In the previous blog post on why we believe the Bible is the true word of God, it was stated there are four main criteria the Bible provides for us to validate its veracity, to confirm its truthfulness.

  • And one of the methods put forward to prove that it is the word of God, is the falsification method (what we usually refer to today as the scientific method)

Below is a small sample of the prophecies and explanations provided by the Bible which, though they were testable and could have been falsified, all turned out to true:

A Small Sample Of The Fulfilled Historical Prophecies Recorded In The Bible

The biblical prophet Jeremiah foretold that the Hebrew people would be taken captive and their land left desolate for seventy years during the time of the Babylonian Empire.

The prophet Isaiah made the prediction that the Persian ruler Cyrus would release them from captivity at the end of the 70 years.  Isaiah foretold this prophecy 150 years before the event occurred, before there was a Persian Empire and before Cyrus was ever born.

They were taken into captivity in waves by the Babylonians and the Temple was destroyed in 586 BC.  They were released 70 years later by the order of the Persian Empire and its king, Cyrus.

These accounts are prophesied in Isaiah 44:24–45:13; Jeremiah 25:1–14; 29:10; Daniel 1:1; Ezra 1: 1 – 3

 

During the reign of the Babylonian Empire, the Bible predicted it would be replaced by the Persian Empire, which would be replaced by the Greek Empire, which would split into four parts, before being replaced by the Roman Empire (which would be in place when the Messiah came to earth).

The Babylonian Empire was brought to an end after being conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire which ruled until it was conquered by Alexander the Great around 332–330 BC. After his death, the Greek Empire had to split and be governed in four parts. Around 63 BC, the Roman Empire took control and dominated the world, including the land of the former nation of Israel, during and after the birth of Jesus.

These events were foretold in Daniel 2:31–45; 7:1–7; 8:1–8

 

According to a prophecy given to Daniel, the promised Messiah would claim His Kingship and then be killed all within a specific timeframe. The timeframe began 483 years after a decree was issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem  The decree was issued in 457 B.C. by Artaxerxes, making 483 years later 26 A.D. 

Daniel also foretold that the Messiah would be killed (but not of His own fault) halfway through a final seven year period.

Scholars agree that Jesus came on the scene in Jerusalem, was baptized (and anointed by God), claimed to be the King of the Jews, and was killed between the years 26 and 33 AD.  He was killed about 3.5 years into His ministry.

These prophecies are recorded in Daniel 9:24–26; Ezra 7: 12 – 26

 

Daniel prophesied the Temple would be destroyed sometime after the death of the Messiah.

Jesus Himself said (around 30 AD) that the temple would be destroyed, with each stone literally torn off the others, before all those in the current generation with Him had passed away.

The temple in Jerusalem was completely destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman army.  The temple was literally torn stone from stone by the Roman soldiers—who looked for gold that had melted into the cracks of the walls as the city and the temple were burned.

We find these predictions in Daniel 9:26; Luke 21: 5–6, 32

 

A Sample Of Scientific Explanations Recorded In The Bible

The Universe had a beginning - Genesis 1:1

The universe runs mechanistically, like clockwork - Genesis 1:28 & 8:28

The earth is round - Isaiah 40:22

The earth “hangs on nothing” - Job 26:7

The hydrological water cycle (water evaporates from oceans, rains on earth, runs into rivers, flows back into oceans) - Ecclesiastes 1:7 & 11:3 and Amos 9:6

The 1st Law of Thermodynamics (matter and energy can’t be created or destroyed) - (Verb tense of ‘finished’ or ‘completed’ in) Genesis 2:1

The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (the universe is going from more order to less – it is wearing out) - Psalm 102:25-26 and Isaiah 51:6

 

Though many of these descriptions of nature seemed absurd when first written in the Bible, all have proven to be true.

Many other religious texts don’t provide a means by which they could be tested and so we have no foundation from which to claim they are God’s truth/

  • And all other religious texts besides the Bible which have provided testable claims have all failed the test and their predictions and explanations have been proven to be false.

Therefore, we are confident the Bible is the true and only word of God!