How We Know We Can Trust Biblical Prophecy
   Inspired, infallible, written record of God’s will

The Holy Bible is the Word of God. It is the inspired, infallible, written record of God’s will (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through it, God speaks to mankind revealing how He intends to redeem us from sin. The Bible tells us that, “no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Furthermore, God tells us in (Revelation 22:18-19):

18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

The Apostle Peter knew the validity of The Scriptures would be challenged throughout the ages, and it certainly has been. Biblical fundamentals and truth are coming under such increasing attack that one would be hard pressed to find a time period of greater apostasy in the Church. Peter (as well as other apostils and prophets) was extremely clear about the account of Jesus in the word of God in 2 Peter 1:16-18.

16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

Quite literally this means that The Bible is not full of fables, fairytales, or folk lore; rather the Bible is not only a historical book, chronicling actual everyday events (accurate to the smallest of details) but also the inerrant, one-hundred percent accurate, literal Word of God. Addressing the validity of prophecy, Peter goes onto explain in verse 19 that the great God inspired prophets of the Bible were not only precisely accurate, but he also tells us that we are commanded by our Lord to take head of them, pay attention to them, and to understand what was said through them. Prophecy is not a symbolic narrative or allegory.

19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:1 that every event chronicled in The Bible should be witnessed and verified by two or three people. Each event chronicled in the Bible had two or more witnesses and all biblical accounts have stood the test of time throughout the ages.

1 This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."

Jesus in Prophecy

In Luke 4:17-21, as Jesus was reading the words of Isaiah 61:1-2 which took place in the synagogue in Nazareth, He declared “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” meaning that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prediction.

17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

There are a multitude of prophetic examples that have already come to pass concerning Jesus (some still yet to happen). The examples listed below are prophetic messages given through Old Testament prophets about our Messiah, Jesus Christ, which were completely fulfilled as authenticated, unquestionable, documented history by many in the New Testament.

NOTE:  For Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph, to be the Messiah as described in the Old Testament, He would have to fulfill every single one of the Messianic prophecies. Depending on which Biblical scholar you ask, the exact number of Messianic prophecies varies. However, there are dozens of prophecies that are specific to Jesus which virtually all scholars agree on.

The odds of one person whose life fulfills every single Messianic prophecy is astronomical. Yet, there is one, and only one man that we can unequivocally say has done so. We are told by God that we can trust His word and Jesus is proof of that.

Other Biblical Prophecies Proven True by History

Abram (Abraham) was told by God in Genesis 15:13-14 about the enslavement of the Jewish people by the Egyptian Pharaoh and God’s eventual freeing of His people.

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.”

Another startling prediction that has come true just within this generation is the nuclear bomb. Unbelievable as this may sound, this was prophesized in at least two books of the Bible; Zechariah and Revelation.

Zechariah 14:12
12 This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

No other man-made device or natural disaster could cause someone’s flesh to rot as they are standing on their feet. At the time of this Old Testament writing, certainly nothing even remotely capable of this was even a possibility. Yet, God knew of our generation and what man would be capable of making. He accurately delivered His message to Zechariah.

God also spoke to John in Revelation 17:16 about the destruction a nuclear device will cause in the last days as the antichrist grows weary and tired of the one world religion.

16 "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.

There are numerous examples of fulfilled prophecy as well as many prophecies about the time period in which we live that are in the process of being fulfilled. We’ve merely scratched the surface. We leave you with this challenged given in Proverbs 25:2:

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

References
Holy Bible
John Hagee: John Hagee Ministries
Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson: The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy
Biblical Prophecy Resource Center
Britt Gillettee
Others