Scriptures predicted the rise and fall of great empires like Greece and Rome (Daniel 2:39, 40), and foretold the destruction of cities like Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23).
Tyre's demise is recorded by ancient historians, who tell how Alexander the Great lay siege to the city for seven months.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had failed in a 13-year attempt to capture the coastal city and completely destroy its inhabitants.
During the siege of 537 BC, much of the population of Tyre moved to its new island home around half a mile from the land city. Here it remained surrounded by walls as high as 150 feet until judgment fell in 332 BC with the arrival of Alexander the Great.
In the seven-month long siege, he fulfilled the remainder of the prophecies (Zechariah 9:4; Ezekiel 26:12) concerning the city beside the sea by completely destroying Tyre, killing 8,000 of its inhabitants and selling 30,000 of its population into slavery.
To reach the island, he scraped up the dust and rubble of the old land city of Tyre, just like the Bible predicted, and cast it into the sea, building a 200-foot wide causeway out to the island.
Alexander's death and the murder of his two sons was also foretold in the Scripture. Another startling prophecy was Jesus' detailed prediction of Jerusalem's destruction, and the further spreading of the Jewish diaspora throughout the world as recorded in Luke 21.
In AD 70, not only was Jerusalem destroyed under Titus the future emperor of Rome, but another prediction of Jesus Christ (Mathew 24: 1, 2) came to pass: the total and complete destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and it has never been rebuilt to this very day.
The Bible’s Prediction of the Middle East Conflict
In the Book of Genesis 16: 12, God said that Ishmael (the progenitor of the Arab race), would be a "wild man ... and every man's hand will be against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Almost 4,000 years later, who could deny that this prophecy is being fulfilled in the Arab race? The Arabs and the Jews are "brethren" having Abraham as their ancestor. The whole Middle East conflict is caused by their dwelling together.
The Bible's Messianic Prophecies
In the Book of Daniel, the Bible prophesied the coming of the one and only Jewish Messiah prior to the Temple's demise. the Old Testament prophets declared He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11: 12, 13), die by crucifixion (Psalm 22), and buried in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:9). There was only one person who fits all of the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament who lived before AD 70: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary.
Bible Predicts the Birth of a Nation
In Isaiah 66:8 (700BC), the prophet gives a strange prophecy: "Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." In 1922 the League of Nations gave Great Britain the mandate (political authority) over Palestine. On May 14, 1948. Britain withdrew her mandate, and the nation of Israel was "born in a day." There are more than 25 Bible prophecies concerning Palestine that have been literally fulfilled.
Probability estimations conclude that the chances of these being randomly fulfilled are less than one chance in 33 million.
The Bible predicts Russia's attack on Israel
Ezekiel 38 (written approximately 600 BC) prophesies that in these times ("... the latter days," verse 16), Russia (referred to as the Prince of Rosh" (see Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 584) will combine with Iran, Libya (in Hebrew called "Put"), and communistic Ethiopia (in Hebrew called Cush") and attack Israel (verses 5 - 8). This will take place after an Israel peace initiative has been successful (verse 11). The Bible even gives the Russian reasoning for and the direction of the attack (verses 10 - 15), as well as the location of the battle (Armageddon - Revelation 16: 16). This is generally interpreted as meaning "the mountain of Megiddo," which is located on the north side of the plains of Jezreel. Russia has had a foothold in the Middle East for many years:
"The Soviets are entrenched around the rim of the Middle East heartland, in Afghanistan, South Yemen, Ethiopia, and Libya" ("Countdown in the Middle East," Reader's Digest, May 1982).
Signs of the times verify the Bible
There will be false Christs; wars and rumours of wars; nation rising against nation; famines; disease (pestilence; false prophets who will deceive many; and lawlessness (forsaking of the Ten Commandment and Word of God). "The Gospel will be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations" (Mathew 24:14). There will earthquakes in diverse places; signs from heaven (in the sun, mon, and stars); and persecution against Christians in all nations. Men's heart will fail them for fear of the future; they will be selfish, materialistic, arrogant, proud. Homosexuality will increase; there will be blasphemy, cold-heartedness, intemperance, brutality, rebellious youth, hatred of those who stand up for righteousness, ungodliness, pleasure-seeking and much hypocrisy. False Bible teachers will be having a field day and there will be many followers of false doctrines and doctrines of devils, making great mockery of the real Gospel of Jesus Christ (see 2 Peter 2: 1 - 3). Men will scoff and say that there was no such thing as the flood Noah, the crossing of the Red Sea and call them but pure myths.
Their motivation for hating the truth will be their love for themselves more than for God, hating the truth of the Word of God will be their love of lust (2 Peter 3: 1 - 7). Jesus warned that the sign to look very closely for was the repossession of Jerusalem by the Jews. that happened in 1967, after 2,000 years, bringing into culmination all the signs of the times. These are combined from Mathew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 1 Timothy 4 and 2 Timothy 3).
The Bible and Armaggedon
Joel 2: 1 - 10 relates a striking account of the coming Battle of Armageddon, the greatest of all battles and wars. As this vision (which seems to entail flame-throwing tank warfare), was given to him around 2,800 years ago, the prophet relates it to the only thing he has seen in battle: horse-drawn chariots. Think of modern warfare and compare: fire goes before them (verse 3); they burn what is behind them (verse 3); they destroy everything in their path they move at the speed of a horse (30- 40 mph, v. 4); their rumbling sound like the noise of many chariots and the roar of a fire (v. 5); they climb over walls (v. 7); they don't break ranks (v.7); the sword can't stop them (v.8); they climb into houses (v.9); and they make the earth quake (v.10).
The Bible and nuclear war
Ezekiel 39, written over 2,500 years ago, speaks of God's judgment upon the enemies of Israel. Verse 12 - 15 describes what will happen after what many see as the Battle of Armageddon: "And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land...And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleans it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog."
Before the days of nuclear warfare, this portion of the Bible would have made no sense to the reader. We are told that even the weapons left by the enemy will have to be burned (Ezekiel 39:9). So many will die that it will take those specially employed for the purpose seven months to bury the dead (v. 14). The Scriptures are very specific about the method of burial. When even a bone is found by searchers, a special marker is to be placed near them until they have been buried. This would seem to be a clear reference to radioactive contamination after a nuclear war. This thought is confirmed in Joel 2:30, which speaks of "pillars of smoke."
The Epistle of Peter and nuclear weapons
The Bible suggests the effects, devastation and mass destruction of nuclear weaponry. This is certainly not something that could have been explained in 67 AD using known scientific principles (when Peter wrote the following verse): "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3: 10).
Kia mataora i teia au Ra Tamataora, akara tamou ra kia Iesu te Tumu e te Akaoti ito tatou nei Akarongo. Enjoy the Celebrations of this season but keep our eyes fixed always on Jesus, the Author
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