What is a Prophecy in the Bible?

One of the Bible’s most awe-inspiring claims is its ability to foresee the future. Our curiosity about what lies ahead, a fascination that spans back to ancient times, is piqued by this claim. In contrast, ancient pagan religions relied on mystics and astrologers to interpret signs from nature, such as the formation of stars and planets, the behaviour of birds, and even the condition of a sheep’s liver, to predict the fate of kings and nations. However, many of these predictions proved to be nothing more than illusions.  The God of the Bible asserts His unique ability to predict the future with absolute accuracy. This claim to infallibility is not mere rhetoric, as one-third of the Bible is dedicated to prophecy, encompassing over 1,000 prophetic claims. To dismiss prophecy from the Bible is to undermine its very essence. The story of the Jewish sanctuary, for instance, is a living prophecy that weaves through the entire Scripture.   To answer the question ‘What is a prophecy in the Bible?’, we will first look at how and why prophecy is given and then at the fulfillment of one specific prophecy out of hundreds that could be cited. PART A – Why is God the only infallible Author of Prophecy, and how does He communicate His messages to us?

1. Because God lives outside of time, the future is present with Him. He sees all things from the beginning to the end. The fulfillment of Bible prophecy is the greatest evidence of its divine inspiration. 

Isaiah 46:9-11– “For I AM God, and there is no other. I AM God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure . . . Indeed, I have spoken it; I will bring it to pass. I have proposed it; I will also do it”.  Isaiah 42:9 – “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare. Before they spring forth, I tell you of them”.  2 Peter 1:19 – “For we have a more sure word of prophecy, unto which you do well to take heed as a light that shines in a dark place” (the future).  There is no uncertainty or hesitancy in these positive statements from God. Prophecy is history written in advance, and history is simply the echo of the voice of prophecy. 

1. God communicates His prophetic messages to us through especially chosen men and women called prophets.

Amos 3:7 – “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets”. 2 Peter 1:21– “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God”.  Deuteronomy 29:29 – “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed (by the prophets) belong to us and our children forever”. 

• God reveals His secrets to His prophets through dreams and visions.

Numbers 12:6 – “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream”.  Acts 2:17-18 – “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and My maidservants, I will pour out of My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy”.

• The purpose of prophecy is to give us confidence and faith in the God of the Bible and His word.

  John 14:29 – “I (Jesus is speaking to His disciples) have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe”.  There have been many gods throughout history, and many strange, hazy, and vague predictions have been made about the future. Most of these can be interpreted any way you like, but not so with the prophecies of the Bible.  2 Peter 1:20–21– “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation . . . but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”.  Prophecies of the Bible are not to be interpreted by what we think they might mean, but by what the Bible says they mean. In other words, the Bible must be its own interpreter. We must allow God to unlock the secrets of prophecy and its mysterious symbols. For this, we need to pray for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, which inspired the prophecies, because spiritual things are “spiritually discerned” or ‘understood’. (1 Corinthians 2:14).  PART B – Fulfilled Prophecy is a Proof of Inspiration. Bible predictions of future events were uttered so long before the events took place that no human wisdom or foresight could have anticipated them. Also, these predictions are so detailed, minute, and specific as to exclude the possibility that they were simply fortunate guesses. There are prophecies concerning Christ’s first Advent, Ministry, and Death. There are prophecies concerning the Jews and Jerusalem. There are prophecies concerning the Rise and Fall of World Empires. There are prophecies concerning the Church and the Christian age. There are prophecies concerning the Great Apostasy and the Antichrist. There are prophecies concerning the Last Days and the Second Advent of Christ. There are prophecies concerning the final triumph of the Righteous, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth.  And there are many individual prophecies concerning certain people, kings, nations, and cities, etc.   What to choose from to illustrate a prophecy from the Bible? I have chosen a prophecy about the sufferings and death of Christ written by King David approximately 1,000 years before the event. All are found in Psalm 22, which contains 22 specific predictions concerning the mental and physical agony of Christ who ‘became sin for us’ and endured the ‘wrath of God’ so that we might walk with Him in glory.  A few will illustrate the whole. (I have combined a couple of predictions into one event).   

Event	Prophecy	Fulfillment
While on the cross, the Messiah would feel forsaken by God, and cry out to Him.	Psalm 22:1-2	Matthew 27:46 Mark 15:34
The Messiah in His anguish would pray without ceasing.	Psalm 22:2	Matthew 26:38-39
The Messiah would be despised.	Psalm 22:6	Luke 23:21-23
People will shake their heads and mock the Messiah.	Psalm 22:7	Matthew 27:39
Mockers will say, “He trusted God, let Him deliver Him”.	Psalm 22:8	Matthew 27:41-43
The Messiah would be aware of His Father from His youth.	Psalm 22:9	Luke 2:40, 49
The Messiah would be called to God’s service from the womb.	Psalm 22:10	Luke 1:30-33
The disciples would abandon the Messiah.	Psalm 22:11	Mark 14:50
Evil spirits would surround the Messiah.	Psalm 22:12-13	Colossians 2:15
The Messiah’s heart would be broken, and from it would issue blood and water.	Psalm 22:14	John 19:34
The Messiah would experience extreme thirst while on the cross.	Psalm 22:15	John 19:28-30
Gentiles would surround the Messiah at His crucifixion. (NB – The Jews referred to Gentiles as ‘dogs’).	Psalm 22:16a	Luke 23:36
Jews would surround the Messiah at His crucifixion.	Psalm 22:16b	Matthew 27:41-43
The Messiah would be crucified. His hands and feet would be pierced.	Psalm 22:16c	Matthew 27:35a
None of the Messiah’s bones would be broken.	Psalm 22:17a	John 19:32-33
People would stare at the Messiah in His humiliation.	Psalm 22:17b	Luke 23:35
The Messiah’s garments would be divided, and lots would be cast for His clothing.	Psalm 22:18	Matthew 27:35 John 19:23-24
The Messiah’s atonement would enable believers to be His brethren.	Psalm 22:22	Hebrews 2:10-12

(Selected from the Disciples Bible, p. 1443) Through prophecy, God has provided us with a logical foundation for our faith. Fulfilled prophecies confirm the Bible’s trustworthiness.  As noted above, the Scriptures contain at least 1,000 prophecies. Many have been fulfilled, some of them are in the process of being fulfilled, and others are yet to be fulfilled. The accuracy and detail of those that have been fulfilled are amazing. Only One who knows the beginning from the end could have possibly predicted future events with such precision. The Creator God asks us to believe in Him based on a very solid foundation.  2 Peter 1:19 (KJV) – “We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the morning star arises in your hearts” “DESPISE NOT PROPHESYINGS. PROVE ALL THINGS: HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD”. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).  (All Bible references are from the NKJV unless otherwise specified).