Are you a spiritual skeptic? How can you know what the Bible says is really true? Tune in to discover the answer.
Transcript
Are you a spiritual skeptic? Do you question whether the bible is actually the Word of God? After all, you may reason, none of the authors are around to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that it’s genuine. You want evidence to verify that the Bible truly is God’s word. You need something solid to back up your belief.
How do you start? Where do you search for the facts to solve your dilemma? There is a source that can answer your suspicions. Stay tuned to Beyond Today as we ask: Can you believe Bible prophecy?
Why should you believe that God inspired the Bible? Is it a hopeless unproveable task or is there evidence to prove otherwise? If you could be clearly shown proof of the Bible’s accuracy, would you believe it?
Here it is straight out: The proof is found in Bible prophecy. Now that may sound like circular reasoning but it’s not. Let me explain.
First let’s define it. What is bible prophecy? Prophecy is: Something predicted to happen in the future. It’s history given in advance. You could say it’s the news of tomorrow given today.
Here’s a fair test: You can prove the Bible's believability by whether or not its prophecies have actually taken place. One simple step – determine to answer the question - have bible prophecies been fulfilled? In other words, did what God predict actually come about?
A detailed study of just any prophecy in the Bible may not be the most convincing proof. Prophecies that were fulfilled only a few years after they were given may not be powerful enough to convince the skeptic. After all, they may have been recorded after the fact. So let’s take it a step further.
Here’s the question: What prophecies would be the best gauge to test whether to believe the Bible or not? Answer: It would have to be prophecies that were fulfilled after a substantial amount of time passed since they were recorded.
If the Bible can predict people, places, and events hundreds of years before their occurrence, then you’d have to admit that the Bible contains knowledge of the future that is too exact, too precise, too detailed to dismiss it as merely a “good guess”. If you can verify that the Bible contains in-depth examples of fulfilled prophecy, then Scripture itself will reveal the Greatness of God and the truth of your Bible.
Did you know that God Himself tells us how to judge past prophecy? He inspired 2 Peter 1:19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:×;to say, “All of this makes us even more certain that what the prophets said is true. So you should pay close attention to their message, as you would to a lamp shining in some dark place.” (CEV)
Are you willing to pay close attention to past prophecy? Notice this bold statement from God: “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. (Isaiah 46:9-10 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: ×;NLT)
God challenges any skeptic to do what He does—prophesy the future and make it come to pass! So let’s put the Bible to the test and see if God’s Word is really true.
The Book of Daniel reports that Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream that none of his counselors could explain. Babylonian society placed significant emphasis on dreams, and Nebuchadnezzar was convinced this one was very important. But no one could explain it.
The Prophet Daniel didn’t know what the dream was about either, yet with God’s inspiration he was able to explain every detail of the dream to Nebuchadnezzar. “You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.” (Daniel 2:31-33 31 You, O king, saw, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. ×NIV)
Daniel told the king that the head of gold represented his own Babylonian Empire.
The silver, bronze and iron-and-clay sections of the statue represented three powerful empires that were to come after mighty Babylon in history.
When you look in a secular history book it will tell you this empire of gold ruled the known world around 600 BC. It’s one thing to say that the head of Gold was Babylon. That would be like USA Today reporting the news of the day. But Daniel was predicting what was to come.
This dream was inspired by God and provided Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel with an astounding preview of history. History in advance – one of the definitions of prophesy. God said that Daniel could count on it to be sure. What about you?
Do you live in uncertainty? Do you wonder about your future? Is anything predictable? There is a source of information to tell you where this world is headed. The answers have been waiting for you all along. They're in the pages of your Bible. It tells us a great deal about what lies ahead. Much of this remarkable book is prophetic giving us news in advance.
Bible prophecy reveals critical information about the future of mankind. But where do you start? You can order our free booklet You Can Understand Bible Prophecy. It will help you to accurately understand prophecy. We want you to see the true extent of prophecy—how it links the past, present and future.
So request your FREE copy today! Go online right now to beyondtoday.tv to download, read or order your free copy of You Can Understand Bible Prophecy. Call toll-free 1-triple-eight-886-8632. That's, 1-triple-eight-886-8632, or go online to beyondtoday.tv.
Knowledge of prophecy can provide you not only with a balanced perspective but the details of God's wonderful plan for you and all mankind. Order your free copy.
Now, about one fourth to as much as one third of the Bible concerns prophecy, so God considers it important. The book of Daniel prophesied events fulfilled many centuries ago as well as major events yet to come. It reveals history written in advance. But how can you be sure it’s valid?
Let’s go back to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
The statue in the dream represented a series of great empires that would dominate the civilized world's political scene for centuries. Now with that said many would argue. How do you know that this statue really represents these specific kingdoms? Daniel said to the king: “After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.” (Daniel 2:39-43 39 And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: for as much as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, for as much as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not join one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. ×)
Notice how accurately this was fulfilled: The silver empire was to be Persia, which began with Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC. This silver empire actually came about and was the superpower in the Mideast for about two centuries.
The bronze empire overtook them - the Greco-Macedonian Empire established by the warrior Alexander the Great. It lasted for about 300 years before the fourth kingdom of Iron overcame it.
Iron signifies toughness and ruthlessness and describes the Roman Empire that crushed any foe. Your history books bear out this sequence of kingdoms.
Is that enough information to make the point? Well if you need more facts notice another prophetic dream that adds additional important detail. Specific qualities of these world-ruling empires were revealed to Daniel in a later dream.
In Daniel 7 The 4 empires are represented by four wild animals. Daniel prophesied that: “The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. (V17 NIV)
Babylon is like a lion – uses it’s head to kill – the head of Gold
Persia like a bear –big frightening yet clumsy
Raised on one side – composed of the Meads and Persians
With the Persians becoming dominant
Three ribs – conquered major powers: Lydia, Babylon and Egypt
Third beast – 4 headed Leopard – representing Greece
Alex the Great moved lightening fast; like a leopard
Within 4 years he conquered the known world
Predicted when Alex died – four heads representing his 4 generals
4th Dreadful Beast – Rome
Major Military Power – Iron strong yet with problems
Rome is so terrible it’s hard to describe
Animal like nature of these powers
Go after the weaker nations like a predator after weaker animals
Listen carefully. Here is the crucial question. When did Daniel predict / prophecy of God / these things would come about? It was:
About 5 decades - 50 years before the Persian Empire
Like President predicted after WW II
270 years before Alexander’s Greco Macedonian Empire (333BCE)
Over 400 years 4 /Centuries before Roman dominance (170 BCE)
These prophecies were unfailingly fulfilled long after they were given. They are verified by history. They are specific. They are detailed and they could not have possibly been deceptively engineered. What a fantastic series of remarkable prophecies spanning hundreds of years, 4 kingdoms and many rulers & they precisely came to pass.
The odds against any person being able to accurately predict these monumental occurrences in history defy all rational possibilities. The probability of this prediction occurring is astronomical, yet God prophesied it and it came to pass.
The solid evidence of fulfilled Bible prophecy is impressive. Will you believe the proof God gives? How will you respond? Can you accept its implication?
We’ve only scratched the surface of prophecies that have already been fulfilled precisely as predicted. Many books other than the bible detail the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies. You can see that Bible prophecy is not a boring, dried up record of stale predictions.
You can trust Bible prophecy as proof of an all-knowing, almighty God who can foretell the future and then bring it to pass. Even now, many biblical prophecies that are yet to come about, are moving toward their fulfillment.
How can you know? Since so many past prophecies have been fulfilled right down to the smallest detail, you can be confident that God's predictions that lie ahead of us will absolutely come to pass.
The stage appears to be set for many astonishing prophecies to be fulfilled in our life time. Don’t ignore the Word of God. He tells us, “What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” (Isaiah 46:11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country: yes, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.×NIV).
There’s much more to discuss on this topic. What prophecies lie ahead? What should you do about it? Up next we’ll be talking with the Beyond Today panel – stay with us.
