The Bible is almost a collection of prophecies. A large part of the predictions can be found in the Old Testament, and the majority of all the predictions of the Holy Scriptures have already been fulfilled. Only a few prophecies remain open, and these concern the end of time.
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Prophecies – Most have already been fulfilled
While the prophecies in the Old Testament focus on prophecies that have already been fulfilled, the predictions in the New Testament predominantly refer to events yet to come in the period after Jesus Christ’s work in this world as a human being. Nevertheless, the Old Testament contains predictions, especially in the books of Daniel and Isaiah, that reach into our time. A significant proportion of this has already happened. An example is Jesus’ prediction that not one stone of the Temple (in Jerusalem) would be left on top of another.
In fact, the temple was completely destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans under the command of Titus. In the New Testament, in addition to the announcements of the events in the “end times” of Jesus (Matthew 24) also the Revelation of John as a reference work par excellence. Here, the announced developments are happening continuously at the current time.
Prophecies for Bible Credibility
Fulfillment of prophecies are among the most powerful arguments for the truth of Holy Scripture. Unfortunately, there are also enumerations in circulation that can be detrimental to this credibility. Whether it was intentional or unintentional for “sensational reasons” remains to be seen. Anyone who has already studied the Bible a little will come to the realization that these “parallel events” are usually not pure coincidence. True to the motto: “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9), there were repetitions of events in the past at a later point in time.
These parallels can be explained as the principle “typos & anti-typos” and also constitute a prophecy. It is easy for the overly diligent critics to dig right into such notches in order to undermine the credibility of the Bible. A major goal of Satan and his henchmen is to destroy the credibility of the Bible. But the secular science has long since reached its limits with its “explanations”.
| Prophecies in context | Prophecy in the Old Testament | Fulfillment in the New Testament |
| Messiah becomes a descendant of David | Isaiah 9:6 Isaiah 11:1 | Matthew 1:1 |
| A virgin will give birth to the Messiah | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:18 |
| Messiah will be without sin | Isaiah 53:9 | Hebrews 4:15 1 Peter 2:22 |
| Messiah will be like shepherd of his sheep | Isaiah 40:11 | Matthew 9:36 Heb 4:15 |
| Messiah practices meekness and is not boastful | Isaiah 42:2 | Matthew 12:15-19 |
| Wisdom of the Messiah | Isaiah 11:2 Daniel 2:20 | Luke 2:52 |
| Messiah raises the broken | Isaiah 61:1-2 | Luke 4:18-19 |
| In Messiah is spirit of wisdom and knowledge | Isaiah 11:2-4 | Luke 2:52 Matthew 13:54 |
| Jews will reject the Messiah | Isaiah 53:3 | John 1:11 |
| Messiah is a light to Gentiles | Isaiah 60:3 | Acts 13:47-48 |
| Ministry of Messiah in Galilee and Jordan | Isaiah 8:23-9:2 | Matthew 4:12-16 |
| incomprehension for Messiah | Isaiah 6:9-10 | Matthew 13:14-15 |
| Messiah is dumb as a lamb | Isaiah 53:7 | Matthew 26:62-63 |
| Execution of the Messiah with 2 sinners | Isaiah 53:12 | Matthew 27:38 |
| Messiah is beaten and spat on | Isaiah 50:6 | Mark 15:19 |
| Messiah in a rich man's grave | Isaiah 53:9 | Matthew 27:57-60 |
| Vicarious suffering of the Messiah | Isaiah 53:4-5 | Matthew 8:16-17 1 Cor 15:3 Romans 4:25 |
| Messiah becomes Nackomme of Isaac | Genesis 17:19 | Matthew 1:2-16 |
| Messiah becomes a descendant of Abraham | Genesis 18:17 | Matthew 1:1 Galatians 3:7-8 |
| Messiah is from the tribe of Judah | Genesis 49:10 | Matthew 1:2 Luke 3:23-33 |
| Messiah becomes descendant of Jacob | Numbers 24:17 | Luke 3:23-34 |
| Murder children after birth Messiah | Jeremiah 31:15 | Matthew 2:16 |
| Retrieval of Messiah from death (resurrection) | Psalm 30:4 | John 21 |
| Messiah is pierced in the hands and feet | Psalm 22:17 Zechariah 12:10 | John 20:25 John 20:27 John 19:37 |
| Messiah suffers thirst at crucifixion | Psalm 22:16 | John 19:28 |
| Raffle of the clothes of the Messiah | Psalm 22:19 | Mark 15:24 |
| Messiah prays for his enemies | Psalm 109:4 Isaiah 53:12 | Luke 23:34 |
| The bones of the Messiah remain intact | Psalm 34:21 | John 19:33 |
| Mockery and blasphemy of the Messiah | Psalm 22:7-9 | Mark 15:29-32 Matthew 27:39-44 |
| False witnesses against Messiah | Psalm 27:12 Psalm 35:11 | Matthew 26:60-61 |
| Betrayal of the Messiah by a friend | Psalm 41:10 | Mark 14:18-20 |
| Baseless hatred of Messiah | Psalm 69:5 Psalm 109:3-5 | John 15:23-25 |
| Messiah becomes a stumbling block | Psalm 118:22 | 1 Peter 2:7-8 |
| Messiah speaks in parables (pictures) | Psalm 78:2 | Luke 13 (example) |
| Great worship Messiah | Psalm 72:10-11 | Matthew 2:2-11 |
| Bethlehem (-Ephrata) becomes the birthplace of the Messiah | Micah 5:1 | Matthew 2:1 |
| The Messiah rode on a donkey towards Jerusalem | Zechariah 9:9 | John 12:13-14 |
| Messiah comes from Egypt (after escape Maria & Joseph) | Hosea 11:1 | Matthew 2:14 |
| Friends leave the Messiah | Zechariah 13:7 | Mark 14.50 |
| Messiah will be in the dark of the earth for 3 days | Jonah 2 | Matthew 12:40 |
| Darkness during the day | Amos 8:9 Amos 5:20 | Matthew 27:45 |
“Classic Prophecy” – Destruction of Ancient Tyre
Quite a prime example of a prophecy about a whole treatise of events is provided by the destruction of what was once the ancient “splendid city” of Tire in the eastern Mediterranean, on the coast of present-day Lebanon. This city was the economic metropolis of southernmost Europe and North Africa. As a “main trading point” and economic center, the ancient city of Tire had its heyday in the area from around 1,000 to 600 BC. Tire was a huge “number” internationally. The city was also known as the “Mart of Nations” (Isa 23:3).
Tire was divided into two parts over time. The actual trading town and port on the mainland. Later this city was located on a nearby island. The dominant power in international trade was the Phoenicians. As is common today, the Phoenicians were out to maximize profits and “conquer” the markets. When the city of Jerusalem fell into distress due to the attacks of the king of Babel, Nebuchadnezzar, the Phoenicians were happy about the (supposed) destruction of a competitor and the opening of further catchment areas.
Obviously, God did not want to allow such plans and further attacks on Jerusalem and announced the corresponding consequences. So in Ezekiel 26:1-6:
“And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, on of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.”
In verse 7 it even gets really concrete: “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.”.
The events that befell Tire are recorded in history. The king of Babel obviously liked the idea of annexing Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar marched against the mighty trading city with all his forces. Ultimately, after repeated assaults and sieges, Tire succumbed to the superior forces of Nebuchadnezzar. The Phoenicians moved their trading post to the island off the mainland. Other conquerors emerged as the story progressed, ultimately initiating the final destruction of the city on the mainland. Meanwhile, the Medo-Persians had taken the scepter and conquered Tyre. Most recently, in the course of the change of power, Alexander the Great appeared.
Also announced in Ezekiel 26:12: “And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.”. The still very young army commander of Ancient Greece did not succeed in conquering the port city of Tire on the island by sea. On the other hand, the defense systems, which were built underwater for such cases, could not be overcome.
Alexander the Great then had the idea of building a dam between the mainland and the island. After all, it was about 800m to bridge. For this, the conquerors took all the stones and rubble from the destroyed mainland city and threw them into the sea. To make the dam finally accessible, Alexander’s forces poured all the gravel and dust on top. The original site of mainland Tire was left virtually swept clean. Only the bare rock remained. This also heralded the end of the port city of Tyre. Today, the bare rocks are used by fishermen to dry their fishing nets in the sun.
The Bible contains well over 3,000 prophecies. This was just a tiny selection of popular examples. A mathematician had calculated the probability that all previous fulfillment of prophecies could only be pure chance (Info).
