STUDY THE BIBLE 2
PROPHECY: WHY
YOU CAN BELIEVE THE BIBLE
Every
religion in the
world says that they are right and other religions are wrong. How do we
know
which one is right? Just because you were born into a certain religion
does not
prove that religion to be the right one, even though you may want it to
be.
God
challenges all
other religions, that claim to be the truth, to prove that if they are
from
God, they would be able to predict the future. None of us can correctly
predict
the future on every guess. Can you tell the future? Do you know
what
will happen tomorrow or next week?
The Bible
is the only
book in the world that correctly predicts the future hundreds of times
without
making any mistakes. No other book does this. The Buddhist, Hindu and
Muslim
writings have no cases of clearly fulfilled prophecies. This
proves they
are not from God. Any man can write a book with moral
teachings. Only
God can write a book that always correctly tells the future, 100%
of the
time, and hundreds of years before it happens, as the Bible
does.
1. The
prediction must
come true
2. The
prophecy must
be given far enough before the predicted event, to exclude
human
guesswork.
3. The
prophecy is to
be exact, and must not be vague, uncertain or have several
explanations.
IF THE
ABOVE THREE
TESTS CAN BE MET, IT PROVES …
1. God’s
existence,
as the infinitely superior mind and intelligence, behind the Bible
2. The
Bible is God’s
inspired word and without error
3. Jesus
Christ is
God that came in the flesh, as predicted in the Old Testament
4. All
other Bible
doctrines are true.
THE
BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE
In
712BC, Cyrus, king of Persia, was predicted by name
and what
he would do, in that he would build the Temple at
Jerusalem.
“That
saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd,
and shall perform all my (God) pleasure: even saying to
Jerusalem, Thou
shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid
…Thus
saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus … I (God)
have
even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast
not known
me (God).” Isaiah 45:1-4 Isaiah 44:28;45:1,4)
Now,
148 years later, in 536BC, this is what exactly
happened,
the foundation of the temple was laid.
In 1406
BC,
God said he would “… scatter
you (Israel) among the
nations,
and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen ...” (Deuteronomy
4:27)
And again “And
the LORD shall scatter
thee (Israel) among all people, from the one end of the
earth
even unto the other…” (Deuteronomy 28:64)
In 1948
AD Israel was made an
official State in the world by the United Nations. “For I will take
you from
among the heathen, and gather you (Israel) out of
all
countries, and will bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel
36:24). There
is a gap of 3,354 years between the prophecy in 1406BC and
1948AD.
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
PROPHECY |
Old
Testament |
New
Testament |
TIME GAP |
1. Born of
a virgin |
Genesis
3:15 Isaiah 7:14 |
Romans
16:20 Matthew
1:18 |
4,000
years ago 760 years
ago |
2. Tribe
of Judah |
Genesis
49:10 |
Luke 3:33 |
1640 years
ago |
3. House
of David |
Jeremiah
23:5 |
Matthew 1:1 |
600 years
ago |
4. Born at
Bethlehem |
Micah 5:2 |
Matthew 2:1 |
730 years
ago |
5. Visited
by wise men with gifts |
Isaiah 60:3,6,9 |
Matthew
2:7,11 |
760 years
ago |
6. Would
be in Egypt for a time |
Hosea 11:1 |
Matthew
2:19 |
750 years
ago |
7. Infants
killed at his birthplace |
Jeremiah
31:15 |
Matthew
2:16 |
600 years
ago |
8.
Preceded by a messenger |
Isaiah 40:3 |
Matthew 3:1 |
760 years
ago |
9.
Ministry to begin in Galilee |
Isaiah 9:1 |
Matthew
4:23 |
760 years
ago |
10.
Perform miracles |
Isaiah
35:5,6 |
Acts 2:22 |
760 years
ago |
11. Teach
parables |
Psalm 78:2 |
Matthew
13:13 |
990 years
ago |
12. Heal
many |
Isaiah 53:4 |
Luke 4:18 |
760 years
ago |
13. His
miracles not believed |
Isaiah
53:1 |
Mark 6:3-4 |
760 years
ago |
14. Prays
for enemies |
Psalm 109:4 |
Luke 23:34 |
990 years
ago |
15. Enter
Jerusalem on a donkey |
Zechariah
9:9 |
Matthew
21:5 |
518 years
ago |
15.
Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver |
Zechariah
11:12 |
Matthew
26:15 |
518 years
ago |
16. Hated
without a cause |
Psalm 69:4 |
John
15:23-25 |
990 years
ago |
17. Died
for the sins of others |
Isaiah
53:4-5 |
Romans 4:25 |
760 years
ago |
18. Money
thrown on Temple floor |
Zechariah
11:13 |
Matthew
27:5 |
518 years
ago |
19. Money
buys potter’s field |
Zechariah
11:13 |
Matthew
27:7 |
518 years
ago |
20.
Forsaken by his disciples |
Zechariah
13:7 |
Matthew
26:56 |
518 years
ago |
21. False
witnesses accuse him |
Psalm 35:11 |
Matthew
26:60-61 |
990 years
ago |
22. Silent
before his accusers |
Isaiah 53:7 |
Matthew
26:63 |
760 years
ago |
23. Be
scourged and spat upon |
Isaiah 50:6 |
Mark 14:65 |
760 years
ago |
24.
Crucified between two thieves |
Isaiah
53:12 |
Mark
15:27-28 |
760 years
ago |
25. Hands
and feet pierced |
Psalm 22:16 |
John 20:27 |
990 years
ago |
26. His
side pierced |
Zechariah
12:10 |
John 19:34 |
518 years
ago |
27. Given
vinegar to drink |
Psalm 69:21 |
John 19:29 |
990 years
ago |
28.
Garments gambled for |
Psalm 22:18 |
Matthew
27:35 |
990 years
ago |
29. No
bones broken |
Psalm 34:20 |
John 19:34 |
990 years
ago |
30. His
forsaken cry |
Psalm 22:1 |
Matthew
27:46 |
990 years
ago |
31.
Darkness over land from noon |
Amos 8:9 |
Matthew
27:45 |
800 years
ago |
32. Buried
in a rich man’s tomb |
Isaiah 53:9 |
Matthew
27:57-60 |
760 years
ago |
33. Raised
from the dead |
Psalm 16:10 |
Luke
24:36-48 |
990 years
ago |
34. Ascend
into heaven |
Psalm
24:7-10 |
Luke
24:50-51 |
990 years
ago |
35.
Gentiles believe on him |
Isaiah 60:3 |
Romans 9:25 |
760 years
ago |
36.
Messiah would offer himself as Prince and king to
Israel |
Daniel 9:25 |
Matthew
21:5 |
590 years
ago |
37. Temple
& Jerusalem destroyed |
Daniel 9:26 |
Fulfilled
70AD |
590 years
ago |
Dr
Peter Stoner, a
professor of statistical probability, says
that the odds of one man fulfilling all prophecies exactly as they are
prophesied in the Bible, is 10157. Now 10 to the 50th
power is written 1050, and is considered to be zero, as the
probability of any event taking place, that is greater than 1050
can’t happen, as the total number of electrons in the known universe is
only 1050
.
From the
table above,
we see that the Bible has predicted hundreds of years ago, that God
would send
His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. It all happened as God
said to
the very exact detail. So we can thank and praise God for the
Bible. It
is 100% true and it tells the future with 100% accuracy.
God
cannot lie. Your friends might lie, but the Bible says God cannot lie. The
scriptures say “And
now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true
… (2Samuel 7:28).
In the New Testament, we have “…hope of
eternal life, which God,
that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2)
Very
shortly, Jesus
Christ will return for the Christians at the rapture. As the Bible says
“For the
Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then
we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
(1 Thessalonians
4:16-18).
Dear
Reader, you want
to be in this number. You just don’t want to miss it. Why? The seven
years
after that, will have God pouring his wrath out upon the earth. Read
about it
in the Book of Revelation and indeed Matthew chapter 23-24. THESE
FORETOLD
EVENTS ARE NOT FAIRY TALES. They will be actual events that have
been prophesied
and WILL BE FULFILLED TO THE LETTER.
Harley Hitchcock
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