Aim

Demonstrate the true authority of scripture is God Himself, that is, demonstrate the divine authority of the Canon.

Show evidences of the prophetic word of Scripture being fulfilled.

Tenet

We accept the Divine inspiration of the word, and hence we can with certainty, search the world for evidence of Fulfilment of the prophecies, knowing these to be true.

²¹                “Present your case,” says the Lord.
                   “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.
²²                “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen;
                   Let them show the former things, what they were,
                   That we may consider them,
                   And know the latter end of them;
                   Or declare to us things to come.
²³                Show the things that are to come hereafter,
                   That we may know that you are gods;
                   Yes, do good or do evil,
                   That we may be dismayed and see it together. (Isaiah 41:21)

The understanding of the Bible must be by faith. Without this element there are many possible ways of interpretation leading to confusion. This makes the process of understanding Scripture different from science, which relies solely on man’s observations. The Bible relies upon Gods observations and us believing them!

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV)

Some opening remarks

When considering so called evidence and Scripture such as scientific, archaeological or prophetic evidences we must be careful in the way we interpret such. It is usual for some folk to consider the authority of the canon of scripture based on external evidences, when Scripture stands or falls in its own internal evidence. The authority of Scripture is given by Scripture itself, nothing else need determine this. The essence of this is the fact that “by faith you are saved”. Notwithstanding, Scripture itself notes that more than one witness is required to determine the truthfulness of a testimony, and this is fulfilled in the Holy Spirit who authenticates the authority of Scripture. For the non-Christian, that is, one without faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, no amount of evidence will produce peace in terms of the authority of the canon – there will always be doubt. This arises because unless there is communion with the Holy Spirit no authentication can occur.

It is right and proper that scripture is used to determine the authenticity of the evidence, whether scientific or otherwise, not the other way around. However, it is interesting for the enquiring mind to consider what man has discovered about his universe and world and compare it with Scripture. For the weak in faith it is also enlightening to find that the prophetic word has been borne out – cities that were deemed to fall by Scripture have indeed fallen, and nations deemed to rise and fall have also done so, and so on and so forth.

It is important to note that, especially for history, the interpretation is always dynamic – history as written by men or women, is interpreted in light of the culture, knowledge and prejudices of the time. Dating is always problematic and fills reams of paper, for instance those pertaining to Egyptian history. Hence, a reader of history must familiarise him- or her-self with as much of the literature as possible – old and young, from different cultures and epochs in time and make a judgement on the truthfulness or not of the narratives that exist outside of the Canon. For a Christian, external evidences only highlight the nature of the word of God confirming its authenticity, its divine nature and usefulness for salvation.

The Divine Inspiration of Scripture (Summary of evidence from AW Pink)[1]

There Is a Presumption in Favour of the Bible

• Man needed a Divine revelation couched in human language.
• Our limitations and our ignorance reveal our need. Man is in darkness concerning God. Blot the Bible out of existence and what should we know about His character, His moral attributes, His attitude toward us, or His demands upon us?

The Perennial Freshness of the Bible Bears Witness to its Divine Inspirer

• Like the widow's oil and meal which nourished Elijah, the contents of the Bible are never exhausted.

The Unmistakable Honesty of the Writers of the Bible Attests to its Heavenly Origin

• Had the historical parts of the Old Testament been a forgery, or the production of uninspired men, their contents would have been very different to what they are.

The Character of its Teachings Evidences the Divine Authorship of the Bible

• Unlike all other books in the world, the Bible condemns man and all his doings.

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of its Author

• This lecture.

The Typical Significance of the Scriptures Declare Their Divine Authorship

• "In the volume of the Book it is written of Me" (Heb. 10:7). Christ is the Key to the Scriptures. Said He, "Search the Scriptures...they are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39), and the "Scriptures" to which He had reference, were not the four Gospels for they were not then written, but the writings of Moses and the prophets.

The Wonderful Unity of the Bible Attests its Divine Authorship

• The Bible was penned on two continents, written in three languages, and its composition and compilation extended through the slow progress of sixteen centuries. The various parts of the Bible were written at different times and under the most varying circumstances. Parts of it were written in tents, deserts, cities, palaces and dungeons; in times of imminent danger and in seasons of ecstatic joy. Among its writers were judges, kings, priests, prophets, patriarchs, prime ministers, herdsmen, scribes, soldiers, physicians and fishermen. Yet despite these varying circumstances, conditions and workmen, the Bible is one book, behind its many parts there is an unmistakable organic unity. It contains one system of doctrine, one code of ethics, one plan of salvation and one rule of faith.

The Marvellous Influence of the Bible Declares its Super-Human Character

• The Bible never becomes antiquated, its vitality never diminishes and its influence is more irresistible and universal today than it was two thousand years ago. Such facts as these declare with no uncertain voice that the Bible is endued with the same Divine life and energy as its Author, for in no other way can we account for its marvellous influence through the centuries and its mighty power upon the world.

The Miraculous Power of the Bible Shows Forth That its Inspirer Is the Almighty

• The Power of God's Word to Convict Men of Sin.
• The Power of God's Word to Deliver Men from Sin.
• The Power of God's Word Over the Human Affections.

The Completeness of the Bible Demonstrates its Divine Perfection

• The antiquity of the Scriptures argues against their completeness. The compilation of the Bible was completed more than eighteen centuries ago, while the greater part of the world was yet uncivilized. Since John added the capstone to the Temple of God's Truth there have been many wonderful discoveries and inventions, yet there have been no additions whatever to the moral and spiritual truths contained in the Bible.

The Indestructibility of the Bible Is a Proof that its Author Is Divine

• The Bible received more veneration and adoration than any other book, but it has also been the object of more persecution and opposition. For two thousand years man's hatred of the Bible has been persistent, determined, relentless and murderous.

Inward Confirmation of the Veracity of the Scriptures

• One thing which distinguishes Christianity from all human systems is that it deals with absolute certainties. In addition to all the external proofs that we have for the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures, the believer has a source of evidence to which no unbeliever has access. In his own experience the Christian finds a personal confirmation of the teachings of God's Word.

Verbal Inspiration

• Not only does the Bible claim to be a Divine revelation but it also asserts that its original manuscripts were written "not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth" (I Cor. 2:13).

Prophecies – what are they?

• A prophecy is an announcement or declaration of God
• A prophet is one who announces or pours forth the declarations of God
• A prophecy is testable following its fruition
• A prophecy is given by God

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21 (NKJV)

• It may declare things future or past:
  • Moses who wrote Genesis announced things done in the past
  • Micah declared the coming of Christ about 720 years before he came
• They are to be interpreted from the logos – the Word of God

knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 2 Peter 1:20 (NKJV)

Chuck Missler puts it: “Prophecy [is] God’s entire plan in perspective.”[2]

Use of prophecy

• To warn
• To fore-tell
• To post-tell
• To instruct, exhort, teach.

If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. Deuteronomy 18:19 (NIV)

Use of Prophecy as evidence of the Divine Authority of Scripture

Arthur Pink had this to say… In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable challenge to be found in the Bible.

²¹                        “Present your case,” says the LORD.
                   “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
²²                        “Bring in your idols to tell us
                   what is going to happen.
                   Tell us what the former things were,
                   so that we may consider them
                   and know their final outcome.
                   Or declare to us the things to come,
²³                        tell us what the future holds,
                   so we may know that you are gods.
                   Do something, whether good or bad,
                   so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. (NIV)

This Scripture present both a negative and a positive method for dealing with prophecy:

• negatively it suggests an infallible criterion by which we may test the claims of religious impostors;
• positively, it calls attention to an unanswerable argument for the truthfulness of God's Word.

Jehovah bids the prophets of false faiths to successfully predict events lying in the far distant future and their success or failure will show whether or not they are gods or merely pretenders and deceivers.

On the other hand, the demonstrated fact that God alone grasps the ages and in His Word declares the end from the beginning, shows that he is God and that Scriptures are His Inspired Revelation to mankind.

The Inspirer of the Scriptures has told us that

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV)

Some remarks on time lines[3]

It is useful to note before you delve into some of the remarkable prophecies of Scripture, whose ramifications are still felt today, to consider the timeline of Scripture. The Evil one is attempting to thwart the power of Redemption by planting the seed that the Bible is false. One way to do this to suggest that the prophetic events outlined cannot be possibly true because the timeline of scripture do not fit modern philosophy.

I however comeback to the basic tenet of understanding Scripture and its relevance to the world. Our worldview point must begin with Scripture, indeed from the very beginning, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, for without this basic tenet, Scripture becomes meaningless. That is, timelines are spelt out in scripture and these are applied to history – if they don’t fit – history is changed, not Scripture. (Noting that history is merely the interpretation of happenings based on, often, limited observations, by man).

The world is about 6000 years old. You might press this out to 7500 years and even 10,000 years, although I cannot accept this last number as being anywhere near valid – it relies on gaps occurring in the genealogy.

Figure 1 Approximate chronology of world

A useful reference for those that are interested is: Nelson’s complete book of Bible Maps & Charts, Old and New Testaments. Nelson, USA, ISBN 0-7852-1154-3.

Prophecies of Scripture

Old Testament

467           Fulfilled (2 not confirmed)

105           To be fulfilled

New Testament

201           filled (1 not confirmed)

237           To be fulfilled

Total 1013[4] (these are whole verses)

The most remarkable of all prophetic writings

There are probably more than 300 prophetic references in the Old Testament to the coming of Jesus. There 1,845 references to Christ’s rule on earth in the Old Testament, found in 17 books. There are 318 references in the New Testament to the Second Coming six found in 23 of the 27 books.

Prophecy: His coming

therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: "Seventy weeks are determined…."Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; …."And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;…..(Daniel 9)

Fulfilment

In Hebrew “week” means “sevens”

• Each week is seven years each of 360 days
• First 7 weeks (7x7=49 yrs) began 445 BC - see Nehemiah (some show 454 is the 20^th year – Nehemiah 2:1, 2:3, 2:8) [6]
• Second 62 weeks (62x7=434 yrs) completed when Jesus walked into Jerusalem (Zech 9:9), on 3 or 6th April AD32

Prophecy : Messiah Virgin Birth

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isa. 7:14 (NIV)

Fulfilment

she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph …., was minded to put her away secretly. …..and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.  (Matt 11:8-25 NKJV)

Prophecy : Messiah born Bethlehem

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,             whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  Micah 5:2 (NIV)

Fulfilment

..Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod Matt. 2:1 (NIV)

Prophecy : Messiah Betrayal

• Betrayal (Ps 41:9)
• By a friend (Ps 41:9)
• For 30 pieces (exactly) (Zechariah 11:12)
• Of silver (not gold) (Zechariah 11:13)
• Thrown down (Zechariah 11:13), In the house of the LORD, Money used to buy potter field

Prophecy : Messiah Silent

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 (NIV)

Fulfilment

When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.  Matt. 27:12 (NIV)

Prophecy : Messiah hands and feet pieced

For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; Psalms 22:16 (NKJV)

Fulfilment

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” John 20:25 (NIV) also Luke 23:33

Prophecy : Messiah : Bones not broken

He [Jehovah] protects all his [Messiah] bones, not one of them will be broken. Spa. 34:20 (NIV)

Fulfilment

But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. John 19:33 (NKJV)

Prophecy : Messiah : Buried in a rich man’s tomb

And they made His grave with the wicked — But with the rich at His death, ….. Isaiah 53:9 (NKJV)

Fulfilment

... there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, ..[he] asked for the body of Jesus.. ... he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock...  Matt. 27:57-60 (NKJV)

Prophecies of the Nations (Daniel 2)

First Kingdom 606 – 539 BC (Gold head Dan 2:32)

• Babylonian empire
• Gold: rich, first, lasted 70 years
• Over thrown by the Medes and Persians in 536 BC(Daniel 5:30-31)
• Nebuchadnezzar, Darius

Second Kingdom 539 – 331 BC (Shoulders, arms of silver, Dan 2:32)

• Media and Persian empire
• Silver: inferior (Dan 2:39) – compared with the Babylonian empire
• Two arms to represent the parts, that become Persian
• Over thrown by Alexander the Great in 331 BC

Third Kingdom 332 – 63 BC (Belly and thighs of bronze)

• Grecian empire, began by Alexander the Great (The He Goat in Dan 11:3-4 Note (4))
• Brass – longer lasting than silver
• Took Tyre in Fulfilment of the Ezek 26-28 prophecy)
• Overthrown by the Romans

Fourth Kingdom 63 BC – AD 455 - AD1806 (Legs of iron, feet of part iron part clay)

• Roman empire
• Iron – shows strength and longevity
• Imperial stage from Caesar Augustus (30BC) until Romulus Augustus AD476 (505 yrs)
• Rome partitioned in AD258 (although reunited united Constantine)
• Byzantine Rom from AD330 until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople
• Papacy Rome from AD590 under Pope Gregory the Great to 1806 when Napoleon destroyed the last empire. The Ten toes are weak and loosely aligned – probably regions of influence rather than empires as such

The Prophecy Against Nineveh

We learn from the book of Jonah that God cared for Nineveh, which had gone astray, and having sent Jonah (the 2^nd time) the great city repented. But evilness again overtook the city and an entire book of the bible is devoted to her prophetic demise i.e. Nahum. Nineveh is first mentioned in Genesis 10:11 where there is a narrative of activities of the descendants of Noah. It is then some 3500 years or so later that it is again mentioned in the story of Jonah, who being sent by God, attempted to thwart God’s desire to have the people of Nineveh turn from their evil ways at the word of himself through Jonah (See Jonah 1). 

At this time Nineveh was a prosperous and flourishing city being the capital of the Assyrian empire where kings lived (2 Kings 19:36 -  “So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh” – which also mentioned in Isaiah 37:37).

The greatness of the city is mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 12:41.

The city was on the eastern side of the river Tigris and was about 50 km by 14 km wide. Its importance arose because it was in the centre of the highway between the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean, gaining wealth from its position of trade,  but today nothing remains of it today.

After Nineveh repented due to Jonah’s preaching it, in time,returned to a state of evilness and rejected God. It became proud and boasted of its superiority. Hence we find its prophetic destruction being told by Nahum (1:14, 3:19 etc) and Zephaniah (2:14 etc).  The prophecy was for its total destruction and conversion to one of desolation, a place for cattle to lie on. Along with the fall of Nineveh, the empire, which it was the capital of was also predicted to fall. The fall began in about BC 633 when the Assyrian empire slowly weakened. The Medes were the first to attack Nineveh followed by the Babylonians, joined by the Susianians, who utterly destroyed the city. Later the Assyrian empire was also judged by God, and was destroyed after 600 yrs of  “hideous tyranny and violence, from the Caucasus and the Caspian to the Persian Gulf, and from beyond the Tigris to Asia Minor and Egypt”[7], by the Medes and Babylonians.

The judgement of the Assyrian empire again was due to its pride. (Is 10:5-19). 

                   “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
                   And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
                   I will send him against an ungodly nation,
                   And against the people of My wrath
                   I will give him charge,
                   To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
                   And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

The ruin of Nineveh was so great that nothing was left to mark its existence, unlike the cities of Palmyra, Persepolis or Thebes. This was in Fulfilment of the prophecy of making “an utter end” to the city. Not only were the bricks that made the city destroyed but its memory was also erased. By BC 400, the Greek historian Herodotus viewed it as a thing of the past, and Xenophon, the historian did not even mention it⁶.

Excavations, began by the French nearly 2000 years later, found ruins of a building, a royal palace of the kings of Assyria, along with the courts and chambers, sculptures and relics of ancient times. Further exploration has identified the greatness of the city, from such items as inscriptions on bricks and tablets. One such find was the library or Sennacherib’s grandson’s (Sardanapalos) with its 10,000 tablets, inscribed with Assyrian characters; the history, law and religion of Assyria. The library also contained the oldest of all records dating back to Abraham. The ruins confirm the destruction was by fire, as scripture states it was to be destroyed from.

The Prophecy Against Tyre and Sidon

Tyre and Sidon were coastal cities of great wealth with up to 30 nations trading with Tyre. They were wealthy, influential, and in the end so proud that the king proclaimed to be god perhaps like the old Hong Kong

"This city was justly entitled the 'Queen of the Sea,' that element bringing to it th.e tribute of all nations. She boasted of having first invented navigation and taught mankind the art of braving the winds and waves by the assistance of a frail bark. The happy situation of Tyre, at the upper end of the Mediterranean; the conveniency of its ports, which were both safe and capacious; and the character of its inhabitants, who were industrious, laborious, patient, and extremely courteous to strangers, invited thither merchants from all parts of the globe; so that it might be considered, not so much a city belonging to any particular nation, as the common city of all nations and the centre of their commerce."[8].

• Tyre was a joyous city
• It was first mentioned in Joshua 19:29 as a fortified city, an island with a beautiful and safe port; she traded with many nations (Ezek 27:3)
• The City was 800 m from land and surrounded with a high wall, up to 50 m in parts, with two harbours.
• It was given to the tribe of Asher who did not take it, although Jews clearly took up residence in it (2 Samuel 24:7)
• She sent workers to help David build the palace 2 Sam 5:11, having artisans that could work brass, copper and wood.
• It was a monarchy not a republic unlike other nations at the time.
• It formed a close alliance with Solomon.
• Solomon had Hiram King of Tyre obtain timber and help build the temple
• Ahab married a daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon who worshipped Baal (1 Kings 16:31)

In the progression of time the merchants induced the Tyrians and Phoenicians to buy Hebrew captives and sell them as slaves which was denounced by Joel 3:6-7 and Amos 1:9-10.

• Its pride and wickedness including ideology caused God to prophecy against it as outlined in Ezekiel 24-27.

In Ezekiel 26, (586 BC in the 11th year of Jehoiakim) a proclamation concerning Tyre, summed up in the following:

• Many nations would come against Tyre (Ezek. 26:3)
• The walls of Tyre would be broken down (Ezek. 26:4)
• Dust would be scraped from her, and she would be left like a bare rock (Ezek. 26:4)
• Tyre would be a place for the spreading of nets (Ezek. 26:5)
• Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would build a siege wall around Tyre (Ezek. 26:8)
• Nebuchadnezzar would plunder the city (Ezek. 26:9-12)
• The stones, timber and soil of Tyre would be cast into the sea (Ezek. 26:12)
• The city would never be rebuilt (Ezek. 26:14)

The Beginning (1^st)

• Shalmaneser, the Assyrian King, who took Samaria (2 Kings 17:3-7) engaged in a war with Phoenicia (Josephus Ant). He also attempted a sieged Tyre with no consequence, as she remained powerful, wealthy, protected, trading with nations as far away as India.
• Josiah after he became king of Judah swept the land of idols and ‘heaped’ insults onto the tods who were object of Tyrian veneration (2 Ki 22-23, 2 K 23:4, 20).

Nebuchadnezzar (2^nd)

• Began the overthrow of Tyre and Sidon
• In 586 he destroyed the mainland city forcing people to the island portion of the city. He sieged the island for 13 years with little consequence.
• "Nebuchadnezzar took all Palestine and Syria and the cities on the seacoast, including Tyre, which fell after a siege of 13 years (573 B.C.)"

Alexander the Great (3^rd)[9]

• In 332BC Alexander the Great began a siege of the city after the Tyrians killed Alexander’s ambassadors and threw their bodies into the sea.
• He lay sieged to the city for 7 months
• Alexander was able to obtain ships from Sidon, Greek allies and Cyprus to form a blockade around Tyre
• The northern side was blocked by Cyprus and the south by Phoenicians.
• Alexander determined to build a mole (75 m wide) to get his troops from the mainland to the island using stones and timber from the old city of Tyre on the mainland.
• In Fulfilment of Ezekiel's prophecy, the very foundation stones, timbers and dust of the city was cast "in the midst of the water" (Ezek. 26:12).
• By July 332 BC the siege had succeeded. The men of war were killed and 30,000 others were old as slaves.

"Alexander did far more against Tyre than Shalmaneser or Nebuchadnezzar had done. Not content with crushing her, he took care that she never should revive; for he founded Alexandria as her substitute, and changed forever the track of the commerce of the world."[10]

• The city was not entirely destroyed and was built up under August, by manufacturing dye from shellfish (mirex) to produce the Tyrian purple.
• Jesus visited Tyre and Sidon (Matt 15:21, Mk 7:24)
• It had uninterrupted prosperity until the period of Jerome (AD 414) – as Jerome noted: Tyre will be no more the Queen of Nations and having a king like Hiram …will be subject to Romans[11].
• Arabs took over the control of Tyre from 633-638 AD, but surrendered to the Crusaders 27 June 1124.
• By 1610 it was a heap of ruins, with its two harbours choked with ruins of the old city, now called Zur.
• A historian in 1751 called it a miserable village, with 50-60 families
• In 1858 it had 3000-4000 inhabitants.

Our Response to the knowledge that Scripture was Divinely Inspired

The Bible is the Book to live by and the Book to die by, therefore:

• read it to be wise,
• believe it to be safe,
• practice it to be holy.

"Know it in the head, store it in the heart, show it in the life, sow it in the world."[12]

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works"
(II Tim. 3:16-17).

• Jesus Christ was the Son of Man
• Jesus Christ died for sinners
• Jesus Christ is coming for His own
• God will judge the world
• Unrepentant men and women will be thrown into the lake of fire