Christians believe that a Bible prophecy is a God-given revelation of
the future. God gave His prophets, including Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and
Jeremiah, prophecies of the future. He did this to prepare people for
the future, and to show that He is the one true God and that He is
all-powerful.
A prophecy is not a prediction of the future - it is a promise about the
future. God gave promises to His prophets. He told them, for example,
that the Jews would be forced out of Israel, scattered worldwide,
persecuted worldwide, and that they would eventually return to Israel.
All of these promises have been fulfilled.
There are different kinds of prophecies. Some prophecies are about a
Messiah, which means "anointed one" or "chosen one." These are called
"Messianic" prophecies. Christians believe that Jesus is the fulfillment
of these prophecies. There also are "end time" prophecies. These
prophecies refer to a time of war, famine and pestilence, after which a
Messiah will reign over the world with justice and righteousness.
Christians believe that this Messiah is also Jesus, who will return in
the future.
The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies. Some were fulfilled more than
3000 years ago. Others have been fulfilled since then. And, by our
count, more than 50 have found fulfillment or partial fulfillment during
the past 200 years. Many Bible prophecies have found fulfillment more
than once, such as the prophecies that the Jews would have Israel as
their own country. (The Jews had sovereignty over the land of Israel
about 3400 years ago up until about 2700 years ago, and again in 1948).
Based on our own personal studies, it appears that the majority of Bible
prophecies have these characteristics in common:
1. Bible prophecies involve specific places
Bible prophecies often involve specific places. And usually that place
is all or part of the Jewish homeland. Many prophecies refer
specifically to Israel, Judah and Jerusalem. Judah is the southern part
of the Jewish homeland. Jerusalem is Israel's most important city. It
was established as the Jewish capital by King David about 3000 years
ago. When prophecies involve other nations, such as Tyre, Babylon,
Nineveh or Edom, it is because those nations had sought the destruction
of the Jewish homeland, or the Jews, or both.
2. Bible prophecies involve specific people
Bible prophecies almost always involve a specific person or persons. And
they usually involve the Jewish people as a group, or a Jewish person as
an individual, such as a king or a Messiah. Sometimes a Bible prophecy
will involve someone who is not Jewish, such as a king who will attack
Israel (example: Nebuchadnezzar) or a king who will help the Jewish
people (example: Cyrus). Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus lived about 2600 years
ago.
3. Bible prophets are Jewish
God chose to reveal His words to one group of people - the Jews. This
has helped to ensure that we have one source of information for God's
teachings. And, because Israel is literally in the "middle" of the
world, near the convergence of the three continents of Asia, Africa and
Europe, the Jews have been in a unique geographical position to
influence the world with the monotheistic teachings of about one true
God. The Bible, in Exodus 19:6, said the Jews were to be a "nation of
priests." The Jews were to teach the rest of the world about God. And,
during the past 2000 years, the Jews have accomplished this remarkable
feat. Through the influence of the Hebrew scriptures, about half of the
world's people have abandoned their pagan religions and now worship a
monotheistic God.
4. Bible prophecies were usually delivered in Israel
Bible prophecies usually were delivered in the Jewish homeland of Israel
or Judah. (About 2900 years ago, Israel split into two Jewish kingdoms
called Judah and Israel. Today, the Jewish nation is united again and is
called Israel). However, there are exceptions: Some prophecies, for
example, were delivered in Babylon when the Jewish homeland had been
destroyed about 2600 years ago and many Jews were taken as captives to
Babylon.
5. Bible prophecies explain why a particular event is going to happen
Bible prophecies often include an explanation as to why a particular
event is going to happen. In Micah 3:11-12, for example, the prophet
Micah said about 2700 years ago that Jerusalem would be destroyed and
"plowed like a field" because its leaders had turned away from God. The
Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem a century later. In the year 135, the
Romans destroyed Jerusalem and literally plowed part of the city.
