“This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 HCSB).
As we continue with our look at the Word of God as mentioned in the passage quoted above, let’s consider another question. If God wanted to confirm His existence through the written word, how could He verify that such a message originated with Him? Well, one means of accomplishing that task would involve something only God can do: foretell future events with complete accuracy before they occur. Thus, the fulfillment of predictive prophecy is one of the means by which we can verify that the Bible is what it claims to be: the Word of God.
The Biblical Scriptures contain many such prophetic fulfillments, especially in regard to Christ. For instance, consider the following examples from the Old Testament Scriptures related to the coming of the Messiah and their New Testament fulfillment in Christ…
- The Messiah’s virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14 – Matthew 1:18-24).
- His ancestral link to Israel’s king David (2 Samuel 7:8-16 – Matthew 1:1-17).
- His birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 – Matthew 2:1-6).
- The announcement of His arrival through God’s messenger (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1 – Matthew 3:1-3).
- His betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13 – Matthew 26:14-16, Matthew 27:3-9).
- The physical punishment He would endure (Isaiah 50:6 – John 19:1-3).
- The piercing of His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16 – John 20:25).
- The piercing of His side (Zechariah 12:10 – John 19:34).
- His resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10 – Matthew 28:5-7).
In commenting on a similar (but more extensive) list of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies related to Christ, one scholar makes the following observation: “It is important to understand that these prophecies were written hundreds of years before Christ was born. No one could have been reading the signs of the times or just making intelligent guesses, like the ‘prophecies’ we see in the check-out line at the supermarket.” (1)
This corresponds with a declaration from God Himself through the prophet Isaiah…
“From the beginning I declare how things will end; from times long past, I tell what is yet to be, saying: ‘My intentions will come to pass. I will make things happen as I determine they should'” (Isaiah 46:10).
Portions of this study originally appeared here
(1) Geisler, N. L., & Brooks, R. M. 1990. When Skeptics Ask (p. 116) Victor Books: Wheaton, Ill.