What Jehovah Foretells Comes to Be

“I AM the Divine One and there is no other God, nor anyone like me; the One telling from the beginning the finale, and from long ago the things that have not been done.” (Isaiah 46:9, 10) So says Jehovah, the one able to foretell the future unerringly.

Man’s inability to predict the future accurately is notorious. That the Bible is a book of prophecy should therefore stimulate all truth-seekers to investigate its claim of divine authorship. Let us consider some Biblical prophecies that have already come true.

Ancient Civilizations

God foretold that Babylon would suffer permanent destruction and that Edom, Moab, and Ammon would also be destroyed forever. (Jeremiah 48:42; 49:17, 18; 51:24-26; Obadiah 8, 18; Zephaniah 2:8, 9) The disappearance of these peoples as distinct national groups testifies to the accuracy of God’s prophetic Word.

Of course, one might argue that anyone can predict that a nation, however mighty, will eventually pass out of existence. But that argument ignores the vital fact that the Bible went further. For example, it provided details as to just how Babylon would be overthrown. The Bible foretold that the city would be conquered by the Medes, that the invading soldiers would be under the leadership of Cyrus, and that the city’s defensive rivers would be dried up.​—Isaiah 13:17-19; 44:27–45:1.

Not in all cases did the Bible predict that a conquered nation or people would cease to exist forever. On the contrary, in foretelling the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, God said that the city would experience a restoration, despite Babylon’s policy of never releasing its captives. (Jeremiah 24:4-7; 29:10; 30:18, 19) This was fulfilled, and the Jews’ descendants continue to exist as a distinct people to this day.

Further, Jehovah foretold that Egypt would be overthrown as a world power but that “afterward she [would] be resided in as in the days of old.” In time, this ancient power would “become a lowly kingdom.” (Jeremiah 46:25, 26; Ezekiel 29:14, 15) This proved true as well. In addition, Jehovah predicted that Greece would be overthrown as a world power, but never did he say that this nation would cease to exist. What do we learn from the disappearance of civilizations about which Jehovah predicted annihilation and the presence of others about which he made no such prediction? That God’s Word contains genuine, reliable prophecy.

Amazing Detail

As noted above, Jehovah provided many details regarding the nature of Babylon’s fall. Similarly, in foretelling the downfall of Tyre, the book of Ezekiel said that its stones, woodwork, and dust would be placed “in the very midst of the water.” (Ezekiel 26:4, 5, 12) This prophecy was fulfilled in 332 B.C.E. when Alexander the Great had his army use the ruins of the vanquished mainland part of the city to build a causeway to the island part of Tyre, which was then conquered as well.

The prophecy recorded at Daniel 8:5-8, 21, 22 and 11:3, 4 also provided impressive details with regard to an unusually great “king of Greece.” This ruler would be cut down at the zenith of his power, and his kingdom would then be divided into four but not among his descendants. More than 200 years after this prophecy was recorded, Alexander the Great proved to be that mighty king. Secular history tells us that he was cut down by an untimely death and that his empire was eventually split among four of his generals​—not his descendants.

Critics have claimed that this prophecy must have been recorded after the fact. Look again, though, at the above-cited account in the book of Daniel. When viewed from the standpoint of prophecy, its details are remarkable. But when viewed as history masquerading as prophecy, does there not seem to be a glaring lack of detail? If an impostor who lived after Alexander were trying to impress readers with a supposed prophecy, why did he not include the point that immediately following Alexander’s death, two of his sons would try to establish their kingship but would be assassinated? Why did he not mention that it would be decades before all four generals would establish themselves over different parts of Alexander’s empire? For that matter, why did he not mention the names of the great king and his four generals?

The claim that Bible prophecy was written after the event is a long-held but unproven assertion made by those who before examining the evidence have decided that foretelling future events is impossible. Because they refuse to accept the Bible as God’s Word, they are compelled to explain everything from a purely human, material standpoint. Nevertheless, God wisely inspired just enough prophetic detail to establish his authorship.a

Bible prophecy can strengthen your faith if you take the time to meditate on the specific prophecies and their fulfillment. Why not make a study of Bible prophecy? The charts on pages 343 to 346 of the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial” may be helpful to you in that regard.b If you follow this suggestion, approach the project with the goal of building up your faith. Do not hurry, simply covering material. Rather, give appreciative thought to the fact that whatever Jehovah foretells unerringly comes to be.

[Footnotes]

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PRINCIPLES FOR LIVING

Here is another thought to ponder. The God who so accurately foretold the rise and fall of world powers is also the Source of the Bible’s principles for living. Some of these are:

You reap what you sow.​—Galatians 6:7.

There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.​—Acts 20:35.

Happiness depends on satisfying spiritual needs.​—Matthew 5:3.

If you put these principles to work in your life, you can be confident that they will prove true for you.

[Pictures on page 22, 23]

God’s Word foretold the permanent end of these civilizations . . .

EDOM

BABYLON

. . . but not of these

GREECE

EGYPT

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Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

WHO photo by Edouard Boubat

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Alexander the Great