Most of the Bible is filled with prophecies. The majority of the predictions are found in the Old Testament, and the vast majority of all the prophecies of Holy Scripture have already been fulfilled. Only a few prophecies remain, and these, whether we like it or not, concern the end of time.
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Prophecies – Most have already been fulfilled
While the prophecies in the Old Testament have largely already been fulfilled, the predictions in the New Testament predominantly refer to events yet to come in the period after Jesus Christ’s arrival in this world as a human being.
Since the type-antitype principle plays a particularly important role in prophecy, the Old Testament contains numerous predictions in the books of the prophets, such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah, that extend to our time. One example of fulfilled prophecies is Jesus’ prediction that not one stone of the temple (in Jerusalem) would be left standing upon another.
In fact, the temple was completely destroyed by the Romans under the general Titus in 70 AD. In the New Testament, in addition to the announcements about the events of Jesus’ “end times” (Matthew 24), the Book of Revelation is considered a book that must be studied. Here, the announced developments are happening continuously at the current time.
Prophecies for Bible Credibility
Fulfillments of prophecies are among the most powerful arguments for the truthfulness of Holy Scripture. Unfortunately, there are also lists circulating that can actually undermine this credibility. Whether intentional or unintentional for sensationalism remains to be seen. Anyone who has studied the Bible a bit will realize that these “parallel events” are generally 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 “type & antitype” principle and also represent a prophecy. In terms of type, a local event will surely repeat itself as an antitype on a global level. It’s easy for overly diligent critics to play into such notches to undermine the Bible’s credibility. And that is precisely the declared goal of Satan and his minions. 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 9:7 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 |
| 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 22:16 Zechariah 12:10 | John 20:25 John 20:27 John 19:37 |
| Messiah suffers thirst at crucifixion | Psalm 22:15 | John 19:28 |
| Raffle of the clothes of the Messiah | Psalm 22:18 | 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 Mary & 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 Tyrus
The destruction of the once ancient “magnificent city” of Tyrus in the eastern Mediterranean, on the coast of present-day Lebanon, offers a prime example of a fulfilled prophecy concerning an entire narrative of events. This city was the economic metropolis of what was then southernmost Europe and North Africa. As a “main trading center” and economic center, the ancient city of Tyrus flourished from around 1000 to 600 BC. Tyrus was an extremely important international figure. The city was also known as the “Mart of Nations” (Isa 23:3).
Throughout its history, Tyrus consisted of two parts. The actual trading city, including its port, was originally located on the mainland. Later, this city was relocated to a nearby island. The dominant power in international trade was the Phoenicians. As is common today, they were focused on maximizing profits and “conquering” markets. When the city of Jerusalem fell into distress due to attacks by the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, the Phoenicians rejoiced at the (supposed) destruction of a competitor and the opening of new trading territories.
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 Tyrus are recorded in history. The king of Babylon clearly liked the idea of annexing Tyrus. Nebuchadnezzar marched against the mighty trading city with all his troops. Ultimately, after repeated assaults and sieges, Tyrus succumbed to Nebuchadnezzar’s superior strength. The Phoenicians relocated their trading post to the island off the mainland. Over the course of history, other conquerors emerged, ultimately initiating the final destruction of the city on the mainland. Meanwhile, the Medo-Persians had taken control and captured the already devastated Tyrus on the mainland. Finally, Alexander the Great emerged in the wake of the power shifts.
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 causeway between the mainland and the island. After all, there was a distance of around 800 meters to be bridged. To do this, the conquerors took all the stones and rubble from the destroyed mainland city and threw them into the sea. To make the causeway finally accessible, Alexander’s army then piled all the gravel and dust on top. The original site of mainland Tyrus was left virtually swept clean. Only the bare rock remained. This also heralded the end of the port city of Tyrus. 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).
