Prophetic Statements: 12 Examples Of Prophecies In The Bible you should know.
Does God have a plan that includes the earth and the human race? If so, can man know?
The answer is a resounding yes! God has a plan, and that plan is clearly described in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation through many prophetic statements.
Man can clearly know God’s plan just by going to the Bible and submitting his mind and heart to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to act in his life and help him to know God’s purpose.
12 Examples of prophecies in the bible that were fulfilled
There are thousands of prophecies, but we’ll take just a few.
Here are some of the most salient prophetic statements from the Bible:
1. 400 years of slavery
From the time of his founding father, Abraham, in Genesis 15:13, God told Abraham that his seed would be captive 400 years in a strange land, but that God would judge that nation and take them out. The Book of Exodus describes how God judged Egypt and brought them out after 430 years.
This story has captivated audiences for centuries, and even Hollywood, with stories like the epic “Ten Commandments” and “Prince of Egypt,” constantly reminds us of the great works God did in enforcing his prophetic statements.
2. Fall of the 10 tribes of Israel
After entering the promised land, the tribes were divided into 2 kingdoms, Israel and Judah. But the house of Israel fell into idolatry even by burning their children to the Molech idol and God warned them through prophets like Amos, Isaiah, and Hosea that they were about to fall.
Isaiah 7: 8 predicts around 735 BC that Israel would no longer be a people within 65 years. 55 years after this prophetic declaration, towards 677 a. C., the Assyrian king Esarhaddon deported many of them and repopulated their lands with strangers.
3. The desolation and captivity of Judah
As the two remaining tribes of the house of Judah (Benjamin and Judah) watched in horror as the word of the Lord was fulfilled over the ten tribes, they too fell into idolatry, until the Bible was no longer studied.
In the year 622 a. C., the king of Judea, Josías, found portions of the Bible again, read its blessings and curses, and asked the prophetess Huldah what would become of Judah. She told him that they would become a curse and desolation because of their sin, but that he would not see it.
God made one of his prophetic statements, this time to Josiah, telling him that he would meet his parents at the grave by then. 13 years later, 609 BC. C. Josías was reunited (died) and entered his tomb, (was buried) to live in peace with his ancestors.
He died in Megiddo and Jerusalem was sacked by the Egyptian Pharaoh Nechoh. Josiah’s son was captured and taken to Egypt when Judea was devastated.
4. The gates of Babylon will open for Cyrus
If you read Isaiah 45: 1 (written perhaps between 701 and 681 BC), you will find a prophecy that was finally fulfilled hundreds of years later in 539 BC. C. This is one of the most striking prophetic statements in the Bible:
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand he grabbed to subdue the nations before him and to strip the kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that the doors will not close” . (Isaiah 45: 1).
In this passage, the prophet said that God would open the gates of Babylon for Cyrus and his attacking army. Despite Babylon’s remarkable defenses, which included moats and walls over 70 feet thick and 300 feet high (with 250 watchtowers), Cyrus was able to enter the city and conquer it.
Cyrus and his troops succeeded by diverting the flow of the Euphrates River into a large basin of the lake. Then he was able to lead his army across the riverbed and into the city.
5. The kingdom of Babylon will be permanently overthrown
In Isaiah 13:19 (written between 701 and 681 BC) there is another of the prophetic statements reflected in the Bible. This was not fulfilled until 539 BC. C.
“Babylon will be destroyed by God like Sodom and Gomorrah” ( Isaiah 13:19 ).
Here, Isaiah tells us that Babylon would be overthrown, permanently. History confirms the fact that after the destruction of Cyrus of Babylon in 539 BC. C. never returned to power as an empire.
However, you must remember that before the time of Cyrus, Babylon had also been defeated by the Assyrian Empire, but Babylon was able to recover and then conquer the Assyrian Empire.
In light of this reality, I am sure that many people doubted Isaiah when he proclaimed this prophecy. Despite this, and just as Isaiah predicted, the Babylonian empire was defeated and never recovered from Cyrus’ conquest.
6. Babylon will be reduced to swamps
In Isaiah 14:23 (written between 701 and 681 BC), the prophet makes another prediction that is not fulfilled until 539 BC. C.
“I will sweep it away with a broom of destruction, says the Lord Almighty” ( Isaiah 14:23 ).
In this verse, The Prophet makes the bold claim that Babylon, which had been a world power at two different times in history, would have a humble end.
But not only that, Isaiah claims that Babylon would be reduced to swamps! Well, after Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC. C., the kingdom never returned to power, that’s for sure. And history tells us that the buildings of Babylon fell into a gradual state of ruin over the next several centuries.
Interestingly, when archaeologists excavated Babylon during the 19th century, they discovered that some parts of the city could not be unearthed because they were below a water table that had risen over the years!
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7. The Jews will survive the Babylonian rule and return home
In Jeremiah 32: 36-37, (written around 626 and 586 BC), another prophet makes a bold prediction that finally came to pass in 536 BC. C.
“By the sword, famine and plague will be delivered to the king of Babylon”; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will surely gather them from all the lands where I exile them in my fierce anger and great wrath; I will bring you back to this place and let you live safely “( Jeremiah 32: 36-37 ).
In this passage, Jeremiah said that the Jews would survive their captivity in Babylon and return home, and both parts of this prophecy were ultimately fulfilled. Many Jews had been taken captive to Babylon beginning in 605 BC. But, in 538 a. C., were released from captivity and many finally returned to their homeland.
8. The Ninevites will be drunk in their last hours
Another of the prophetic statements that are in the bible is found in Nahum 1:10 (written around 614 BC). Here, the prophet predicts the condition of the Ninevites at the time of their disappearance.
“They will be entangled in thorns and will drink its wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble”
In this passage, and once again in Nahum 3:11, the prophet said that during the last hours of the attack on Nineveh, the Ninevites would be drunk. Well, guess what, there is evidence that this prophecy was actually fulfilled!
According to the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus: “The Assyrian king gave a lot of wine to his soldiers. The deserters told this to the enemy, who attacked that night.” Siculus compiled his historical works some 600 years after the fall of Nineveh, and in doing so, he confirmed the biblical account.
9. Nineveh will be destroyed by fire
Once again, in Nahum 3:15 (written around 614 BC) the prophet makes a prediction that finally came true.
“There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and, like grasshoppers, it will consume you” ( Nahum 3:15 ).
The prophet said that Nineveh would be damaged by fire. Archaeologists unearthed the site during the 19th century and found a layer of ash covering the ruins. Nineveh suffered a defeat from which it never recovered.
It is one of the prophetic declarations, whose proof of truthfulness is more tangible, since extensive traces of ashes have been found, representing the sacking of the city by the Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes in 612 BC. C., in many parts of the Acropolis. After the years 612 a. C., the city stopped being important”
10. Edom will be overthrown and humiliated
In Jeremiah 49:16 (written sometime from 626 to about 586 BC) the prophet predicts that Edom will be overthrown. This was fulfilled in approximately 100 BC:
“The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, which occupy the heights of the hill. Even if you are very high, from there I will bring you down” ( Jeremiah 49:16 ).
Jeremiah said that Edom, an ancient enemy of Israel, would be destroyed. The capital of Edom was carved into the side of a mountain and had great natural defenses. However, it was destroyed, and the kingdom of Edom no longer exists.
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The greatest Old Testament prophecy
There are literally hundreds of other fulfilled prophetic statements that we could describe here, but clearly one stands out above the rest, and we really need to take a minute to describe it.
While the Jews were certainly comforted by prophecies that predicted that their enemies would eventually be destroyed, there was a far more heartwarming prophecy than had been described in the Old Testament.
It was a prophecy that predicted the coming of a Messiah, a savior who would liberate the Jews. While there are dozens of prophecies in the Old Testament Scriptures, one of them was incredibly specific in its claims.
By examining this prophecy, we can confirm the supernatural and divine inspiration of the Bible. In this prophecy, Daniel states that there will be 69 weeks of years between the issuance of a decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the appearance of the Messiah.
What does the fact that the prophetic statements are fulfilled prove?
The ancient Jews were careful to use Prophecy as a measuring stick. If someone claimed to be a prophet, but his predictions did not come true, he was abandoned and his writings did not become the canon of Scripture. Moses was careful to set this high bar for the prophets:
“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not continue, nor does it happen, then the Lord has not said so” ( Deuteronomy 18:22 ).
Moses knew that the fulfilled prophecy was evidence! It was evident that our Lord was really working on the prophet’s heart, giving him insight into something that only God knew.
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Conclusion:
The exact fulfillment of all the prophetic statements that we have spoken of in the Old Testament is more than enough to demonstrate the accuracy and divine inspiration of the Bible, and the truth of Christianity. Remember, only God can “declare the end from the beginning” and predict until the very day “things that have not yet been done.” ( Isaiah 46:10 ).
