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Copyright 1993 by the Christian Research Institute.
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COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:
This data file is the sole property of the Christian Research
Institute. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may
be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware,"
without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain
the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright 1993 by the Christian
Research Institute"). This data file may not be used without the
permission of the Christian Research Institute for resale or the
enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its
content with the exception of a few brief quotations not to
exceed more than 500 words.
If you desire to reproduce less than 500 words of this data file
for resale or the enhancement of any other product for resale,
please give the following source credit: Copyright 1993 by the
Christian Research Institute, P.O. Box 500-TC, San Juan
Capistrano, CA 92693.
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"Fulfilled Prophecy as an Apologetic" (an article from the
Witnessing Tips column of the Christian Research Journal, Fall
1989, Volume 12, Number 2, page 7) by Hank Hanegraaff.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is
Elliot Miller.
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Perhaps the most significant question posed to believers in
our "post-Christian" culture revolves around the inspiration of
Scripture. Is the Bible in fact divinely inspired or merely human
in origin?
Oftentimes when quoting Scripture in witnessing situations,
I've been challenged with the words: "Who says the Bible is true
or accurate in the first place?" Although this objection often
strikes terror in the heart of the average Christian, it is not
really as difficult to deal with as one might think. I have found
fulfilled prophecy to be an extremely effective resource in
responding to this challenge. The prophetic evidences for the
Bible's trustworthiness are so overwhelming that anyone with a
truly open mind will be compelled to consider the Bible's central
message: redemption in Jesus Christ.
Begin by pointing out that the Bible contains almost 500
specific prophecies concerning the birth, life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ -- some of which were made well over
two thousand years prior to His birth.
For example, it was not only prophesied that Christ would be
a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), but that He would be from
the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10) and the house of David (Ps.
110:1); that He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), born of a
virgin (Isa. 7:14), betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zech.
11:12f.), and also that His hands and feet would be pierced (Ps.
22:16). It is noteworthy that this last prediction was made long
before crucifixion was invented as a form of capital punishment
by the Persians and a thousand years before it was made common by
the Romans.
It was also prophesied that Christ would be crucified with
transgressors (Isa. 53:9,12); that none of His bones would be
broken (Ex. 12:46; Ps. 34:20); and that He would cry out from
the cross, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Ps.
22:1). Moreover, Christ's resurrection (Ps. 16:8-11), His
ascension (Ps. 68:18), and hundreds of other details were
predicted in minute detail. These prophecies do not deal with
vague generalities (as is so often the case with modern-day
"prophets" and psychics); they are specific and verifiable.
Each was literally fulfilled _down to the smallest detail_ in
the person of Jesus Christ.
In addition to Messianic prophecies, the Bible contains
nearly 2,000 prophecies concerning almost every nation within a
thousand miles of Jerusalem. I strongly suggest researching and
internalizing some of these prophecies for use in witnessing
situations. As an illustration let me detail the prophecy about
the city of Tyre in Ezekiel 26 and its fulfillment.
Tyre was no small, obscure village. It was a great Phoenician
city and a world capital for over 2,000 years. It was to the sea
what mighty Babylon was to the land. Yet, in the heyday of its
power, the prophet Ezekiel had the audacity to predict for it a
violent future and ultimate destruction. This downfall would be
due to Tyre's flagrant wickedness and arrogance, traits that were
personified in its ruler, Ittobal II, who claimed to be God.
Ezekiel predicted that many nations would come up against
Tyre (Ezek. 26:3); that Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar would be the
first to attack it (v. 7); that Tyre's walls and towers would
be broken down (vv. 4,9); that the stones, timbers, and debris
of that great city would be thrown into the sea (v. 12); that
its location would become a bare rock and a place for the
drying of fishermens' nets (vv. 4-5,14); and finally, that the
city of Tyre would never be rebuilt (v. 14).
History bears eloquent testimony to the fact that all this is
_precisely_ what happened. Many nations did come up against Tyre
-- the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Muslims, and the
Crusaders, to name a few. And Nebuchadnezzar was indeed the first
of these invaders, who -- after a thirteen year siege -- broke
down the walls and towers of mainland Tyre, thus fulfilling the
first of Ezekiel's prophecies. Nebuchadnezzar massacred all of
Tyre's inhabitants except for those who escaped to an island
fortress a half mile out in the Mediterranean Sea.
Centuries after Ezekiel's body had decomposed in his grave,
Alexander the Great fulfilled a major portion of the prophecy. In
order to conquer the island fortress of Tyre (without the luxury
of a navy), he and his celebrated architect Diades devised one of
the most brilliant engineering feats of ancient warfare. They
built a causeway from Tyre's mainland to the island fortress,
using the millions of cubic feet of rubble left over on mainland
Tyre. Thus Tyre was scraped bare as a rock, just as Ezekiel
predicted.
The most astonishing of Ezekiel's predictions was that Tyre
would never be rebuilt. This is singularly incredible because
Tyre is strategically located on the east coast of the
Mediterranean Sea. It also contains the Springs of Reselain,
which pump ten million gallons of fresh water daily -- enough to
take care of the needs of a modern city. Yet, history records
that after a succession of invasions, Tyre finally and
irrevocably fell in A.D. 1291 -- never to be rebuilt again. Today
Tyre has been humbled to the point of becoming a place for the
drying of fishermens' nets -- just as Ezekiel prophesied
two-and-one-half millennia ago.
This prophecy of Tyre is but one among many examples of
meticulously detailed and fulfilled prophecies, any one of which
is sufficient to demonstrate the truth and accuracy of Scripture.
"I have spoken," says the Lord of Hosts. The Scripture cannot be
broken (John 10:35).
If it can be shown that the Bible really is the Word of God,
then a host of other objections can be answered by simply
referring to Scripture itself. Having demonstrated the
_trustworthiness_ of God's Word, you can then proceed to share
its _central message:_ redemption in Jesus Christ. Remember, our
goal is not to demonstrate that we are intellectually superior,
but rather to use our answers as springboards or opportunities
for communicating the gospel.
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End of document, CRJ0030A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"Fulfilled Prophecy as an Apologetic"
release A, February 7, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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End of file.