TheBibleMadePlain

The Bible mentions periods of 400 and 430 years relating to how long before ancient Israel entered the Promised Land.  The Bible also mentions periods of 450 and 480 years relating to the period of judges in Israel.  When and what were these periods of time?  We will make a careful examination and come to some conclusions.

The 400 years

A period of 400 years is mentioned in relation to the time period that Abraham’s descendants would be strangers in a country not their own, enslaved, and mistreated. 

Gen 15:13  Then He [the LORD] said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

In the book of Acts, Stephen in his fateful sermon referred to this period of 400 years:

Acts 7:6  “But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

When was the start of the 400 years?

The start of the 400 years is unclear.  Gen 15:16 and Acts 7:6 both point to “Abraham’s descendants”.  It could perhaps refer to the birth of Isaac, or the death of Abraham, or something else.

When was the end of the 400 years?

The end of the 400 years could be either:

• The Exodus (when ancient Israel left Egypt) or,
• When Israel entered the Promised Land.

How many years after the Exodus did Israel formally enter the Promised Land?  This can be worked out from Joshua’s age at key events. 

Joshua was 85 years old when he entered the Promised Land.

Josh 14:5  As the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did; and they divided the land.
…
Josh 14:10  “And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.

Joshua was 40 years old when he was sent to spy out the Promised Land.

Josh 14:7  “I [Joshua] was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.

The spies were sent into the Promised Land one year after the exodus from the events described in Numbers chapters 9 through 13.

Num 9:1  Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
…
Num 10:11  Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony.
…
Num 13:1  And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Num 13:2  “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

This means that Joshua was 39 years old at the time of the Exodus, and therefore it was 46 years later when he entered the Promised Land aged 85.  So, it was 46 years after the Exodus that Israel formally enter the Promised Land.

So the end of the 400 years is either:

• The Exodus or,
• 46 years after the Exodus (when Israel entered the Promised Land).

Summary of the 400 years

Note that from the above discussion:

• The start of the 400 years is Abraham’s descendants (whatever that is).
• The end of the 400 years is either the Exodus or 46 years after the Exodus (when Israel entered the Promised Land).

The 430 years

A period of 430 years is mentioned in relation to the time period of the sojourn of the children of Israel.

Exo 12:40  Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
Exo 12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day; it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

The apostle Paul referred to this period of 430 years:

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
Gal 3:17  And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

When was the start of the 430 years?

The start is “that very same day”, but 430 years earlier.  What is “that very same day” in Ex 12:41 referring to?  It’s referring to the very same day (of the year) that God made the promise to Abram (that Paul referred to in Gal 3:16) that his descendants would receive the land.  God promised the land to Abram’s descendants in Gen 12:7, Gen 13:15, Gen 15:13-18, and Gen 17:8.  But it is only in Gen 15:13-18 that God told Abram that his descendants would be slaves (strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them), and leave with great possessions, verses 13-14.  Furthermore, God would judge the nation they will serve, verse 14.

Gen 15:13  Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants [seed] will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
Gen 15:14  And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Gen 15:15  Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
Gen 15:17  And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.
Gen 15:18  On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants [seed] I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—

This prophecy in Gen 15:13-18, about coming out of servitude with great possessions, was fulfilled at the Exodus.  It is tempting to want to place the start of the 430 years is Gen 15:13-18, but we should be careful not to prematurely jump to conclusions.

Note that in Gal 3:16 Paul made a point about the promise being to his “seed”, not “seeds”.  The word translated “descendants” in Gen 12:7, Gen 13:15, Gen 15:13, 18, and Gen 17:8 is literally “seed”.  Indeed, some translations have translated it as seed.

When was the end of the 430 years?

The end of the 430 years is the exodus, as Exo 12:41 makes clear. 

Exo 12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day; it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

Summary of the 430 years

Note that from the above discussion:

• The start of the 430 years is when God made the promises to Abram, (Gen 12:7, Gen 13:15, Gen 15:13-18, or Gen 17:8).
• The end of the 430 years is the Exodus, (Exo 12:41).

Resolving the ambiguity of the 400 and 430 years

To recap, we have established with reasonable certainty the following:

• The start of the 400 years is Abraham’s descendants (whatever that is).
• The end of the 400 years is the Exodus or 46 years after the Exodus.
• The start of the 430 years is when God made the promises to Abraham, (Gen 12:7, Gen 13:15, Gen 15:13-18, or Gen 17:8).
• The end of the 430 years is the Exodus, (Exo 12:41).

The only point without ambiguity is the end of the 430 years, which is the Exodus.  To resolve the ambiguity of the other points we need to know the age of Abraham at various key events in his life.

• At age 75 Abraham departed Haran, Gen 12:4.
• At age 85 Sarai gave Hagar to Abraham, Gen 16:3.
• At age 86 Ishmael was born, Gen 16:16.
• At age 99 Abraham was circumcised, Gen 17:1,24.
• At age 100 Isaac was born, Gen 21:5.
• At age 175 Abraham died, Gen 25:7.

Considering these key events, we see that the age of Abraham at the start of the 430 years (when God made the promises to him) was one of the following:

• Gen 12:7                      75
• Gen 13:15                    75 to 85
• Gen 15:13-18              75 to 85
• Gen 17:8                      99

Let’s consider the end of the 400 years.  It is either the Exodus (coinciding with the end of the 430 years) or 46 years after the Exodus (when Israel entered the Promised Land).

If the end of the 400 years is the Exodus (thus matching the end of the 430 years), then we have to find 30 years difference for the two starts.  Looking at the age of Abraham at key events in his life, there is nothing that lends itself readily to a difference of 30 years.  There are some who claim that the start of the 430 years is Gen 15:13-18 and that Abraham was 85 years old then.  That is certainly plausible, but there are no Scriptures to confirm this.  If Abraham was 85 years old at the start of the 430 years, then the start of the 400 years, 30 years later, was when Abraham was 115 and Isaac 15, which they claim was when God tested Abram to sacrifice Isaac.  This scenario is possible, but the test of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is not an obvious fit to Abraham’s “descendants being strangers in a land”, Gen 15:13.  Furthermore two assumptions are made: (i) Abraham was 85 in Gen 15:13-15 and, (ii) Abraham was 115 when God tested him to sacrifice Isaac.

What if the end of the 400 years is when Israel entered the Promised Land, 46 years after the Exodus?  Since the end of the 430 years is the Exodus, the start of the 400 years is 76 years after the start of the 430 years.  The only two significant events in Abram’s life that are 76 years apart are his circumcision (aged 99) and his death (aged 175).  It should be noted that these two these events are significant and clearly give Abraham’s age.  We have the start of the 400 years to be the death of Abraham (Abraham died at 175).  This fits well with Abram’s “descendants being strangers in a land”, as Abram’s descendants could be considered to “start” with his death.  We also have the start of the 430 years as the covenant of circumcision.  This fits in well with Gal 3:17, as one of the issues the book deals with is circumcision and those of “the circumcision”.  Thus, when Paul refers to the law which was 430 years after the covenant, circumcision is an obvious candidate for this covenant.

Summary of the 400 and 430 years

From all that has been discussed we can summarise the most plausible fit.

• The start of the 400 years (Abraham’s descendants) is the death of Abraham, aged 175.
• The end of the 400 years (when Israel entered the Promised Land) is 46 years after the Exodus.
• The start of the 430 years (when God made the promises to Abram) is when Abraham was circumcised, aged 99.
• The end of the 430 years is the Exodus, (Exo 12:41).

Let’s review the Scriptures with this in mind.

Gen 15:13  Then He [the LORD] said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

The 400 years refers to being “strangers in a land that is not theirs”, and not the parenthetical phrase that follows, “and will serve them, and they will afflict them”.  Abraham’s descendants, starting from his death, were in a land not their own, including living in Egypt, and wandering in the desert for 40 years.

Acts 7:6  “But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

Likewise, when Stephen quoted Genesis, the 400 years refers to his descendants who “would dwell in a foreign land”, and not the parenthetical phrase that follows, “would bring them into bondage and oppress them”.  

Exo 12:40  Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
Exo 12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years; on that very same day; it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

The sojourning, that is the time of dwelling waiting to receive the promise made to Abraham when he was 99 years old, was 430 years.  The end of the 430 years was on the very same day (but 430 years later) when God made the covenant of circumcision with Abraham.  That means the day God made the covenant of circumcision must have been the 15^th of the first month, the first day of Unleavened Bread.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures coming out of sin, and certainly circumcision pictures that too.

Col 2:11  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

The apostle Paul refers to the 430 years in explaining that law does not annul the promise God made to Abraham.

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
Gal 3:17  And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

The promise the apostle Paul refers to is the one when Abraham was circumcised aged 99 (Gen 17).  430 later when the children of Israel left Egypt at the Exodus, God gave His law, codified in the Ten Commandments, to the fledging nation.

Figure 1 below illustrates the 400 years (B to E) and the 430 years (A to C).

The 450 and 480 years

The Bible mentions periods of 450 and 480 years relating to the period of judges in Israel.  In Acts 13:20 the apostle Paul referred to 450 years for the period of judges in Israel. 

Acts 13:17  “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.
Acts 13:18  “Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.
Acts 13:19  “And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.
Acts 13:20  “After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

This period of 450 seems to contradict a period of 480 years mentioned in 1 Kings 6:1.

1 Ki 6:1  And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

According to 1 Kings 6:1, from the Exodus to when the temple was started was 480 years.  We can add up the various time periods within the 480 years as follows:

40 years from the Exodus to when Israel left the wilderness, Num 14:33-34.
Num 14:33  ‘And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.
Num 14:34  ‘According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection.

X (unknown) years from leaving the wilderness to the start of Saul’s reign.

40 years from the start of Saul’s reign to the start of David’s reign, Acts 13:21.
Acts 13:21  “And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

40 years from the start of David’s reign to the start of Solomon’s reign, 2 Sam 5:4, 1 Ki 2:11.
2 Sam 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
1 Ki 2:11  The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.

4 years from the start of Solomon’s reign to the start of building the temple, 1 Ki 6:1.
1 Ki 6:1  And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

The sum of these years must be 450 years, which means that the unknown X, which is the time from leaving the wilderness to the start of Saul’s reign, must be 356 years.  See Figure 2 below.  But the period of the judges falls within this 356 and so must be even less than 356 years.  This apparently contradicts the 450 years for the period of the judges stated in Acts 13:21.

What is the explanation?  The 480 years given in 1 King 6:1 is an exact statement.  It gives a time span down to the nearest month.  However, the 450 years mentioned in Acts 13:20 is not an exact statement; it says it was about 450 years.

In Acts 13:20 Paul referred to a period of history which was probably a well-known fact as it doesn’t seem to puzzle his hearers.  The books of Judges and 1 Samuel refer to 19 periods of time.  These 19 periods of time add up to 450 years which is what Paul referred to.  They are listed below.

1.  Judges 3:8                 8 years         Oppressed by Chushan-rishathaim
2.  Judges 3:11                 40 years          Freedom under Othniel
3.  Judges 3:14                 18 years          Oppressed by Eglon, king of Moab
4.  Judges 3:30                 80 years          Freedom under Ehud and Shamgar
5.  Judges 4:3                   20 years          Oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan
6.  Judges 5:31                 40 years          Freedom under Deborah
7.  Judges 6:1                   7 years          Oppressed by Midian
8.  Judges 8:28                 40 years          Freedom under Gideon
9.  Judges 9:22                 3 years          Freedom under Abimelech
10. Judges 10:2                 23 years          Freedom under Tola
11. Judges 10:3                 22 years          Freedom under Jair
12. Judges 10:8                 18 years          Oppressed by Philistine and Ammon
13. Judges 12:7                 6 years          Freedom under Jephthah
14. Judges 12:9                 7 years          Freedom under Ibzan
15. Judges 12:11               10 years          Freedom under Elon
16. Judges 12:14               8 years          Freedom under Abdon
17. Judges 13:1                 40 years          Oppressed by Philistine
18. Judges 15:20, 16:31   20 years          Freedom under Samson
19. 1 Samuel 4:18            40 years          Freedom under Eli

Some of the 19 periods are periods of oppression and some are periods of freedom under a judge.  It is not clear whether some judges were serving at the same time as others.  Furthermore, a period of servitude in one area of the country might coincide with a period of a judge in another.  An example is Samson, Judges 15:20, which appears to fall within a period of Philistine servitude, Judges 13:1.

Jdg 13:1  Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

Jdg 15:20  And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

The most likely explanation of how the 450 years period of the judges can fit into less than 356 years is simply that the 450 years are 19 overlapping periods.

The same is often done today.  For example, if there are 10 high court judges gathered together, each with 20 years on the bench, then in that room there are 200 years of judging experience.  The 200 years is not contiguous.  In the same way, some of the 450 years listed in the book of Judges and quoted by Paul, were overlapping and not a continuous block of time.

How many years was Israel in Egypt?

A natural question that comes to mind is how many years was the nation of Israel in Egypt? 

From what we have discussed earlier, we know that there were 430 years from the promises made to Abraham at the covenant of circumcision, when he was aged 99, to the Exodus.

Now Abraham was 100 when his son Isaac was born.

Gen 21:5  Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him

So, there were 429 years from Isaac’s birth to the Exodus.  

Isaac was 60 when his son Jacob was born.

Gen 25:26  Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

So, there were 369 years from Jacob’s birth to the Exodus.

Jacob was 130 when he entered Egypt.

Gen 47:9  And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; …”

So, there were 239 years from the time Jacob entered Egypt to the Exodus.

So, taking the start of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt to be when Jacob entered Egypt, the nation of Israel was 239 years in Egypt.

Conclusion

The 430 years of Exo 12:40-41 and Gal 3:16-17 refer to the time period from the circumcision covenant God made with Abraham to the Exodus.  A to C in Figure 3.

The 400 years of Gen 15:13 and Acts 7:6 refer to the time period from Abraham’s death to the entry into the Promised Land (when the land was conquered and divided between the tribes).  B to E in Figure 3.

The 450 years in Acts 13:17-20 refer to 450 years of overlapping periods.  The total years of all the years each judge ruled sums to 450 years, but some of the judgement periods overlapped.

The 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1 refer to the time period from the Exodus to the start of building the temple (4^th year of Solomon’s reign).  C to F in Figure 3.

The Bible mentions three different heavens.  What are they exactly?

The Earth’s Atmosphere

The first heaven, in terms of distance from us, is the earth’s atmosphere.  It’s where clouds form and from where rain falls.  Here are some Scriptural examples of this heaven.

Luke 4:25  “But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;

Luke 17:24  “For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.

Luke 17:29  “but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

Outer Space

The second heaven, in terms of distance from us, is outer space.  It’s were the stars are.  Here are some Scriptural examples of this heaven.

Mat 24:29  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

2 Pet 3:10  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.

Rev 6:13  And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

God’s Throne

The third heaven, in terms of distance from us, is the throne of God.  It’s where God is.  Here are some Scriptural examples of this heaven.

Mat 5:34  “But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

Acts 7:49  ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest?

Paul referred to this heaven as the third heaven.

2 Cor 12:2  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago; whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows; such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

This heaven is also the place where our reward is stored.

Mat 5:12  “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Mat 6:20  “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Mat 19:21  Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Our inheritance is reserved in heaven.

1 Pet 1:4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Our names are written in this heaven.

Luke 10:20  “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Heb 12:23  to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Phil 3:20  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

The Father is in heaven.

Mat 5:16  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Mat 5:48  “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus Christ is in heaven.

Heb 8:1  Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

1 Pet 3:21  There is also an antitype which now saves us; baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
1 Pet 3:22  who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Angels are also in heaven.

Mat 18:10  “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Mat 22:30  “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.

Luke 22:43  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Gal 1:8  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

Footnote

The saints who have died are not in heaven as no one has ascended to heaven except Jesus Christ. 

John 3:13  “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Acts 2:34  “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

When Jesus was just twelve years old, He went to Jerusalem with His parents to keep the Feast of the Passover.  After the Feast He stayed behind, without His parents’ knowledge, and listened and questioned the teachers in the temple.  All who heard Jesus were astonished at His understanding and answers.

Luk 2:41  His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
Luk 2:42  And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
Luk 2:43  When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
Luk 2:44  but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Luk 2:45  So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
Luk 2:46  Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
Luk 2:47  And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
Luk 2:48  So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
Luk 2:49  And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

How did Jesus, even as a boy, have so much understanding?  Who taught Him?  As an adult people marvelled at His understanding and ability to teach.  They knew that Jesus did not formally learn from any religious school or leader.

Joh 7:14  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
Joh 7:15  And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

Who taught Jesus?  Jesus was taught by the Father.

Joh 8:26  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
Joh 8:27  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
Joh 8:28  Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

But how did the Father teach Jesus?

Isa 50:4  “The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.
Isa 50:5  The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.
Isa 50:6  I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

The Father woke up Jesus every morning and taught Him, and Jesus listened.  Verse 6 shows that verses 4 and 5 are referring to Jesus.  Jesus also explained that He saw the Father in some way.

Joh 5:19  Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Joh 5:20  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

The Bible describes different purposes and ways in which Jesus Christ applies His shed blood for us.

1) Jesus Christ ratified the New Covenant with His blood

Just as the Old Covenant was ratified with the blood of bulls, so the New Covenant was ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ. The New Covenant promises every repentant sinner forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.

Mat 26:27  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
Mat 26:28  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mar 14:24  And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.

Luk 22:20  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

1Co 11:25  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

2) Jesus Christ redeems (purchases) us through His blood

Redeem means to buy back what has been sold.  We have been sold under sin, but bought by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.

We have all earned death.

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christ has redeemed us with His own blood.

Eph 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Col 1:14  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Heb 9:11  But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
Heb 9:12  Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

1Pe 1:18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
1Pe 1:19  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Act 20:28  Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Rev 5:9  And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

3) Jesus Christ atones (propitiates) for our sins through His blood

Jesus Christ atones or makes amends for our sins.  This is different to forgiveness.

Rom 3:24  being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Rom 3:25  whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

4) Jesus Christ forgives our sins through His blood

We have our sins forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Mat 26:28  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Col 1:14  in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

5) Jesus Christ cleanses our sins through His blood

We are cleansed from our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Rev 1:5  and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Rev 7:14  And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

6) Jesus Christ purifies our Conscience through His blood

Our consciences are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
Heb 9:14  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

7) Jesus Christ Justifies us through His blood

We are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Justified means regarded as innocent, so we are regarded as blameless before God.

Rom 5:1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Rom 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

8) Jesus Christ Sanctifies us through His blood

We are sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Sanctify means to set apart for a holy purpose.

Heb 13:12  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

We are also sanctified by the word of God.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

We are sanctified – set apart for a holy purpose – to live our life God’s way.

9) Jesus Christ brings Peace with God through His blood

Peace with God the Father is possible only through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
Col 1:20  and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

10) Jesus Christ gives direct access to God the Father through His blood

We now have direct access to the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Heb 10:19  Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,

To enter the Holiest means to enter into the presence of God the Father in Heaven.

2Co 6:16  And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”

11) We have communion with God through the blood of Jesus Christ

Through the blood of Jesus Christ we have communion with God.

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
Joh 6:54  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
Joh 6:58  This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

12) We overcome Satan through the blood of Jesus Christ

We have the power to overcome the devil through the blood of Jesus Christ.  The devil has no claims on us now that we have been forgiven and purchased by Jesus Christ.

Rev 12:9  So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10  Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

In 2 Tim 3:12, Paul wrote.

2Ti 3:12  Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

We should expect persecution.  Many of God’s faithful men and women endured horrifying trials.

Heb 11:35  … Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Heb 11:36  Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.
Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—
Heb 11:38  of whom the world was not worthy. …

They had severe trials: tortured, scourged, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, slain by the sword.  They suffered because they led a Godly life.

In Acts 14:21, we read the following:

Act 14:21  And when they [Paul and Barnabas] had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
Act 14:22  strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

So, as Christians, we should expect trials, difficulties, problems in this life.  But why?  Why must we enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations?  Before answering this let’s first consider the causes of trials.

The Causes of Trials

Some trials come upon us because of our own sin.  For example, King David sinned in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.  It started with lust and ended with adultery and the murder of Uriah.  Some time after the event God sent a message to King David through the prophet Nathan.  We read in 2 Sam 12:10:

2Sa 12:10  Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
2Sa 12:11  Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
2Sa 12:12  For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ “

That’s exactly what happened.  David’s son, Absalom, killed one of his brothers.  Then he later rebelled, chased King David out of Jerusalem, and slept with his father’s concubines on the palace roof, for everyone to see.  Then shortly afterwards Absalom was killed in battle.  King David suffered a great deal.  It was a severe trial; and all because he sinned.

Another example of how trials can be our fault is that of Abraham.  Abraham and Sarah decided that Abraham should try to have a child with Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar.  It seemed like a good idea.  It was a very common custom in those days.  Abraham’s decision caused so many problems later: rivalry and jealousy between Sarah and Hagar; and eventually Abraham had to send his son Ishmael, whom he loved, away.  It was a severe trial for Abraham, brought about by his own decision.

However, sometimes trials come upon us and it’s not our fault.  For example, the trial could be the result of the sins of others.  When Uriah died as a result of King David’s sin, how many of his family members suffered.  Maybe he left behind a grieving mother, or brothers or sisters.  His family members suffered; they went through a severe trial; yet through no fault of their own.

Another example of a trial not being our fault is that of Joseph, Jacob’s son.  He did what was right by running away from Potiphar’s wife when she tried to seduce him.  Yet, he ended up in prison for many years.  That was a severe trial.

Sometimes a trial is not our fault, but it comes upon us because it’s God’s purpose.

Joh 9:1  Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
Joh 9:2  And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

No one had sinned, yet this man was born blind.  That’s a huge trial to be born blind.  That man suffered that trial because it was God’s purpose.

Sometimes Satan causes the trial.  God allows it; but Satan causes the trial. 

Luk 13:11  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
Luk 13:12  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”
Luk 13:13  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Luk 13:14  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
Luk 13:15  The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
Luk 13:16  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

The infirmity the woman had endured for eighteen years was caused by Satan.

So sometimes a trial might be the result of our own sin or lack of wisdom.  The trial might be the result of someone else’s sin, or it may be Satan’s doing, or it may simply be God’s purpose. 

But why must we enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations?  Before answering this let’s first consider what our attitude should be in trials.

What should out attitude be in trials? 

The tendency is for us to get disheartened or discouraged.  But that is not what God wants.

The book of Job tells us that in one day, Job lost all his livestock, which was his livelihood.  Effectively Job lost his wealth.  That same day he lost all his children.  Job was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.  Yet he suffered so much sorrow.  What was Job’s reaction?  What was his attitude? 

Job 1:20  Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
Job 1:21  And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job 1:22  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job worshipped God.  

Job 13:15  Though He [God] slay me, yet will I trust Him. …

Even in the bad times, Job still trusted in God.  What an incredible attitude Job had.  We should also trust God in trials.

There is an account in the book of Acts when Paul and Silas where thrown into prison.

Act 16:16  Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
Act 16:17  This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
Act 16:18  And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
Act 16:19  But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
Act 16:20  And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;
Act 16:21  and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
Act 16:22  Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
Act 16:23  And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
Act 16:24  Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Paul and Silas must have been in great pain.  They were beaten with rods.  They were hit many times.  They must have been bruised and bloodied.  And then they were thrown into prison.  They weren’t put into some comfortable cell.  No, they had their feet put in the stocks.  That meant they couldn’t move their feet.  It must have been incredibly uncomfortable.  What would our attitude be if we were beaten and then put into prison with our feet in the stocks?  What did Paul and Silas do?

Act 16:25  But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

They praised God!  That’s pretty amazing.  What should also praise God in trials.  We should thank God for who He is – that He is loving and kind and has our best interests at heart.  We should thank God for all that He does for us.

We should also be patient in trials.

Rom 12:12  rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

And we should also be exceedingly joyful

2Co 7:4  Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

What should out attitude be in trials?  We should trust God. We should praise God.  We should be patient in the trial.  We should be exceedingly joyful.

At this point you might be thinking, “that’s ridiculous”.  How can we do that?  How is it, after suffering financial ruin, and after losing all his children, Job could say, the Lord gives, the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord?  How is it, after being beaten with rods, thrown into prison, and put in the stocks, Paul and Silas could sing hymns praising God?  How is it possible?  It’s possible because they understood the purpose of trials.  Now we finally come to the point where we can answer the question, “Why must we enter the kingdom of God through many tribulations?”

The purpose of trials

Job knew that God would resurrect him.

Job 14:14  If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. [That’s the resurrection.]
Job 14:15  You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands.

Job understood that God was working with him, fashioning and moulding him, into something marvellous.

In Ps 17:15, king David in his prayer to God wrote:

Psa 17:15  As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

When we are resurrected to eternal life, like Job and like king David, we will be righteous; we will have God’s righteous character; and as king David wrote, we will be like God.

That’s why we can rejoice in trials, because their purpose is to fashion and mould us so that after we die, we can awake in God’s likeness. 

It’s a bit like going to the dentist when we have toothache.  It’s uncomfortable and painful, but it’s worth it, because afterwards our tooth is fixed.   God is fixing our rotten character.  It’s a painful process, but it’s worth it in the end.

Earlier we covered the example of Joseph’s imprisonment as severe trial.  Psalm 105 has something interesting to say about this.

Psa 105:17  He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave.
Psa 105:18  They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons.
Psa 105:19  Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.

The Hebrew word translated “tested” means “refine” and is often used in the context of refining silver.  The refining process of metals removes impurities.  So God used the trial Joseph went through, the trial of being imprisoned and having his feet in chains, to refine Joseph’s character, to remove impurities in his character.

This process of refining our character is also explained in the New Testament in several places.  Peter tells us to greatly rejoice in trials and he explains why.

1Pe 1:6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
1Pe 1:7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
1Pe 1:8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1Pe 1:9  receiving the end [purpose or fulfillment] of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

We greatly rejoice, even if we are grieved by various trials, because the trials to lead to salvation.

Paul explains the same thing in Rom 5:3.

Rom 5:3  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,

We “glory in tribulations”.  Why do we do that?

knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
Rom 5:4  and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Persevering in trials produces character, godly character.  That leads to hope — the hope of the resurrection to eternal life.

James also explains the same thing in James 1:2.

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
Jas 1:3  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Jas 1:4  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Being patient in the trial or persevering in it produces character, godly character.

We don’t rejoice in the pain and suffering of trials.  No one enjoys that.  If we enjoyed it, it wouldn’t be a trial.  But we rejoice in what the pain and suffering is producing.  We rejoice in the end result. 

In a similar way, we can count it joy when we go to the dentist with a toothache, knowing that the tooth will be fixed.

Sometimes a trial can be chastening or correction from God.  The purpose of the chastening is the same as any other trial.  The purpose is to produce godly character.  Paul explains this in Hebrews 12.

Heb 12:5  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “MY SON, DO NOT DESPISE THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD, NOR BE DISCOURAGED WHEN YOU ARE REBUKED BY HIM;

Paul is quoting from Proverbs 3:11-12.  When we are chastened we shouldn’t be discouraged.  Why?

Heb 12:6  FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”

It shows that God cares for us.

Heb 12:7  If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

Parents correct their children because they love them.  God corrects us because He loves us.

Heb 12:8  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Heb 12:9  Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

Just like our parents, who corrected us when we were little children, so our heavenly Father corrects us when we need it.

Heb 12:10  For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

Again we see that the purpose of the chastening, the purpose of the trial, is so that we can become partakers of His holiness.  In other words, we are chastened so that we can become like God.

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

No one likes chastening at the time, but the end result of it is wonderful.  It produces righteousness.  The chastening changes us to become more like God. 

As Paul wrote in Rom 8:18

Rom 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

All the suffering we go through in this life, however much it is — and for some there is a lot of suffering — all the suffering we go through in this life, is insignificant compared to the glory, to the joy, to the happiness, we will have when we’re resurrected to eternal life.

That’s why Job, after suffering financial ruin, and after losing all his children, could say, the Lord gives, the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord.

That’s why Paul and Silas, after being beaten with rods, thrown in prison and put in the stocks, could sing hymns praising God.

They realised that the purpose of the trial, was so that they could become like God, or as David expressed it, “awake in God’s likeness”.

Some encouraging points to remember in trials

Some trials can be very difficult.  Here are some encouraging points to remember to help.  The first we have already covered.

1 – Encouraging point

We can be greatly encouraged that God is using the trial to produce His character in us.

2 – Encouraging point

Whatever the cause of the trial we need to realise that God promises to make good come from it.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

God can take our mess and make good come from it.  As an example, it would have been better for everyone involved if King David hadn’t committed adultery and hadn’t murdered Uriah.  But God was able to make good come from it.  We, today, can learn valuable lessons from it.  We can take great encouragement from it.  If King David messed up so badly and yet will be in the first resurrection, then so can we.  We can learn from David’s life.  His story is recorded in God’s word so that we can be edified. 

3 – Encouraging point

We suffer the same things that other people in the world suffer.

1Co 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; …

Whatever trial we are going through there is almost certainly someone out there in the world who is going through something worse.  God’s people don’t get harder trials than others.  Going through a similar trial should be easier for God’s people, because we have God, and those in the world often don’t.

4- Encouraging point

God put limits on trials.  God promises us that He will never ever put us through a trial so great we cannot bear it.

1Co 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We are God’s children whom He is perfecting.  God Has promised us that He is not going to put us through a trial that we can’t bear.

Why this particular trial?

It’s very natural to ask, why this particular trial?  What exactly is this trial developing in me?

Job wanted to know why he had the trial.

Job 7:20  Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? [God] Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?

Job never got a direct answer to this question from God.  God answers Job in chapters 30 to 41.  When God answered Job, God said in effect. 

Look around you and consider my creation.  I made it all and I understand how it all works because I made it.  How about you, Job?  What can you do?  What do you know? 

Of course Job was speechless just like any of us would be.  God said in effect.

I am God.  I created the universe and I understand how it all works.  I know what I’m doing.  I created you and I know what I’m doing with you.  I love you.  I’m fixing you.  I’m making you into something wonderful.

God didn’t tell Job all the details of why he had the trial.  God said, “I know what I am doing; trust me.”

If God were to answer us directly why we’re going through a difficult trial, I think it would be the same.  I don’t think God would tell us the details.  Perhaps He would say in effect the same thing he said to Job:

I’m God.  I created you.  I love you.  I’m fixing you.  I’m making you into something wonderful.  Trust me.

When we go to the dentist we don’t see what the dentist is doing.  We don’t see the drill bit drilling our tooth.  If we were to say to the dentist, “What are you doing with that needle?  I don’t like the look of that drill; where’s that going?”  The dentist might say something like:  “I’m a qualified dentist; I know what I’m doing; I’m fixing your tooth”.

Even though we may not know exactly why we are going through a particular trial, the Bible does reveal some more specific reasons.

To lead us to deeper repentance

Job 42:1  Then Job answered the LORD and said: 
Job 42:2 “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 
Job 42:3  You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 
Job 42:4  Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 
Job 42:5  “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 
Job 42:6  Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

To stimulate us to bear fruit

John 15:1  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 15:2  “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

To lead us to righteousness

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

To teach us obedience

Heb 5:8  though He [Christ] was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

If Jesus Christ learned obedience by the things that He suffered, then how much more can we?

To teach us compassion

2Co 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2Co 1:4  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

To humble us

2 Cor 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Conclusion

Why does God allow trials?  We go through various trials because God is using the trial God to produce in us His Godly character.  God is using the trial to form and shape us into His likeness.  And that is something we can rejoice in.

Like us, God has plans.  In fact, the Bible tells us God doesn’t do anything unless He reveals it to His servants the prophets. 

Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Sometimes events don’t go according to our plans. But what about God’s plans?  Does God have the power to bring His plans to pass?

Isa 44:6  “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
Isa 44:7  And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, [God challenges anyone to declare the future.] Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them.
Isa 44:8  Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ “
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 [foretelling the future], And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

Only God can determine what will happen in the future.  In these few verses that we have read, God is telling us three things:

1. God has a plan for the future.
2. God reveals that plan through prophecy.
3. God has the power to make it happen.

What is the purpose of prophecy?  Why has God put prophecy in the Bible?  Why has God told us His future plans?  What purpose does it serve?

Ultimately, like everything else in the Bible, the purpose of prophecy is to lead mankind to repentance and salvation.  But what if we want more detail than that?  Biblical Prophecy can be divided into four categories:

1. Pre end time prophecy (fulfilled prophecy)
2. Fulfilled end time prophecy (fulfilled prophecy of events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ)
3. Unfulfilled end time prophecy (unfulfilled prophecy of events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ)
4. Millennial prophecy (unfulfilled prophecy of events after the return of Jesus Christ)

Let’s take a look at each of these categories in turn.

1. Pre end time prophecy (fulfilled prophecy)

The Bible contains fulfilled prophecies which were written many years before they were fulfilled.  They show that God wrote those prophecies.  What purpose do they serve? 

a) Fulfilled prophecy is a proof that the Bible is true.  It is proof that the Bible is indeed the Word of God; that the Bible is a message from our Creator, and as such has authority in our lives.

b) Fulfilled prophecy tells us that God is in control.  Fulfilled Prophecy is proof that what we read in Isaiah 44 is true, that God determines what will happen in the future.  God determines what will happen in the future; not man, not the devil, not the roll of some cosmic dice, but God and God alone determines what will happen in the future. 

What are some examples of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible?

1.1. Example of fulfilled prophecy: Tyre

Tyre was an ancient prosperous coastal city.  Part of it was on the mainland and part on an island.  Ezekiel chapter 26 contains a detailed prophecy about her fate.  Ezekiel was a contemporary of Daniel, who lived about 600 BC.

Eze 26:1  And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, [585 BC] that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 26:2  “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’
Eze 26:3  “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations [not just one but many] to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. [Wave after wave of invaders.]
Eze 26:4  And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
Eze 26:5  It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations.
Eze 26:6  Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’
Eze 26:7  “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people.

King Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605 BC to c. 562 BC.  History records that Nebuchadnezzar demolished mainland Tyre, but he didn’t destroy the island of Tyre.

Remember that verse 3 said that many nations would come up against Tyre.  The following verses give more detail of that.

Eze 26:12  They [other nations] will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water.
Eze 26:13  I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more.
Eze 26:14  I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD.

Eze 26:19  “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you,

Alexander the Great lived from 356 BC to 323 BC.  He built a causeway from the mainland to the island and then broke down the walls of New Tyre and destroyed it.

The prophecy about the destruction of Tyre was written c 600 BC.  It was partially fulfilled not long afterwards by king Nebuchadnezzar, and further fulfilled a little over 200 years later by Alexander the Great.  Some of the ruins of the ancient city of Tyre can still be seen today.  They are now a UNESCO heritage site.

1.2. Example of fulfilled prophecy: Alexander the Great and the Grecian Empire

The prophet Daniel lived about 600 BC and so the book of Daniel was written about 600 BC.  Daniel chapter 8 describes a male goat (Alexander the Great) attacking a ram with two horns (the Medo-Persian Empire).  This prophecy about Alexander the Great was made over 200 years before he was born.  It is well known that Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius III and conquered the Persian Empire in 331 BC.

Dan 8:5  And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:6  Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

It is well known that when Alexander the Great died, he left no son to succeed him.  Instead four of his generals divided it between themselves.  This too was prophesied in the book of Daniel.

Dan 11:3  Then a mighty king shall arise [Alexander the Great], who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
Dan 11:4  And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven [his four generals], but not among his posterity [his offspring] nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

1.3. Example of fulfilled prophecy: Kings of the North and South – Daniel 11

Daniel chapter 11 contains an incredibly detailed prophecy of ongoing battles between the king of the North and the king of the South.  It covers the period from Alexander the Great through to Antiochus Epiphanes 168 B.C. in incredible detail.  The king of the North was the Seleucid Empire in the region of Syria, and the king of the South was the Ptolemic Empire in the region of Egypt.  No man could have written such a detailed prophecy that came to pass.  It must have been written by God.

These are just some of the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible which were written many years before they were fulfilled.  That shows God wrote those prophecies.  The fulfilled prophecies in the Bible are the real proof the Bible is God’s word.

1.4. Example of fulfilled prophecy: Messianic Prophecies

There are about 50 prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah, some of them very precise, which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.  In the New Testament we find numerous occasions where it says something like: “and this happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet so and so.”

The 50 or so prophecies about Messiah foretold:

• the lineage of the Messiah, that He would be a descendant of king David.
• the Messiah would be preceded by a messenger, an Elijah type figure.
• the Messiah would come at a particular time, be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, and live in Nazareth.
• the Messiah would heal the sick, give sight to the blind, be praised by children, and preach in parables.
• the Messiah would be rejected, hated without a cause, and betrayed by a close friend for 30 pieces of silver.
• the Messiah would be silent before his accusers, be hit and spat upon, be reviled and have lots cast for his garments; that He would have his hands, feet and side pierced and not have one bone broken; that He would die with criminals, but be buried with the rich.
• the Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin and be raised to life and exalted to God’s right hand.

Why are there so many detailed prophecies about the Messiah?  Like the other fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, they are proof the Bible is God’s word.  There is, I believe, another very important purpose for the Messianic Prophecies.  The people at the time of Jesus Christ were expecting the Messiah, but there were imposters, e.g. Theudas and Judas of Galilee.  These men are mentioned in Acts 5.

Act 5:34  Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.
Act 5:35  And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.
Act 5:36  For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.
Act 5:37  After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.
Act 5:38  And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;
Act 5:39  but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

Imagine being a Jew living in the land of Judea shortly after the death of Christ.  Imagine that some man comes into town and starts telling you about this Jesus of Nazareth and that he was the Messiah.  How could you determine if this was not just another imposter just like Theudas or Judas of Galilee?  You know the Old Testament Scriptures.  So when eye witness accounts describe the Messiah’s life, his lineage, where he lived, how he healed the sick, how died and so forth, you would recognise that this man Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled all these prophecies in the Old Testament.  If the Old Testament did not have the 50 or so prophecies about the Messiah there would be no way of knowing that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God.  Without the prophecies in the Old Testament we could not know that Jesus of Nazareth, was indeed who He claimed to be, the Son of God.

Jesus used the prophecies of the Old Testament to show people who He was.  He did it at the start of His ministry.  When Jesus started His ministry He read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue. 

Luk 4:16  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
Luk 4:17  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
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.”
Luk 4:20  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
Luk 4:21  And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus used the prophecies of the Old Testament to show people who He was when John the Baptist wanted to know who He was.  When John the Baptist was in prison he wanted to know for sure if his cousin Jesus Christ was the Messiah.  John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus. 

Mat 11:2  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples
Mat 11:3  and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Mat 11:4  Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
Mat 11:5  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Jesus could have just replied, “Yes”, but He didn’t.  The things Jesus listed, the preaching of the gospel to the poor, the healing of the sick are the very things that were prophesied the Messiah would do.  Jesus pointed John to Scripture.  Jesus pointed John to the prophecies which identify the Messiah.  Jesus used the Scriptures to show John who He was.

Jesus used the prophecies of the Old Testament to show people who He was.  He did it at the start of His ministry.  And He did it again when John the Baptist wanted to know who He was.  In both occasions Jesus pointed to Old Testament prophecies.  The Gospel writers also point the reader to the prophecies of the Old Testament, to identify that Jesus was the Messiah.  That is why they write “and this happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet so and so.”

So, a very important purpose of the Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament is to identify that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.  The 50 or so Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, thus showing that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. 

End time prophecy

Let’s move on to the next two categories, fulfilled and unfulfilled end time prophecy.  End time prophecy should create in us a sense of urgency.  An urgency that should spur us on to draw close to God and produce good fruit.

Jesus Christ instructs us to watch.

Mat 25:13  “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The Greek word for watch means be vigilant, keep awake, so this verse is saying:

Therefore keep awake, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The same message is also given in the parable of the fig tree.

Mat 24:32  “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
Mat 24:33  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!

Being aware of end time prophecy helps to watch and keep awake spiritually.

2 Fulfilled end time prophecy

What are some of the end time prophecies which have already been fulfilled?

2.1. Example of fulfilled end time prophecy: Running to and fro and Knowledge shall increase

The book of Daniel foretells two remarkable things at the end of the age: mass transportation and the increase of knowledge.

Dan 12:4  “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

With the invention of motor cars, trains, and planes, mankind has been running to and fro like nothing before.  There are thousands of planes in the air at any time.  Where are these millions of passengers going?  They are going “to and fro”.

Human knowledge has been increasing at a phenomenal rate.  A man named Buckminster Fuller created the “Knowledge Doubling Curve”; he noticed that until 1900 human knowledge doubled approximately every century.  By the end of World War II knowledge was doubling every 25 years.  Today human knowledge is doubling about every year.

I think it is fair to say that Dan 12:4 has been fulfilled and is continuing to be fulfilled.

2.2. Example of fulfilled end time prophecy: Instant mass communication

The Bible also foretells of instant mass communication.  Everyone will see the dead bodies of the two witnesses.  The two witnesses of course appear right at the end, so this is an end time prophecy.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.

This was made possible a number of years ago by the invention of television, but also in more recent years by the invention of the smartphone and the internet.  You can be anywhere in the world that has WiFi or mobile phone coverage and you can watch the news on a smartphone that you can carry in your pocket.  That is probably how everyone will see the dead bodies of the two witnesses.

2.3. Example of fulfilled end time prophecy: Population explosion

The Bible also foretells of a vast world population at the time of the end.

Rev 9:16  Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

This is a massive army of 200 million.  A massive army requires an even more massive population.  This prophecy was written 2000 years ago when the world population was about 300 million.  World population in 2020 was about 8 billion people.  If you estimate that a country can draft about 20% of its population, then today, China alone could raise an army of about 300 million men.  We don’t yet see an army of 200 million men, but the current population of the earth could easily supply it.

2.4. Example of fulfilled end time prophecy: Ability to destroy all human life

The Bible foretells that mankind will be able to destroy all life on earth at the time of the end.  Jesus Christ said this when talking about events at the end of the age.

Mat 24:21  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

The atomic bomb was first used in 1945.  The first such bombs could only destroy a small city.  Hydrogen bombs today are more than 1000 times more powerful than the first atomic bombs.  It is estimated that there are over 20,000 of these bombs in the world today, which is more than enough to destroy all the land surface of the earth.  For over 50 years mankind has had the ability destroy all life on earth.

We’ve just covered four prophecies about the end time that have been fulfilled.  We are living at the end time.  This should create in us a sense of urgency and a need to draw close to God.

3. Unfulfilled end time prophecy

If we are staying alert and keeping watch, and hopefully we are, what are some of the end time prophecies which we should be watching for?

3.1. Example of unfulfilled end time prophecy: Abomination of desolation and an end to daily sacrifices

The Bible foretells a future abomination of desolationand an end to daily sacrifices.

Mat 24:15  “Therefore when you see the ‘ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”  (whoever reads, let him understand),
Mat 24:16  “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

What did the prophet Daniel say about this “abomination of desolation”? Daniel wrote that “the daily sacrifice [will be] taken away, and the abomination of desolation [will be] set up”.

Dan 12:11  “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

It happened in 168 B.C., when Antiochus Epiphanes entered Jerusalem and desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig to the Greek god Zeus and stopping the daily sacrifices.  But there is clearly an end time fulfilment because Daniel describes the abomination of desolation and the stopping of the daily sacrifices occurring at “the time of the end”.

For the daily sacrifices to stop, they have start.  The daily sacrifices haven’t started yet, so we can watch for this.  What about the future abomination of desolation?  It will almost certainly be something similar to what Antiochus Epiphanes did.  So, we can watch for this too.

3.2. Example of unfulfilled end time prophecy: Kings of the north and south 

As mentioned earlier, Daniel 11 gives a long and detailed prophecy about two powers: the king of the North and the king of the South.  The prophecy starts at the death of Alexander the Great when his kingdom was divided between his four generals.  Towards the end of the chapter the prophecy focuses on the end time.

Dan 11:40  “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him [the king of the North]; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.
Dan 11:41  He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.
Dan 11:42  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
Dan 11:43  He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.

These verses are talking of a future conflict.  The king of the South shall push against the king of the North.  Who are these kings and what nations do they represent?  It may not be possible to know now, but when it happens, if we are awake, we will recognise it.  There will be a war in which the Holy Land is invaded and occupied as well as Egypt and Ethiopia.  

If history is an indication of the future, then this clash between the kings of the North and South is probably a clash between Islam and the West.  In AD 732 Muslim armies pushed as far north as half-way up France.  Nearly 800 years later in AD 1529 Muslim armies pushed as far north as Vienna, Austria.

Could the prophesied push by the king of the South against the king of the North be something similar?  Certainly, this future conflict between the kings of the North and South is something to watch for, and of course the future invasion of the Holy Land and Egypt.

3.3. Example of unfulfilled end time prophecy: The man of sin

The apostle Paul wrote of a future “man of sin” who will “sit as God in the temple of God”. 

2Th 2:1  Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2Th 2:2  not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
2Th 2:3  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
2Th 2:4  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

This pompous man of sin, who exalts himself above God, will live right at the end of the age, because Jesus will destroy him at His coming. 

2Th 2:8  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
2Th 2:9  The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

The future appearance of this man is something to watch for.  But what else does the Bible say about him?  Rev 13 describes a beast with two horns who speaks like a dragon.  This is almost certainly the same man.

Rev 13:11  Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

A lamb is symbolic of Jesus Christ and a dragon symbolic of Satan. Therefore, this beast is a powerful religious authority who seems to represent Christ, but in reality represents the devil.

Rev 13:12  And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

The first beast has seven heads and ten horns and represents the Roman Empire with its various resurrections.  So, this religious authority causes people to worship this resurrected Roman Empire.

Rev 13:13  He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
Rev 13:14  And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, ….

He performs great signs or miracles such as calling fire down from heaven.  By such miracles he deceives people.  He convinces people to believe him.  This is something to watch for: a great religious leader, who seems to represent Christ, and performs miracles.

3.4. Example of unfulfilled end time prophecy: The mark of the beast

You have probably heard about the mark of the beast.  But what is it?  Is the mark like a tattoo?  Is it an electronic chip the size of a grain of rice which is inserted into your hand?  Is it Sunday keeping?  Is it idolatry?  It doesn’t matter.  We don’t need to know exactly what it is in order to watch for it.  Why do I say that?  Let’s continue in Rev 13:16.  This passage is still talking about the beast with two horns like a lamb and who speaks like a dragon.

Rev 13:16  He [the beast with two horns like a lamb and who speaks like a dragon] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
Rev 13:17  and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Whatever this mark is, you must have it to be able to buy or sell.  And whatever this mark is, it involves disobedience to God, because God punishes those who have it.

Rev 14:9  Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Rev 14:10  he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation…

So, the mark of the beast must involve disobedience to God.  It might involve breaking the Sabbath.  It might involve idolatry, bowing down to a statue or swearing allegiance to a man.  God’s people have been tested in these areas in the past.  We don’t need to know what it is exactly.  The point is, it involves disobedience to God in some way, and if we are watching we will know it when we see it.

We can see that some of the end time prophecies have come to pass already, and others are yet to happen.  As we watch to see when prophecies are fulfilled it should create in us a sense of urgency and inspire us to stay close to God. 

Is there another purpose for these prophecies of the end time?  I believe there is.  Living through these end time events will be terrifying.  Men’s hearts will fail them in the period leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. 

Luk 21:25  “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26  men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Luk 21:27  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

If God hadn’t told us in the pages of the Bible that these things are going to happen, then I think our hearts would fail us too.  But God has told us.  The end time prophecy will help God’s people who live through this.  When God’s people see these terrible things happening at the end, they will know the return of Jesus Christ is imminent.  Their hearts won’t fail them, because they know that a better age is about to be ushered in.

End time prophecy should create in us a sense of urgency and inspire us to stay close to God.  But also, for those of God’s people who live right at the end, the end time prophecy will help them live through it.

4. Millennial prophecy

The last category of prophecy is millennial prophecy.  These are prophecies about the millennial (one thousand year) reign of Jesus Christ on earth. 

Rev 20:1  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
Rev 20:3  and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

There are too many millennial prophecies to list here.  They are found in Psalms.  About 1 in 10 Psalms contains millennial prophecies.  Millennial prophecies are found in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, the Minor Prophets, and parts of the New Testament including Revelation.  These prophecies give us great hope.  We know that there is a tremendously bright and happy future ahead of us in the Kingdom of God.  They give us hope and strength to finish the race, to stay the course, to remain faithful to God to the end.

In conclusion, what is the purpose of prophecy? 

1. Fulfilled prophecy is a proof that the Bible is true.  It tells us that God is in control.  A very important purpose of the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament is to identify that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
2. End time prophecy should create in us a sense of urgency and inspire us to stay close to God.  The end time prophecy will help God’s people who live through it.
3. Millennial prophecy gives us great hope of the wonderful future ahead and the strength to remain faithful to God to the end. 

In the book of Romans, Paul talks about how to deal with our enemies and those who have wronged us. He instructs us on how to deal with others in the follwoing passage.

Rom 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Rom 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Rom 12:20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There is one sentence that doesn’t seem to make sense – the one about heaping coals of fire on your enemy’s head.  What did Paul mean by this?  Clearly, it’s not literal.  Paul is not talking about literally putting live hot coals of fire on your enemy’s head.  It’s figurative, but what does it mean? 

We need to look at the context to gain understanding. 

The first verse reads “Repay no one evil for evil”.  If someone hurts us or is rude to us, our carnal nature wants to retaliate.  However, God doesn’t want us to behave like that.  God does not want us to repay evil for evil.

If someone does something evil to us, perhaps saying mean things about us, or being rude to us, what are we to do?  What does God want us to do?  God wants us to let Him take care of the justice, which is why Romans 12:19 says “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord”. 

Furthermore, God wants us to show the person love, which is why it Romans 12:20 states, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink”.  If we resort to paying back like for like, whether it is being rude or mean, returning evil with evil, we are being evil, and we have been overcome by evil.  If instead, we show love by our actions, then we overcome the evil with good.

The expression in Romans 12:20, “For in so doing [good] you will heap coals of fire on his head” must fit in with the context of loving our enemies.

Your Bible might have that verse in italics or inset.  If so, it is because Paul is quoting directly from Proverbs 25:21-22. 

Pro 25:21  If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
Pro 25:22  For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

Knowing this can help us.  The proverb Pauls quotes is in the middle of several proverbs that use physical images to describe emotional reactions.  Right before it is the proverb,

Pro 25:20  Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, And like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

This picture of physical discomfort illustrates that trying to make a person in mourning happy just distresses them more. 

The picture of heaping coals of fire on someone’s head as a result of being kind to them also describes an emotional reaction.  What kind of emotional reaction?  They are probably going to feel uncomfortable, maybe a sense of burning shame.

Being kind to our enemies is like “heaping coals of fire on their head” in that it will produce an emotion of burning shame, pictured by the burning coals. 

What else can help us understand the meaning of “heaping coals of fire on his head”?  Coals of fire are symbolic of purifying and purging from sin.  An example of this is found in Isaiah 6:5-7.  This is where Isaiah arrives in vision in the Throne Room of God.

Isaiah 6:5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
Isaiah 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.
Isaiah 6:7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

Coals of fire are symbolic of taking iniquity away and purging from sin.

Another example is found in Malachi 3:2-3, which describes the return of Jesus Christ.

Mal 3:2  “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.

Again, we see the connection of fire with purging from sin and purification. 

Being kind to our enemies is like “heaping coals of fire on their head” in that it will lead them to repentance, pictured by the purifying power of fire. 

Lev 16:12 is also helpful.  Chapter 16 of Leviticus describes what the high priest did on the Day of Atonement.  He took his censer, and filled it with “coals of fire,” and then put the incense on the coals to produce a sweet-smelling aroma.

Lev 16:12  Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.

We know that the sweet-smelling incense is likened to prayers. 

Rev 5:8  Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

The coals of fire are necessary to burn the incense to produce the sweet-smelling aroma.

Being kind to our enemies is like “heaping coals of fire on their head” in that it will produce repentant prayer to God, which is like the sweet aroma from burning incense on coals rising to the throne of God. 

In conclusion, repaying a person who has done us evil with good is like “heaping burning coals of fire on his head” in that:

• It will produce an emotion of burning shame, pictured by the burning coals. 
• The shame will lead them to repentance, pictured by the purifying power of fire. 
• The repentance will lead to prayers of confession which are like the sweet aroma from burning incense on coals rising to the throne of God.

The important lesson for us is:

Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In about the 1500s Europe was going through a religious, and political, upheaval, in the form of the Protestant Reformation.  What many historians consider to be the start of the Protestant Reformation was Martin Luther’s 95 theses which he famously nailed to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.  They were basically a list of 95 things which he found wrong with the Catholic Church.

Another famous Protestant reformer was Henry VIII.  He broke away from the Catholic Church and declared himself to be the head of the church in England.  His reasons were more political than religious.  The pope wouldn’t let him divorce his wife, so he started his own church so that he could get his own way. 

Yet another famous Protestant reformer was John Calvin, who was a French theologian.  

Reformers like Martin Luther, Henry VIII and John Calvin challenged papal authority and broke away from the Catholic Church starting such churches as the Lutheran Church, the Church of England and the Reformed Church.  

John Calvin teachings’ influence Protestant thinking to this day.  He had a very high view of Scripture and tried to base his teachings solely on the word of God.  One of his best-known teachings is that of Predestination, which states that before the world began God predestined some for eternal salvation and others for eternal damnation.  What Calvin taught about predestination is wrong.  Let’s see why and see what the Bible really teaches about predestination. 

What was John Calvin’s argument?  How did he come to such a false conclusion?  What he did was to argue as follows

1) Calvin turned to the few Scriptures which mention “predestined”.  Let’s read those Scriptures now.

Rom 8:29  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Eph 1:4  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Eph 1:5  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Eph 1:11  In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

From these Scriptures Calvin argued that God has predestined us – that is Christians – to be saved from before the foundation of the world.

2) Then he turned to Romans 9 and read the following verses.  Here Paul is writing about Isaac and Rebecca and their two sons Esau and Jacob.

Rom 9:12  it was said to her, “THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER.”
Rom 9:13  As it is written, “JACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE HATED.”
Rom 9:14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
Rom 9:15  For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE COMPASSION.”
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I HAVE RAISED YOU UP, THAT I MAY SHOW MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MAY BE DECLARED IN ALL THE EARTH.”
Rom 9:18  Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
Rom 9:19  You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
Rom 9:20  But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
Rom 9:21  Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

Calvin focused in particular on these verses:

13 “JACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE HATED.”
18 He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
21 He makes one vessel for honor and another for dishonour.

From these Scriptures Calvin argued that God makes some people for dishonour; that is, God has predestined (predetermined) some for dishonour.  Calvin concluded that God has predestined some for eternal salvation and others for eternal damnation.

To recap Calvin’s argument:

From Rom 8 and Eph 1, he understood that God has predestined some for eternal salvation.

From Rom 9, he understood that God creates some people for dishonour.

Calvin concluded that therefore God has predestined some for eternal salvation and others for eternal damnation.

What is so wrong with Calvin’s line of reasoning?

What do the Scriptures mean when they say God has predestined us?  The word predestined is translated from the Greek word proorizo which means, determined before, or predetermined.

When the Scriptures say God has predestined us, it just means that God has predetermined us.  It’s talking about God’s plan.  From before the foundation of the world God had a plan.  He had a plan that many would be conformed to the image of His Son.  Reading Rom 8:29 again.

Rom 8:29  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

It’s saying that God had a plan.  He predetermined that many would eventually be conformed to the image of His Son, that is, become like Jesus Christ.  Let’s read the next verse, verse 30.

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; …

It’s saying that God predestined some people to be called now – in this age – as part of His plan of salvation for mankind.

But what about Rom 9, which talks about God hardening some people (such as Pharaoh) and making some people for dishonour?  Clearly, God does exactly this, because that’s what the Scriptures say.  In fact, God has hardened most people in this age.  Do you remember what Christ’s answer was when his disciples asked Him why He spoke in parables?

Mat 13:13  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, … LEST THEY SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS AND TURN, SO THAT I SHOULD HEAL THEM.’

Christ spoke in parables so that people would not understand Him.  He didn’t want people to understand what He was talking about!  But that’s not the end of the story for these people.  What Calvin didn’t understand is that there is a second resurrection – which is pictured by the Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  The people whom God hardened, or whom God made for dishonour, in this age are not doomed to eternal damnation.  No, they will be resurrected to physical life after the soon coming 1000-year reign of Christ on earth and given their chance of salvation then.

In conclusion, Calvin’s view that God predestined some for eternal salvation and others for eternal damnation is wrong.  What Calvin didn’t understand is that God is only calling some people now to receive salvation.  The predestination referred to in the Bible is part of God’s plan of salvation for mankind.  God’s plan is that He has predestined some to be called now, in this age, and the rest later.  The rest, that is, the vast majority of mankind, are described as vessels for dishonour, or hardened.  It’s not a state of eternal damnation but rather a temporary situation.  They will be resurrected to physical life after the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth and given their chance for salvation then.

Some information in the Bible is spiritual.  For example, God is love.  There is a devil.  Spiritual information is not something that can be proved.  For example, without using the Bible, how could you prove that God is love?  You can’t.  Such knowledge is revealed.  However, there are parts of the Bible can be verified. 

Evidence for the truth of the Bible can be divided into archaeological and fulfilled prophecy.  The first part of this article will look at some examples of archaeological discoveries which confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible.  The second part will look at some examples of fulfilled prophecy.  Fulfilled prophecy is the real proof of that the Bible is God’s word.  No one but God can proclaim what the future will hold and then have the power to bring to pass.

PART 1: ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS WHICH CONFIRM THE HISTORICAL ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE

Let’s look at some archaeological discoveries which confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible

Nuzi Tablets

In the book of Genesis, we find the account of Abraham fathering a child for his wife Sarah by her handmaiden, Hagar.  Such a thing seems strange to us, yet the Nuzi tablets demonstrate that such practices were commonplace in the time of Abraham.  The Nuzi tablets were found at a place called Nuzi in Assyria and date back to the time of Abraham. The tablets pertain to matters such as inheritance, property rights, slavery, and adoption.

Another example of the accuracy of the Bible is the price given for a slave.  Genesis 37 tells us that Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave for 20 shekels of silver. Clay tablets (like the ones pictured here) discovered in the region dating to the time in which Joseph lived, show that the going price for slaves at the time was indeed 20 shekels.  By later centuries, however, the price of slaves had increased greatly. In the eighth century B.C., it had risen to 50 to 60 shekels. By the fifth to fourth centuries B.C., the price was 90 to 120 shekels.

If someone had just invented these accounts in Genesis, they would have got details such as these wrong.  The Nuzi tablets confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible.

The Israel Stele

The Israel Stele was discovered in 1896. It contains the earliest known mention of Israel. This black granite stele contains boastful inscriptions commissioned by Pharaoh Merenptah about his victorious battles and refers to Israel being “laid waste.” The stele dates from 1200 B.C. 

In the early history of Israel, the Bible mentions many towns and cities. Two of these cities have been found in Egyptian records.  One is Dibon which is mentioned in Numbers 33 as one of the stopping places of Israel after they departed from Egypt.  The other is Hebron which Joshua fought against.

The Israel Stele and the Egyptian records of Dibon and Hebron confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible.

Assyria: Siege of Lachish

Assyria was a powerful ancient nation.  God used Assyria to punish Israel.  Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom (the house of Israel) and took the Israelites captive. 

2Ki 17:5  Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.
2Ki 17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, …

Assyria also invaded the southern kingdom, the house of Judah, conquered some of its cities and besieged Jerusalem.

Isa 36:1  Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.  

Scholars in the 1800’s used to dispute the existence of ancient Assyria.  The only historical source at that time regarding Assyria was the Bible.  Then in the mid 1800’s, archaeologists discovered in northern Iraq the ancient remains of three Assyrian cities [including Nineveh] and evidence of the military machine that had crushed their enemies.  The excavations at these cities yielded an immense amount of data regarding the Assyrians.

Lachish was one of the chief cities of the kingdom of Judah and is mentioned in the Bible.  In about 700 BC it was captured by the Assyrian King Sennacherib.  The slide shows a relief of the capture of Lachish.  Once again, we see the archaeological findings confirm the accuracy of the Bible.

Tel Dan Stela: House of David

Scholars used to claim that Israel and Judah were insignificant and disputed that there had ever been a united monarchy under King David.  Then in 1993 a team of archaeologists digging in northern Galilee found a remarkable inscription from the ninth century B.C. that refers both to the ‘House of David’ and to the ‘King of Israel’.  The inscription shows that Israel and Judah were important kingdoms in the ninth century B.C.  So we have archaeological evidence for King David.

Hittites

The book of Genesis mentions a nation called the Hittites.  Their existence was doubted by scholars until 1906 when archaeologists discovered thousands of clay tablets in a site in modern day Turkey which proved their existence.

Pilate

The Bible mentions that the governor of Judea at the time of Christ was a man called Pontius Pilate.  Pontius Pilate is also mentioned as governor of Judea by historians: Philo of Alexandria, Josephus, Tacitus.  In 1961 an inscription known as the Pilate Stone, was found which mentions his name and title – exactly as described in the Bible.

Biblical Figures in Archaeological Records

Here is a list of biblical figures whose existence has been confirmed by archaeology and ancient records.  Quite impressive!

Part 1 Conclusion

These are just a small collection of examples, but they demonstrate the historical accuracy of the Bible.

The great archaeologist William F. Albright wrote concerning the Bible, “Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history”.

Archaeologist Nelson Glueck wrote: “It may be stated categorically [without exception] that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted [disagreed with] a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible.”

PART 2: FULFILLED PROPHECY

Let’s look now at some fulfilled prophecies of the Bible.

Unlike any other book, the Bible offers its own test as to whether it is divinely inspired. That test is prophecy.  The Bible contains many specific predictions that have been fulfilled.

What does God say about the future and whether or not He has the power to bring things to pass?

Isa 44:6  “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
Isa 44:7  And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, [God challenges anyone to declare the future.] Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them.
Isa 44:8  Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ “

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 [foretelling the future], And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

God declares and determines what the future holds.  Only God can do that.  The Bible contains fulfilled prophecies which were written many years before they were fulfilled.  That shows that God wrote those prophecies.  The fulfilled prophecies in the Bible are the real proof the Bible is God’s word.

Dead Sea Scrolls

The sceptic might argue that Bible prophecies were written down after they happened.  However, ancient manuscripts have been found which show how ancient the Old Testament prophecies are.  These manuscripts are the Dead Sea Scrolls.  The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts found in some caves in Israel in the 1950’s.  They include fragments of every book of the Bible except the book of Esther.  Some date as far back as 250 BC.  It was a significant discovery because the oldest Hebrew full text of the Old Testament in existence dates back to about 1000 AD.  The Dead Sea Scrolls agree with it.

Nineveh – ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire

Nahum chapter 3 predicts the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire.  History records that in BC 612, the Babylonians allied with the Medes and Persians destroyed Nineveh.

Tyre – before the siege by Nebuchadnezzar

Tyre was an ancient prosperous coastal city.  Part of it was on the mainland and part on an island.  Ezekiel chapter 26 contains a detailed prophecy about her fate.

Eze 26:1  And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, [585 BC] that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 26:2  “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’
Eze 26:3  “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations [not just one but many] to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. [Wave after wave of invaders.]
Eze 26:4  And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
Eze 26:5  It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations.
Eze 26:6  Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’
Eze 26:7  “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people.

History records that Nebuchadnezzar demolished mainland Tyre; but he didn’t destroy the island Tyre.

Tyre – during the siege by Alexander the Great

Remember verse 3 said that many nations would come up against Tyre.

Eze 26:12  They [other nations] will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water.
Eze 26:13  I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more.
Eze 26:14  I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD.

Old Tyre on the slide shows the ruins left by Nebuchadnezzar.  New Tyre is the new city on the island.  The thing looking like a bridge is the causeway Alexander the Great built.  Alexander broke down the walls of New Tyre and destroyed it. Its ruins are still visible under the shallow Mediterranean waters.

Tyre –after the Romans

Eze 26:19  “For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you,

Today, the ruins of ancient Tyre are submerged under the Mediterranean Sea.  There are some Roman ruins near where Tyre used to be, but they didn’t rebuild Tyre.

Ancient Tyre –today

Here is a photograph, showing the ruins of ancient Tyre submerged under the Mediterranean Sea.

Eze 26:14  you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, …
Eze 26:19  when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you,  …

Egypt

What did God have to say concerning the nation of Egypt?

Eze 29:2  “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.

Eze 29:15  It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.

Eze 29:18  “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it.
Eze 29:19  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army.
Eze 29:20  I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD.

History records that after Nebuchadnezzar demolished mainland Tyre he went on to conquer Egypt.

Eze 30:10  ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also make a multitude of Egypt to cease By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Eze 30:11  He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations, Shall be brought to destroy the land; They shall draw their swords against Egypt, And fill the land with the slain.
Eze 30:12  I will make the rivers dry, And sell the land into the hand of the wicked; I will make the land waste, and all that is in it, By the hand of aliens. I, the LORD, have spoken.”

Egypt was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar.  Then the Persians dominated Egypt, followed by the Greeks and later the Romans.

Cyrus Cylinder

Isaiah prophesied that a king named Cyrus would one day decree that the temple should be rebuilt.  Isa 1:1 says Isaiah gave this prophecy, “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah”.  Yet in the days of these kings, Solomon’s temple was still standing.  In fact, it wasn’t until about 100 years later that Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.  So here is a prophecy so ahead of its time that only future generations in Jerusalem would witness the city’s destruction and then its rebuilding. 

In Isaiah 44, God reveals to Isaiah the actual name of the coming conqueror who would allow Jerusalem to be rebuilt—Cyrus, known in history as Cyrus the Great.

Isa 44:28  Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”‘

Isa 45:1  “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held; To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:

Isa 45:13  I have raised him [Cyrus] up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the LORD of hosts.

The book of Daniel describes the Persian conquest of the Babylonians.  The book of Ezra in the Bible records the decree of king Cyrus of Persia that the Jewish exiles, who were taken captive by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 B.C., return to their land and rebuild Jerusalem and its temple.

The Cyrus cylinder is dated to 538 B.C. It records Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon and his policy of tolerance and even patronage of native religions, which is exactly what the Bible records.

Babylonian Empire

What did God have to say concerning the Babylonian empire?  Babylon would fall to the Medes and Persians.

Dan 2:39  But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

Dan 5:30  That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
Dan 5:31  And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

History records that the Persians defeated the Babylonians.

Ruins of ancient Babylonian

Jer 25:12  ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the LORD; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation.

Isa 13:19  And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
Isa 13:20  It will never be inhabited, Nor will it be settled from generation to generation; Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.

God said that ancient Babylon would never be inhabited.  Here you see the ruins of ancient Babylon.  Saddam Hussein started on a rebuilding project, but didn’t get very far.

Medo-Persian Empire

What did God have to say concerning the empire of the Medes and Persians?  Daniel foretold its destruction.

Dan 2:39  But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

Alexander the Great – Daniel 8

Daniel chapter 8 describes a male goat (Alexander the Great) attacking a ram with two horns (the Medo-Persian Empire).  It is well known that Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius III and conquered the Persian Empire in 331 BC.

Dan 8:5  And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:6  Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

Grecian Empire

What did God have to say concerning the Grecian empire?  Daniel foretold its destruction.

Dan 2:40  And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.

It is well known that when Alexander the Great died, he left no son to succeed him.  Instead four of his generals divided it between themselves.

Dan 11:3  Then a mighty king shall arise [Alexander the Great], who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
Dan 11:4  And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven [his four generals], but not among his posterity [his offspring] nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

Roman Empire

What did God have to say concerning the Roman Empire?  The existence Roman Empire was foretold in Daniel.

Kings of the North and South – Daniel 11

Daniel chapter 11 contains an incredibly detailed prophecy of ongoing battles between the king of the North and the king of the South. It covers the period from Alexander the Great through to Antiochus Epiphanes 168 B.C. in incredible detail.  The king of the North was the Seleucid empire in the region of Syria, and the king of the South was the Ptolemic empire in the region of Egypt.  I encourage you to read about it in the church’s booklet “The Middle East in Bible Prophecy”.  No man could have written such a detailed prophecy that came to pass.  It must have been written by God.

Running To and Fro

The book of Daniel foretells two remarkable things at the end of the age: mass transportation and increase of knowledge.

Dan 12:4  “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

By all accounts, with the invention of the motor cars, trains, planes, mankind has been running to and fro like nothing before it.

Knowledge shall increase

Of course knowledge has been increasing at a phenomenal rate.  No one could know these things – except God.

Instant Mass Communication

The Bible also foretells of instant mass communication.  Everyone will see the dead bodies of the two witnesses.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.

Population Explosion

The Bible also foretells of a vast world population at the time of the end.

Rev 9:16  Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

This is a massive army of 200 million.  A massive army requires an even more massive population.  This prophecy was written 2000 years ago when the world population was about 300 million.

Antiochus Epiphanes

The Bible foretells of a modern Jewish state in the Holy Land

Mat 24:15  “Therefore when you see the ‘ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”  (whoever reads, let him understand),
Mat 24:16  “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

The Abomination of Desolation in Daniel says that the sanctuary would be defiled and the daily sacrifices stopped.  It happened in 168 B.C., when Antiochus Epiphanes entered Jerusalem and desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig to the Greek god Zeus, and stopping the daily sacrifices. 

Jesus said it would happen again.  For it to happen again, obviously a Jewish state is required.  So Jesus predicted the existence of a Jewish state at the time of the end.  The Jewish state at the time of Jesus was destroyed by the Romans in 79 A.D..  It didn’t come into existence again until 1948.

Part 2 Conclusion

These are just some of the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible.  No one except God could foretell and bring them to pass.

HOLY BIBLE

The Bible is historically accurate.  No archaeological discovery has ever disagreed with a Biblical reference.  However, scores of archaeological discoveries confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible.

There are numerous fulfilled prophecies in the Bible.  No one except God has the power to do this.  The fulfilled prophecies confirm the Bible is indeed the Word of God.

On the Day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus Christ rose from the dead, the disciples were meeting together in one place.  Suddenly a sound from heaven, like a rushing mighty wind, filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Tongues of fire appeared on each of them and God gave His Holy Spirit to the disciples.  The same Holy Spirit is in true Christians today.  The Holy Spirit is vital to us.  It is how God lives in us. 

The question I want to address here is, how does the Holy Spirit impart understanding?

When Jesus was living on the earth He talked about sending the Holy Spirit to teach us all things. 

John 14:26  “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

The Holy Spirit teaches us all things.  The Holy Spirit is not a person, so it can’t literally teach us, but God teaches us through His Holy Spirit.  Just to be clear on that, turn to John 6:44.  Here Jesus is talking about the Father drawing or calling people.

John 6:44  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:45  “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

Putting these two Scriptures together, we see that the Father calls (or draws) us.  He opens our mind and teaches us all things through His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reveals the things of God – or put another way, it imparts understanding. 

1 Cor 2:9  But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Cor 2:10  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

God reveals the things of God through His Spirit.  The apostle Paul explains further in the next verse:

1 Cor 2:11  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? ….

It is the spirit in man which enables us to understand the things of man.  What sort of things?  The spirit in man enables us – for example — to enjoy music and dancing; to read and write; to build cities; and the more mundane things such as going shopping or cooking dinner.  It’s what makes us different to the animals.  It imparts human intellect.  The spirit in man gives us intelligence which is not in an animal brain.  The spirit in man gives us the ability to understand the physical world.  

Let’s consider for a moment, a cow.  Imagine you could talk to this cow.  What could you meaningfully talk about to the cow?  The grass, eating, sleeping, maybe the weather. That’s probably about it.  She couldn’t understand the everyday things we do, such as: getting dressed in the morning; going to work or school; having coffee with a friend; going shopping; cooking dinner.  These are the things of man, the things which the spirit in man enables us to understand.  A cow does not have the spirit of man and cannot understand these things.  Which is why if you could talk to a cow, you couldn’t talk to it about your day at work or what your friend told you or what you had for dinner.  This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote: “what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him”.

Now let’s read the last part of verse 11. 

1 Cor 2:11  …Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

So, just as the spirit in man enables us to understand the things of man, so the Spirit of God enables us to understand the things of God.  In other words, just as a cow hasn’t a hope of understanding the things of man, so man hasn’t a hope of understanding the things of God – without the Spirit of God.

We learn about the physical world through our physical senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.  We cannot understand spiritual things through our physical senses.  We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes – so to speak – so we can understand spiritual things.  A person without the Holy Spirit is limited to knowing only things about the physical world.  This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote: “no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God”.

Continuing in v12.

1 Cor 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, [that is the Holy Spirit] that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

We receive the Holy Spirit that we might know and understand spiritual things.

1 Cor 2:13  These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

The NASB reads more easily, it says:

1 Cor 2:13  which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. NASB

1 Cor 2:14  But the natural man [that is someone who does not have the Holy Spirit] does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The last part of verse 14 says the things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned.  In other words, the things of God cannot be understood by the physical senses, by seeing or hearing.  It doesn’t matter how intelligent someone is, he cannot understand the things of God except through the Holy Spirit.  For as we read in v10, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit…”

You might be wondering, what sort of spiritual things does the Holy Spirit reveal?  There are lots of things of course, but here are a few examples.

1) The Holy Spirit enables us to see the need for repentance.  In 2 Tim 2:25, Paul is instructing Timothy.  He says:

2 Tim 2:25  in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

The Holy Spirit reveals to us that we have to change our nature from carnal to Godlike.  People without the Holy Spirit may understand they shouldn’t murder.  But it takes the Holy Spirit to understand we shouldn’t hate anyone; that we are to love everyone, even our enemies.  This understanding is spiritually discerned.

2) A second example of what the Holy Spirit reveals is that it enables us to see the way of life that leads to peace.  Mankind does not know how to have peace.  As HWA explained so simply yet profoundly, there are two ways of life.  One is out flowing love for God and others (which is the Law of God), which leads to peace and happiness.  This is the “Give” way.  The other way is selfishness, greed, vanity, lust and every evil thing, which leads to misery and pain and ultimately death.  This is the “Get” way.  Put simply, there are just two ways of living, “Give” or “Get”.  Yet this understanding is spiritually discerned.  The world does not understand that the “Give” way is the way to peace. 

3) A third example of what the Holy Spirit reveals is that it enables us to see the wonderful future that lies ahead for us.

1 Cor 2:9  But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Cor 2:10  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit….

What has God revealed?  That we can have eternal life as members of the family of God.  This understanding is spiritually discerned.

We have seen that one vital aspect of the Holy Spirit is that it imparts understanding of spiritual things.