Will Isaiah 11:6-9be fulfilled literally or figuratively? Since are strong views both ways, let’s look at what the Bible itself reports, and then analyze
“And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a young boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing baby will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will do no evil nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh As the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9 LSB).read more
Jehovah’s Witnesses (“Bible Students”, as they called themselves then) were forecasting that 1925 would bring the end of the world, so to speak. However, everything they so boldly forecasted to occur in 1925 failed to materialize. Humble people admit their mistakes, and don’t blame others for them. Jehovah’s Witnesses (Bible Students) have had more than their share of failed expectations, so one would expect that they might apologize for their false prophetic speculations about the year 1925.read more
New Testament Timeline Confirmed By Prophecy and History
Skeptics and critics claim the Bible is not historical, but “cleverly devised legends” (2 Peter 1:16 Weymouth). However, the New Testament timeline is confirmed by both prophecy and history. We’ve examined how the various details of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks of years were fulfilled in another article on this website. Now let’s look at many of the details from the perspective of the New Testament timeline in connection with these events.
HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS
539 or 538 BCE — The “seventy weeks” prophecy is given to the prophet Daniel in “the first year [of]
Skeptics and critics have asserted that Ezekiel’s prophecy is false. Was Egypt literally devastated, as Ezekiel 29:1-16 predicted? Could the prophecy have only been fulfilled in a figurative sense?
WHAT SKEPTICS CLAIM
Here is an example of the assertions of skeptics and critics of the Bible:
Possibly the most pessimistic of the Old Testament prophets, Ezekiel proclaimed impending doom upon everyone from Judah itself to the enemy nations surrounding it. The failure of his prophecies to materialize as he predicted makes a compelling argument against the Bible inerrancy doctrine. In one of his doom’s-day prophecies, Egypt was to experience forty years of utter desolation:read more
Famine In Sudan Illustrates Accuracy Of Bible Prophecy
When Jesus was asked by his disciples, “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 ESV), he first warned them, “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, . . . ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them” (Luke 21:8 NIV). During his long response to his disciples’ question, he emphasized, “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44 NLT). Since there is no way any human can figure out when Jesus will return, Jesus .said we “must be ready all the time.”. What does famine have to do with this?read more
Who wrote the book of Zechariah? And When was it written? Before the sixteenth century, the writership of the book of Zechariah was unanimously believed to have been written by “the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo,” beginning “in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius” king of Persia, in 520 BCE (Zechariah 1:1ESV).
Theories of Different Writers
So, who wrote the book of Zechariah? And when was it written? Let’s look at some of the viewpoints about this.read more
When, and by Whom, Was the Book of Isaiah Written?
“The vision which Isaiah, son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah”—Isaiah 1:1 NAB
Until about the last 250 years, the book of Isaiah was generally accepted by Christians as being written entirely by the prophet Isaiah in the latter part of the 8th century BCE. Nowadays, however, many “scholars” think the book was written by various writers over the course of several centuries, citing factors such as differences in subject matter, style, theology, vocabulary, and the viewpoint that predictive prophesy is impossible. The real reason for this is, however, that they don’t think predictive prophecy is possible. While there are a variety of views about the writership of Isaiah, critics often claim that chapters 40-66 were not written by “Isaiah, son of Amos.” However, careful examination of the book reveals that chapters 36-39 are a historical interlude that concludes the first section of the book, chapters 1-35, and introduces the last section, chapters 40-66. This reveals the unity of the entire book. read more
Due to the fierce fighting that has been going on in Israel and Gaza lately, there is much keen interest in Israel and the Bible. Below are some articles on this website about Israel and the Bible:
“Should We Pray for Israel?”
“Does Modern Israel fulfill Bible Prophecy?”
“Are Restoration Prophecies About Israel Literal — Or Symbolic?”
The Bible accurately predicted details of Alexander the Great 200 years in advance.
Critics assert that accurate predictive prophecy is impossible. However, Alexander the Great was predicted in the Bible 200 years in advance.
“Alexander of Macedon son of Philip . . . defeated Darius king of the Persians and Medes, whom he succeeded as ruler, as first of Helias. He undertook many campaigns, gained possession of many fortresses . . . So he advanced to the ends of the earth, plundering nation after nation; the earth grew silent before him, and his ambitious heart swelled with pride. He assembled very powerful forces and subdued provinces, nations and princes, and they became his tributaries . . . Alexander had reigned twelve years when he died”—1 Maccabees 1:1-7 NJBread more
To Understand Bible Prophecy, Consider the Context
Jehovah’s Witnesses published an article entitled “An Attack Coming From the North” (The Watchtower–Study Edition, April 2020), in which they admit that their prior explanation of the prophecy of Joel 2:7-9 was out of context, and therefore inaccurate. To accurately understand Bible prophecy, we must consider the context!
Their new explanation of this prophecy is very similar to the one that what they call “Christendom” has explained for a long time, that is, the Babylonians would invade Judah and Jerusalem from the north and take over. Unfortunately for the JW’s, however, they still hold to their 607 BCE date for the destruction of Jerusalem, since it fits in with their ill-fated 1914 date.
In their explanation, the Witnesses make an astounding statement: “To understand a prophecy correctly, we generally have to consider its context” (The Watchtower, April 2020, Study Article 14, paragraph 2). —“Generally”???—Why would we not always need to “consider its context”? Would there ever be a Bible prophecy that we could take out of context, and come up with an explanation that is correct?—-Absolutely not. It would be like trying to float a ship on dry land.
Then they go on to make another equally astounding statement. “If we focus on only one aspect of the prophecy and ignore the rest, we may draw the wrong conclusion”. — “May draw the wrong conclusion”??? This is unbelievable. If we ignore every aspect of a Bible prophecy except one, how could we not draw the wrong conclusion?
At least the JW Organization admits they were wrong about Joel 2:7-9. However, they seem to downplay a vital point about wise decision making. Wise decision makers take into account all relevant facts–not just one–before making a final decision. This also applies to understanding Bible prophecy.
Why would they make statements such as these? It appears that it may be to cover up for a number of erroneous prophetic interpretations that they have made, including their most important ones; namely,Matthew 24:45 and 1914.
Jesus gave his great long range prophecy that is recorded in Matthew 24, 25. He concludes this with four parables that exhort each Christian to be faithful, always active, and working for Christ and his Kingdom’s interests (Matthew 24:45-25:46), all the while without any figuring out when the Master will return, since Jesus admitted he didn’t know that date himself (Matthew 24:36-44).
It is the parable of the faithful and wise servant (Matthew 24:45-51) that the Witness organization has long used out of context to assert that their leaders fulfill this prophecy. The way the JW’s explain it, their leaders, guided by Almighty God, have been dispensing “spiritual food at the proper time since the year 1919”. If that is so, then why have the Witnesses had to change their explanations so many times? When they change their explanation, the former explanation becomes obsolete, or no longer correct.
Who wrote the book of Zechariah? And When was it written? Before the sixteenth century, the writership of the book of Zechariah was unanimously believed to have been written by “the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo,” beginning “in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius” king of Persia, in 520 BCE (
