Its Reliability Proves It

“It’s Reliability Proves It”

Message preached by Doug Vernon on October 28, 2001, at Southside Christian Church

A rare book collector met a guy who said he'd just thrown out an old Bible that had been packed away for generations. "Somebody named Guten‑something had printed it,". "Not Gutenberg!" gasped the book lover. "You've just thrown away one of the most first books ever printed. One copy recently sold at an auction for over four million dollars!" The other man was still unmoved. "My copy wouldn't have brought a dime," he said. "Some guy named Martin Luther scribbled notes all over it."

1. What makes the Bible valuable?

a. Is it valuable because it contains good common sense for living?

b. Is it valuable because it has verifiable facts?

c. Is it valuable because it has accurate information about medicine and science?

d. Is it valuable because it is old?

e. Is it valuable because it makes a good display on the coffee table when the preacher comes by?

2. All of the things we have been discussing are important and valuable, but a book that is historically accurate or medically sound doesn’t necessarily make is spiritually founded. So what makes the Bible valuable?

I read a quote from Bertrand Russell last week who said, “If I someday stand before God and am asked why I never put his faith in Him, he’ll say he hadn’t been given enough evidence.” And yet Russell in a Look magazine interview was asked, “Under what condition would you believe in God,” he said, “Well, if I heard a voice from heaven and it predicted a series of things and they came to pass, then I guess I’d have to believe there’s some kind of supernatural being.”[1]

3. That, Mr. Russell, is a very important key … As we move today from historical facts to futuristic prophecy, the question is this, who can consistently and accurately foretell of the future?

a. I would doubt if Mr. Russell believed that the scenario he painted would ever occur.

b. But, as he stated, if a series of things were clearly predicted and they came to pass, then there is only one conclusion, they were given by a supernatural being.

4. That gives us the basis for today’s message as we continue our series, “The Unbreakable Bible”.

a. Week 1 – “The Dirt Proves It” – as we looked at archaeological proof.

b. Week 2 – “The Beaker Proves It” – as we looked at scientific proof.

c. Today marks a real change as we move from the human to the divine.

d. Because the answer to the question, what makes the Bible valuable, is founded in it’s source.

5. Today message is, “It’s Reliability Proves It” and we will take a look at the proofs from fulfilled prophecy.

a. What is prophecy?

b. According to Vines Expository dictionary, “prophesying signifies the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God … though much of O.T. prophecy was purely predictive, prophecy is not necessarily, nor even primarily, fore–telling. It is the declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means, it is the forth–telling of the will of God, whether with reference to the past, the present, or the future. In the case of the O.T. prophets their messages were very largely the proclamation of the Divine purposes of salvation and glory to be accomplished in the future; the prophesying of the N.T. prophets was both a preaching of the Divine counsels of grace already accomplished and the fore–telling of the purposes of God in the future.”[2]

c. Christians believe that a Bible prophecy is a God-given revelation of the future. God gave His prophets, including Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah, prophecies of the future. He did this to prepare people for the future, and to show that He is the one true God and that He is all-powerful. A prophecy is not a prediction of the future - it is a promise about the future. God gave promises to His prophets. There are different kinds of prophecies. Some prophecies are about a Messiah, which means "anointed one" or "chosen one." These are called "Messianic" prophecies. Christians believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophecies. There also are "end time" prophecies. These prophecies refer to a time of war, famine and pestilence, after which a Messiah will reign over the world with justice and righteousness. Christians believe that this Messiah is also Jesus, who will return in the future.[3]

6. Our goal today is to weigh the evidence of prophecy.

a. If the bible is historically accurate and scientifically sound, and if it makes a series of predictions about the future, what does that mean?

b. That’s what we want to figure out today.

7. The purpose of this series is to give you the confidence in the Word – so that you will read it, learn it, and OBEY IT.

Madelyn Murray O’Hair, was asked why so many people were afraid of her. “I’ll tell you why some Christians are,” she replied. “They are not sure what they say they believe is true. If they were, I wouldn’t be a threat to them at all.” [4]

a. If don’t believe it’s really true. Then it does you absolutely no good. If it’s just a good book, it’s not going to do as much good as if it’s really God’s word.

b. But if it really is the Word of God (as it claims to be), then it will change your life!

Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

c. BUT NOT IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT, YOU WON’T LET IT WORK IN YOUR LIFE.

d. If it’s used incorrectly, it will do no good.

A cake decorator was asked by a bride to inscribe I John 4:18 on a wedding cake. Unfortunately, the decorator didn't know the Bible very well. Instead of putting on the words, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear..." on the cake, the decorator wrote the words from John 4:18. The bride and groom did not see the cake until their reception, as they were getting ready to cut it. What does John 4:18 say? "You have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband."

e. Not very effective.

8. So let me give you more reasons to believe the Bible. The Bible claims that it was breathed out by God

a. 2 Tim. 3:16, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

b. 2 Peter 1:21, For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit

9. Let’s look at the reliability of scripture as we take a look at prophecy … and begin with this question:

I. Who has the Power to Prophesy?

A. To this there is a decisive answer in the prophecy of Isaiah. In the 41st chapter God challenges the idols and the idol worshippers of the day to prove that they possess divine powers. God challenges…

Isaiah 41:22-23, "Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.

1. You see, sarcasm may be from God. He’s sounding a little sarcastic here. You have your own gods, well, why don’t they come down here and show us the future.”

Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

2. Now think about it, who could possibly say, “My purpose will stand” with any authority? Only someone who not only knows future events before they happen, but has the power to see that they take place as He has decreed.

B. Many people have tried to predict the future.

1. Let me pick on Nostradamus. It has been stated that for years, he predicted such things as the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany. One of the problems with most so-called psychics is that their predictions are often very ambiguous and inaccurate. Here are the words from Nostradamus prediction, “Followers of sects, great troubles are in store for the Messenger. A beast upon the theater prepares the scenical play. The inventor of that wicked feat will be famous. By sects the world will be confused and divided …. Beasts mad with hunger will swim across rivers. Most of the army will be against the Lower Danube [Hister sera]. The great one shall be dragged in an iron cage when the child brother [de Germain] will observe nothing.” Norman Geisler comments, “Obviosuly, this is not a reference to Adolf Hitler. The word isn’t ‘Hitler’ but ‘Hister,’ and it’s clearly not a person but a place. The Latin phrase de Germain should be interpreted as ‘brother’ or ‘near relative,’ not Germany. He doesn’t cite any dates or even a general time frame. Besides, what does he mean by ‘beasts’ and ‘iron cage’ It’s so confusing that the entire prophecy is meaningless.”[5]

2. Another psychic example would be Jean Dixon. It has been claimed that she predicted that a Democrat who would be assassinated in office would win the 1960 election. It is claimed that this was fulfilled in John F. Kennedy. The only problem is what else she predicted would occur. She said that the 1960 elections would be dominated by labor, which they weren’t; She later hedged her bets by saying that Richard Nixon would win (that’s convenient to name both sides of the fence); plus other predictions that turned out to be false: WWIII would begin in 1954; that Castro would be banished from Cuba in 1970; and my favorite is that she predicted Jacqueline Kennedy would not remarry – and the very next day, she wed Aristotle Onassis![6]

3. But if someone has an ability from God to tell the future – they have to be all right, all the time – BECAUSE GOD IS NEVER WRONG.

4. The national enquirer did a thing a couple of years ago – 60 predictions. Year later 58 did not come true – other two were so obvious.

5. JW’s wrongly predicted the return of Jesus 7 times – why would someone follow a religion that keeps screwing up their prophecies?

6. God said in Deuteronomy 18:20-22, where He gave us the biblical test for a prophet. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

7. So let me show you a few.

II. Prophecies About Places

For example, would anyone care to select a large metropolitan area and predict in advance, and in detail, how that city will be destroyed? The Bible did, and not with just one city, but many!

A. City of Tyre[7]

1. The two great cities of Phoenicia were Tyre and Sidon. Ezekiel as a captive in Babylon made some very specific predictions about the seacoast metropolis of Tyre. In Ezekiel 26 and 27 the destruction of Tyre was given in detail (592-570BC)

Ezekiel 26:3-14, 3 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. 5 Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the nations, 7 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. 12 They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea. 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.

2. Nebuchadnezzar came against Tyre in 585 BC (fulfilling vs 26:7). The siege lasted until 573 BC. When he broke down the gates of the city he found most of the population had escaped by ship to a city they had built on an island about a half mile out into the sea. Sometime after defeating the Persians in a battle in 333BC, Alexander III in a southern campaign demolished old Tyre and used the materials and dirt (fulfilling verse 26:4) to build a causeway to the new city which had been built out in the water. After a long siege, the island city was destroyed and the materials cast into the sea (fulfilling 26:12). Eighteen years after Alexander's defeat of Tyre on the island, Antigonus laid siege to the city and again destroyed it. The Moslems were next to win and occupy it for a time but were defeated by the Roman Crusaders. Still later, the Moslems again retook and utterly destroyed the city with a vengeance, seeming to hate the very stones on which the Crusaders walked. All these "waves" of conquerors fulfilled vs 26:3. Today, Tyre is literally a place for local fishermen to spread their nets to dry. The proud commercial seaport of ancient Tyre has never been rebuilt (fulfilling vs 26:5 and 14) ⁵.

B. Prophecies about Petra and Edom

1. There are several prophets who speak about the country of Edom and its capital, Petra. Petra is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world. When you read them, you find 5 prophecies.

a. Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds - Isa 34:13

b. It will be inhabited by wild animals - Isa 34:11-15

c. It will become desolate - Isa 34:11

d. It will be conquered by Israel - Ezek 25:14

e. It will never be populated again - Jer 49:17-18; Ezek 35:9

2. Now, to help you appreciate this, consider this.

a. Petra, the capital city of Edom, was a very unique city. It was carved out of the face of a mountain. Many of the homes, and businesses, and institutions, were carved out of the reddish color rock of the mountain. It was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Around the time of Christ, Petra was prosperous. It was on one of the great commercial trade routes at that time. The thought of it being desolate seemed ludicrous.

b. Think of it this way. The country of Edom is about the same size as the state of New Jersey -about 7,000 square miles. If someone predicted that New Jersey will become desolate. It will never be inhabited again after it is conquered. Wild animals will inhabit it. It again seems ludicrous.

3. But did God fulfill these prophecies?

a. Today, Petra is uninhabited. It is a very popular tourist attraction if you tour the middle East.

b. But when you visit there, you find only empty buildings carved out of the rock, all of which are now overgrown by thistles and brambles.

c. And you find that the only residents there now are wild animals.

d. Just exactly as God had predicted.

C. Many other places

1. City of Samaria - Hosea 13 - Micah 1

2. Cities of Gaza & Ashkelon - Amos 1 - Jeremiah 47 -Zephaniah 2

D. What does this mean?

1. Weathermen struggle to tell you what the weather is going to be like tomorrow.

a. But - The Bible is filled with prophecies that tell of events hundreds of years in the future.

b. Its prophecies are fulfilled – the Bible is always true.

2. What are the odds of even a few prophecies coming true?

Get bag of candy corn or some type of round, hard candy. Put it in a clear bucket or box. Then ask for a volunteer from the audience to come up and help me out. First, put one piece of candy in one hand and then a second piece in another hand and ask them to select the right one. Ask, what are the odds that they would pick the right piece of candy? 1 in 2. Then bring out the box, filled with the candy. Place the one in the box and mix them up. “Do you think you can find it?” Wait, one more prop – get out the blindfold and now have them pick one. Did you pick the right one? NO? YOU ARE NOT A PROPHET OF GOD – STONE HIM (NEED TO GET A FAKE STONE) Tell everyone they can get a piece of candy at the conclusion of the service … so they go away with a “sweet taste” in their mouths! (pick someone to stand at the doors for this) [Props: 3-4 bags of a wrapped candy, clear box (2) the special candy to pick, a rock for stoning]

3. What are the odds of this volunteer picking the candy … way against him. Just like the odds of the OT prophecies about places and people coming true … the only way to explain it is this – it’s a God thing!

Let’s go to one more source of prophecies…

III. Prophecies of The Messiah

The prophecies of the Messiah carry greater weight because of the significance and important of the Messiah. “Throughout the NT the apostles appealed to two areas of the life of Jesus of Nazareth to establish His messiahship. One was the resurrection and the other was fulfilled messianic prophecy. The OT, written over a one-thousand year period, contains nearly 300 references to the coming Messiah.”[8]

A. Concerning the Birth of Jesus

1. Matt 1:18-2:23, Matthew helps us see that there were 4 prophecies given in the OT that had to do with the birth of Christ.

a. Micah 5:2 said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

b. Hosea 11:1 said that the Messiah would be called by God out of Egypt.

c. It was common knowledge that the prophets taught that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.

d. Jer 31:15 said that there would be children killed in Ramah in connection with the Messiah.

2. Now, stop and think about that. As you piece the OT prophecies together, you realize that the Messiah had to come from Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth. Those were three separate places that were separated by a number of miles. What are the chances of somebody coming from all three of those places? Pretty slim.

3. But what Matthew shows us is that God pulled this off so that Jesus did come from all three of these places.

a. Mary was pregnant in Nazareth. It was God's plan that Mary give birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. And so, God had to work out a way to get Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem at the exact time when the baby would be born. And so, God providentially orchestrated the decisions of Ceasar Augustus so that an order was given for all citizens to go to the town of their ancestors. Mary and Joseph were both ancestors of King David, and so, they had to go to David's home town -which was Bethlehem. And they arrived just in time for Jesus to be born.

b. But how was God going to orchestrate things so that the Messiah came out of Egypt? Well, Herod heard of the birth of Jesus from the magi. These men were world-renowned as king makers. They had come to Israel because they had seen a light in the sky that indicated to them that a king had been born. And they wanted to recognize that king. But when Herod, the current king of the Jews, heard that a new king of the Jews had been born, he decided to order all boys under 2 years of age to be killed. Just before that happened, God told Joseph, in a dream, to go to Egypt in order to escape the fury of Herod. Egypt was the closest country outside of Herod's jurisdiction. And so, God worked things in order to get Jesus to Egypt.

c. But how was God going to get Him to Nazareth? When Joseph and Mary were told by an angel in a dream that Herod had died and that it was safe to return to Israel, they planned to return to the area of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the center of religion and the center of learning. It seemed like the perfect place to raise your child if you wanted to make sure that they got a top quality education. So, how was God going to orchestrate things so that Joseph and Mary wouldn't settle down in Jerusalem? When they returned from Egypt, they heard that Herod's son had taken over from his father, and was ruling over Jerusalem. This made Mary and Joseph afraid to go there. And again, God spoke to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to settle in Nazareth.

4. And so, what we see is that God pulled it off so that Jesus ended up coming from these 3 locations.

a. Now, if you had been living 500 years before the birth of Christ, and you had come across these three prophecies about the Messiah, you probably would have been a little confused.

b. The chances of somebody coming from these three locations are pretty remote.

c. And you would realize we can be confident that God wrote the Bible and that He is in control of history.

B. What about prophecies concerning the life of Jesus?

1. The question is this, “Did Jesus really establish the credentials necessary to prove that He was the Messiah?”

2. Josh McDowell, New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, lists 61 prophecies about the Messiah and their fulfillment in Jesus.

3. Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12 and Psalm 22, for instance, record specific details about death by crucifixion hundreds of years before this terrible form of execution was ever practiced.

4. Note these 14 specific prophecies about Jesus Christ that were literally fulfilled:

Prophecy FULFILLMENT

a. Isa. 7:14 ............ Virgin-born............................................... Luke 1:26-35

b. Micah 5:2 .......... Birth in Bethlehem .................................. Matt. 2:1

c. Isa. 7:14 ............ Called Immanuel ..................................... Matt. 1:23

d. Isa. 9:1-2 ........... Ministry in Galilee.................................... Matt. 4:12-16

e. Zech. 9:9 ........... Triumphal entry ....................................... Matt. 21:1-11

f. Ps. 41:9 ............ Betrayed by a friend ............................... Matt. 26:20-25

g. Ps. 35:11 .......... Falsely accused....................................... Matt. 26:59-68

h. Isa. 53:7 ............ Silent before accusers............................ Matt. 27:12-14

i. Ps. 22:16........... Hands & feet pierced.............................. John 20:25

j. Isa. 53:12 .......... Crucified with robbers............................. Matt. 27:38

k. Ps. 22:18 .......... Lots cast for clothes ............................... John 19:23-24

l. Ps. 34:20 .......... Bones not broken.................................... John 19:33

m. Ps. 22:15 .......... Thirsted on the cross............................... John 19:28

n. Isa 53:9 ............. Buried in tomb of rich ............................. Matt. 27:57-61

C. The Timing of the Messiah.

1. 70 A.D the city is destroyed and the temple destroyed, and has never been rebuilt.

2. Daniel 9:20-27 gives an exact prophesy of when the messiah should come.

Daniel 9:24-27, 24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. 25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

3. The decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem – Decree of Artaxerxes 457 B.C.

4. Stage one of the vision was 7 weeks, forty-nine prophetic day-years. This corresponds to the number of years required to restore Jerusalem … 457 minus 49 = 408 BC

5. Stage two of the vision was a nondescript period extending sixty-two weeks (434 prophetical day-years). 408 BC minus 434 = 26 AD. This is precisely the year that Jesus was “anointed with the HS and with power.” This is when he began his ministry. How long did his ministry last? 3 ½ years.

6. Stage three, the seventieth week, we are told that “the anointed one” would be “cut off.” Moreover He would “make a covenant with many” that week, and in the midst of the week He would cause sacrifice and oblation to cease.” Jesus did indeed inaugurate a new covenant and made an effectual end of the sacrificial system. The Jews didn’t get it until 70 AD when Titus of Rome came and destroyed the city and temple.

D. Do the probability stuff again … or do a different one this time.

1. If only eight were to come true, it would be odds of 1 in 10 to the 57^th power. That would be like taking 10 to the 57^th power silver dollars, which would cover the state of Texas two feet deep, marking one of them, stirring them up, and then being able to find the marked one…impossible!

2. How is this possible … It’s a God thing!