon would rule Judea for 70 years (punishment for Israel’s sins), and, (b) Afterward, at some point in time, it would simply cease to exist.
Jeremiah wrote:
“I [God] will summon [the Babylonians] and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…and I will bring them against this land [Israel] and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations…and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But when the seventy years are fulfilled I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians… and will make it desolate forever.“25
Isaiah ominously added that God would “sweep Babylon with the broom of destruction” and “turn it into swampland” and that it would become the home of wild animals.26
God had decreed it.
Babylon was to be totally obliterated.
Wiped off the planet.
Never would it be rebuilt.
Its destruction would be so absolute that only wild animals would thereafter inhabit it.
It would become swampland.
And it would all happen, just as predicted.
Babylon: The Most Spectacular City of All Time?
Granted, in today’s nuclear age – when the mere punch of a military button could theoretically render an entire civilization extinct – such an astonishing prediction might not seem so astonishing.
But things were different in the age of swords, spears and sieges, in 700 B.C. when God decreed Babylon would eternally cease to exist. That’s because in 700 B.C. Babylon was the most magnificent city that had ever existed, and arguably no city since has equaled it.
Babylon, capital of the dominating Babylonian empire, was the epicenter of international trade, culture, and learning. Indeed, to many Babylonians it seemed indestructible – a Titanic prelude.
Historians indicate that Babylon’s dimensions and power were daunting. Covering the equivalent of 196 square miles (almost 630 square kilometers), it was said to have been encircled by a massive wall stretching 56 miles (90 Km), which in turn was encompassed by a 30 feet wide moat (10 meters).
The enormous wall – which many thought impenetrable – rose a whopping 311 feet (~100 meters). The height of a 30-story building – and almost twice that of Niagara Falls – Babylon’s wall was wide enough to park 11 cars side-by-side atop it. Chariot races reportedly took place upon it.
Adding to the aura of invincibility was the Euphrates River, which meandered underneath the wall to provide the residents with a seemingly perpetual supply of water. And even more amazing than the wall were the giant 100 gates of solid brass and the incomparable 250 watchtowers (incorporated all along the wall), each of which rose to an inconceivable 411 feet (~133 meters) – almost 3 times higher than Niagara Falls.27
In essence, Babylon was surrounded by 250 “lookout tower” skyscrapers. Perhaps no city has ever, before or since, possessed 250 buildings taller than 400 feet. It was physical security to the extent it could be afforded to humankind – especially in 600 B.C.
Obviously, no ancient military hardware in 600 B.C. was capable of penetrating the self-sufficient, fortified domain.
No wonder the Babylonians slinked into complacent overconfidence within the practically impenetrable enclave.
Isaiah’s Prophecy Comes to Pass. A little-known Hebrew Prophet, Isaiah – claiming Divine inspiration – confidently asserts Babylon will be fully destroyed, never re-inhabited, and converted to swampland.
Similarly, another not-so-world-renowned Biblical Hebrew Prophet, Jeremiah, backs up these foreboding statements.
50 years pass. Nothing happens.
100 years pass. Still nothing.
Babylon remains.
Roughly 200 years passed before Isaiah’s (and Jeremiah’s) prophecies began to systematically unfold, when in 538 B.C. the Persian commander Cyrus laid siege to Babylon to undertake what many thought an impossible venture.
How could the wall possibly be penetrated?
Persian strategists studied the situation and observed that Babylon possessed only one potential weakness: the sizeable Euphrates river – which flowed beneath the city wall.
If the Euphrates could somehow be redirected, upstream, the emptied riverbed would afford ample legroom for the Persian army – with the element of surprise – to slip underneath and conquer the smug and cynical Babylonian occupants.
“Surprise is the great force multiplier.”
So Cyrus – in one of the most fantastical and brilliant feats of military history – ordered his troops to commence a huge construction project to divert the water of the Euphrates. Historians confirm that while the scornful Babylonian inhabitants relaxed in their false sense of security, the Persians succeeded in diligently hollowing out two giant upstream canals to divert the river.
The end of Babylon had come.
In a cruel paradox, the Persians invaded Babylon on an annual Babylonian holiday celebrating a past victory over the Persians. Caught totally off guard, Babylon fell like a frail house of cards in a practically bloodless coup.28
But the city had only been defeated.
The Biblical Prophets had warned of more – much more. God had condemned Babylon to complete destruction.
Babylon Eventually Disappears. Although the Persians did not obliterate the city, their conquest was the beginning of the end of Babylon.
200 years later would see the bickering generals of Alexander the Great occupy Babylon and convert it into a modern day Beirut.
Their squabbles and skirmishes would leave Babylon plundered so thoroughly that to rebuild it was deemed too expensive; consequently, a new city, Seleucia (essentially modern Baghdad), would be constructed 40 miles north of Babylon’s original site.
And Babylon?
It was abandoned.
By the time of Jesus (30 A.D.), historians record that Babylon had been transformed into a desert. By 363 A.D. the city’s wall had been partially restored to serve as an exquisite hunting reserve.
Today, wall gone, rising from the Babylonian ruins can be heard the cry of hyenas, the call of jackals, the howling of wolves, and occasionally the roar of lions. Most of the ancient city is buried under swamps and sludge and remains to be found.
Everything the Prophets had uttered about this unparalleled world empire had come true.
Could This Prophecy Have Come True By Chance?
Babylon’s destruction was so extreme that secular scholars for centuries considered it a mythological metropolis – until its extensive ruins were discovered fairly recently by archaeologists, confirming that everything the Biblical Prophets had said about the ancient city had actually happened.
Perhaps you are wondering what are the odds the Babylonian prophecies were just “lucky guesses?” Researchers approximate the mathematical probability to be 1 chance in 5,000,000,000.29
Incidentally, there is also a modern day city called Babylon. It is located on Long Island, New York, in the shadows of New York City.
More Prophecies
Even the most devoted skeptic, if honest, will admit these prophecies are nothing short of extraordinary.
However, there were many, many more prophecies made regarding nations and cities related to Israel. And all of them – without exception – came true.
The following incredible examples represent just a fraction of the literally hundreds of Biblical prophecies:
Egypt
Egypt – once a high-flying and extravagant empire with its Pharaohs and pyramids – also bears the dubious distinction of being the original oppressor of God’s people. In fact, the nation of Israel was literally born into Egyptian slavery, where it remained until its deliverance from Egypt with help from Moses around 1500 B.C.
Because of their oppression of Israel, God decreed Egypt would become “the lowliest of kingdoms” and would “never again exalt itself above the other nations.”30
This prophecy has unquestionably transpired. Today, Egypt, the once potent kingdom, is a 3rd world country.
After being dominated and controlled in turn by Romans and Europeans, Egypt eventually became independent. Nonetheless, since its early domination it has never again ruled over the other nations – and not for a lack of trying. Modern Egypt is so frail militarily that it has proved incapable of subduing the even tiny nation of Israel, against which it mounted unsuccessful attacks in 1948, 1967, and 1973.
However, unlike the Assyrians and Babylonians – who had slaughtered God’s people (and had therefore been prophetically doomed to annihilation) – God had spared Egypt by allowing it to continue to exist as a feeble nation.
Tyre
Some scholars and historians actually consider the prophecies of Tyre to be the most remarkable of the Bible, due in part to the attention to detail given in the prophecies.
Around 570 B.C. Ezekiel predicted in the name of God that this prominent city, located on the Mediterranean Sea near Israel, would simply cease to exist.
Ezekiel was specific:
Many nations would rise against Tyre; Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would be the first, but would destroy mainland Tyre only; later the city would become so utterly desolate that it’s surface would be reduced to a bare rock over which fishermen would spread nets; debris from the city’s destruction would be thrown into the sea; and Tyre would, unlike Egypt, never again be rebuilt.31
Every single detail prophesied by Ezekiel came to pass.
In 585 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar descended from the north, smashed mainland Tyre, and withdrew. The island part of Tyre (1/2 mile offshore) remained, to which the fleeing residents, who had chosen to vote with their feet, escaped.
Just as predicted.
In the following centuries, the little island village would survive and continue to prosper until 333 B.C., when Alexander the Great would take his turns at bat.
Denied peaceful access to the strategically located island metropolis, the offended Alexander determined to obliterate it.
Possessing no fleet, and with no means of besieging the heavily fortified enclave whose towering wall hugged the Mediterranean on every side, Alexander demolished what remained of mainland Tyre and used the rubble to construct a 200 ft wide causeway to the island. The resulting wrath unleashed by Alexander on the little city was proportionate to the difficulty he had endured in reaching it.
But, somehow, Tyre managed to survive. The Biblical prophecy had not been fulfilled.
However, over the next 1600 years Tyre would be repeatedly attacked, but incredibly it was not until almost 1300 A.D. that the Muslims would deliver to Tyre the final, fatal blow.
Today, much of Tyre has been scraped bare to the rock, which is said to be used by village anglers for drying their nets. It is also said that one can peer into the watery depths nearby and even now observe the many columns of granite that had once upheld the structures of the formerly prominent city.
And one final note: Remember that causeway Alexander built from the mainland to the island?
Amazingly, it remains today as an evocative testimonial and chilling epitaph to Biblical prophetic accuracy.
Nineveh
Biblical prophecies relating to Nineveh also deserve a brief mention, primarily because Nineveh, like Babylon, had once been the thriving capital of a global empire – the Assyrian empire, to be exact.
Then around 620 B.C. the Prophet Nahum prophesied that Nineveh would be destroyed; that its drunken army officers would desert; that the city would be set ablaze; and that, like Babylon, Nineveh would eternally cease to exist.32
It all happened as prophesied.
In 612 B.C. Nineveh was subdued by a coalition of Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes. Its army officers, in drunken stupors, fled.
And, as predicted, the city was destroyed by fire.
In subsequent years Nineveh, never able to recover from its mortal wound, disappeared into anonymity so completely that relatively recent archaeologists considered the Biblical account “a cooked up fable” – that is, until its ruins were discovered in the 19th century.
Assyria, Babylonia, and Medo-Persia
Isaiah, who lived during the mighty Assyrian empire (~750 B.C.), prophesied that the Assyrians would be conquered by the Babylonians, who would in turn be defeated by the Medes.33
Then Jeremiah, who lived during the Babylonian empire (~600 B.C.), further prophesied that the Babylonians would plunder the Jewish sanctuary, take over Jerusalem, and carry off the Jews into captivity for exactly 70 years – after which the Babylonians would be defeated by the Medes, and the plunder taken by the Babylonians from the Jewish holy place would be returned to the Jews.34
Within the next 200 years, everything Isaiah (and Jeremiah) divinely foretold unfolded, precisely as indicated.
In 625 B.C. Nabopolassar – king of Babylonia – allied with the Medes to overpower the Assyrians.
Then in 606 B.C. the Jews were carried into Babylonian captivity, where they would remain until 536 B.C. – exactly 70 years.
Meanwhile, in 586 B.C., the Babylonians would plunder and destroy the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Just as prophesied.
Finally, in 539 B.C., the Medo-Persian Empire would triumph over Babylon and immediately terminate the Babylonian empire.
And yes, the articles stolen from the Jewish holy place, irreverently used on the very last night of Babylonian rule during a drunken feast, were returned as divinely predicted to the Jewish sanctuary.35
As usual, everything had happened exactly as the Biblical accounts had specified.
4 World Empires – And No More?
The Prophet Daniel, prophesying in roughly 538 B.C. during the final stages of Babylonian rule, specifically named only 4 empires as ruling the world in the future.36
They would be:
a) Babylon (contemporary to Daniel),
b) Medo-Persia (also contemporary to Daniel),
c) Greece (150 years after Daniel), and,
d) A 4th, unnamed empire – which was described as “greater and more terrible” than the preceding three.
Just as prophesied, these empires – and only these empires – have ruled the civilized world since Daniel’s day.
The Babylonian empire terminated around 538 B.C. It was followed by the Medo-Persian empire, which lasted from ~538 B.C. to 333 B.C. Next, as prophesied, came Greece (~333 B.C. to 161 B.C.).
And finally, the “greatest and most terrible of all” – Rome (~161 B.C. to 476 A.D.).
As predicted, Rome was not only the “greatest” (it was the most powerful and the longest-lasting of all world empires), from the Jewish perspective it was also the “most terrible” (it would be responsible for decimating Jerusalem and scattering the Jewish people).
And ever since the “rise and fall of the Roman empire,” no other government has dominated the civilized world.
But Daniel had revealed another intriguing prophecy. He had specifically stated that it would be during the 4th empire (Rome) that Christ’s eternal kingdom would be established.
This took place during New Testament times, when the church – Christ’s “spiritual kingdom” as described in the Bible – commenced in the city of Jerusalem in 30 A.D., at the zenith of Roman domination.
Just exactly as foretold.
Jesus’ Words Will Never Be Forgotten
In Luke 21:33 Jesus prophesied that His words would never be forgotten as long as the world existed:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.“37
The Bible also predicted: “…everyone will know of [God/Jesus] from the least to the greatest.“38
Here we are 2,000 years later and the words and knowledge of Jesus are more abundant than ever.
The Bible is far and away the best seller on earth every year, boasting billions of copies in existence and tens of millions of new publications annually.39 It can therefore be stated with absolute certainty that no person who has ever lived has had His words more available to humanity than Jesus Christ.
And no single inhabitant of earth, past or present, is more widely known.
Without question, “everyone knows of Jesus from the least to the greatest.”
Jesus’ remarkable words, for 2,000 years, have not passed away from this world. Knowledge of Him has permeated the earth.
Nor does it appear this trend is likely to change any time soon.
Biblical Prophets: Just “Lucky Guessers?”
You might rightfully be wondering what the odds are that all these Biblical prophecies simply “happened by accident” rather than by Divine Intervention, as the Prophets insisted.
To calculate the probability, consider closely the following prophecies made about cities and nations.
Note carefully the date each prophecy was made and the date the prophecy was fulfilled:
SPECIFIC PROPHECIES OF NATIONS / CITIES40
|
CITY/ NATION |
TO BE |
VICTOR NAMED? |
TO BE |
MORE |
WHEN |
WHEN |
|
Babylon |
YES |
Medes |
NO |
YES |
750 B.C. |
200 B.C.+ |
|
Gaza / Ashkelon |
YES |
NO |
YES |
YES |
620 B.C. |
1948 A.D. |
|
Jerusalem |
YES |
Babylon, etc |
YES |
YES |
600 B.C. |
70 A.D.+ |
|
Moab / Ammon |
YES |
YES |
N/A |
YES |
570 B.C. |
354 A.D. |
|
Nineveh |
YES |
Babylon |
NO |
YES |
620 B.C. |
600 B.C.+ |
|
Palestine |
YES |
NO |
YES |
YES |
570 B.C. |
70 A.D.+ |
|
Petra / Edom |
YES |
YES |
NO |
YES |
750 B.C. |
1200 A.D.+ |
|
Samaria |
YES |
NO |
NO |
YES |
700 B.C. |
120 B.C. |
|
Sidon |
NO |
N/A |
N/A |
YES |
580 B.C. |
350 A.D.+ |
|
Tyre |
YES |
Babylon |
NO |
YES |
580 B.C. |
1300 A.D.+ |
|
Thebes / Memphis |
YES |
NO |
N/A |
YES |
570 B.C. |
90 B.C. |
* Dates approximate +Prophecy is ongoing
Please note carefully the “To Be Rebuilt” column above. Every City/Nation with a “NO” in that column no longer exists today.
And every City/Nation with a “YES” in that column does exist today.
Although all of those listed above (excepting Sidon) were prophetically doomed for some level of destruction, only those specifically targeted for eternal destruction no longer exist.
Also note the typically vast span of time between the date the prophecy was made – and the date it was fulfilled. Please realize that all Old Testament books were unquestionably completed long before 250 B.C. (when the Septuagint translation of the entire Old Testament was ordered by King Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt for his library in Alexandria, Egypt).41
In fact, Historians Scholars believe the final book of the Old Testament was written near 450 B.C.42
All New Testament books were completed by the end of the first century (the last being Revelation, completed ~96 A.D.).
Thus, there can be no question among sincere truth-seekers that all these prophecies were made centuries before they were entirely fulfilled – and many of them continue to be fulfilled to this very day (e.g., the prophecy that “Babylon will never be rebuilt” continues to be fulfilled in each generation).
These incontrovertible historical realities leave honest truth-seekers no other logical choice than to accept the explanation of the Prophets for their otherwise inexplicable and mysterious abilities:
Divine Intervention.
Incredible Odds. Statisticians estimate the odds of just the above prophecies occurring by chance, without Divine Intervention, to be somewhere on the order of 1 chance in 1060. (Remember also that this is only a tiny fraction of Biblical prophecies!)
That’s 10,000 x 1 trillion x 1 trillion x 1 trillion x 1 trillion times greater than your chances of winning the New York Lottery (assuming you had a 1 in 100 million chance of taking the pot)43 – and, per Borel’s Law44 is “mathematically impossible to occur by chance.”45
This plainly points to direct Divine Involvement – just as the Prophets insisted.
Finally, it’s also worth mentioning that several Biblical prophecies were independently corroborated by other Prophets who lived in different eras.
For example, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jesus Christ made independent and harmonious prophecies regarding different aspects of the future of Palestine. Each of these men insisted their prophecies originated from God rather than themselves.
This factor exponentially increases the above probabilities, further enhancing the already logical certainty that these men prophesied by means of Divine Inspiration – just as each of them insisted.
What Does All This Really Mean?
Any informed individual who reads – and understands – these incredible and undeniable Bible prophecies, and does not recognize that something truly unprecedented and remarkable has happened, has marvelous ability to ignore the obvious.
Clearly, no supernaturally unassisted person could have revealed what Biblical Prophets revealed.
No human being has the innate ability to foretell future events with 100% accuracy and precision – hundreds of years in advance of their occurrences – time after time after time.
Why did they do this? Why did they prophesy?
Again, Jesus Christ stated the reason just 24 hours before His impending crucifixion:
“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He [the promised Messiah, the Christ].“46
Consistent, accurate predictions of future events can mean only one thing: the Source is Divine.
God alone knows the future.
Therefore God alone can reveal the future.
Which leads to the following unmitigated conclusion: The Bible is undoubtedly the work of God.
Future Prophecies Directly Affect You. The question is: What is the bottom line to all this information?
What do these extraordinary realities mean to you personally?
How can this knowledge help you?
Past prophecies are no more. Many of them no longer affect us today. But future prophecies are another story.
There are several prophecies that will have a direct impact on your life, prophecies that relate to end-time events, prophecies that explicitly describe what will happen at the End of this World, and prophecies that indicate what you must do to prepare yourself for this unprecedented and inevitable event.47
I examine those prophecies in another chapter…
1 Indeed, in addition to the fact that Jesus was crucified, He lived a life of virtual poverty. History never mentions or implies that Jesus had ever owned real estate or property of any kind. Quite simply, His only possessions appeared to be the clothes on His very back, which led Him to remark to a would-be follower: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).
2 McDowell, Josh, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.), vol. 1, pp. 175-176.
3 Ezra 4:12-13, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
4 Ezekiel 4:4-6, Numbers 14:34, Leviticus 25:2-8, 26:32-34, 2 Chronicles 36:21, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
5 Daniel 9:24-27, Holy Bible, New American Standard Version.
6 Matthew 4:17, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
7 Matthew 24:1-4; 15-21,25, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
8 Matthew 24:21, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
9 Luke 21:24, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
10 Population, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia (2001).
11 It is unlikely that more people per capita have ever died in less time at any other known period of civilization’s history. Ironically, the Jews would also be involved in the 2nd worst human tragedy – the Nazi Holocaust of the 1940s. This episode would cost 6 million Jewish lives over a period of several years and trigger the Jewish reoccupation of Jerusalem from their global dispersion initiated in 70 A.D. (1.1 million deaths represented roughly .37% of first century world population [~300 million] and occurred in only 6 months at a single locale; 6 million represented roughly .24% of world population in 1945 [~2.5 billion], and the carnage occurred over several years across several locations.)
12 Population, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia (2001).
13 Construction on the Coliseum reportedly commenced directly after Jerusalem’s 70 A.D. destruction. Completed in a record-setting 10 years, it is said that on the very first day of the Coliseum’s operation 5,000 people were slaughtered before more than 50,000 bloodthirsty spectators. Some have suggested the stadium, from which every occupant could exit within 12 minutes, could actually hold up to 87,000 (standing room included). The 157′ tall structure had free admission, and it is said that the “entertainment” began at sunrise and continued until sunset, often starting with public criminal executions. Each day would typically feature a “main event” which was designed to be particularly impressive, sometimes attended by the emperor. Contrary to common legend, thumbs up from the emperor meant death, not life (symbolic of the typical, fatal death blow, an upward stabbing motion from the sword or weapon). Thumbs down meant life. The Coliseum featured at least two huge restrooms, a retractable cloth dome, and an underground complex from which animals as large as elephants could be hoisted on elevators to the spectator floor. Gladiators battled vicious animals and one another. The Coliseum floor could be flooded with water so that live, lethal ship battles could be witnessed. Thousands of criminals, who were often given the option of participating in “death dramas,” met their fates before the bloodthirsty, cheering crowds. Many Christians almost certainly perished in the Roman Coliseum, since they were criminal by Roman definition (most Christians refused to perform ritualistic sacrifices to the Roman gods, and strongly opposed gladiatorial combats). Many Jews also met their fate here, some of which were survivors transported from the destruction of Jerusalem to Rome for sport.
14 Deuteronomy 28:64, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
15 Leviticus 26:31-32, Deuteronomy 20:17, Numbers 33:55-56, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
16 The Muslim Dome of the Rock – which sits atop the very spot where the two previous Jewish temples had once stood – is a graphic reminder of Moses’ prophecies.
17 Luke 21:24, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
18 Jerusalem, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia (2001).
19 Matthew 27:25, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
20 Deuteronomy 28:67, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
21 Deuteronomy 28, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
22 Zechariah 8:20-23, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
23 Jeremiah 31:38-40, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
24 “Babylon” means “gate of God.”
25 Jeremiah 25:10-12, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
26 Isaiah 14:22, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
27 McDowell, Josh, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.), vol. 1, p. 308.
28 Daniel 5, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
29 McDowell, Josh, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.), vol. 1, p 319.
30 Ezekiel 29:15, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
31 Ezekiel 26:3-21, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
32 Nahum 1:10-17; 3:12-19, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
33 Isaiah 13:1-3,11-12,17-21, 14:22, 10:5-19, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
34 Jeremiah 25:8-14; 27:16-22, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
35 Daniel 5:1-4, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
36 Daniel 2:31-46; 7:1-E; 8:1-E, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
37 Luke 21:33, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
38 Hebrews 8:11, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
39 McDowell, Josh, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, California: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1989), vol. 1, p. 18.
40 a: Isaiah 13:19-22; 14:23; Jeremiah 51:26,43 b: Amos 1:8; Jeremiah 47:5; Zephaniah 2:4-7 c: Jeremiah 31:38-40 d: Ezekiel 25:3-4; Jeremiah 48:47; 49:6 e: Nahum 1:8-10; 2:6; 3:10-19 f: Leviticus 26:31-33; Ezekiel 36:33-35 g: Isaiah 34:6-15; Jeremiah 49:17:18; Ezekiel 25:13-14; 35:5-7 h: Hosea 13:16; Micah 1:6 i: Ezekiel 28:22-23 j: Ezekiel 26:3-21 k: Ezekiel 30:13-15, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
41 Bruce, F.F., The Books and the Parchments (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1984), p. 136.
42 McDowell, Josh, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (San Bernardino, California: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1989), vol. 1, p. 144.
43 Stoner, Peter W., Science Speaks: An Evaluation of Certain Christian Evidences (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963), p.95-98. As quoted by McDowell, p. 319.
44 Borel, Emile, Elements of the Theory of Probability (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1965), p. 62.
45 Borel’s Law states that any probability less than 1 chance in 1050 is considered “mathematically impossible” due to the limited number of possible events in the universe and the infinitesimal likelihood of the given event’s occurrence “by chance.”
46 John 13:19, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version. Emphasis added.
47 Revelation 21:8; Matthew 24:31-46; Romans 2:5-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-11, Holy Bible, New Int’l Version.
