What is Bible prophecy?

hristians 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. He told them, for example, that the Jews would be forced out of Israel, scattered worldwide, persecuted worldwide, and that they would eventually return to Israel. All of these promises have been fulfilled.

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.

The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies. Some were fulfilled more than 3000 years ago. Others have been fulfilled since then. And, by our count, more than 50 have found fulfillment or partial fulfillment during the past 200 years. Many Bible prophecies have found fulfillment more than once, such as the prophecies that the Jews would have Israel as their own country. (The Jews had sovereignty over the land of Israel about 3400 years ago up until about 2700 years ago, and again in 1948).

Based on our own personal studies, it appears that the majority of Bible prophecies have these characteristics in common:

1. Bible prophecies involve specific places

Bible prophecies often involve specific places. And usually that place is all or part of the Jewish homeland. Many prophecies refer specifically to Israel, Judah and Jerusalem. Judah is the southern part of the Jewish homeland. Jerusalem is Israel's most important city. It was established as the Jewish capital by King David about 3000 years ago. When prophecies involve other nations, such as Tyre, Babylon, Nineveh or Edom, it is because those nations had sought the destruction of the Jewish homeland, or the Jews, or both.

2. Bible prophecies involve specific people

Bible prophecies almost always involve a specific person or persons. And they usually involve the Jewish people as a group, or a Jewish person as an individual, such as a king or a Messiah. Sometimes a Bible prophecy will involve someone who is not Jewish, such as a king who will attack Israel (example: Nebuchadnezzar) or a king who will help the Jewish people (example: Cyrus). Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus lived about 2600 years ago.

3. Bible prophets are Jewish

God chose to reveal His words to one group of people - the Jews. This has helped to ensure that we have one source of information for God's teachings. And, because Israel is literally in the "middle" of the world, near the convergence of the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, the Jews have been in a unique geographical position to influence the world with the monotheistic teachings of about one true God. The Bible, in Exodus 19:6, said the Jews were to be a "nation of priests." The Jews were to teach the rest of the world about God. And, during the past 2000 years, the Jews have accomplished this remarkable feat. Through the influence of the Hebrew scriptures, about half of the world's people have abandoned their pagan religions and now worship a monotheistic God.

4. Bible prophecies were usually delivered in Israel

Bible prophecies usually were delivered in the Jewish homeland of Israel or Judah. (About 2900 years ago, Israel split into two Jewish kingdoms called Judah and Israel. Today, the Jewish nation is united again and is called Israel). However, there are exceptions: Some prophecies, for example, were delivered in Babylon when the Jewish homeland had been destroyed about 2600 years ago and many Jews were taken as captives to Babylon.

5. Bible prophecies explain why a particular event is going to happen

Bible prophecies often include an explanation as to why a particular event is going to happen. In Micah 3:11-12, for example, the prophet Micah said about 2700 years ago that Jerusalem would be destroyed and "plowed like a field" because its leaders had turned away from God. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem a century later. In the year 135, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and literally plowed part of the city.