Is the Bible God's Word? - Part 2, Biblical Prophecy

This week's study is the second in a three part series on the truth and accuracy of the Bible, titled "Is the Bible God's Word"? This week we take a look at Biblical Prophecy, what the Bible says regarding future events. Some events like the prediction of Jesus as the Messiah have already been fulfilled, while others like Christ's return are still to come.

As a reminder, if you really want to understand the Bible, you have to read and study on your own. Hopefully, these studies will excite you about seeing the Bible for what it is. Pray that God will give you a hunger to know more about Him and His plan for your life.

Jesus as the Messiah

The biggest claim the Bible makes is that Jesus Christ is God, that he descended to earth lived a perfect life and was crucified on the cross. The Bible also goes on to say in John 3:16 that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Though the life of Jesus Christ is mostly covered in the four New Testament Gospels, Miles reminded us that cover to cover, everything about the Bible points to Jesus.

Affirming this, we looked at some Old Testament Scriptures that foretold certain attributes and events surrounding Jesus' birth, life, and death. Be sure to check out this week's Lesson Plan for a complete list.

The Probability of Fulfilling the Prophecies

To help put things in perspective, Miles used an example to illustrate the likelihood of one man fulfilling eight of the Biblical prophecies. Keep in mind that in there are 300 prophecies in all, and Jesus fulfilled every one of them.

The odds that one person could fulfill eight of these prophecies is the same as this:

If you cover the whole state of Texas two feet deep in silver dollars and choose one silver dollar and mark an 'X' on it, the probability of randomly selecting the marked silver dollar is the same as one man fulfilling eight of the messianic prophecies.

The Importance of Knowing Who Jesus Is

The main contention between major religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is the identity of Jesus. Of these three, only Christianity believes that Jesus is God. Studying Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy will strengthen your faith and give you confidence in living a Christ-oriented life.

Prophecies Yet to be Fulfilled

The second part of our study concerned looking at Biblical prophecies that have yet to occur.

1. Rapture of the church1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
   For more information about people who have been raptured in the Bible, read about Elijah, Enoch, Apostle Paul, Jesus, Apostle John, and the two witnesses in Revelations.
2. Second comingRevelation 19:11-16
   In the rapture Jesus comes to take us. In the second coming we will return with him.
3. Thousand Year reignRevelation 20:1-6
   This is the resurrection of martyrs while Satan is cast into the bottomless pit.
4. Great White Throne JudgementRevelation 20:11-15
   Maybe God has another name for us in the Book of Life, since He created us with His own special purpose and plan for our lives.
5. EternityRevelation 21:1-8
   The Bible says one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord.

Challenge yourself to know the Bible more. The more you study and learn, the stronger your faith will become.