Is the Bible True | The Hengoed Bereans

Is the Bible True?

Have you ever asked the question “Is the Bible True?”

Many people have not even stopped to ask that question, and if they did, they would not be interested in the answer.

Probably many people have thought about the question and just simply declared that it is not true. They just don’t believe in the Bible.

Many people do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God because they don’t believe that there is a God. They believe that the Bible is a myth, or the records of a religious people’s history – or various other ideas – but certainly not a Book that is divine.

These views are not surprising given the views propounded by the scientific community and the theory of evolution which dispenses with the need for belief in a God that created all things. This is not the place to discuss the theory of evolution, but we do want to think about this unique book we call ‘The Bible’ and particularly as there are still many people who do believe in God.

But even those who believe in God do not always believe that the Bible is a revelation from God. They do not believe that it is a Book that is absolutely true and can be trusted implicitly; that it is the Word of God that can be relied upon.

What is surprising is that many people declare that they do not believe the Bible when they have never even read it or read it right through. A systematic reading of the Bible is essential to realise it's unique character.

We believe that there are many reasons for believing that the Bible is true – the greatest of them being its own witness! A careful and honest reading of the Bible leaves one with the conviction that this Book is different; it is unique; that there is something special about it.

But there are also some very interesting prophecies in the Bible that indicate that this was not a Book that was written by man; and that although men were the instruments by which the words were recorded, they were recorded under divine inspiration.

What is a prophecy? Quite simply, it is a prediction of what will happen in the future, and there are many prophecies in the Bible. To be able to predict the future is beyond the capability of anyone, but the Bible makes some remarkable predictions. We will just take some of the most striking examples because we want to demonstrate that this Book is from God.

Before we look at some of these prophecies, it may be as well to set ourselves a benchmark by which we can measure the effectiveness of a prophecy. That is to say, that when we look at prophecies, we can determine that there is something very special about them. For example, we may “prophesy” that a bus will arrive at a certain place in a week’s time. Nothing special there. We may know the bus timetable or guess from the signs around a particular area that there is a bus stop there.

But what if we said that a blue bus would arrive at a certain place in 200 years? Well, apart from not being around to see if that “prophecy” was verified, that would be something special. How would we have that kind of foresight? Would the bus company be around in 200 years? Would the certain place still be a bus stop? Would something else be bult there? Would we be using buses in 200 years? We would have to admit that would be a good test to see if we could prophecy the future.

So, what tests could we use to ensure that the prophecies of the Bible were very special and beyond the ability of anyone to predict. What could we use to prove that the Book is what is says it is – that is, The Word of God?

The Tests

Let’s set out the following tests and then apply the prophecies to them. To be convincing that the prophecies are special:

They must be written before the foretold events.
The predicted events must be of such a character that no amount of human forethought could anticipate them.
The events were not probabilities.
The predictions were clear.
They were of such a nature as to continually be in danger of being falsified.

Test Number 1

Let’s consider this “test” in isolation.

We are going to consider 3 prophecies from the Old Testament, and our proposition is that all of them were written before the foretold events. Test number one should therefore be applicable to each of the three prophecies.

So, when were the prophecies written?

The earliest books of the Old Testament were written at about the 16th century B.C. and the latest books about the 5th century B.C. But as this is a matter which might involve debate with the sceptic, we can afford to agree to a much later date which will still be early enough to fulfil our first requirement, i.e., "The prophecies were written before the foretold events."

There happens to be a notable event in secular history which will serve our purpose in establishing the early age of the prophecies. Ptolemy, the Greek king of Egypt who lived in the 3rd century B.C. was an enthusiastic scholar. He collected a wonderful library and among his books, it is said, he wished to include the sacred books of the Jews. These books were written in Hebrew, so Ptolemy, it is said, commissioned seventy learned Jews to translate their Hebrew scriptures into Greek. Thus, there came into being a version known to history as the Septuagint Version, i.e., The version of the Seventy. It is still extant today and contains every book of the Old Testament that is found in our Authorised Version of the Bible.

Here then is elementary and indisputable evidence that the Jewish Scriptures were a finished and complete production in the 3rd century B.C. How otherwise could a version be made from them at that time? Thus, we can now consider the prophecies themselves confident of our age question. We can now examine them strictly on their merits of fulfilment.

THE CITY OF BABYLON

Babylon was one of the ancient kingdoms of the Middle East. It was at the height of her power under King Nebuchadnezzar when Jeremiah wrote his prophecy (about 600 B.C.) and it was still a mighty city of the Greek Empire at the time of the translations of the Jewish Scriptures into Greek. However, God indicated that the city of Babylon would fall and would virtually disappear. To give that some context, imagine London or New York disappearing! The prophecy also gives some unusual descriptions regarding its fate.

Here are some of the things predicted by the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah over a century earlier, concerning Babylon:

From Jeremiah 50:

"For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her which shall MAKE HER LAND DESOLATE AND NONE SHALL DWELL THEREIN: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast." (Verse 3)

“It (Babylon) shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate." (Verse 13)

"How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken; how is Babylon become a DESOLATION AMONG THE NATIONS!" (Verse 23)

"CAST HER UP AS HEAPS and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left." (Verse 26)

"A DROUGHT is UPON HER WATERS, and they shall be dried up." (Verse 38)

“Therefore, the WILD BEASTS OF THE DESERT WITH THE WILD BEASTS OF THE ISLANDS SHALL DWELL THERE, AND THE OWLS SHALL DWELL THEREIN, and it shall no more be inhabited for ever, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation." (Verse 39)

"So SHALL NO MAN ABIDE THERE, neither shall any son of man dwell therein." (Verse 40)

From Jeremiah 51:

"We would have healed Babylon but SHE IS NOT HEALED." (Verse 9)

"Ο thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, THINE END IS COME." (Verse 13)

"THEY SHALL NOT TAKE OF THEE A STONE for a corner nor a stone for foundations." (Verse 26)

"Thou shalt be DESOLATE FOR EVER, saith the Lord." (Verse 26)

"For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon to make the land of Babylon A DESOLATION WITHOUT AN INHABITANT." (Verse 29)

"THE SEA IS COME UPON BABYLON; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof." (Verse 42)

"BABYLON SHALL BECOME HEAPS, A DWELLINGPLACE FOR DRAGONS (JACKALS), an astonishment . . . WITHOUT AN INHABITANT." (Verse 37)

"Her cities are a desolation, A DRY LAND AND A WILDERNESS, a land wherein no man dwelleth." (Verse 43)

"The broad walls of Babylon shall be UTTERLY BROKEN." (Verse 58)

"Ο Lord, thou hast spoken against this place to cut it off that none shall remain in it neither man nor beast, but that IT SHALL BE DESOLATE FOR EVER." (Verse 62)

"THUS SHALL BABYLON SINK AND SHALL NOT RISE from the evil that I will bring upon her." (Verse 64)

From Isaiah 13:

"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be AS WHEN GOD OVERTHREW SODOM AND GOMORRAH." (Verse 19)

"IT SHALL NEVER BE INHABITED, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation." (Verse 20)

"NEITHER SHALL THE ARABIAN PITCH TENT THERE, NEITHER SHALL THE SHEPHERDS MAKE THEIR FOLD THERE." (Verse 20)

“But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and OWLS SHALL DWELL THERE, and satyrs (wild goats) shall dance there." (Verse 21)

"I will also make it A POSSESSION FOR THE BITTERN AND POOLS OF WATER, and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction." (Isaiah 14:23)

" CUT OFF THE SOWER FROM BABYLON." (Jeremiah 50:16)

Were these pronouncements fulfilled?

When travellers and archaeologists first started to visit the area where Babylon once proudly stood, they were amazed at what they saw. Some writers used the very phrases employed by the Bible prophets; others were not Bible believers but just recorded what they saw. Here are some of the things recorded:

"On the actual ruins of Babylon, THE ARABIAN NEITHER PITCHES HIS TENT NOR PASTURES HIS FLOCKS—in the first place, because the nitrous soil produces no pasture to tempt him; and secondly, because an evil reputation attaches to the entire site, which is thought to be the haunt of evil spirits."

An explorer named ‘Mignan’ was accompanied by six Arabs completely armed, but he “COULD NOT INDUCE THEM TO REMAIN TOWARDS NIGHT, from the apprehension of evil spirits”

“There is one fact connected with the destruction of Babylon and the marvellous fulfilment of prophecy which struck me more than anything else . . . THE NON-EXISTENCE ... OF ANY SIGN OF STONE WHICH HAD BEEN DUG UP FROM THE ANCIENT RUINS. It seems that in digging for old materials the Arabs used the bricks for building purposes, but ALWAYS BURNT THE STONES THUS DISCOVERED FOR LIME "

"IMMENSE TUMULI of temples, palaces, and human habitations of every description."

"MISSHAPEN HEAPS of rubbish."

" Buried in SHAPELESS HEAPS."

"HEAPS of rubbish."

" VAST HEAPS NOW CONSTITUTE ALL THAT REMAINS OF ANCIENT BABYLON."

"While WORKMEN CAST HER UP AS HEAPS in piling the rubbish while excavating for bricks . . . the numerous and DEEP EXCAVATIONS FORM POOLS OF WATER on the overflowing of the Euphrates."

"Deep cavities are also formed by the Arabs when digging . . . the ground is sometimes covered with POOLS OF WATER IN THE HOLLOWS."

"From the summit of ‘Birs Nimrood’, I gazed over a vast marsh, for Babylon is made a 'POSSESSION FOR THE BITTERN, AND POOLS OF WATER”

"The eye wanders over a barren desert in which the ruins are nearly the only indication that it ever had been inhabited . . . Babylon is spurned alike by the heel of the Ottomans, the Israelites and the sons of Ishmael ... it is A TENANTLESS AND DESOLATE METROPOLIS."

" There are MANY DENS OF WILD BEASTS in various parts . . . in most of the cavities are NUMBERS OF BATS AND OWLS . . . the refuge of JACKALS AND OTHER SAVAGE ANIMALS . . . THE KING OF THE FOREST (LION) now ranges over the site of Babylon."

"During spring and summer (Babylon) is almost a continual marsh, a veritable 'desert of the sea'. (Isaiah 21:1) While the inundations prevail, a dense vegetation springs from the stagnant waters. Large flocks of birds with brilliant plumage, pelicans and cormorants sail about in undisputed possession of their safe and tranquil retreats."

"The lofty embankments (of the canals) like a perfect network, stretching on every side in long lines until they are lost in the hazy distance, or magnified by the mirage into mountains, still defy the hand of time,' bearing witness to the great skill and diligent labour which once turned these barren plains into one luxuriant garden. THE PROVERBIAL FERTILITY AND PROSPERITY OF BABYLONIA WHICH EXCITED THE ADMIRATION OF CLASSICAL WRITERS, HAVE LONG DISAPPEARED. HER CITIES ARE A DESOLATION, A DRY LAND AND A WILDERNESS '."

"The solitude and utter devastation which characterise Babylon in her present aspect are even more impressive and appalling. The whole country from Aqarguf Quorna looks as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. THE INNUMERABLE CANALS WHICH IN BYGONE DAYS, LIKE SO MANY NOURISHING VEINS, CROSSED THE RICH ALLUVIAL PLAIN”

Applying the remaining 4 tests to the above details we find:

No amount of human forethought could anticipate these events.
They were not probabilities because at the time of writing Babylon was a thriving metropolis.
The prophecies were clear and stated in unmistakeable language
Given that the prophecies were over such a long period, there would be the potential to falsify them – but they have been proved to be accurate predictions.

Here then are the prophecies which were delivered at the time when Babylon was the magnificent capital of a mighty empire; irrigated by a gigantic system of canals, supported an enormous population of highly intelligent and skilled people; when a false prophet, depending on probability to guide him, would have predicted any other fate except the one outlined so clearly by Israel's prophets.

IF Babylon had ever been rebuilt, as indeed it almost was, by Alexander the Great, (and Saddam Hussein)—IF the canals had been maintained, and perpetuated Babylon's fertility—IF flocks grazed on the site of her ruins, as they do on those of other ancient cities—IF an Arab could be induced to pitch his tent, and spend a night there, as he will among other ancient ruins—IF a Babylonian kingdom still existed—IF her ancient site could be sown and cultivated as are other mounds of ruins such as Nineveh—IF wild beasts and owls were not now the only living inhabitants of Babylon—IF the cormorant and other wild waterfowl did not live in lonely solitude in her marshes today—THEN would Jeremiah and Isaiah have proved to be false prophets.

When one considers the chances against the natural outworking of such an unnatural, unheard of, and unique fate for any country and people, and the ease with which any of these " ifs " could happen—then surely, he or she will allow that we have here overwhelming evidence that a mind higher than man's was behind these amazing forecasts; the mind which knows the end from the beginning and who has declared:

" My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Isaiah 46:10)

THE LAND OF EGYPT

We now turn to consider the second example of the wonders of prophetic forecast – the land of the Sphinx - Egypt

Egypt was a great nation contemporary with Babylon. She, too, was the subject of prophecy. Her future, however, was to be entirely different from that of Babylon, but like Babylon she was to have a unique future with NO POSSIBLE PARALLEL IN RECORDED HISTORY.

Egypt was to meet with a fate which has befallen no other nation. To a person living at the time, it would have seemed that the prophets of Israel were inviting disaster to overtake their predictions, so undreamed of, unlikely and seemingly impossible of fulfilment were their messages. But TIME, THE GREAT ACID TEST OF PROPHECY, HAS PROVED THEM TRUE.

Ezekiel, who wrote at the time when Egypt was still a mighty power under her Pharaohs, declared for God:

"I WILL MAKE THE LAND OF EGYPT DESOLATE in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries. " Yet thus saith the Lord God; at the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: and I will bring again the captivity of Egypt and will CAUSE THEM TO RETURN INTO THE LAND…. OF THEIR HABITATION; AND THEY SHALL BE THERE A BASE KINGDOM. " I T SHALL BE THE BASEST OF THE KINGDOMS, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that THEY SHALL NO MORE RULE OVER THE NATIONS." (Ezek. 29:12-15)

"And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I WILL MAKE THE LAND WASTE AND ALL THAT IS THEREIN, BY THE HAND OF STRANGERS . . . AND THERE SHALL BE NO MORE A PRINCE OF THE LAND OF EGYPT . . ." (Ezek. 30:12, 13)

The rest of the prophecy, however, provides the real test. The Egyptians, from being a premier nation, were to continue perpetually in a state of subjection in their own country, ruled over and impoverished by foreigners. Truly a remarkable and seemingly impossible state of affairs, especially as it was to be a perpetual state and not a temporary one —"they shall no more rule over the nations." Here is an unnatural situation, the continuation of which challenges eternity. What prospect of it ever happening, and, if happening, of continuing, if God were not behind it?

And now a brief history of Egypt, taken principally from a standard encyclopedia, will illustrate the prophecy almost without need of comment. This is how it should be, for prophecy is but history before it happens, and history is but prophecy after it has happened.

"Pharaoh Necho II was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) at Carchemish . . .

"Egypt fell under the Persian power when Cambyses conquered it and added it to his empire. After many rebellions, more or less successful, they were finally subdued by Ochus in 350 B.C. From that time to the present no native prince has ruled the land. " Egypt remained a province of Persia till its conquest by Alexander, 332 B.C.

“Subsequently Egypt passed under Greek rule and the BIBLE PROPHECY AND MODERN language of the government became essentially Greek. Epiphanes, 204-180 B.C., encountered repeated rebellion ... " After the battle of Actium, 31 B.C., Egypt passed into the condition of a province of Rome. Governed always by a Roman governor of the equestrian, not senatorial, rank . . . "

Egypt under Roman rule …. at the division of the (Roman) empire, 395 A.D., Egypt fell to the Eastern empire …. it became a province of Persia 616 A.D. for twelve years. The Coptic governor, John Mukowkis, governed Egypt in the name of Heraclius at the period of the Arab invasion 639 A.D., and perceiving in the invaders a means of escape from the detested rule of the Greeks, submitted .. . to the Arab general ' Amir ibn el-Asi who took Alexandria 641 A.D. and soon made the whole country a province of the Calif Omar . . . " Egypt remained an appanage of the Caliphate, and was ruled by Arab governors . . . This in turn gave place to the heretical line of the Fatimi Califs who advanced from their capital, conquered Egypt and founded modern Cairo, 969 A.D. . . .

A STARTLING ANOMALY

"The Fatimis were deposed by the Kurd general Saladin, 1169-93 A.D..... It was the last of the Saladin line, Es-Salih Ayyub, who introduced the famous bodyguard of Turkish Mamelukes, or white slaves, who on his death, usurped the supreme power 1250 A.D.

"For more than two centuries and a half Egypt was governed by a succession of slave kings . . . one of the most startling anomalies of history.

"In 1517 A.D. . . . this brilliant series of rulers came to an end on the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I. Nearly three centuries of weak and corrupt government by Turkish Pashas, varied by faction and rebellion of the Mameluke chiefs, brings us to the French invasion by Bonaparte in 1798 . . . The French, however, were soon expelled by the British in 1801 when the country was restored to (Turkey).

"The accession of the Albanian soldier Mohammed 'Ali to the pashalik in 1805 .. . In 1816 Mohammed 'Ali reduced part of Arabia to his sway by his son Ibrahim. Ibrahim sat on the throne for two months (1849) . . . Isma'il son of Ibrahim . . . took in 1866 the hereditary title of Khedive. The same firman made the succession to the throne of Egypt direct from father to son . . .

"Egyptian finances were placed entirely under European management. A promise of constitutional government ended in 1879 in the summary dismissal of Nebar Pasha's ministry, and brought about the peremptory interference of the European governments . . .

"A law of liquidation, for regulating the condition of the public debt, was passed at the instance of five European powers in 1880 . . . growing dislike to European interference . . .

"In 1882 British and French warships were despatched to Alexandria to overawe the rebels . . . The British Admiral occupied the city . . . The aim of the English Cabinet was to secure, as soon as possible, a firm and lasting government under the Khedive but a large measure of interference with the Egyptian government was, for the time being, inevitable . . .

"A conference of the great powers in 1884 did not sanction the English scheme for managing Egyptian finance; and Britain had consequently to resume her exclusive responsibility in Egypt . . . Egypt under British rule."

Here then are history's comments on Ezekiel’s ancient prophecy, details that can be read in almost any encyclopedia. Surely, we may say of Egypt's unique history what was said of her rule by imported slaves—

"it is one of the most startling anomalies of history." A happening in history that can be termed "startling" must needs be more startling still when found in prophecy! For surely "startling anomalies " are not things to be easily anticipated, neither will a probable trend of events make them occur to a would-be prophet; for they are not the expected but the unexpected. Well, the unexpected happened and has continued to our very day as the following extracts amply confirm:

"Of the present inhabitants of Egypt two-thirds of the fellahin (the cultivators of the soil), who form more than four-fifths of the entire population of Egypt, together with the Copts (Egyptian Christians), who form about one twelfth, are undoubtedly descendants of the ancient Egyptians.

"The level of material civilisation is very low among these people, and they have sunk to the level of a race of slaves, whose proud past of splendour and power is but a faded memory. Egypt exists in a state of suspended animation, a kingdom, but sunk very low."

Once again, the “tests” have been met.

IF Egypt today were a first-rate world power—IF today her people were intelligent, proud and accomplished as they once were—IF Egypt today was only a name like Assyria and Babylon are, and it could well have been—IF the thousand and one twists of political change had worked any other condition of affairs than the one that now exists —THEN could the sceptic triumphantly point the finger of derision at such an audacious forecast.

But there are no such discrepancies to be found. Ancient prophecy and modern history harmonise and blend. They are complementary the one to the other. There is here no "fitting" of events to suit the prophecy. There are no long and prolix explanations needed to show how the events fulfilled the prophecy, because history is the best explanation.

Surely there can be only one reason that will appeal with irresistible force to an intelligent and logical mind-

“Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21)

THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL – THE JEWS

Here is another example of Bible prophecy - differing from Babylon and Egypt - and more remarkable than either of them.

Mark Twain once said, “What is the secret of the immortal Jew?” The very existence of the Jewish people is a miracle, and the fact that they are back in their ancient homeland after centuries of persecution and scattering cannot be explained on ordinary principles.

We shall now consider briefly the prophecies concerning this people.

In the event of long continued disobedience to God, Moses foretold among other things the following evils which would befall the Jews:

From Deuteronomy 28:

"The Lord shall cause thee to be SMITTEN BEFORE THINE ENEMIES. Thou shalt go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them, and SHALT BE REMOVED INTO ALL KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH . . . (Verse 25)

"Thou shalt be only OPPRESSED AND SPOILED EVERMORE and no man shall save thee . . . (Verse 29.)

"And there shall be NO MIGHT IN THY HAND . . . " Thou shalt be ONLY OPPRESSED AND CRUSHED ALWAY . . . (Verses 32-33)

"Thou shalt become an astonishment, A PROVERB AND A BYWORD AMONG ALL NATIONS whither the Lord shall lead thee. (Verse 37)

"The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand, a nation of fierce countenance which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favour to the young. (Verses 49-50)

"HE SHALL BESIEGE THEE IN ALL THY GATES until thy high and fenced walls come down wherein thou trustedst . . . throughout all thy land which the Lord thy God hath given thee. (Verse 52)

"THE TENDER AND DELICATE WOMAN AMONG YOU . . . her eye shall be evil . . . toward her young one . . . which she shall bear for she SHALL EAT THEM FOR WANT OF ALL THINGS SECRETLY IN THE SIEGE. (Verses 56-57)

"THE LORD SHALL SCATTER THEE AMONG ALL PEOPLE from the one end of the earth even unto the other . . . (Verse 64)

"And among these nations shalt thou FIND NO EASE, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest. . . (Verse 65)

"THY LIFE SHALL HANG IN DOUBT before thee and thou shalt fear day and night AND SHALL HAVE NONE ASSURANCE OF THY LIFE." (Verse 66)

From Leviticus 26:

"And I WILL MAKE YOUR CITIES WASTE and bring your sanctuaries into desolation. (Verse 31)

"And I WILL BRING THE LAND INTO DESOLATION and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. (Verse 32)

"And I WILL SCATTER YOU AMONG THE HEATHEN and will draw out a sword after you and YOUR LAND SHALL BE DESOLATE AND YOUR CITIES WASTE. (Verse 33)

"Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths as long as it lieth desolate, and YE BE IN YOUR ENEMIES' LAND; even then shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths. (Verse 34)

"And ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies." (Verse 37)

"WITHOUT REMEDY"

These prophecies were well over a thousand years old before they received their fulfilment. During this time Israel suffered many temporary disasters to her national fortunes, but each one was followed by divine forgiveness and restoration. At last, however, the time came, as the prophet said it would, when the wrath of God arose "without remedy". The final tragedy was impending during the life of Jesus Christ. He warned his generation that the time was almost ripe for the fulfilment of these very curses pronounced by Moses in Deuteronomy and Leviticus. He says:

"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh . . . " For these be the days of vengeance, that ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN may be fulfilled . . ."And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be LED AWAY CAPTIVE INTO ALL NATIONS; and JERUSALEM SHALL BE TRODDEN DOWN of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21: 20, 22, 24)

And of the beautiful temple buildings he declared at this time that:

"There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Matt. 24: 2)

To sum up: Israel were to be besieged in all their cities until they were razed to the ground throughout the land—Jerusalem was to be desolated; not one stone was to remain upon another in the temple buildings. After suffering terrible hardships and privations in the siege, women would be compelled to eat their own children. The Jews were to be scattered into all nations and sold into slavery—thenceforth they were to suffer untold misery in every nation under heaven—to be plundered and robbed— to be a proverb and a curse, never allowed to settle down but driven from pillar to post finding no rest for the sole of their feet—to be " Wandering Jews," yet always to remain a separate, distinct and an easily identifiable race. Their land was to be a possession of strangers yet never cultivated by them, but to remain in a state of desolation and ruin until the times of Gentile domination should expire; then Israel was to return and re-cultivate the soil which had lain fallow for centuries.

A GRUESOME MEAL

Our first quotation as illustrative of one part of the prophecy is taken from Josephus, who was himself an eyewitness of the terrible siege of Jerusalem. The rest is an abridged copy of the history of Israel from a standard encyclopedia. These alone will admirably serve to illustrate the fulfilment of the points we have summarized.

"Now there was a certain woman . . . She was eminent for her family and her wealth . . . The other effects of this woman had been already seized upon . . . What food she had contrived to save had also been carried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose. (When all other food was exhausted or stolen) SHE SLEW HER SON, AND THEN ROASTED HIM, AND ATE THE ONE HALF OF HIM, AND KEPT THE OTHER HALF BY HER CONCEALED . . . Smelling the horrid scent of this food (the robbers) threatened her that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not shew them what food she had gotten ready . . . (She) uncovered what was left of her son . . . they were seized with horror .. . Come eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself! Do not pretend to be either more tender than a woman or more compassionate than a mother.' "—Josephus.

"A HORRIBLE CARNAGE was terminated 70 A.D. by the conquest of Jerusalem by Titus (the Roman general), THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE and the MASSACRE AND BANISHMENT of hundreds and thousands of the unhappy people, who were SCATTERED IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD.

"Their last attempt to throw off the Roman yoke in Palestine under Bar-Cochba was defeated after enormous and almost incredible butcheries. The suppression of BarCochba's insurrection, 135 A.D., marks the FINAL DESOLATION OF JUDEA, and the DISPERSION of its inhabitants.

"The whole of Judea was MADE LIKE A DESERT; about 985 towns and villages lay in ashes, 50 fortresses were RAZED TO THE GROUND; the name of Jerusalem itself was changed into Aelia Capitolina . . . from entering which (or even viewing from a distance) every Jew was strictly forbidden on pain of death.

"In Europe the ascendency of Christianity was baneful to the Jews. Imperial edicts and ecclesiastical decrees vied with each other in the rigour of their intolerance toward this unhappy people . . . Yet no persecution apparently could destroy the immortal race . . . Constantine (the first ‘Christian' emperor) terms them 'THAT MOST HATEFUL OF ALL PEOPLE….”

"In the 5th century in the Byzantine empire THEY SUFFERED MANY OPPRESSIONS, while in the 6th and 7th centuries the Franks and Spanish Visigoths inflicted on them FRIGHTFUL PERSECUTIONS.

"In Christendom few and far between were the monarchs who rose above the barbarism of the churches . . .

"Less favourable was their lot in France. Under the weaker of the Carlovingians the church advanced with imperious strides, and a melancholy change ensued: kings, bishops, feudal barons, and even the municipalities, ALL JOINED IN CRUEL PERSECUTION.

"From the 11th to the 14th century their history is a series of successive massacres . . .

"THE DETESTED RACE"

Further historical extracts follow the history of the Jews.

"A religious epidemic having seized the common people in .. . the central regions of France, 1321 A.D., they signalized themselves by HORRIBLE MASSACRES OF THE DETESTED RACE . . . One shudders to read what followed; IN WHOLE PROVINCES EVERY JEW WAS BURNED . . . finally in 1395 they were BANISHED . . . " In England (1189) a popular commotion against them broke out in London; THEIR HOUSES WERE PILLAGED AND BURNED . . . similar scenes were witnessed at Norwich, Edmundsbury, Stamford and York; in York most of THE JEWS PREFERRED DEATH to enforced baptism…. King John IMPRISONED, MALTREATED AND PLUNDERED them in all parts of the country. Under Henry III they were mulcted enormously. Accused of clipping the coin of the realm, they had, as a penalty, to pay into the royal exchequer a third of their movable property . . . The accession of Edward I did not mitigate their misery…. In 1253 the Jews, no longer able to withstand the constant hardships to which they were subjected in person and property, begged of their own accord to be allowed to leave the country . . . Ultimately in 1290 they were DRIVEN FROM THE SHORES OF ENGLAND, PURSUED BY THE EXECRATIONS OF THE INFURIATED RABBLE.

"In Germany they were looked upon as the special property of the sovereign who BOUGHT AND SOLD them . . . The Crusaders kindled a spirit. . . through all Christendom, hostile to (the Jews)….. CITIES WERE DELUGED WITH THEIR BLOOD……. The Jews were expelled from Vienna . . . Mecklenburg . . . Frankfort . . . Brandenburg . . . Nuremburg . . . Prague ……Ratisbon. The Black Death occasioned a great and widespread persecution, 1348-50. They were MURDERED AND BURNED BY THOUSANDS, and the race almost disappeared from Germany.

Switzerland commenced to PERSECUTE them about the middle of the 14th century; in the 15th century they were EXPELLED.

"In Spain there were HORRIBLE PERSECUTIONS by the Gothic princes in the 6th and 7th centuries . . . outbursts of priestly and popular violence took place 1391-2; IMMENSE NUMBERS WERE MURDERED AND WHOLESALE THEFT WAS PERPETRATED BY THE RELIGIOUS RABBLE. Escape Was possible only by flight to Africa . . . THE FATE OF THE JEWS in Spain during the 15th century, however, BEGGARS DESCRIPTION; we read of nothing but PERSECUTIONS, VIOLENT CONVERSION, MASSACRES, AND THE TORTURES OF THE INQUISITION. THOUSANDS WERE BURNED ALIVE . . . Not less than 300,000 resolved to abandon the country…. the incidents that marked their departure are HEARTRENDING. Almost EVERY LAND WAS SHUT AGAINST THEM. Some, however, ventured into Morocco in …. which . . . they suffered THE MOST FRIGHTFUL PRIVATION.

"THE WANDERERS"

"In Portugal. . . SOLD AS SLAVES. In 1495 king Emanuel commanded them to quit his territories, but at the same time issued a secret order that all Jewish children under 14 years should be torn from their mothers (and) retained in Portugal . . . AGONY DROVE THE JEWISH MOTHERS INTO MADNESS; they destroyed their children with their own hands, and threw them into wells and rivers to prevent them falling into the hands of their persecutors . . .

Russia in 1881... a violent agitation against the Jews, accompanied by much OUTRAGE AND BLOODSHED, took place in the south and west of Russia.

"Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, shewed himself singularly harsh towards the Jews; his legislation almost throws us back into the Middle Ages . . . SCATTERED THROUGH FIVE CONTINENTS."

"It was this (the Russian) State and its Czars that organised and even financed massacres of the Jews as late as the beginning of the 20th century, during the reign of Nicholas II. Here was the classical diversion and scapegoat manoeuvre which was to be emphasized so effectively in the thirties of the 20th century by Adolph Hitler."

"World War 1 affected the Jews primarily in the Eastern European zones. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were uprooted from their homes by the Russian overlords and shipped back to the lines in the most brutal fashion."

In 1918-20 "the Jews of the Ukraine were butchered by the thousands by invading troops and local guerrillas."

Hitler in 1933 " immediately set out to implement his programme which included the destruction of what was probably the most distinguished Jewry in Europe. In a series of laws, confiscations and pogroms, extending from 1933 to 1938, Hitler succeeded in destroying German Jewry . . . Jews lost their citizenship completely and were forbidden to inter-marry with other Germans . . . Practically every synagogue in Germany was destroyed. Thousands of Jews were imprisoned in concentration camps, and the major part of German-Jewish wealth was confiscated. By the time war broke out in 1939 Jews were no longer citizens, could attend no public schools, engage in practically no business or profession, own no land, associate with no non-Jew, frequent no park, library, or museum, and were ordered to live in ghettos. By 1941 boys over 12 were conscripted into munition factories, all use of the telephone and public transportation systems was forbidden, and all Jews over six years of age were required to wear the yellow badge."

"In World War II the situation of Jewry in the mass settlements of Eastern Europe was even worse (than World War I), for the national socialists set out deliberately to destroy large numbers of Polish and Russian-Jewish civilians. If but a fraction of the atrocities reported were accurate, then many thousands of defenceless Jewish non-combatants, men, women, and children, were butchered after September 1939."

"The influence of World War II was felt most strongly by Jews in those European lands which had come under German domination….. In the conquered lands from France to Poland, practically all Jews lost their political and civil rights; their property and businesses were confiscated and their children, in most lands, were driven out of elementary and higher schools . . . The Nazis carried out a series of expulsions and deportations of Jews . . . from nearly all European states . . . Large numbers perished under the inhuman conditions under which they laboured."

UNDER THE PLOUGH

During most of this long time the land of Israel was to remain in a state of uncultivated desolation. After the Roman overthrow, which marked the commencement of the desolation, the land was successively overrun by Arab, Saracen, and Turk. None of these nations exploited the fertile plains of Judea because they were mere desolators by nature: that was their mission. Their centuries of accumulated misrule at last turned Palestine into an unrecognisable desert.

Today the tide has turned — orange groves are flourishing in what was once malarial swamps; and it is a returned remnant of the Jews that are doing these things.

What does this mean? Are these ancient prophecies beginning to fail after 2,000 years' fulfilment? By no means. Indeed, it is a continuation of fulfilment, for Israel's scattering, although to be of long duration, was not to be perpetual. Jesus explains it very simply in that passage already quoted. Jerusalem was to be trodden down of the Gentiles only " until" the times of the Gentiles had run their allotted course.

Current events in the Jews' partial return to Palestine self-evidently mark the termination of this "until", at least in an incipient sense.

TURN OF THE TIDE

When the waters of a tidal river reach the end of the ebbtide, there is a short period of scarcely noticeable transition, which soon gives place to full flowing floodtide. The floodtide of Israel's complete restoration to their ancient land is as clearly foretold by their own prophets as was their expulsion and punishment, and this preliminary return is a sign that the tide is just turning. For instance, God makes a comparison and gives a guarantee:

"For thus saith the Lord; like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised." (Jeremiah 32: 42)

The terrible reality of the evil and its divine origin we have seen clearly. If words mean anything, then just as really and in the same tangible way will God bring all the “good” He has promised. The good, as we learn from the many promises made by God, will be in ratio to the evil, but of an entirely opposite nature. First, as to the restoration of Israel to their land, God says:

"Yea, I WILL REJOICE OVER THEM TO DO THEM GOOD, AND I WILL PLANT THEM IN THIS LAND assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul." (Jeremiah 32: 41)

Then the changed attitude of the nations toward Israel. Instead of the Jew being despised and persecuted his company will be sought and his favour courted:

"In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, WE WILL GO WITH YOU: FOR WE HAVE HEARD THAT GOD IS WITH YOU." (Zechariah 8:23)

Or again:

"The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all THEY THAT DESPISED THEE SHALL BOW THEMSELVES DOWN AT THE SOLES OF THY FEET." (Isaiah 60:14)

This final and complete reversal of Israel's national fortunes we have yet to see but see it we shall; nothing is more certain. Israel has been preserved in the very fire for this purpose. That is why ALL THE ATTEMPTS TO EXTERMINATE THE JEW HAVE FAILED. HAD THEY SUCCEEDED, GOD'S WORD WOULD HAVE FAILED, for He declared:

"I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee." (Jeremiah 46:28)

Hence the proverb—"The immortal Jew."

Or again:

"…. those ordinances (of sun and moon, day and night) depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation . . ." (Jeremiah 31:36)

2,000 YEARS EXILE

The present turn of the tide is, as yet, unaccompanied by visible interference by God. But just as their long period of exile and persecution was apparently natural, so will the first stages of their restoration. The " until" has expired. Zionism is a growing power in the world. Palestine is awaking from her centuries' sleep of desolation and is putting on her beautiful garments. The plains and valleys are beginning to smile once more. The Jew is returning to the land which has been denied him for nigh on 2,000 years. This is only the beginning of the fulfilment of God's promises, such as:

" For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”

"And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

"And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited." (Ezek. 36:24, 34, 35)

This explanation is just to shew that present tendencies, far from falsifying the prophecies, are but the beginning of a fresh series—those of a predicted change, a new chapter in the fortunes of Israel. Of its significance to us, we shall have more to say in another place.

For the present, we hope that we have shown that Bible prophecy is not petty or ambiguous in its terms but clear, unequivocal, and of a nature and scope which precludes all possibility of human foresight or political sagacity. Entrenched within this threefold defence of Babylon, Egypt, and the Jew, we can confidently defy all the assaults of modern scepticism.

CONCLUSION

Let the reader quietly think over these facts - simple facts, few facts, unencumbered with a host of befogging explanations and irrelevant details. Destinies more diverse than those predicted for these three peoples it would be impossible to suggest, yet they have all happened to the very letter!

THERE IS TODAY NO ROYAL HOUSE OF BABYLON. There is no Babylonian ambassador at any European court. Her once mighty capital is now a shapeless mass of mounds whose identity was unknown and whose very site was in dispute until recent years.

THE ANCIENT LAND OF EGYPT IS STILL TO BE FOUND ON EVERY MODERN ATLAS. The Egyptians are still a nation in their own land. They are still, as ever, under the rule of strangers. They have a king in name—but not an Egyptian king. They are still servile and base, as the prophecy requires.

Despite the partial restoration of the past 50 years, THE JEWS STILL REMAIN A SCATTERED PEOPLE in all nations under heaven. This will continue until the time is ripe for divine interference on their behalf.

These prophecies prove the divine authorship of the Bible. As we think about the question “Is the Bible True,” we must surely think very carefully before answering “no”!

[many details taken from the book ‘The Bible Today and You’]

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