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SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-05-25	How Much Of The Bible Is Prophecy?
		According to theologian J. Barton Payne about 27 percent of the Bible is predictive. This means over one fourth of the Bible is prophetic in nature. He lists 1,817 prophecies in the Bible. The consistent relation of prophecy in the Bible is staggering. That is, the accuracy of the details of those prophecies is amazing. When one considers the number of prophecies that were written over a 1,500-year timespan by over 40 human authors, it becomes apparent that the Bible is supernatural. At least half of the Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled precisely as God had declared. When we observe God's faithfulness in fulfilling these prophecies, we can be assured He will fulfill the remaining with the same precision. Num 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Thus, it is easy to view prophecies into two groups, namely, (1) the fulfilled and (2) the not yet fulfilled. FULFILLED PROPHECIES EXAMPLES: • The first coming of Jesus (Du.18:15-19; Nu.24:17; Da.9:25-26; Mi.5:2). • Jesus as the savior of mankind (Ge.3:15; Is.53:4-5). • Regarding Israel's exile to Babylon (2Ki.20:18; Je.34:3). • Daniel's prophecies of the rise and fall of many kingdoms (Da.7:2-6, 16). • The destruction of the temple which occurred in AD 70 (Mt.24:1-2; Lk.21:6). NOT YET FULFILLED PROPHECIES EXAMPLES: • The Second Coming of Christ (Mt.24:29-31; Jn.14:1-3; Re.1:7). • The period of great tribulation (Da.9:27; Mt.24:15-22). • The restoration of Israel (Je.31:31-37; Ho.5:15; 6:1-3; Ro.11:26-27) • The millennial reign of Christ (Ps.72:7-11; Zc.2:10-11; Re.20:4). • The new heavens and new earth (Is.65:17; 2Pe.3:13; Re.21:1). Some prophecies have a double fulfillment. That is, one nearer to the time of the prophet, and one further in the future. For example, Isaiah 7:14 concerning the birth of a child served as a sign for king Ahaz. Yet this prophecy also pointed forward to the virgin birth of Jesus (Mt.1:22-23). Some prophecies have been partially and await further fulfillment. For example, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 in which He declares the fulfillment of this prophecy. Luk 4:18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED; Luk 4:19 TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." Jesus proclaimed Himself as the fulfillment, but He stopped reading in the middle of Isaiah 61:2. Jesus read the first part of the verse which referred to His first coming. But He stopped reading the remaining because that will be fulfilled in the future at His Second Coming. The amount of prophecy in the Bible is one of things that makes it unique among religious books. There is no emphasis on predictive prophecy in the Quran or the Hindu Vedas. Yet the Bible points to fulfilled prophecy as direct proof it is God who speaks (Du.18:22; 1Ki.22:28; Je.28:9). Because God knows all things, it should come to no surprise that the Bible contains so many predictions of coming events with great detail. Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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