We hope that the information on this site helps you to begin to think that there is something special about the Bible.
The challenge from accurate detailed predictions about the future of nations and cities
Historians agree that the Old Testament was in existence by 200 BC. As nearly all of the predictions we look at on this site were fulfilled after that time, they could not have been made after the events. It is clear that each prophecy was fulfilled a long time after the death of the particular prophet, so he could have had no influence in making the prediction come true. It is equally clear that those involved in fulfilling the predictions had no idea that they were doing so.
Important questions come when we start thinking about how the Bible has foretold future events.
Middle East Tensions
How did the Bible prophets know that there would be so much continual tension in the Middle East ?
Four Superpowers
How did Daniel know that there would be four successive superpowers – why not three or five?
How did he know that the fourth would not be followed by a fifth. How did he know that the fourth superpower would fragment. It could have just declined in the same way that Egypt did.
Egypt
How did the prophets know that Egypt was about to have a long period of foreign rulers, despite having just had a long period of Egyptian rulers?
How did the prophets know that some of these rulers would treat the country so badly with such disastrous results? Many countries have been conquered by harsh powers, but Egypt has had far more than its fair share and for long periods!
How did the prophets know that the country would have so many ruins? Most countries have some ruins, but again, Egypt has far more than most countries.
How did the Bible prophets know which prediction to attach to which city?” If the predictions had been reversed, they would have been wrong!
The Jews
How did the Bible prophets know that the Jews would have a history unlike that of any other nation and predict it so accurately?
Where then, does all this lead us?
We may be tempted to say “Well, yes, but they were all lucky guesses. Anyone who knew anything about history could have foretold the future and got it right some of the time”
Using knowledge of history, no one would have come up with the predictions about the Jews. History tells us that nations disappear when they lose their homeland. They become absorbed into the nations that conquer them. The Bible, however, gives us these unexpected predictions for the Jews. On the other hand, the Bible predicted a rather different future for the nation of Egypt
We should also bear in mind that anyone who could regularly predict unexpected events could make a small fortune at the bookmakers or on the stock market. The same person would also be in great demand by weather forecasters and politicians! Regularly predicting the unusual is something we just can’t do.
There is no way we can accurately predict unlikely future events. But the God of the Bible has done so with 100% accuracy. Other challenging questions come when we think about the other sections on this site.
Other challenges
A Law ahead of its time
How did Moses come up with such a remarkable law:
- Knowledge of good community health practice thousands of years ago
- A civil law far wiser than the one we have devised
A consistent message
How does the Bible come to have a consistent message, relevant to everyone, when it was written by people from such vastly different cultures and times
Archaeology
Why is it that Archaeology shows the Bible to be reliable despite the repeated assertions of critics to the contrary?