Fulfilled Bible Prophecy
“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” - Isaiah 42:9 (NIV)
Is Bible prophecy really worth taking seriously, or is it just the Christian version of crystal balls and fortune cookies? When we hear the words “Bible prophecy,” most of us probably think of the book of Revelation. However, you may be surprised to learn that almost every book of the Bible contains prophecy. In fact, more than one-fourth (about 28%) of the Bible was prophetic at the time it was written! When I discovered this, I realized that I had been missing out on much of what the Bible has to say! If more than one-fourth of the Bible is prophetic, that should tell us that God has always desired to share His plans for the future, and we would do well to pay attention!
However, my goal today is not to talk about the future. Instead, I want to share some of the incredible ways in which Bible prophecy has been fulfilled throughout history. Unlike your local palm reader, the Bible is not vague and ambiguous - it makes bold claims of the future and fulfills them both literally and completely, down to the smallest detail. Biblical scholars estimate that there are around 1,000 distinct prophecies in Scripture, about 500 of which have already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy.[1] Only God can claim to know the future hundreds, even thousands, of years before it occurs (see Isaiah 41:21-24, 42:9, 44:6-8, Daniel 2:20-22) and when God fulfills the promises He makes in Scripture, it gives us confidence that the Bible is, in fact, the authoritative and inspired Word of God.
“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” – 2 Peter 1:19-21 (NIV)
Although there are around 500 fulfilled prophecies I could discuss, let’s take a look a just a few that I find the most compelling.
King Cyrus and the Babylonian Exile
The Prophecies: Isaiah 44:24-45:6, Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10
In the year 605 B.C., the Babylonian army subdued the Jewish people and forced them into an extended period of captivity, a time that Jeremiah prophesied would last 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar’s army would later return and destroy the city of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Long before any of this happened, however, the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of a man named Cyrus who would bring an end to the Jews’ exile and allow them to rebuild Jerusalem.
“[The Lord] says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed.” – Isaiah 44:28-45:1 (ESV)
Most scholars agree that the book of Isaiah was written between 700-680 B.C., which places this writing about 100 years before the Persian king Cyrus was born, and about 150 years before he came to power! Cyrus would eventually defeat the Babylonians in 539 B.C., then fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy by allowing the Jews to return home and begin rebuilding (see 2 Chronicles 36:17-23, Ezra 1:1-11). A large portion of the Jewish people made the journey back and began cultivating the land, thus finishing their time in captivity after 70 years, just as Jeremiah prophesied.
Notice, however, that Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the temple states that the foundation would be laid, not that the temple would be built. Why is this important? History shows that Israel was never able to complete the temple during the reign of Cyrus due to opposition from the Samaritans. In fact, the temple would not be finished until 516 B.C., during the second year of king Darius (one of Cyrus’ successors; see Ezra 4:1-5). This helps demonstrate just how incredibly precise Isaiah’s prophecy was! Think about it: One century before Cyrus was born and decades before the Babylonian exile had even begun, Isaiah called Cyrus by name, prophesying that he would free the Jews from captivity. When speaking of the temple, Isaiah foretold that its foundation would be laid (not that it would be built), and that’s exactly how it happened.
The 70 Weeks of Daniel
The Prophecy: Daniel 9:24-27
When it comes to the precision of Bible prophecy, nothing compares to the fulfillment of Daniel 9:24-27. Often referred to as “God’s Prophetic Clock” or “The Backbone of Bible Prophecy,” this passage of Scripture is packed with information regarding God’s future timeline for the nation of Israel. For now, though, we’ll just focus on a couple of key parts:
“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city…Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and build Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’” - Daniel 9: 24-25 (NIV)
There are loads of details to unpack in the entire passage, but here are the basics relevant to the verses above (get ready for some math!):
- The coming of the “Anointed One” refers to the coming of Jesus the Messiah
- The “sevens” mentioned here (some translations use “weeks”) refer to sets of seven years. We know this because it fits within the context of the chapter where Daniel was already referring to years (Daniel 9:1-2). The seven and sixty-two “weeks” in this passage add up to sixty-nine “weeks” or 483 years (69 x 7). (There is another “week” referenced after this which brings the total to seventy, but we’ll save that for another time).
- The Bible often uses a 360-day prophetic year. If we allow for a 360-day year, then the 483 years equate to a period of 173,880 days (483 x 360).
- The phrase, “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” requires a bit more history. If we fast-forward several decades from the time of Cyrus, we find that those who returned to Jerusalem faced a prolonged period of opposition to their rebuilding efforts. In Nehemiah 2:1-8, Nehemiah requested permission from the Persian king Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem to finish rebuilding. So, Artaxerxes issued a decree on March 5, 444 B.C. allowing Nehemiah and his fellow Jews remaining in Persia to return to Jerusalem. So, if we add 173,880 days from the date of Artaxerxes’ decree, we arrive at March 30, 33 A.D., the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44).
To summarize, Daniel prophesied a period of 483 years from Artaxerxes’ decree to the arrival of the Messiah. When Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Daniel’s first sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled to the very day! That is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace” (Luke 19:42, NIV) and “you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:44, NIV).
The Rebirth of Israel
The Prophecy: Jeremiah 30:1-4, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Ezekiel 37, Zechariah 10:6-12
Given the history of the Jewish people, the mere existence of the nation of Israel today is nothing short of a miracle. But even more impressive are the prophecies predicting the return of the Jews to their homeland from all over the world written thousands of years ago. These prophecies found their initial fulfillment on May 14, 1948, when Israel officially became a nation again. Today, prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes as more and more Jews continue moving back to Israel. Dr. Randall Price describes the return of Israel this way:
“The modern return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel has been called the “Miracle on the Mediterranean.” Such a return by a people group that had been scattered among the nations is unprecedented in history. Indeed, the Jewish people are the only exiled people to remain a distinct people despite being dispersed to more than 70 different countries for more than 20 centuries. The mighty empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome all ravaged their land, took their people captive, and scattered them throughout the earth. Even after this, they suffered persecution, pogrom, and Holocaust in the lands to which they were exiled. Yet, all of these ancient kingdoms have turned to dust and their former glories remain only as museum relics and many of the nations that opposed the Jews have suffered economic, political, or religious decline. But the Jewish people whom they enslaved and tried to eradicate live free and have again become a strong nation!”[2]
Although I would encourage you to carefully read through all of the passages listed above, here are some of the highlights:
“As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land.” - Ezekiel 34:12-13a (ESV)
“Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord…I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land.” - Ezekiel 37:12-14, 21 (ESV)
“I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.” - Zechariah 10:8-9 (ESV)
Much of the future end-time events prophesied in Scripture hinge on the existence of Israel, and as such, the rebirth of Israel has often been called the “Super Sign of the End Times.” For the first time in 2,000 years, the Jews have been regathered to the land of Israel, just as the prophets predicted.
Notes
[1] Todd Hampson and Jeff Kinley, The Prophecy Pros’ Illustrated Guide to Tough Questions About the End Times (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2021), 8.
[2] Randall Price, “The Divine Preservation of the Jewish People,” World of the Bible Ministry Update, October 1, 2009, http://www.worldofthebible.com, cited in Mark Hitchcock, The Amazing Claims of Bible Prophecy (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2010), Hoopla Digital Library.