PROPHECY

It’s been said that two-thirds of the Bible is prophecy. While I don’t know whether or not this is true, there are certainly an awful lot of predictions between its covers. Let’s first take a look at a couple of examples that have a strong bearing on modern times, and then some other interesting ones.

Jewish Persecution

This is a very sensitive yet compelling place to start. The Jews are God’s chosen people. They hold a special place in His heart. God calls Israel his “special possession” and “the apple of his eye.”[1] Despite this, though, God himself warned the Israelites what would happen to them if they chose to forget him throughout history. Some of God’s warnings are downright chilling.

Let’s consider some verses in the book of Deuteronomy. As God prepared to lead the Israelites out of the wilderness and into the land of Canaan, “a land flowing with milk and honey,”[2] he said the following:

“…be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness… He did [this] so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful…”[3]

Following this admonition, God told the people what would happen to them if they did or did not obey him.

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all [sorts of] blessings if you obey the Lord your God.

But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, [many] curses will come and overwhelm you.

The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

You will suffer under constant oppression and harsh treatment. You will go mad because of all the tragedy you see around you.”[4]

Now consider the words used in this warning. Terms like “object of horror,” “constant oppression” and “you will go mad because of all the tragedy” leap off the pages of the Bible. And what has happened from that moment until this very day? The answer is that the Jewish people have suffered far more persecution for a far greater time than any people on the earth, and God predicted it over and over. In the 31st chapter of Deuteronomy, God said to Moses:

“After you are gone, these people will… abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will blaze forth against them. I will abandon them, hiding my face from them, and they will be devoured. Terrible trouble will come down on them… they will despise me and break my covenant.”[5]

From this point on, the pages of the Old Testament are filled with the stories of God offering his people the choice between obedience plus blessings and rebellion plus punishment. In almost every case, the people chose to go their own way and suffered the consequences. The Israelites suffered many military defeats; broke into two groups that began fighting each other; and were eventually carried away into captivity. (For more prophecies describing the future sufferings of Israel, see: Jeremiah 24:9-10, 29:16-19, 42:18 and 44:8,12; Ezekiel 5:14-15; and Daniel 9:16.)

The trouble continued all the way up to the “horrors” of the holocaust during World War II, during which 6 million Jews were murdered, and it persists to this day when the tiny nation of Israel is surrounded by hostile neighbors bent on its destruction. To me, these prophecies are amazing.

Israel’s Survival & Political Significance

Stop and think about the mighty nations and empires that have come and gone over time – like Egypt, Babylon, the Persian Empire, and the Roman Empire. Now ask yourself, where are they today and what influence do they currently have on the world scene. Now stop and think about Israel, tiny Israel – which was not recognized as a nation for over two thousand years until the 1948 War of Independence. Now ask yourself, how central is Israel to the global political landscape today? The answer, obviously, is it’s incredibly central and important. The eyes of the entire world are fixed on Israel these days. The fate of no other country threatens the global balance of peace like that of Israel – and keep in mind that there are nearly 200 countries in the world today.

If you were a betting man living during the time of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, or during the time of any of the great world empires, the last country you would pick to not only survive but to play such a central role in the world would be Israel. And yet Israel has survived, and it was predicted long ago in the scriptures.

Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets begged Israel to turn from its sin or face serious trouble. As already discussed, Israel repeatedly rebelled and was punished quite severely. Despite God’s deep disappointment with his chosen people, though, he revealed his plan to save a remnant of them from destruction and eventually gather Israelites from around the world and restore them to their land.[6] Consider the words of the Lord delivered through the prophet Isaiah.

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you… I will gather you and your children from east and west and from north and south. I will bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.”[7]

(Additional verses can be found in Jeremiah 23:3-4, 29:14 & 31:10, and Ezekiel 11:17, 28:25 & 36:24.)

I can’t say for sure if these verses refer specifically to the establishment of an independent Israeli state in 1947, but it certainly seems like a clear first step in the final gathering process. I can say for sure, though, that in the past 60 years, Jews from around the world – from places like Russia and even the United States – have been returning to Israel.

Jesus Christ also notes that, just prior to his return to the earth we should be watchful of events in Jerusalem. In Luke 21:20, he states:

“And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived… And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end. And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”[8]

Israel today is surrounded by hostile nations whose feelings towards the Jews range from strongly disliking them and trying to hide it (e.g., the Saudis) to utterly wanting them destroyed and vocalizing it (like the Iranian leadership). Then there are groups like Hezbollah and Hamas who cause all sorts of problems for Israel from the north (Lebanon) and south, respectively. There is constant tension in Israel and fear of attacks. Frankly, the only thing preventing a significant attack is Israel’s close ties with the United States. If this relationship were ever to deteriorate to the point where Israel could no longer count on the U.S.’s military support, look out. Israel would almost certainly be attacked in short order. (Many Christians believe such an attack is prophesized in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39.) One could imagine such a scenario as the U.S. grows increasingly weary from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, its military presence in 143 nations, and pressures on its domestic front.

All of this brings to mind something I saw on the cheezburger.com Web site. It was a table of the civilizations, nations, empires, and others that have tried to destroy the Jewish people. The first column listed them, including Ancient Egypt, the Philistines, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, crusaders, the Spanish Empire, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and Iran. The second column indicated their status – which was “GONE” for all of them except Iran. Just below the table it said: “The Jewish people, the smallest of nations, with a friend in the highest of places! So… be nice!”

Clearly, Israel’s survival throughout the millennia and its central role in end times is both highly unlikely and amazing, and it’s predicted in the Scriptures.

Christ’s Coming

I’ve heard various estimates for the number of Old Testament scriptures that point to Jesus Christ’s coming – some exceeding 1,000. To arrive at the higher estimates you have to consider a number of assumptions that are vague and confusing to most people.

What is more interesting to me, though, is the uncanny similarity between various Old Testament verses and the things that happened to Jesus. For example, Isaiah chapter 53 describes a servant of God who was rejected by his people, beaten and whipped, and led away to be slaughtered – all so that he might bear our sins. The account also includes several other unique details of the circumstances of Jesus’ crucifixion.

In Psalm 22, David cried out to God in the middle of an intense trial. Parts of the Psalm provide an uncanny glimpse of the fate Christ would suffer a thousand years later. He writes about being scorned, despised & mocked; his hands and feet being pierced; and people casting lots for his clothes – all things that happened to Jesus.  

What follows is a list of some of the more interesting connections between Old Testament verses and their “fulfillment” in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

Various people have calculated the odds of Jesus satisfying only a handful of these prophecies to be astronomically low. (One estimate of him satisfying just eight prophecies came in at 1 in 1*10E17.)[9] Whatever the odds are, they are prohibitively low. Furthermore, the thing that strikes me as I read through the Old Testament is the unified message of these prophecies, a message about a Messiah who would come and suffer so that our sins would be forgiven.

As you think about this section, consider what Jesus said to doubters following his resurrection:

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.[10]

FOOTNOTES

[1] Deuteronomy 32:9-10 – New Living Translation.

[2] Deuteronomy 31:20 – New Living Translation.

[3] Deuteronomy 8:11-18 – New Living Translation.

[4] Deuteronomy 28:1-2,15,25,33-34 – New Living Translation.

[5] Deuteronomy 31:16-17,20 – New Living Translation.

[6] See Ezra 9:8; Isaiah 6:13, 37:32 & 65:9; Jeremiah 50:20; and Micah 2:12 for some examples.

[7] Isaiah 43:1-2,5-6 – New Living Translation.

[8] Luke 21:20, 24-27 – New Living Translation.

[9] Ravi Zacharias & Norman Geisler (Editors), Who Made God? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003, page 95. Professor Peter Stoner’s cited.

[10] Luke 24:25-27 – New Living Translation.