How Reliable Are Bible Prophecies?

IT IS natural for man to be interested in the future. But what human really knows what the future holds? Is it not true that human predictions often fail because of unforeseen occurrences or because of things that people desperately hope will not happen and so refuse to include in their calculations?

Does this mean that no one can foretell the future? What about the Bible’s numerous predictions? Are they reliable? Some of these prophecies concern the rise and fall of world empires. There are scores of prophecies regarding the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. Others refer to conditions on this earth during the conclusion of the system of things and foretell that this marked time period is to be followed by a new order under the rule of God’s Kingdom.

Were Some Written After the Fulfillment?

This is the conclusion that atheists have come to. Take, for example, Jesus’ words regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, foretold to take place within the generation of those who heard him. Regarding this, The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, which promotes atheism, says: “On the basis of a number of allusions in the Gospels to the Jewish uprising of A.D. 66-70, it is apparent that they could not have been written before A.D. 70. Furthermore, a papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John, dating from around A.D. 125, has been preserved. Consequently, it seems reasonable to assume that the Gospels were written sometime around the turn of the second century A.D.”

It is true that the Gospel of John was written “around the turn of the second century,” about 98 C.E., but this is not so respecting the other three Gospels. The testimony of numerous early Christians and their catalogs of Bible books, all testifying that these accounts are genuine, is a matter of historical record. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke were written before the Roman attack on Jerusalem in 66 C.E., which was foretold in each one of them.​—Matthew 24:15, 16; Mark 13:14-20; Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-24.

Interestingly, museums the world over are full of Bible manuscripts containing prophecies written hundreds of years before their fulfillment. For example, The Great Soviet Encyclopedia says that the Dead Sea Scrolls “were written between the second century B.C. and A.D. 68.” To what conclusion would that lead a thinking person?

Well, one of the oldest of these Dead Sea Scrolls is the Isaiah manuscript (MS. 1). Respecting it, the renowned professor of archaeology Yigael Yadin recently said: “The scroll . . . has all the chapters of Isaiah from chapter one to sixty six . . . It is the oldest complete Biblical manuscript existing in the world today. Not more than about five or six hundred years elapsed between when the actual words of Isaiah were said and this scroll was copied in the 2nd century B.C. It is an amazing thing that although the original scroll in the museum is more than 2,000 years old how close it is to the Bible we read today either in Hebrew or in the translations which were made from the original Hebrew into English or other languages.”

Consider points 1, 10, 11 and 17 on the chart on pages 22 and 23. These are some examples of prophecies recorded by Isaiah and that were fulfilled long after the Isaiah Dead Sea Scroll was copied. These and other facts prove that Bible prophecies were indeed written in advance. But, you may ask:

Are They Vague or Specific?

Fortune-tellers, like Nostradamus, often use ambiguous words that can be taken in many different ways. This is done to protect themselves from embarrassment when their predictions fail. Can the same be said about Bible prophecies? Are they vague or are they specific?

In considering the chart, you will notice that the predictions made are specific. It was clearly foretold that Babylon and Edom would become permanently desolate, whereas the land of Judea would suffer a temporary desolation, in fact, for a specific time​—70 years. (Jeremiah 29:10) The very name of Babylon’s conqueror, Cyrus, was predicted by Isaiah over 190 years in advance. Regarding the Messiah, Isaiah prophesied that at his death he would be associated with the wicked ones and also with the rich class. The Gospel accounts clearly describe that Jesus was put to death with two criminals and later buried in a rich man’s tomb.​—Isaiah 53:9; Luke 23:32; John 19:38-42.

The reason why Bible prophecies are specific is that they come from a source higher than man. The Creator, Jehovah God, who inspired men to record these predictions, knows how humans are made and what motivates them to act the way they do. He can accurately foretell the outcome for people who obey his righteous commands and for those who try to ignore them. He knows what his own purpose is, and he has the power and wisdom to ensure its fulfillment. He says: “From the beginning I foretold the future, and predicted beforehand what is to be. . . . I will do whatever I choose.”​—Isaiah 46:9, 10, The Jerusalem Bible.

Points 14-17 on the accompanying chart direct attention to evidence that we are living in what the Bible terms “the last days.” “The last days” of what? The entire global system of things that rejects Jehovah’s universal sovereignty, either ignoring God or distorting his ways. The Bible shows that hypocritical and false religion will be the first to come to its end​—this by the hand of earth’s political powers at God’s appointed time. (Revelation 17:16, 17; 18:2-8) Following that, God’s Kingdom itself will crush all human governments​—all of which have a record of bloodshed and put their own desires ahead of God’s commands—​and will bring about a united world under God’s rule.​—Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14.

Under God’s Kingdom, earth’s survivors will at last enjoy real peace and there will be an abundance of food, not just for some nations and social groups, but for all mankind. (Psalm 37:10, 11; Isaiah 25:6) Sickness and death will come to be things of the past. (Revelation 21:3, 4) Even those of the human dead whom God remembers will be resurrected.​—John 5:28, 29.

Will all these marvelous prophecies really come true? There is no valid reason for doubt. Hundreds of past prophecies have proved reliable, so we can have absolute confidence in the fulfillment of these too.

How can you survive the predicted destruction of this old system into God’s New Order? The prophet Zephaniah answers: “Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth . . . Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”​—Zephaniah 2:3.

[Chart on page 22, 23]

Some Bible Prophecies and Their Fulfillment

Content of Prophecy

1. Babylon, which was yet to become the capital of a glorious world empire, would eventually become desolate, never to be reinhabited. Isaiah 13:19, 20

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

900 years later

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“Babylon lost its primacy and finally left the historical arena by the second century A.D.”​—The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1974 English ed., Vol. 4, p. 8.

Content of Prophecy

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

193 years later

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“The Persian king Cyrus II captured Babylon in 539 B.C.”​—Ibid., p. 9.

Content of Prophecy

3. Babylon would be followed by the Medo-Persian Empire, pictured by a ram with two horns, the taller of the two coming up second. Daniel 8:1-4, 20

WHEN STATED

About 551 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

12 years later, in 539 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

The Median power came first, but the Persian power that followed surpassed it in strength.​—Encyclopædia Britannica, 1959, Vol. 15, p. 172 and Vol. 17, p. 550.

Content of Prophecy

WHEN STATED

About 551 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

217 years later, in 334 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Alexander the Great inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persian Empire, thus establishing the Grecian Empire.​—The Outline of History, by H. G. Wells, 1921, p. 321.

Content of Prophecy

5. This mighty king of Greece would be broken at the zenith of his power. The empire would not pass on to his offspring; instead it would be broken into four parts. Daniel 11:2-4

WHEN STATED

539 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

216 years later, 323 to 301 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

At the age of 33 Alexander died of malarial fever; shortly afterward his only two sons were murdered. After wars among his generals, the empire was finally divided between Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Cassander.​—Ibid., pp. 336, 337.

Content of Prophecy

6. The wealthy port city of Tyre would be conquered by King Nebuchadrezzar. So thorough would the destruction be that the dust of the city would be scraped away and fishermen would dry their nets there. Ezekiel 26:4-7

WHEN STATED

607 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

275 years later, in 332 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Nebuchadrezzar destroyed the mainland city. Centuries later, Alexander scraped Tyre’s ruins into the sea, forming a causeway to the island city, capturing it. Today fishing nets are sometimes seen drying there.​—Encyclopædia Britannica, 1959, Vol. 22, p. 653.

Content of Prophecy

7. The Judean kingdom would be desolated, its treasures and its subjects taken to Babylon. (This prophecy was given in the time of the mighty Assyrian Empire, when Babylon was merely a vassal state.) Isaiah 39:5-7

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

125 years later, in 607 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“‘Diaspora’ denoted the existence of Jews outside Palestine, especially after their exile by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II.”​—The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1975 English ed., Vol. 8, p. 198.

Content of Prophecy

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

195 years later, from 537 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“The Jews . . . returned . . . to Jerusalem from Babylonia in the time of Cyrus.”​—The Outline of History, by H. G. Wells, 1921, p. 230. The first-century historian Flavius Josephus recorded the fulfillment in his Antiquities of the Jews.

Content of Prophecy

9. Israel’s long-awaited Messianic King would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2

WHEN STATED

Before 716 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

714 years later

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:1-14 confirm that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in 2 B.C.E.

Content of Prophecy

10. He would be born of a virgin. Eventually, as the exalted ruler of God’s choice, he would call to account all human rulers, much to their amazement, and bring permanent peace to the earth. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6, 7; 52:13-15

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

730 years later, in 2 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 1:26–2:14 record the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus. Even the Koran of the Muslims acknowledges this in sura III, verses 40-48. Soon, at Armageddon, he will destroy the world’s entire system of political rulership.

Content of Prophecy

11. First this Messianic King would be humiliated and put to death by his own nation, in spite of his curing them of sicknesses. His death would atone for man’s sins. Isaiah 53:3-12

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

760 years later, from 29-33 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

The four Gospel accounts testify to the miraculous cures performed by Jesus as well as to his suffering and death at the hands of the Jews. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) In his name salvation has been preached worldwide.

Content of Prophecy

12. The inhabitants of Jerusalem who murdered him would see their own city surrounded by encamped armies. This attack would not bring about the immediate destruction of those in the city. It would be a sign for Jewish followers of Jesus to flee out of the city and Judea. Luke 21:20-24

WHEN STATED

33 C.E.

When Fulfilled

33 years later, in 66 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Chronicles​—News of the Past, by Dr. Israel Eldad and Moshe Aumann, gives a historical account of the 30th of the Jewish month Tishri, 66 C.E.: “Romans advance on Jerusalem, begin siege of city.” Later, the publication reports: “ROMAN ARMY ROUTED . . . nearly 6,000 Roman soldiers and horsemen . . . wiped out.”

Content of Prophecy

WHEN STATED

32 and 33 C.E.

When Fulfilled

37 years later, in 70 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Chronicles​—News of the Past, describes the 10th day of Ab, 70 C.E.: “JERUSALEM FALLS; TEMPLE IN FLAMES . . . Death Toll Over Million . . . Some parts of the Temple were still burning . . . The rest had been reduced to a mass of smouldering rubble.” See also the eyewitness account of Flavius Josephus in Wars of the Jews.

Content of Prophecy

14. A sign that the end of the present system is near​—great warfare, widespread food shortages, earthquakes, the worldwide preaching of the good news of God’s incoming world government. All of this, including “the end,” would come within one generation. Matthew 24:3, 7, 14, 21, 32-34.

WHEN STATED

33 C.E.

When Fulfilled

1,881 years later, since 1914 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Since 1914 the world has experienced the only two world wars in history. A quarter of the world is hungry, 40 million persons dying annually. This century has also experienced a marked increase in earthquakes. In 1983 alone, Jehovah’s Witnesses spent approximately 436 million hours preaching the “good news” worldwide.

Content of Prophecy

15. During these “last days” there would be a sharp increase in immorality, pleasure-seeking, crime, family breakdown and juvenile delinquency. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

WHEN STATED

About 65 C.E.

When Fulfilled

1,849 years later, since 1914 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Crime, violence and terrorism plague the world today. The divorce rate is rising sharply and venereal diseases are epidemic. Young people, generally, resent authority.

Content of Prophecy

16. Many would ridicule all the evidence that “the last days” of the present system had arrived. 2 Peter 3:3, 4

WHEN STATED

About 64 C.E.

When Fulfilled

1,850 years later, since 1914 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

It has become increasingly popular to view the Bible with skepticism. The idea that the end of wickedness is near is scoffed at by many.

Content of Prophecy

17. But in “the final part of the days” people out of all nations would eagerly help one another to learn Jehovah’s ways; all of these would cease to participate in or learn war. Isaiah 2:1-4

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

2,666 years later, since 1935 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Upwards of 2,600,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in 205 lands, devote time to helping others to learn Bible truths. It is well known that this large international brotherhood does not participate in warfare.