The Humbling, Convincing Truth of Biblical Prophecy

A cat in Rhode Island made national news last year because of his uncanny ability to predict when nursing home patients are going to die. In 25 separate cases, workers observed their furry friend (nicknamed Oscar the Death Cat or the Grim Reap-purr) curling up next to patients during their final hours. In The New England Journal of Medicine a doctor familiar with the case wrote, "He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die." Oscar makes his own rounds, sniffing and observing patients, then sitting down beside those who are near death.

Oscar's feline instincts make him a better predictor than many of today's self-styled prophets. Every December astrologers and futurologists offer their forecasts about the coming year. Some of their prognostications are far-out: "Aliens will visit the earth." Others are so feeble and generic they wouldn't require a lot of brilliance to predict: "A member of Congress will be involved in a scandal." "Signs of war will appear in the Middle East."

Biblical prophecies stand in sharp contrast to these silly tabloid-style predictions. In the Bible, a true prophet's predictions were completely accurate. "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him" (Deuteronomy 18:22). A true prophet's message harmonized with the will of God previously revealed. If a messenger was drawing people away after false gods, Moses warned, "you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer" even if the sign or prediction came true (Deuteronomy 13:1-3). Furthermore, a true prophet would bear good fruit. "Watch out for false prophets," Jesus said. "They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:15, 16).

Genuine biblical prophecies were beyond the range of scientific calculation or ordinary guessing, and often included remarkably specific details. Daniel not only could interpret dreams; he could tell what someone dreamed in the first place—an amazing feat that convinced even a pagan king that God was the source of Daniel's information. Micah foretold the Messiah's birthplace with so much clarity that King Herod's advisors could point the magi toward Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6). Hundreds of years before Christ, Isaiah 53 predicted Jesus' crucifixion with such vivid detail that his Old Testament prophecy reads like a page from the New Testament.

And yet, biblical prophecies were often so profound that observers didn't recognize their fulfillment until after the events took place. Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days"—a statement few understood at first, and which some tried to use against him at his trial. However, "the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken" (John 2:19-22). When crowds praised Jesus with palm branches at his triumphal entry, he was fulfilling Old Testament images painted long before in Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9. However, "At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him . . ." (John 12:16).

We should approach the study of prophecy with great humility. First-century Bible students thought they had God's plan figured out, but Jesus surprised them when he didn't fit their preconceived ideas about the Messiah. We should study biblical prophecy with confidence that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and eternal. The Lord says, "I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass" (Isaiah 48:3).

We may not understand all the details, but we can be certain about God's promises. Just as Jesus came to earth the first time in fulfillment of prophecy, he will come again just as he said.