Amazing Prophecies from the Bible
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More Amazing Prophecies from the Bible
As you study the Bible, you will find that a large number of Old Testament prophecies center upon and deal with our Lord's Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection. This is as you would expect, since our faith is tied to all that happened during Holy Week to redeem us from our sins and give us hope for our future life with the Lord.
This month we are going to look at the amazing prophecy of Judas's betrayal of our Lord that is predicted in Zechariah 11. This prophecy deals with true and false shepherds of Israel. Our Lord was the true and good shepherd of Israel, while Judas and the religious leaders of his day were the false ones. In Zechariah 11:13 the Holy Spirit gives Zechariah a prophecy about the conflict between the shepherds of Israel as the Lord speaks to His shepherd Zechariah and ultimately our Lord Jesus. The text says,
And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter" - the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty
pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.
This amazing prophecy uses irony and sarcasm to speak about a betrayal and rejection of God's leadership and authority over His people by false leaders. God's shepherd is not valued by the people and is being sold and trivialized for 30 pieces of silver. In addition to this, 30 coins are being thrown "into the house of the Lord to the potter". Now, this phrase is simply incredible! There were no potters in the Temple area or God's house. This phrase appears to be confusing and hard to understand. Why would someone throw 30 coins toward the Temple to a potter? None of this seems to make much sense. Also, we have no clear evidence that Zechariah or any shepherd of his day was being sold or priced for 30 pieces of silver. The price of 30 pieces of silver was the price put on a male/female slave that was "pierced" by a bull in Exodus 21:32. That reference doesn't seem to make sense either!
Ultimately, all of these words from Zechariah would have their meaning and fulfillment in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the True Shepherd of Israel. These words find a clear meaning and fulfillment through the betrayal of our Lord by Judas Iscariot. The irony and sarcasm of Zechariah's words are seen when Israel, through Judas, does not value the True Shepherd of God's people, and as a result devalues him and sells him as a common slave according to the Old Testament law.
If you begin to study Matthew 27:1-10 in detail, you will see how the story of Judas mysteriously fulfills and gives meaning to Zechariah 11. Most of us know that Judas betrayed our Lord for 30 pieces of silver according to Matthew 26:14-16. However, what many believers fail to remember is what happened to the betrayal money. According to Matthew 27:5, Judas threw the money back toward the Temple out of guilt for his betrayal and then went and hanged himself. After the money was thrown back toward the Temple, the religious leaders refused to keep it and use it for the Temple since they saw it as "blood money" (see Matthew 27:6) Now this is absolutely amazing turn of events! Instead of keeping the money for themselves or the Temple, these corrupted leaders used the money to pay for Judas's burial plot. However, the astonishing thing was that they used the money to buy a place in "Potters Field", which was a grave site for foreigners (Matthew 27:7). The religious leaders had unwittingly fulfilled Zechariah's words by not only sending the money toward "the potter", but they also condemned Judas in his death by declaring hi a foreigner to Israel through his burial location. AMAZING!!!
As we sit back and gaze on this prophecy and intricacies of it, I am overwhelmed with the inspiration of Scripture. No one could even begin to figure out all that was being discussed by the words in Zechariah 11. However, as we watch the Old Testament finding its ultimate focus on our Lord Jesus, it ALL makes sense. even the price of a slave that was gored by a bull shows us a wonderful picture of our Lord. Our Lord became a servant/slave for us and allowed Himself to be "gored" or crucified on our behalf to restore us back to Israel and God's purposes for our lives. Truly there is no end to these amazing prophecies and the awesome character of our Lord and His Word.
As I close out this edition of "Amazing Prophecies", I hope and pray the Lord will use all of these prophecies to encourage your heart this month about the wonderful future we have in our Lord. How can we study and read such prophecies and not be filled with wonder, awe and praise for His majesty and glory in our redemption? May our lives continue to be a doxology for Him.
This month we are going to look at the amazing prophecy of Judas's betrayal of our Lord that is predicted in Zechariah 11. This prophecy deals with true and false shepherds of Israel. Our Lord was the true and good shepherd of Israel, while Judas and the religious leaders of his day were the false ones. In Zechariah 11:13 the Holy Spirit gives Zechariah a prophecy about the conflict between the shepherds of Israel as the Lord speaks to His shepherd Zechariah and ultimately our Lord Jesus. The text says,
And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter" - the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty
pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.
This amazing prophecy uses irony and sarcasm to speak about a betrayal and rejection of God's leadership and authority over His people by false leaders. God's shepherd is not valued by the people and is being sold and trivialized for 30 pieces of silver. In addition to this, 30 coins are being thrown "into the house of the Lord to the potter". Now, this phrase is simply incredible! There were no potters in the Temple area or God's house. This phrase appears to be confusing and hard to understand. Why would someone throw 30 coins toward the Temple to a potter? None of this seems to make much sense. Also, we have no clear evidence that Zechariah or any shepherd of his day was being sold or priced for 30 pieces of silver. The price of 30 pieces of silver was the price put on a male/female slave that was "pierced" by a bull in Exodus 21:32. That reference doesn't seem to make sense either!
Ultimately, all of these words from Zechariah would have their meaning and fulfillment in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the True Shepherd of Israel. These words find a clear meaning and fulfillment through the betrayal of our Lord by Judas Iscariot. The irony and sarcasm of Zechariah's words are seen when Israel, through Judas, does not value the True Shepherd of God's people, and as a result devalues him and sells him as a common slave according to the Old Testament law.
If you begin to study Matthew 27:1-10 in detail, you will see how the story of Judas mysteriously fulfills and gives meaning to Zechariah 11. Most of us know that Judas betrayed our Lord for 30 pieces of silver according to Matthew 26:14-16. However, what many believers fail to remember is what happened to the betrayal money. According to Matthew 27:5, Judas threw the money back toward the Temple out of guilt for his betrayal and then went and hanged himself. After the money was thrown back toward the Temple, the religious leaders refused to keep it and use it for the Temple since they saw it as "blood money" (see Matthew 27:6) Now this is absolutely amazing turn of events! Instead of keeping the money for themselves or the Temple, these corrupted leaders used the money to pay for Judas's burial plot. However, the astonishing thing was that they used the money to buy a place in "Potters Field", which was a grave site for foreigners (Matthew 27:7). The religious leaders had unwittingly fulfilled Zechariah's words by not only sending the money toward "the potter", but they also condemned Judas in his death by declaring hi a foreigner to Israel through his burial location. AMAZING!!!
As we sit back and gaze on this prophecy and intricacies of it, I am overwhelmed with the inspiration of Scripture. No one could even begin to figure out all that was being discussed by the words in Zechariah 11. However, as we watch the Old Testament finding its ultimate focus on our Lord Jesus, it ALL makes sense. even the price of a slave that was gored by a bull shows us a wonderful picture of our Lord. Our Lord became a servant/slave for us and allowed Himself to be "gored" or crucified on our behalf to restore us back to Israel and God's purposes for our lives. Truly there is no end to these amazing prophecies and the awesome character of our Lord and His Word.
As I close out this edition of "Amazing Prophecies", I hope and pray the Lord will use all of these prophecies to encourage your heart this month about the wonderful future we have in our Lord. How can we study and read such prophecies and not be filled with wonder, awe and praise for His majesty and glory in our redemption? May our lives continue to be a doxology for Him.
One of the greatest prophecies the Lord has given us to encourage our faith is found in Daniel 9. This amazing prophecy was given over 500 years before the birth of our Lord. The prophecy gives an astonishing and clear calendar to the exact day that the Lord Jesus would enter Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world. It is surprising and sad that so few of the Lord's people even know about this prophecy. Let's take a look then at this amazing prophecy from the Bible.
In Daniel 9, the prophet Daniel had been in prayer, confessing the nation;s sin during their exile in Babylon. While Daniel was still speaking and praying, the angel Gabriel came to him with a prophecy about the future of Israel. This prophecy covers the entire history of Israel from the days of Daniel to the close of the age. It also covers both the 1st and 2nd coming of Israel's Messiah, the Lord Jesus.
This prophecy is often referred to as "Daniel's 70 Weeks". The prophecy begins in verse 24 and continue to the end of the chapter. The Lord tells us in verse 24 that He has decreed "70 Weeks" for the nation of Israel to "finish transgression", "put and end to sin", "atone for wickedness" and bring in "everlasting righteousness". All of these events are tied to our Lord's life and ministry through the Cross and His future Kingdom of righteousness that will last forever.
Daniel tells us in verse 25 that these events will begin to take place 483 (69 x 7) years from the time that a decree is given to "restore and rebuild Jerusalem". Please remember, that at the time of this prophecy, the city of Jerusalem had been in ruins for about 70 years as a result of the previous Babylonian invasion. All we have to do is count of 483 years from the time Jerusalem is restored by official decree and we have the date when there will be an "end to sin" spoken of in verse 24. You might say that once Jerusalem began to restored, the clock was ticking in anticipation of our Lord dealing with the sins of Israel and the world.
The wonderful thing about the Bible is that it provides us with the date when Jerusalem began to be restored through official decree. That official decree was given by the Persian King Artaxerxes and is recorded in Nehemiah 2. The actual date for this even is 445 B.C. and is corroborated by secular historians such Herodotus. The Lord had moved on the heart of this pagan king to fulfill His purposes given by the prophet Daniel much earlier. The Lord has set His clock through Daniel's prophecy and the kings of the earth were falling in line with His will and purposes.
If you add 483 years to the date of the decree given by the Persian king in 445 B.C. you arrive at the time when Jesus enter Jerusalem and died on the Cross. We don't have the time or space to do all the actual math here, but the numbers work out perfectly. The prophecy in Daniel tells us this exact fact in verse 26 when we learn that the "Anointed One or Messiah" who would come at the end of this time would be "cut off" and have "nothing". This is precisely what happened to our Lord when He came to Jerusalem to fulfill this amazing prophecy. Our Lord was truly "cut off " and seemingly was given "nothing" as a result of His death on the Cross. However, three days later the people of the Lord began to understand that this was necessary for sin to be forgiven to fulfill Daniel's prophecy.
This amazing prophecy is one of the greatest proofs that another messiah figure cannot come in the future. Only the true Messiah could come after 483 years and "put an end to sin" and fulfill what the Lord had said through Daniel's prophecy. Sadly, many of the Jewish people today are still waiting for their Messiah to come the first time, while those of us who know that Jesus is the Messiah are awaiting His 2nd coming.
I encourage any of you reading this amazing prophecy to stop and think about what the Lord has done in the Bible to give us confidence that our sins are forgiven and that we have eternal life. The Lord promised through the Prophet Daniel that it would happen exactly as it did! What an amazing Lord we know and serve! How thankful each of us should be for these truly amazing prophecies from the Bible!
In Daniel 9, the prophet Daniel had been in prayer, confessing the nation;s sin during their exile in Babylon. While Daniel was still speaking and praying, the angel Gabriel came to him with a prophecy about the future of Israel. This prophecy covers the entire history of Israel from the days of Daniel to the close of the age. It also covers both the 1st and 2nd coming of Israel's Messiah, the Lord Jesus.
This prophecy is often referred to as "Daniel's 70 Weeks". The prophecy begins in verse 24 and continue to the end of the chapter. The Lord tells us in verse 24 that He has decreed "70 Weeks" for the nation of Israel to "finish transgression", "put and end to sin", "atone for wickedness" and bring in "everlasting righteousness". All of these events are tied to our Lord's life and ministry through the Cross and His future Kingdom of righteousness that will last forever.
Daniel tells us in verse 25 that these events will begin to take place 483 (69 x 7) years from the time that a decree is given to "restore and rebuild Jerusalem". Please remember, that at the time of this prophecy, the city of Jerusalem had been in ruins for about 70 years as a result of the previous Babylonian invasion. All we have to do is count of 483 years from the time Jerusalem is restored by official decree and we have the date when there will be an "end to sin" spoken of in verse 24. You might say that once Jerusalem began to restored, the clock was ticking in anticipation of our Lord dealing with the sins of Israel and the world.
The wonderful thing about the Bible is that it provides us with the date when Jerusalem began to be restored through official decree. That official decree was given by the Persian King Artaxerxes and is recorded in Nehemiah 2. The actual date for this even is 445 B.C. and is corroborated by secular historians such Herodotus. The Lord had moved on the heart of this pagan king to fulfill His purposes given by the prophet Daniel much earlier. The Lord has set His clock through Daniel's prophecy and the kings of the earth were falling in line with His will and purposes.
If you add 483 years to the date of the decree given by the Persian king in 445 B.C. you arrive at the time when Jesus enter Jerusalem and died on the Cross. We don't have the time or space to do all the actual math here, but the numbers work out perfectly. The prophecy in Daniel tells us this exact fact in verse 26 when we learn that the "Anointed One or Messiah" who would come at the end of this time would be "cut off" and have "nothing". This is precisely what happened to our Lord when He came to Jerusalem to fulfill this amazing prophecy. Our Lord was truly "cut off " and seemingly was given "nothing" as a result of His death on the Cross. However, three days later the people of the Lord began to understand that this was necessary for sin to be forgiven to fulfill Daniel's prophecy.
This amazing prophecy is one of the greatest proofs that another messiah figure cannot come in the future. Only the true Messiah could come after 483 years and "put an end to sin" and fulfill what the Lord had said through Daniel's prophecy. Sadly, many of the Jewish people today are still waiting for their Messiah to come the first time, while those of us who know that Jesus is the Messiah are awaiting His 2nd coming.
I encourage any of you reading this amazing prophecy to stop and think about what the Lord has done in the Bible to give us confidence that our sins are forgiven and that we have eternal life. The Lord promised through the Prophet Daniel that it would happen exactly as it did! What an amazing Lord we know and serve! How thankful each of us should be for these truly amazing prophecies from the Bible!
One of the great things about the Bible is the way every story and character points to the Lord Jesus Christ. As you study the Word you find that it points to the Word made flesh. This truth can make every Bible study a joy because you can find our Lord everywhere. In this month's article we are going to look at a typology of our Lord given by the prophet Elijah in I Kings 17. A typology is a term to describe a character or story that allows us to picture or see something else in the future. In this case, Elijah and his ministry was a typology or picture of our Lord Jesus and His ministry about 900 years before it happened.
The prophet Elijah ministered during a time of apostasy and darkness in the northern kingdom of Israel. Elijah prophesied and spoke against the prophets of Baal and the famous king and wife team of Ahab and Jezebel. When the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab, he told him that there was going to be a judgment on the people through a drought that would last several years (I Kings 17:1). The lack of rain would signal the fact that the Lord was withholding His Hand of blessing in the form of the fruitfulness of the land. It is also during this time that Elijah meets and defeats the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in I Kings 18.
Now as we move ahead almost 900 years, another Prophet arrives during a difficult time in Israel as well. This time our Lord Jesus shows up and begins to connect Himself to the prophet Elijah at the opening of His ministry in Luke 4: 24-26. The text there reads as follows:
"I tell you the truth" he continued, "No prophet is accepted in his home town. I assure you that there were many windows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon."
The amazing and interesting thing about this passage is the fact that our Lord has just publicly started His ministry, but is also about to be rejected by His hometown family and friends. As a matter of fact, the hometown crowd takes our Lord to the edge of the hills of Nazareth and tries to kill Him (Luke 4:29). Our Lord receives the same treatment that Elijah received some 900 years earlier.
Now the amazing prophetic detail to this passage is the fat that our Lord tells the crowd that the rain was shut up for 3 & 1/2 years. This detail is NOT given clearly in I Kings 17 or elsewhere. However, our Lord gives the detail because He is the Word and knows exactly how long the rain was stopped because He caused it. The miracle in all of this is the fact that our Lord's ministry was exactly 3 & 1/2 years as well. Not 3 years, not 4 years, but exactly 3 & 1/2 years. This makes our Lord's ministry time and the ministry time of drought during Elijah's day the same@ What our Lord is telling us is that He is the New Elijah, who has come to His people to deliver a prophetic word during a time of spiritual famine and drought, just as in the days of Ahab.
The Lord of all Creation used the life and ministry of Elijah to prepare the world for his coming. Sadly, our Lord received the same treatment that Elijah had received 900 years earlier. The fact that 900 years earlier the Lord was able to stop the rain for exactly 3 & 1/2 years was done for a specific purpose. It was done to give an unmistakable, amazing prophecy that would point to the Lord Jesus and help to confirm His ministry, its' nature and exact time. WOW!
It truly is amazing to look back at such things and see the Hand of God at work in the Bible and all of history. That same Lord is alive and well today and shaping the world for His future plans. We find this amazing prophecy about our Lord Jesus and Elijah appearing one more time in Revelation 11. Can you fin it and explain what is happening? Call me with the answer .... then I'll know someone is out there. First caller with the answer gets a prize.
The prophet Elijah ministered during a time of apostasy and darkness in the northern kingdom of Israel. Elijah prophesied and spoke against the prophets of Baal and the famous king and wife team of Ahab and Jezebel. When the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab, he told him that there was going to be a judgment on the people through a drought that would last several years (I Kings 17:1). The lack of rain would signal the fact that the Lord was withholding His Hand of blessing in the form of the fruitfulness of the land. It is also during this time that Elijah meets and defeats the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in I Kings 18.
Now as we move ahead almost 900 years, another Prophet arrives during a difficult time in Israel as well. This time our Lord Jesus shows up and begins to connect Himself to the prophet Elijah at the opening of His ministry in Luke 4: 24-26. The text there reads as follows:
"I tell you the truth" he continued, "No prophet is accepted in his home town. I assure you that there were many windows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon."
The amazing and interesting thing about this passage is the fact that our Lord has just publicly started His ministry, but is also about to be rejected by His hometown family and friends. As a matter of fact, the hometown crowd takes our Lord to the edge of the hills of Nazareth and tries to kill Him (Luke 4:29). Our Lord receives the same treatment that Elijah received some 900 years earlier.
Now the amazing prophetic detail to this passage is the fat that our Lord tells the crowd that the rain was shut up for 3 & 1/2 years. This detail is NOT given clearly in I Kings 17 or elsewhere. However, our Lord gives the detail because He is the Word and knows exactly how long the rain was stopped because He caused it. The miracle in all of this is the fact that our Lord's ministry was exactly 3 & 1/2 years as well. Not 3 years, not 4 years, but exactly 3 & 1/2 years. This makes our Lord's ministry time and the ministry time of drought during Elijah's day the same@ What our Lord is telling us is that He is the New Elijah, who has come to His people to deliver a prophetic word during a time of spiritual famine and drought, just as in the days of Ahab.
The Lord of all Creation used the life and ministry of Elijah to prepare the world for his coming. Sadly, our Lord received the same treatment that Elijah had received 900 years earlier. The fact that 900 years earlier the Lord was able to stop the rain for exactly 3 & 1/2 years was done for a specific purpose. It was done to give an unmistakable, amazing prophecy that would point to the Lord Jesus and help to confirm His ministry, its' nature and exact time. WOW!
It truly is amazing to look back at such things and see the Hand of God at work in the Bible and all of history. That same Lord is alive and well today and shaping the world for His future plans. We find this amazing prophecy about our Lord Jesus and Elijah appearing one more time in Revelation 11. Can you fin it and explain what is happening? Call me with the answer .... then I'll know someone is out there. First caller with the answer gets a prize.
One of thee most inspiring aspects of the Bible is to see how the Lord is sovereign over time and history. When we stop and look at the "Big Picture" we realize the Lord is the Lord. No one but the lord could so wonderfully orchestrate history to tell His Story of love and redemption. Let's take a look at another demonstration of this truth in the Bible.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of our Lord in chapter one. It is important to note that the genealogy of our Lord's ancestry and birth is about 400 years after the last Old Testament book of Malachi. This period of 400 years is sometimes referred to as the "400 Silent Years". In other words, the Lord did not have any other book of the Bible written during this time. It is almost as if the Lord was "quiet" during this time, at least in terms of Scripture's record.
Did you every wonder why our Lord seemingly "took a break" from writing down His words in the Bible for 400 years? That is surely a long time! That 400 year period between Malachi and the Gospel of Matthew is also called the Intertestamental Period. A lot happened during that time, but the Bible doesn't officially record the history of it in a book we have in our Bibles. It was almost as if the Lord was waiting a long time before He spoke. The 400 year period served to intensify when our Lord spoke again, ever so loudly, in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew's gospel.
Now when we stop and think for a moment, we realize the number 400 is an important number in the Bible. We first see the number 400 in the story of God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:12-14. The passage reads as follows:
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful
darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that
your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be
enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they
serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
The Lord is prophesying to Abraham in this passage that his descendants would be in Egypt for 400 years and then delivered by Him with great possessions. This prophesy is wonderfully fulfilled through Moses and the story of the Exodus most of us are familiar with in the Bible.
Now the one detail of this story that we don't hear much about at the time is the most famous person that would live in Egypt before the Exodus. That person, of course, was Joseph the favorite son of Jacob. The Lord raised up Joseph to become the most powerful and influential person in Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh himself. The story of Joseph occupies a major portion in the book of Genesis, starting in chapter 37 and finishing out the book with his death in chapter 50. At the end of Genesis, we hear virtually nothing at all about what the Lord is doing for a period of hundreds of years. These are the "Silent Years" of Egypt. Scholars have longed to find out what happened during this time but the Bible tells us virtually nothing.
Now the amazing thing about these two "Silent Periods" in the Bible is that they tell us EVERYTHING!!!! The Lord is letting us know that the Exodus from sin will take place after a long period of silence. The Lord would intentionally remain quiet for a long period before the Exodus in the Old as well as the New Testament. Just as the people of Israel waited hundreds of years before the Passover story took place, so too they would also wait a long time until another Passover story took place in the New Testament. In both testaments the Lord allowed the waiting or silence to magnify the event. By connecting these two periods of waiting in Genesis before the Exodus, and in Malachi before the birth of our Lord, the Lord of history was demonstrating His Power. Ultimately the Lord used His "silence" to place His confirmation on the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Exodus from sin.
This amazing control of time in history is then confirmed in Matthew's genealogy. If you look at Matthew 1:16 ties our Lord to the book of Genesis, the "Silent Years" and the great story of deliverance as found in the Exodus. No one but a Sovereign, Glorious God could so weave these details and control of history into such an amazing tapestry. What a privilege to stand back and behold the greatness of our God at work. He is truly worthy of our worship and praise!!!
In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of our Lord in chapter one. It is important to note that the genealogy of our Lord's ancestry and birth is about 400 years after the last Old Testament book of Malachi. This period of 400 years is sometimes referred to as the "400 Silent Years". In other words, the Lord did not have any other book of the Bible written during this time. It is almost as if the Lord was "quiet" during this time, at least in terms of Scripture's record.
Did you every wonder why our Lord seemingly "took a break" from writing down His words in the Bible for 400 years? That is surely a long time! That 400 year period between Malachi and the Gospel of Matthew is also called the Intertestamental Period. A lot happened during that time, but the Bible doesn't officially record the history of it in a book we have in our Bibles. It was almost as if the Lord was waiting a long time before He spoke. The 400 year period served to intensify when our Lord spoke again, ever so loudly, in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew's gospel.
Now when we stop and think for a moment, we realize the number 400 is an important number in the Bible. We first see the number 400 in the story of God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:12-14. The passage reads as follows:
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful
darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that
your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be
enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they
serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
The Lord is prophesying to Abraham in this passage that his descendants would be in Egypt for 400 years and then delivered by Him with great possessions. This prophesy is wonderfully fulfilled through Moses and the story of the Exodus most of us are familiar with in the Bible.
Now the one detail of this story that we don't hear much about at the time is the most famous person that would live in Egypt before the Exodus. That person, of course, was Joseph the favorite son of Jacob. The Lord raised up Joseph to become the most powerful and influential person in Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh himself. The story of Joseph occupies a major portion in the book of Genesis, starting in chapter 37 and finishing out the book with his death in chapter 50. At the end of Genesis, we hear virtually nothing at all about what the Lord is doing for a period of hundreds of years. These are the "Silent Years" of Egypt. Scholars have longed to find out what happened during this time but the Bible tells us virtually nothing.
Now the amazing thing about these two "Silent Periods" in the Bible is that they tell us EVERYTHING!!!! The Lord is letting us know that the Exodus from sin will take place after a long period of silence. The Lord would intentionally remain quiet for a long period before the Exodus in the Old as well as the New Testament. Just as the people of Israel waited hundreds of years before the Passover story took place, so too they would also wait a long time until another Passover story took place in the New Testament. In both testaments the Lord allowed the waiting or silence to magnify the event. By connecting these two periods of waiting in Genesis before the Exodus, and in Malachi before the birth of our Lord, the Lord of history was demonstrating His Power. Ultimately the Lord used His "silence" to place His confirmation on the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Exodus from sin.
This amazing control of time in history is then confirmed in Matthew's genealogy. If you look at Matthew 1:16 ties our Lord to the book of Genesis, the "Silent Years" and the great story of deliverance as found in the Exodus. No one but a Sovereign, Glorious God could so weave these details and control of history into such an amazing tapestry. What a privilege to stand back and behold the greatness of our God at work. He is truly worthy of our worship and praise!!!
In this month’s article, I would like to focus on the Bible’s amazing prophecies related to technology. Technology is the one thing that has truly captured the interest of our world. There isn’t a week that goes by where we don’t hear about or see some new “gadget” for sale. While most of these “gadgets” are connected to computers and communication technology, there are technological breakthroughs in every field today from medicine to construction techniques. As an example, just this past week, I was driving behind a new car with a television screen playing some movie to the rear passengers. It was a strange feeling to be watching a movie while I was driving on the highway. I have been to a “Drive in Theater”, but this isn’t what I had in mind!!!
The amazing thing about the Bible is that it had written down the entire history of the world, including advanced technology, thousands of years before electricity was even discovered. The Lord of Creation is not amazed or surprised by His Creation’s electronic “gadgets”. All of these “gadgets”, and their effect on humanity, was part of the Lord’s plan and His Story in the Bible. Sadly, few believe that today. Instead, many have come to believe that the Bible is an “old history book” filled with a few moral stories that have little to do with our modern world of advanced technology. Even sadder is the fact that such an attitude in prevalent in the Church around the world.
Now the thesis of these articles entitled, “Amazing Prophecies” is the fact that the Lord is able to predict with 100% precision every fact and detail of human life and His plan of redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because that is true, the Bible contains several prophecies that touch on how technology would impact our world. One of these prophecies in found in Revelation 11:9-10 which reads:
For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
This prophecy was written sometime near the end of the 1st century A.D. While some Christians believe this book of the Bible is only about issues of the 1st century, it is clear from the text that such a belief cannot be true. The above text tells us that the entire world will see or “gaze” upon the bodies of the “Two Witnesses” spoken of in the chapter. When the Bible speaks of men from “every people, tribe, language and nation”, it is NOT just talking about people living in the Roman Empire during the 1st century. We clearly have the entire world and its’ inhabitants in view, which places the text of the Book of Revelation in the future.
In addition to this prophecy that deals with the entire world, and not just the Roman world, we see something else that makes this a truly amazing prophecy. The Bible tells us that the entire world would see the bodies of these two men. How is that possible? How is it possible for a single country, let alone an entire world to see something? Is the Bible telling us that everyone in the world got on a boat or horse and just happened to stop by for a look? Clearly, if you only have the 1st century Roman world in mind, it would be impossible for everyone to know about the event, let alone come and personally witness it. If we assume everyone in the Roman world was commanded to witness it, it would take weeks for that to happen. This would be a problem because the Bible tells us in Revelation 11:11-12 that the bodies of these two men were resurrected three and half days later.
Now if you ask any person today, “How could every person on earth see something together?” everyone would have the answer immediately! The obvious answer is that the entire world can see something through satellite television. As an example, when the next Olympics take place in China next summer, people from every tribe, language and nation will be able to see the Olympics through modern technology. This technological feat was unheard of just 30 years ago, but in today’s world it has come to be accepted as “routine”. Equally amazing is the fact that the Biblical nation of Israel will field an Olympic team that will travel to China and be broadcast back to Jerusalem via satellite!!!
The idea that the Bible includes texts or prophecies that speak about satellite television is seen by most of the world as pure speculation or fanaticism. There are even Bible “scholars” who would see such an interpretation as an irresponsible twisting of the text. My challenge to anyone reading this article is to ask yourself a few questions, “What does the text say”? “Does the Lord really know the end from the beginning and write about it in the 1st century”? “Does anyone really think the Bible is unaware of the future technology”? These are but a few of the questions that every one should be willing to ask with regards to Scripture.
In closing, let me say the Bible is full of surprises. The Lord is always ahead of us. We need to let the Bible speak its’ real message to us and not what we think it might be saying because of some “scholarly” interpretation. Each of us is called by the Lord to examine the Scriptures to find the truth for our lives; just as the Berean believers did in Acts 17:11. May each us of rise up to that challenge and see our great God at work in new ways through His “Amazing Prophecies”.
The amazing thing about the Bible is that it had written down the entire history of the world, including advanced technology, thousands of years before electricity was even discovered. The Lord of Creation is not amazed or surprised by His Creation’s electronic “gadgets”. All of these “gadgets”, and their effect on humanity, was part of the Lord’s plan and His Story in the Bible. Sadly, few believe that today. Instead, many have come to believe that the Bible is an “old history book” filled with a few moral stories that have little to do with our modern world of advanced technology. Even sadder is the fact that such an attitude in prevalent in the Church around the world.
Now the thesis of these articles entitled, “Amazing Prophecies” is the fact that the Lord is able to predict with 100% precision every fact and detail of human life and His plan of redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because that is true, the Bible contains several prophecies that touch on how technology would impact our world. One of these prophecies in found in Revelation 11:9-10 which reads:
For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
This prophecy was written sometime near the end of the 1st century A.D. While some Christians believe this book of the Bible is only about issues of the 1st century, it is clear from the text that such a belief cannot be true. The above text tells us that the entire world will see or “gaze” upon the bodies of the “Two Witnesses” spoken of in the chapter. When the Bible speaks of men from “every people, tribe, language and nation”, it is NOT just talking about people living in the Roman Empire during the 1st century. We clearly have the entire world and its’ inhabitants in view, which places the text of the Book of Revelation in the future.
In addition to this prophecy that deals with the entire world, and not just the Roman world, we see something else that makes this a truly amazing prophecy. The Bible tells us that the entire world would see the bodies of these two men. How is that possible? How is it possible for a single country, let alone an entire world to see something? Is the Bible telling us that everyone in the world got on a boat or horse and just happened to stop by for a look? Clearly, if you only have the 1st century Roman world in mind, it would be impossible for everyone to know about the event, let alone come and personally witness it. If we assume everyone in the Roman world was commanded to witness it, it would take weeks for that to happen. This would be a problem because the Bible tells us in Revelation 11:11-12 that the bodies of these two men were resurrected three and half days later.
Now if you ask any person today, “How could every person on earth see something together?” everyone would have the answer immediately! The obvious answer is that the entire world can see something through satellite television. As an example, when the next Olympics take place in China next summer, people from every tribe, language and nation will be able to see the Olympics through modern technology. This technological feat was unheard of just 30 years ago, but in today’s world it has come to be accepted as “routine”. Equally amazing is the fact that the Biblical nation of Israel will field an Olympic team that will travel to China and be broadcast back to Jerusalem via satellite!!!
The idea that the Bible includes texts or prophecies that speak about satellite television is seen by most of the world as pure speculation or fanaticism. There are even Bible “scholars” who would see such an interpretation as an irresponsible twisting of the text. My challenge to anyone reading this article is to ask yourself a few questions, “What does the text say”? “Does the Lord really know the end from the beginning and write about it in the 1st century”? “Does anyone really think the Bible is unaware of the future technology”? These are but a few of the questions that every one should be willing to ask with regards to Scripture.
In closing, let me say the Bible is full of surprises. The Lord is always ahead of us. We need to let the Bible speak its’ real message to us and not what we think it might be saying because of some “scholarly” interpretation. Each of us is called by the Lord to examine the Scriptures to find the truth for our lives; just as the Berean believers did in Acts 17:11. May each us of rise up to that challenge and see our great God at work in new ways through His “Amazing Prophecies”.
One of the greatest prophecies ever given in the Bible is about the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. This amazing prophecy is a great way to have confidence in what the Lord has done for us on the Cross. Let’s briefly examine this prophecy together.
The entire history of Crucifixion in the Bible is thrilling. Crucifixion, as a means of punishment, was really invented by the Persians and put into place in the ancient world about 500 years before the birth of Christ. The Old Testament never directly mentioned this form of punishment, nor did the Bible proscribe it as a form of capital punishment. However, the Bible does speak indirectly about Crucifixion in Deuteronomy 21:21-23 where it states,
“If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
This amazing verse from the Old Testament becomes a prophecy of the Crucifixion of our Lord in the New Testament. The passage from Deuteronomy tells us that anyone who is “hung on a tree” is under “God’s curse” and that such a person is not allowed to be left hanging on the tree, but MUST be buried the SAME DAY!
As we turn to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul quotes from this verse in Galatians 3:13 when he states, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’”. The Apostle Paul is letting us know that the verse in Deuteronomy 21 was fulfilled by Jesus’ death on the Cross for our sins. The Lord Jesus died on the tree to take away God’s curse from our lives and grace us with life eternal.
And yet, this amazing prophecy from Deuteronomy 21 is also seen to come to its fullness in another incredible detail. Our Lord was crucified and buried the same day. According to John 19:31 we hear, “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down”. As a result of this amazing prophecy from Deuteronomy, our Lord’s body was taken down immediately after His death and buried by Joseph of Arimathea (see John 19:38) the SAME DAY !!!
The reason all of this is so exciting is that people virtually NEVER died the same day they were crucified. Crucifixion was designed to be a slow, painful death. It was not uncommon for men to live for days on crosses and have the birds or wild animals eat their flesh. Some individuals were literally left for a few weeks until their flesh rotted right on the cross. The fact that our Lord died and was buried a few hours later was a miracle of God’s amazing prophecy from Deuteronomy 21. Our Lord died on time and was buried on time……..THE SAME DAY, just a Deuteronomy had predicted. Deuteronomy 21 told us 1400 years earlier that a law was placed into the Bible to deal with a future MAN, Who would come under God’s curse by being hung on tree and buried the same day. WOW!!! That single verse from Deuteronomy outlined, in a way we could never imagine, the exact details of the Cross and our Lord’s burial and what would happen as a result of it for our lives.
As we head toward the Christian celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, what a wonderful thing to know the whole story was a wonderful fulfillment of an amazing prophecy of the Bible. May the Lord use this amazing prophecy to greatly build and encourage our lives for His glory.
The entire history of Crucifixion in the Bible is thrilling. Crucifixion, as a means of punishment, was really invented by the Persians and put into place in the ancient world about 500 years before the birth of Christ. The Old Testament never directly mentioned this form of punishment, nor did the Bible proscribe it as a form of capital punishment. However, the Bible does speak indirectly about Crucifixion in Deuteronomy 21:21-23 where it states,
“If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
This amazing verse from the Old Testament becomes a prophecy of the Crucifixion of our Lord in the New Testament. The passage from Deuteronomy tells us that anyone who is “hung on a tree” is under “God’s curse” and that such a person is not allowed to be left hanging on the tree, but MUST be buried the SAME DAY!
As we turn to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul quotes from this verse in Galatians 3:13 when he states, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’”. The Apostle Paul is letting us know that the verse in Deuteronomy 21 was fulfilled by Jesus’ death on the Cross for our sins. The Lord Jesus died on the tree to take away God’s curse from our lives and grace us with life eternal.
And yet, this amazing prophecy from Deuteronomy 21 is also seen to come to its fullness in another incredible detail. Our Lord was crucified and buried the same day. According to John 19:31 we hear, “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down”. As a result of this amazing prophecy from Deuteronomy, our Lord’s body was taken down immediately after His death and buried by Joseph of Arimathea (see John 19:38) the SAME DAY !!!
The reason all of this is so exciting is that people virtually NEVER died the same day they were crucified. Crucifixion was designed to be a slow, painful death. It was not uncommon for men to live for days on crosses and have the birds or wild animals eat their flesh. Some individuals were literally left for a few weeks until their flesh rotted right on the cross. The fact that our Lord died and was buried a few hours later was a miracle of God’s amazing prophecy from Deuteronomy 21. Our Lord died on time and was buried on time……..THE SAME DAY, just a Deuteronomy had predicted. Deuteronomy 21 told us 1400 years earlier that a law was placed into the Bible to deal with a future MAN, Who would come under God’s curse by being hung on tree and buried the same day. WOW!!! That single verse from Deuteronomy outlined, in a way we could never imagine, the exact details of the Cross and our Lord’s burial and what would happen as a result of it for our lives.
As we head toward the Christian celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, what a wonderful thing to know the whole story was a wonderful fulfillment of an amazing prophecy of the Bible. May the Lord use this amazing prophecy to greatly build and encourage our lives for His glory.
DANIEL 8:8 - A foretelling of the life of Alexander the Great
If there was a ever a book in the Bible to build our faith, it is the Book of Daniel. More astonishing prophecies about our Lord's purposes are contained in the Book of Daniel than almost any other Bible book. I thought it would be good to give you a glimpse of the amazing character of the prophecies found in Daniel.
Daniel was written in the 6th century B.C. and contains a series of prophecies about the entire history of the world from Daniel's day to the end of history as we know it. Daniel was written during a difficult time in Israel's history when people needed to have hope for the future amidst national turmoil and foreign control. The prophecies contained in this book show an amazing Lord, Who is in complete control of all history before it happens. The very fact that a single vision could contain the history of the world before it happens is beyond comprehension, and yet that is exactly what Daniel does for us. I strongly encourage you to "tune into" Daniel and see the greatness of our Lord. You won't be the same!
The prophecy I would like to briefly look at comes from Daniel 8:8 which states: "The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven."
This prophecy, from Daniel 8, tells the story of Alexander the Great and his entire empire in just one, amazing, condensed verse. Daniel tells us that this "goat" became very great in power, but was "broken off" at the height of his power. The "goat" was then replaced by four other horns, which were also given power. The "goat" represents Alexander the Great, who died at the age of 33 years old at the height of his power and prestige. His death to this day is still mysterious. After his death, Alexander's world empire was given to his four generals to rule in his place, exactly as the prophecy states when it refers to the "four prominent horns" that followed him. Therefore, history confirms this prophecy exactly as it is stated in Daniel 8.
Now the amazing thing about this accurate prediction in Daniel 8:8 is the fat that all the events spoken of here did not happen for over 200 years after Daniel's day. Daniel is giving his prophecy in Babylon, some time in the 6th century B.C. Alexander the Great was not even born until 356 B.C. and lived until 323 B.C. Hence, the Bible predicts with perfect accuracy the rise and fall of Alexander the Great and his empire hundreds of years before it even began. Daniel 8 is prophetic history written with a confidence and accuracy that should amaze anyone.
Sadly, a number of "scholars" have postulated that Daniel was written after the time of Alexander the great. The reason this view is presented is because people find Daniel's prophecies too amazing to be believed. Some people find it hard to believe that God can know the end from the beginning and can write history before it happens. In other words, some "scholars" say Daniel is a fraud because no such predictive power is possible, from God or Man. Instead, they say, the writer of Daniel was attempting to look back at the empires from Babylon to his current day.
As we conclude this brief look at one of Daniel's prophecies, how amazing it is to find the character of human unbelief amidst these amazing prophecies. Instead of bowing to the Lord's awesome glory and power found in Daniel's prophecies, people try with shoddy scholarship to "explain away" what the Lord has done. These modern attack against the prophecies in Daniel and the Bible are a sober reminder of the battles we face in an unbelieving world. may each of us seek the truth and be amazed by the things the Lord has set before us in His Word to build our faith and prepare us for our future with Him.
Daniel was written in the 6th century B.C. and contains a series of prophecies about the entire history of the world from Daniel's day to the end of history as we know it. Daniel was written during a difficult time in Israel's history when people needed to have hope for the future amidst national turmoil and foreign control. The prophecies contained in this book show an amazing Lord, Who is in complete control of all history before it happens. The very fact that a single vision could contain the history of the world before it happens is beyond comprehension, and yet that is exactly what Daniel does for us. I strongly encourage you to "tune into" Daniel and see the greatness of our Lord. You won't be the same!
The prophecy I would like to briefly look at comes from Daniel 8:8 which states: "The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven."
This prophecy, from Daniel 8, tells the story of Alexander the Great and his entire empire in just one, amazing, condensed verse. Daniel tells us that this "goat" became very great in power, but was "broken off" at the height of his power. The "goat" was then replaced by four other horns, which were also given power. The "goat" represents Alexander the Great, who died at the age of 33 years old at the height of his power and prestige. His death to this day is still mysterious. After his death, Alexander's world empire was given to his four generals to rule in his place, exactly as the prophecy states when it refers to the "four prominent horns" that followed him. Therefore, history confirms this prophecy exactly as it is stated in Daniel 8.
Now the amazing thing about this accurate prediction in Daniel 8:8 is the fat that all the events spoken of here did not happen for over 200 years after Daniel's day. Daniel is giving his prophecy in Babylon, some time in the 6th century B.C. Alexander the Great was not even born until 356 B.C. and lived until 323 B.C. Hence, the Bible predicts with perfect accuracy the rise and fall of Alexander the Great and his empire hundreds of years before it even began. Daniel 8 is prophetic history written with a confidence and accuracy that should amaze anyone.
Sadly, a number of "scholars" have postulated that Daniel was written after the time of Alexander the great. The reason this view is presented is because people find Daniel's prophecies too amazing to be believed. Some people find it hard to believe that God can know the end from the beginning and can write history before it happens. In other words, some "scholars" say Daniel is a fraud because no such predictive power is possible, from God or Man. Instead, they say, the writer of Daniel was attempting to look back at the empires from Babylon to his current day.
As we conclude this brief look at one of Daniel's prophecies, how amazing it is to find the character of human unbelief amidst these amazing prophecies. Instead of bowing to the Lord's awesome glory and power found in Daniel's prophecies, people try with shoddy scholarship to "explain away" what the Lord has done. These modern attack against the prophecies in Daniel and the Bible are a sober reminder of the battles we face in an unbelieving world. may each of us seek the truth and be amazed by the things the Lord has set before us in His Word to build our faith and prepare us for our future with Him.