‘Trusted’ Prophecies [v167]

JANUARY 2013

‘Trusted’ Prophecies

A few weeks ago (specifically, on Tuesday, 21 DEC 12), the world was supposed to end—at least according to what some had interpreted what the Mayan calendar had said. Well, I write this a week later, and we’re still all here. Not only was the prophecy not ‘trustworthy’—it was dead wrong.

[ Note: Others suggested that it just meant that it may mark the “beginning of a new era”—whatever that means.
Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon ].


Clearly, this is not the first doomsday scenario ever predicted. In fact, there were 10 other spectacularly wrong doomsday predictions since the Middle Ages (though there were many other ‘less-than-spectacular’ ones):
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/157483

Even though there were many articles written, a few documentaries and “special features” on TV that presented the ‘facts’ about why the end of the world was going to happen THIS TIME—and since it didn’t—here’s a collection of “scientifically valid” scenarios of how scientists propose how it really could happen:

– Supervolcano
– Asteroid Accident
– Comet Collision
– Algal Apocalypse (microscopic algae)
– Killer Contagion
– Suicidal Supernova
– Orbital Obliteration
– Solar Slaughter

The scientist that suggested the “solar slaughter,” astrophysicist Klaus-Peter Schroeder of the University of Guanajuato in Mexico, quipped, “Not that I’m a great believer, but credit needs to be given sometimes: the Bible’s predictions, that we’ll end up in an eternal fire, are somewhat accurate.”
[http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/scientific-doomsday-scenarios/ ].


All this ‘prediction making’ got me thinking about the really popular ‘seers’ in the past—the most popular probably being Nostradamus. There also were a couple of other important ones—specifically Edgar Cayce and Jeane Dixon—since they said they “spoke for God.” So, how accurate were they?


Michel de Nostredame, popularly referred to as Nostradamus, is the most famous astrologer who ever lived, and a reputed ‘seer’ who published collections of foreknowledge of future events. He is best known for his book “Les Propheties” (The Prophecies), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Each four-line verse (or “quatrain”) purported to foretell world events far into the future, and ever since Nostradamus’ time, devotees have claimed his work accurately predicted wars, natural disasters, and the rise and fall of empires.

Yet, it’s plain to see that Nostradamus couched his “prophetic” verses in language so obscure that the words can be, and have been, interpreted to mean almost anything. What’s more, the interpreting is always done after the fact, with the benefit of hindsight, and with the concerted aim of proving the relevance of a given passage to an actual event.

Although Nostradamus made thousands of ‘predictions’, only when you ‘stretch’ the interpretation to the max, do about 15%-20% of them come even close to being true [ Note: The average person gets about 10% correct just by guessing! ].

Nostradamas’ few specific or dated prophecies, moreover, have proven to be consistent failures:
– The Roman church did not conduct any widespread persecutions of astrologers in 1607 (Quatrain 8–71);
– The Arabs did not capture the King of Morocco in 1607 (Quatrain 6–54)
– No monk from Campania was elected Pope in 1609 (Quatrain 10–91)
– Turkey did not subjugate vast areas of Europe in 1700 (Quatrain 1–49)
– The Turks did not capture the King of Persia in 1727 (Quatrain 3–77)
– No upheavals of nature or famine nearly destroyed the human race in 1732 (Epistle)
– No culmination of a long and savage religious persecution occurred in 1792 (Epistle)

Most of Nostradamus’s prophecies are vague and ambiguous. His reputation as an accurate prophet rests on spurious and unjustified interpretations.

[FYI: Here’s some info about the dubunking of Nostradamus’ top 10 prophecies:
http://listverse.com/2007/09/14/top-10-prophecies-of-nostradamus-debunked/ ].


Another popular ‘prophet’, Edgar Cayce, realized he was ‘clairvoyant’ at an early age, and was known as the “sleeping prophet” (since he appeared to be sleeping when he gave his prophecies).

Though he was active in a “Christian” church, he gained international fame, at the same time, as an occult practitioner. Thomas Sugrue, Cayce’s earliest biographer and long-time friend, begins his chapter on the philosophy of Cayce’s readings by stating, “The system of metaphysical thought which emerges from the readings of Edgar Cayce is a Christianized version of the mystery religions of ancient Egypt, Chaldea, Persia, India, and Greece.” The worldview of the readings actually has much more in common with New Age metaphysics and occult philosophy than it does with biblical Christianity.

Although I have little doubt that, as a person, Cayce was kind and humble and motivated by a sincere desire to help his fellow man, it obviously does not follow that the worldview revealed in the readings is therefore true. While it is said that Cayce regularly read and taught the Bible, it by no means follows that the philosophy of the readings are therefore biblical.

He is often proclaimed as a miracle worker, prophet, and even America’s most successful clairvoyant. However, Edgar Cayce’s predictions were wrong more often than they were correct. Below are just a few of those failed Edgar Cayce prophecies.

– 1933 Will Be a Good Year:
In one of Cayce’s earlier predictions, he stated that 1933 would be a good year. This prediction was way off base. In 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Shortly after this appointment, he dissolved the German parliament, which marked the beginning of the Nazi rampage throughout Germany and across Europe. In the U.S., the Great Depression was in full swing when the global economy hit rock bottom in 1933.

– The Lost City of Atlantis:
Cayce was actually very fond of the subject of Atlantis, and made quite a few predictions about the lost city. Most of these predictions were way off base. One of these predictions stated that an Atlantean death ray would be discovered by the U.S. in 1958. He also predicted that the lost city would rise again in 1968 or 1969. Neither one of these predictions ever came to fruition. Even, if you take the most recent claim of the discovery of Atlantis into consideration; Cayce was still 42 years and 4,000 miles off.

– The Lost State of California:
Just as Atlantis supposedly sank into the ocean, so would California. According to Cayce, a large earthquake would hit the sate of California, causing it and the Baja peninsula to slide into the Pacific sometime during the 1960s. Even though California does sit on a fault line and is plagued by numerous earthquakes per year, the sate and the Baja peninsula are both still fully intact.

– Armageddon in 1999:
While in his self-induced tranced, Cayce predicted that Armageddon would come in 1999. Obviously, Armageddon never came. 1999 did have its share of disasters, natural and political, but nothing on the scale of Armageddon.

– A New Christian China:
Cayce also predicted that China would become the new “cradle of Christianity.” He went on to predict that China would be completely converted to Christianity by 1968. Just as in his other predictions, Cayce missed the mark. Buddhism remains the most popular single religion in China since its introduction in the 1st century. Nearly 30% of the country is Buddhist. The number of Christians pale in comparison. Even today, Christians only make up 3%-4% of the Chinese population.

Out of the over 21,000 of Edgar Cayce’s prophecies, only 40% can be considered even remotely correct, but most cite that his accuracy rate was more like half that—or 20% correct! The other 80% were either too vague to interpret, had multiple intent, or were just plain wrong.

Just as Cayce was not concerned with critics and skeptics, neither are his modern-day followers. When questioned about flawed or incorrect predictions, modern-day believers simply reply back with a quote from Cayce himself:

“Prophecy is never given for any other purpose than as a warning. For this reason, a successful prophecy is one that has been averted and therefore does not happen.” [Ed. Oh, really! I guess this also means that a successful prophet is one that you can never successfully prove is a fraud, no matter how many times they get it wrong!].

The thing is, he was an abysmal failure as a ‘secular’ prophet, and a ‘false prophet’ by biblical standards—he predicted many things that did not come to pass, and clearly contradicted the Bible. He fails on many counts being considered a “prophet of God”:

– He used occult artifacts [Romans 1:2; Hebrews 1:1-2]
– His prophecies did not exalt Jesus Christ [Revelation 19:10]
– Not all of his prophecies came true [Deuteronomy 18:21-22]


Another self-claimed “prophet of God,” Jeane Dixon, received recognition for her psychic powers in the early 1940’s—but two books concerning her life made her famous in the late 1960’s. She made it clear that she believed her “prophetic gift” came from God directly.

But, since she was in her teens, she had an active interest in astrology and horoscopes, and she had a syndicated astrology column in numerous newspapers across the country. (She even wrote an astrology book for cats!).

Biblically speaking, astrology is a form of divination. Divination can be defined as the attempt to obtain knowledge, especially about the future, by the reading and inter­preting of certain signs—and God has some very strong and definite things to say about astrology and divination.

In speaking to the nation of Israel, He declared His feeling about such practice by saying, “There shall not be found among you anyone…who uses divination…or one who interprets omen…For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord.” [Deuteronomy 18:10-12].

In fact, God made it very clear through the prophet Isaiah that astrology cannot save—it is valueless! [Isaiah 47:9-14]. The same is also true of the other occult tools used by Mrs. Dixon (crystal balls, Tarot cards, etc.).

Unfortunately, Jean Dixon has had a large number of significant false prophecies. For example:

– She predicted that the Russians would be the first to land a man on the moon.
– She predicted that Richard Nixon would not resign from the presidency of the United States.
– She predicted that the Vietnam War would be over by 1966.
– She predicted that the Panama Canal treaties would not be approved and ratified.
– She predicted that UFOs, with super-advanced humans from a hidden planet would land and make contact with us by 1977.
– She predicted that in 1978 Pope Paul VI would “surprise the world with his energy and determination”—yet he fell ill and died!

Mrs. Dixon also promotes other ideas foreign to the Bible in her writings. For example, she blurs the clear biblical distinction between God and His creation when she says that “From the very moment we are conceived and receive life, we become…a part of God.” She also teaches a somewhat modified version of reincarnation in which particular “spirits” (distinct from a person’s individual soul and yet somehow at work in conjunction with the soul) are reincarnated in various people until the missions of these mysterious spirits are fulfilled, at which time, she says, these, spirits will “become perfection” and “become synonymous with God.”

The previous has examined the words and work of Jeane Dixon in the light of the same biblical criteria for testing and determining the truthfulness of a prophet, as I used with Edgar Cayce. Unfortunately, she fails on every point. Not only does she embrace practices that God clearly forbids, but her false prophecies and unbiblical message ‘brand’ her as one of those that Jesus warned His disciples about. Is her “gift of prophecy” a commission from God? Decidedly not.


Beyond failing the biblical test of 100% accuracy, these people’s prophecies pose no real challenge to the uniqueness of biblical prophecy, nor should they cause you to fear the future or doubt the sovereign control of God—who has revealed all we need to know about the future through the ‘true’ biblical prophets—which are all contained in the “Word of God,” the Bible.


Since we just ‘ceremonially’ celebrated Jesus’ birth a few weeks ago (though He was probably born sometime in September/October, since the shepherds were in the fields, and probably on or near one of the Jewish feasts, like the “Feast of Tabernacles”), I thought I would focus on the almost 400 specific prophecies concerning His birth, life, death, and resurrection—some of which were made well over 2,000 years prior to His birth, and EVERY ONE OF THEM have been FULFILLED EXACTLY AS PROPHESIED! Now that’s a ‘source’ you CAN TRUST!

To give you an idea of how ‘improbable’ the accuracy of the Bible really is, Peter Stoner in “Science Speaks” (Moody Press, 1963) used the modern science of probability and determined that “the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power.” (That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000).

In order to help you comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner gave an illustration of how small of a probability this really is:

If you piled silver dollars two feet thick over the entire state of Texas, then took one silver dollar and put a red “X” on it, randomly threw it out into the pile, and then sent a blind-folded person to walk around the state and, on the first try, pick out the correct one—totally unthinkable, right? Well, that’s the probability for only the EIGHT prophecies listed below:

1) Born in Bethlehem:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Micah 5:2 – “O Bethlehem Ephrathah…a ruler of Israel will come from you”
[Note: Bethlehem was non-existent in Micah’s time!]

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 1-2 – “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.”

2) Messiah Preceded by a Messenger:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Isaiah 40 – “One crying in the wilderness”
Malachi 3 – “…my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 3:1 – “In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching.”

3) Messiah Would Enter Jerusalem on a Donkey:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Zechariah 9:9 – “Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 21:6-9 – “The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven.”

4) Messiah Would be Betrayed by a Close Friend:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Psalm 41:9 – “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 26:23-25 – “He replied, ‘One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!’ Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, ‘Rabbi, am I the one?’ And Jesus told him, ‘You have said it.’”

5) Messiah Would be Sold for 30 Pieces of Silver:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Zechariah 11:11 – “That was the end of my covenant with them. The suffering flock was watching me, and they knew that the Lord was speaking through my actions. And I said to them, ‘If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.’ So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 26:14-15 – “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, ‘How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?’ And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.”

6) 30 Pieces of Silver Used to Purchase a Potters Field:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Zechariah 11:13 – “And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter—this magnificent sum at which they valued me!’ So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 27:5-7 – “Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out to the potter’s field and hanged himself. The leading priests picked up the coins. ‘It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,’ they said, ‘since it was payment for murder.’ After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners.”

7) Messiah Would be Silent Before His Accusers:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Mark 15:3-4 – “Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, and Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.”

Matthew 27:12-14 – “But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. ‘Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?’ Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.”

8) Messiah Would be Executed by Crucifixion as a Thief:
– Old Testament prophecy:
Psalm 22:12-18 – “My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.”

– New Testament fulfillment:
Matthew 27:35-38 – “After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ Two thieves were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.”


Unbelievably accurate, eh? Well, if you would like more, there’s a booklet that you can get that has 92 more Messianic prophecies that were made before Jesus was born. [ “100 Prophecies Fulfilled By Jesus” – http://www.rose-publishing.com/100-Prophecies-Fulfilled-by-Jesus-pamphlet-P73.aspx ].


Now, Peter Stoner and his ‘group’ took it a bit further, and considered 48 prophecies. They concluded that, “we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157th power, or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

[ NOTE: The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 10 to the 79th power! ]. Stoner continued, “It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident.”


To me, and many others, this ‘PROVES’ that Jesus was like no other person before Him or since!

Taken with the over 2,500 or so total prophecies in the Bible—2,000 of which have already been FULFILLED EXACTLY AS PROPHESIED—this should strengthen your confidence that Jesus really was God in human flesh, and the Bible is God’s Word to humans about how we should live here on earth, how to get to Heaven, and how live with God eternally!

You can TRUST the Bible’s accuracy, and that there’s been NOBODY quite like Jesus for all of mankind. So, if you have yet to do so, you can confidently put your ‘trust’ in Him!


[ Excerpts from: Dennis Dufrene; Steve Bright; Hank Hanegraaff; Michael Gleghorn ]

[ P.S.: If you would like to investigate further if the Bible is merely human, ‘mythical’, or divinely inspired,” visit the following link:
http://www.TheSearchForMeaning.net/sfm_pres/sp_q4_d1_10f10.html


Blessings…
Mark


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
“Evidence That Demands a Verdict-Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith” (Volume 1) by Josh McDowell
http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-That-Demands-Verdict-Volume/dp/0840743785

“Evidence That Demands a Verdict-Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith” (Volume 2) by Josh McDowell
http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-That-Demands-Verdict-2/dp/0785243046/ref=pd_sim_b_2

“Postpartum Prophecies” by Woodrow Kroll (“Back to the Bible” – 21 DEC 12 radio broadcast):
http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Today-on-Back-to-the-Bible/Today-on-Back-to-the-Bible.html


LIFE’S DEEP THOUGHTS (v167) for JANUARY 2013
If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net:

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FAMOUSLY WRONG PREDICTIONS:
“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”
[Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949]

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
[Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943]

“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.”
[The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957]

“But what … is it good for?”
[Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968,commenting on the microchip]

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
[Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977]

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
[Western Union internal memo, 1876]

“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?”
[David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s]

“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.”
[A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)]

“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face not Gary Cooper.”
[Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”]

“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.”
[Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies]

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
[Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962]

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
[Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895]

“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this.”
[Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads]

“So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.'”
[Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and HP interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer]

“Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.”
[1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard’s revolutionary rocket work]

“You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can’t be done. It’s just a fact of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training.”
[Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the “unsolvable” problem by inventing Nautilus]

“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.”
[Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859]

“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.”
[Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929]

“Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.”
[Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre]

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
[Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899]

“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction”.
[Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872]

“The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon”.
[Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873]

“640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
[Bill Gates, 1981]

“$100 million dollars is way too much to pay for Microsoft.”
[IBM, 1982]

“Who the h_ll wants to hear actors talk?”
[H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927]

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44 PROPHESIES OF THE MESSIAH FULFILLED IN JESUS CHRIST:
The crucifixion was prophesied in Scripture 1,000 years before Jesus Christ was born.

The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the Messiah—all prophecies Jesus Christ fulfilled. For instance, the crucifixion of Jesus was foretold in Psalm 22:16-18 approximately 1,000 years before Christ was born, long before this method of execution was even practiced.

Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 prophetic Scriptures completed in the life of Jesus.

Although this list is not exhaustive, you’ll find 44 messianic predictions clearly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, along with supporting references from the Old and New Testament.

Chart of Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled:
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm

[Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide]

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PROPHECY, THE BIBILE AND JESUS:
How do you respond to someone’s claim that the Bible is not inspired?  Is there a way to prove inspiration or, at least, intelligently present evidence for its inspiration? The answer is, “Yes!”  One of the best ways to prove inspiration is by examining prophecy. There are many religious books in the world that have many good things to say, but only the Bible has fulfilled prophecies—with more fulfillments to come. The Bible has never been wrong in the past, and it won’t be wrong in the future. It claims inspiration from God [2 Timothy 3:16]. Since God is the creator of all things [Isaiah 44:24], then He is also the creator of time. It is under His control. Only God, then, would always be right about what is in the future, our future.

Fulfilled prophecy is strong evidence that God is the author of the Bible, because when you look at the mathematical odds of prophecy being fulfilled, you quickly see a design, a purpose, and a guiding hand behind the Bible. If just one prophecy failed, then we would know that God is not the true God, because the creator of all things, which includes time, would not be wrong about predicting the future. Deuteronomy 18:22 says, “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously” (NIV). Isaiah 46:9-10 says, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”

One approach to use with an unbeliever is to turn to Psalm 22 and read verses 12-18. This is a detailed description of the crucifixion—1,000 years before Jesus was born.  After you read the section ask him what it was about.  He’ll say, “The crucifixion of Jesus.” Then respond with something like, “You’re right. This is about the crucifixion.  But it was written 1000 years before Jesus was born. And on top of that, crucifixion hadn’t even been invented yet. How do you think something like this could happen?” After a brief discussion, you could show him (or her) a few other prophecies like where Jesus’ birthplace was prophesied [Micah 5:2], that He would be born of a virgin [Isaiah 7:14], that His side would be pierced [Zechariah 12:10], etc.

Chart of 15 major prophecies about Jesus, with the specific verses of the prophecy from the Old Testament and the New Testament fulfillment:
http://carm.org/prophecy-bible-and-jesus

[Matt Slick, CARM]

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SEVEN PROPHESIES THAT MUST BE FULFILLED BEFORE JESUS CHRIST’S RETURN:
Previous generations have thought that Jesus Christ would return in their lifetimes, but they were proven wrong. Many people alive today think that Christ’s return is imminent. Certainly, the Bible contains prophecies that could not have been fulfilled until this generation.

1. The human race would have the ability to exterminate itself
2. A Jewish homeland had to be reestablished in the Middle East
3. The end-time king of the North and king of the South
4. An end-time union of European nations
5. End-time rise and fall of Israel and Judah
6. The gospel will be preached in all the world
7. Instant worldwide communications and God’s final witnesses

Full article/Details:
http://www.ucg.org/doctrinal-beliefs/seven-prophecies-must-be-fulfilled-jesus-christs-return/

[Melvin Rhodes]

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BIBLICAL PROPHECIES FULFILLED BY JESUS:
The Messiah Will Be Born In Bethlehem
The Messiah Will Be Born Of A Virgin
The Messiah Will Be A Prophet Like Moses
The Messiah Will Be Tempted By Satan
The Messiah Will Enter Jerusalem Triumphantly
The Messiah Will Be Rejected By His Own People
The Messiah Will Be Betrayed By One Of His Followers
The Messiah Will Be Betrayed For 30 Pieces Of Silver
The Messiah Will Be Tried And Condemned
The Messiah Will Be Silent Before His Accusers
The Messiah Will Be Smitten And Spat Upon
The Messiah Will Be Mocked And Taunted
The Messiah To Die By Crucifixion, With Pierced Hands and Feet
The Messiah Will Suffer With Sinners
The Messiah’s Garments Will Be Divided By Casting Lots
The Messiah’s Bones Will Not Be Broken
The Messiah Will Die As A Sin Offering
The Messiah Will See His Seed
The Messiah Will Be Buried In A Rich Man’s Tomb
The Messiah Will Be Raised From The Dead
The Messiah Will Sit At God’s Right Hand

Full article/Details:
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/biblestudyandtheology/jesus_prophecy_fulfilled.aspx

[CBN]

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“SCIENCE SPEAKS”
Online Edition by Peter Stoner

Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
http://sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/index.html#c0

CHAPTER 3 – THE CHRIST OF PROPHECY:
http://sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/Christ_of_Prophecy.html

[Peter W. Stoner, M.S.; Robert C. Newman, S.T.M., Ph.D.]

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DEEP THOUGHT(s):

“The future is like a corridor into which we can see only by the light coming from behind.” [Edward Weyer, Jr.]

“Be careful what you predict. It may come back to haunt you…or laugh at you.” [Unknown author]

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” [Niels Bohr]

“I figure lots of predictions is best. People will forget the ones I get wrong and marvel over the rest.” [Alan Cox]

“The groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its prediction and then disappears.” [Bill Vaughn].

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Hope you enjoyed some of these insights—share them with your friends and colleagues—so we can have a larger ‘pool’ to receive from, and more to share with! Also, remember to include your name as the “source,” if some of this wisdom is of your doing—I would like to give credit where credit is due!

“The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
[Deuteronomy 18:17-20].

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.”
[2 Peter 1:20]

Mark

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Disclaimer: All the above jokes & inspirations are obtained from various sources and copyright are used when known. Other than our name and headers, we do not own the copyright to any of the materials sent to this list. We just want to spread the ministry of God’s love and cheerfulness throughout the world.

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