Biblical Prophecy: Lesson 2

Overview

Prophecy Fulfilled Before Christ

Of the roughly 767 prophecies in Scripture, about 395 were fulfilled before the birth of Jesus. That sheer volume is itself a testimony: God speaks, and history obeys. A walk through the Old Testament era by era shows the steady reliability of His Word.

The Period of the Patriarchs

The story properly begins with Abraham, the most important figure in the Old Testament and a name invoked again at the dawn of the New (by Mary and by Zechariah in Luke 1). In Genesis 12:1-7, God establishes a covenant with three components: land, offspring, and blessing—a blessing that would extend through Abraham's descendants to all the families of the earth, ultimately in Christ. The covenant did not rest on Abraham's worthiness but on God's faithfulness, and that distinction is the bedrock of every fulfilled promise that follows.

The Period of the Judges and the Kings

From the death of Joshua (1405 BC) to the coronation of Saul (1050 BC), Israel cycled through what can be remembered as four "R's": relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue. Less recorded prophecy comes from this era, though we still see God's foretelling word in the births and victories of figures like Gideon, Deborah and Barak, and Samson. The era of the kings, by contrast, is rich with prophecy: a Savior promised from David's line, the kingdom's coming division, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyria.

The Literary Prophets and the Exile

Sixteen literary prophets—four "major" (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) and twelve "minor" (Hosea through Malachi)—warned the divided kingdom of judgment for idolatry. Micah foretold the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem in Micah 1:1-9. Jeremiah pinned a number to the southern exile—seventy years in Babylon—in Jeremiah 25:11. Isaiah, beginning his ministry in 740 BC, foresaw both the deportation Isaiah 39:1-6 and the restoration Isaiah 40:2-3. Most remarkably, he named Cyrus by name as the Lord's shepherd who would rebuild Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:24-28; Isaiah 45:13)—centuries before Cyrus was born and before the Persian empire even existed. Daniel, in turn, sketched the broad outline of world history through four kingdoms—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—in Daniel 2:36-40.

Why It Matters for Us

Every fulfilled prophecy before Christ functioned as God's pledge that the greatest promise—the Messiah—would also come true. The same God who named Cyrus before his birth and timed the exile to the year is the God who keeps His promises to you. When Scripture's track record is this clear, we can trust His Word about what is still to come, walk in repentance when we drift into the cycle of relapse, and rest in a covenant grounded not in our worthiness but in His unwavering faithfulness.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to our second session on Biblical Prophecy. 1s

Let us pray together. 7s

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this opportunity 10s

to spend time in your Word. 13s

And especially, O Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness. 17s

We thank you for the truthfulness and reliability 21s

of your Word. 25s

And so as we study today, may we gain a greater, 27s

a new appreciation for your greatness 32s

and for your commitment of love to us in Jesus' name, amen. 36s

Well, we began our walk in this five session class 45s

on Biblical Prophecy last week. 49s

And we took a look at some principles 53s

with regard to Biblical prophecy. 56s

Just as a matter of definition of what we talked about last week, 59s

a prophet is one who delivers a message for God. 64s

And when you look at it in terms of the wide sense 68s

of the meaning of that Word, it is really anyone 71s

that delivers that message of God. 74s

The basic task to preach law and gospel, 79s

to call to repentance, to offer forgiveness. 83s

We also took a look at the narrow sense, 88s

or the narrow understanding of the Word, prophet. 90s

And that is one who predicts the future. 95s

And it's the narrow sense that we're going to spend 98s

our weeks together focusing on. 100s

We looked at principles, such as prophecy deals 104s

with matters that are small, and they deal with matters 108s

that are great. 112s

They can cover short, or they can cover long periods of time. 114s

They can be conditional, or they can be unconditional. 119s

Some prophecies we see in Holy Scripture 125s

were delivered by dreams or visions. 127s

And other prophecies we saw was with the direct encounter 130s

with God Almighty. 134s

We studied how some prophecies were given 137s

in plain literal language. 140s

And other prophecies were given in symbolic forms. 144s

We also studied of why it's important to study prophecy. 149s

And the things that we highlighted last time we were together 155s

was that prophecy shows the glory of God. 159s

It shows his reliability. 162s

It shows the truthfulness of his Word. 163s

We studied prophecy, secondly, because it directs us 168s

to the Lord Jesus Christ. 171s

We studied prophecy because it prepares us 175s

for things that are still coming. 178s

We studied prophecy because it influences our conduct today. 182s

We studied prophecy because it makes up 188s

really a great portion of God's Word. 190s

And lastly, we talked about how we study prophecy 195s

because it's so important for us to be equipped, 198s

to be able to defend God's truth, 201s

so that when we hear strange interpretations of prophecy, 205s

we are equipped to be able to refute those errors. 210s

Well, today I'd like to examine with you 217s

prophecies that were fulfilled before the birth 221s

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 225s

When you look at the prophecies and scripture, 229s

and they number around 767. 233s

395 of those prophecies were fulfilled before the birth 240s

of the Lord Jesus Christ. 245s

That's really a significant number, isn't it? 248s

And what I'd like to do is I'd like to do a 30,000,000-foot flyover 252s

of history in the Old Testament, breaking it into some periods, 257s

in which we can look at some prophecy that was fulfilled 262s

before the birth of Jesus. 267s

So let's start in the period of the patriarchs. 270s

The period of the patriarchs. 274s

And to do that, let's look at Genesis 12th chapter, 277s

very first book of Holy Scripture, 281s

Genesis 12th, and we'll pick up in verse 1. 284s

There we read these words. 290s

Now the Lord said to Abram, 294s

go from your country and your kindred and your father's house 297s

to the land that I will show you. 301s

I will make of you a great nation, 305s

and I will bless you and make your name great. 307s

So that you will be a blessing. 311s

I will bless those who bless you, 315s

and the one who curses you, I will curse. 319s

And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 321s

Jump down then, please, into verse 7. 328s

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 332s

to your offspring, I will give this land. 335s

So he built there an altar to the Lord 338s

who had appeared to him. 340s

The most important figure in the Old Testament is Abraham. 346s

Abraham. 354s

We know him first as Abram, 355s

and then we know him as Abraham. 357s

The most important figure in the Old Testament. 360s

For example, in Luke the first chapter, 364s

Mary, mother of our Lord, references Abraham. 366s

In Luke chapter 1, 370s

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, references Abraham. 373s

God established a covenant. 380s

He established a contract with Abraham. 383s

And the components of that covenant were land, 388s

offspring, and that all the nations of the world 395s

would be blessed. 399s

In other words, God's redemptive plan to save the world 401s

would come through the descendants of Abraham, 406s

the chief one, of course, Jesus Christ. 410s

Notice that when God established the covenant with Abraham, 416s

that was not based upon the worthiness of Abraham. 421s

No, God doesn't establish covenant based upon, 426s

well, there is someone here who is truly worthy of me having a covenant 430s

established with him. 434s

No. 436s

It wasn't based upon the worthiness of Abraham. 438s

It was based upon the faithfulness of the one who made the covenant. 441s

And that is God Almighty. 447s

So land, offspring, and blessing, 449s

that blessing we see in that the whole world is blessed 453s

because of the Messiah, 457s

incredible prophecy, going all the way back to Genesis, 461s

the 12th chapter, prophecy of old, prophecy fulfilled. 466s

Well, that's just one example of a prophecy from the period 472s

of the patriarchs. 477s

The next period, as we look at the history of the Old Testament, 478s

was the period of the judges, the period of the judges. 482s

That goes from the death of Joshua and in 1405 BC 486s

to the coronation of the first king, 492s

and the first king was Saul. 496s

That was 1050 BC. 498s

So in those intervening centuries, 501s

you have what's called the period of the judges. 504s

During that time, there were tribal leaders of the people. 508s

And when we talk about judges, 514s

we're not talking about people in courtrooms, 515s

in black robes that are listening to cases and rendering verdicts. 519s

Know that judges that we talk about in Scripture 524s

were military leaders, military leaders. 528s

It's interesting when you look at the book of judges, 533s

there's a cycle that is repeated over and over again 536s

in the book of judges. 542s

What you have is you have the people of God doing evil in the sight of the Lord, 544s

God raising up enemies, then of Israel as a form of chastisement. 552s

You have the repentance on the part of the people, 559s

and then God raising up these judges, 563s

these military leaders, to defeat the enemy. 567s

Another way to understand the cycle of judges 573s

is you can just use four hours as a memory device. 576s

You've got relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue. 582s

Relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue. 588s

And you just see that cycle over and over and over again. 592s

There's not much prophecy recorded in Holy Scripture 600s

during this period of the judges. 604s

Because there's not much, that doesn't mean that there wasn't any, 609s

because we see prophecy and prophecy fulfilled, 612s

I think of the prophecy about the victories of Gideon 616s

or the victory of Debra and Barak or the birth of Samson. 619s

But really in that period, you don't have much recorded prophecy in Holy Scripture. 626s

The period of judges then gives rise to the period of the King. 636s

So you've got the patriarchs, you've got the judges, 643s

and then come the period of the kings. 646s

Important prophecies are given during this period among them. 651s

You've got the prophecy that the Savior is going to come from David's family. 657s

You've got prophecy with regard to the division of Israel into two kingdoms. 663s

You've got prophecy about various dynasty and kings of the northern kingdom. 670s

Prophecy of the delivery of Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. 677s

It's an important, important prophecies are given during this period. 683s

In the latter part of the era of the kings, the era, ERA of the kings. 690s

And after the return of the people from Babylonian captivity, 698s

so during that period of time, you have 16 of what are called literary prophets. 704s

Literary prophets. 714s

You've got four. 716s

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. 719s

Those four are called the major prophets. 724s

Not because they're more important than the other 12 literary prophets, 727s

but just they're called major because the books are longer. 734s

So you've got the four major prophets, and then you have what are called the 12 minor prophets. 738s

And those go from Hosea through Malachi in the Bible. 744s

The literary prophets. 751s

The literary prophets contain about 200 of the pages in Holy Scripture. 753s

So this is a significant portion of God's Word, and many of these prophets. 762s

They foretold about the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria in 722. 771s

BC. 780s

And they also foretold many of them about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple 782s

and the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC. 790s

So let's step back and get a running start with regard to that piece of history. 798s

The kingdom had become divided. 803s

You had the kingdom of the north and the kingdom of the south. 807s

Israel consisted of ten tribes in the north. 811s

Then you had the south that consisted of the tribe of Judah. 816s

And also then you had the tribe of Levi. 821s

They were the priests, and they stayed with Jerusalem to fulfill the responsibilities in association with the temple. 824s

So let's look at a prophecy. 835s

Let's go to Micah, chapter 1. 837s

Micah, chapter 1. 842s

Now a good way to find Micah is to just go to the last book of the Old Testament, which is Malachi, and keep turning pages toward the left. 843s

You're going to run into Nehum, and then you're going to run into Micah. 856s

If you've hit Jonah, you've gone too far. 864s

So we'll look at Micah, chapter 1, and we'll pick up in verse 1. 867s

Here is a prophecy of both the destruction of Israel and Judah because of idolatry. 876s

So we'll pick up in verse 1 of chapter 1 of Micah. 888s

And just a little reference here, when Samaria is referenced, that's the capital of the northern kingdom. 895s

So remember, you've got the divided kingdom north and south. 903s

And so the capital of the northern kingdom is Samaria. 907s

And what this prophecy is in Micah 1 is the destruction here of the north and the south. 910s

So chapter 1 will pick up in verse 1. 923s

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of more chef in the days of King's japhim, aehas, and has a kaya of Judah. 930s

Which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 941s

Hear you, peoples, all of you, listen, O earth, and all that is in it. 947s

And let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 952s

For low the Lord is coming out of his place, and we'll come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. 959s

Then the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will burst open like wax near the fire, 969s

like waters poured down a steep place. 977s

And this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. 981s

What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? 990s

And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? 996s

Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards. 1003s

I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations. 1009s

All her images shall be beaten to pieces. 1017s

All her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste. 1021s

For as the wages of a prostitute she gathered them, and as the wages of a prostitute they shall again be used. 1028s

For this I will lament and wail. I will go barefoot and naked. 1038s

I will make lamentation like the jackals and mourning like the ostriches. 1043s

For her wound is incurable, it has come to Judah, it has reached to the gate of my people to Jerusalem. 1049s

The destruction then of both Israel and Judah foretold. 1063s

And the reason because of their disobedience, because of their idolatry. 1070s

Let's look at Jeremiah, chapter 25. 1078s

A good way to find Jeremiah is to just go to the book of Psalms. 1082s

You got Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, and then Jeremiah. 1087s

Jeremiah, chapter 25, we will pick up in verse 11. 1094s

And here you have what's called the captivity of Judah being foretold. 1102s

So Jeremiah, chapter 25, verse 11. 1109s

This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. 1114s

Then after 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation. 1126s

The land of the Caldeans for their iniquities says the Lord, making the land an ever-lasting waste. 1133s

So you have in Michael one you have the prophecy about the destruction of both the North and the South. 1143s

Here in Jeremiah, chapter 25, you have prophecy with regard to the South. 1151s

Let's continue to explore this. 1160s

The prophet Isaiah, one of the major prophets, one of the four major prophets. 1165s

The prophet Isaiah began his ministry in 740 BC. 1170s

He foresaw the demise of Judah. 1178s

Now remember, the demise of Judah happened in 586 BC. 1185s

So he begins his ministry in 740 BC. 1195s

Note the prophecy in Isaiah, chapter 39. 1200s

So you're in Jeremiah, just turn backwards and you bump right into Isaiah. 1204s

Let's go to Isaiah, chapter 39, and we'll pick up in verse 1. 1209s

Isaiah 39, verse 1. 1218s

At that time, King Marodok Boladan, son of Boladan of Babylon, sent onvoys with letters and a present to Hisakaya, for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 1224s

So that helps us to understand the period of time in which this is being written. 1242s

Because when you look back historically at this King, this King he reigned from 721 to 710 BC. 1250s

721 to 710 BC. 1262s

Let's jump down into verse 6. 1266s

Days are coming. 1270s

When all that is in your house and that which your ancestors have stored up until this day, 1271s

shall be carried away to Babylon. 1278s

Nothing shall be left says the Lord. 1281s

So there's a prophecy here, then, of the destruction of Jerusalem, 1287s

the destruction here of the south and a deportation into what is called Babylonian captivity. 1292s

Isaiah also predicted the restoration. 1302s

Let's go to Isaiah chapter 40, verse 2. 1307s

Isaiah chapter 40, verse 2. 1313s

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that she has served her term that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 1319s

A voice cries out in the wilderness. 1337s

Prepare the way of the Lord. 1340s

Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 1342s

That's a prophecy, then, of the people being restored out of Babylonian captivity and back to their homeland. 1350s

Isaiah also prophesied about the rise of a king by the name of Cyrus. 1362s

Cyrus the Persian. 1370s

Cyrus the Persian conquered the Babylonians in 539 BC. 1374s

So now, just to wrap our heads around this. 1385s

Isaiah is prophesying here. 1390s

Remember, he began his ministry in 740. 1393s

He references those kings in the king 721 to 710. 1396s

He is talking about matters that are going to occur in a restoration of the people that occurs in 536 as the people are released from captivity to go back to their homeland. 1401s

So he is predicting about this king who is going to be obviously Cyrus hadn't been born yet. 1419s

And here's another thing. 1427s

When Isaiah is making this prophecy, the kingdom of Persia didn't even exist historically. 1429s

So God has given him this word of prophecy about the restoration of the people and his prophesying and his referencing a king that had yet to be born and the kingdom of the king that had yet to come even into existence. 1436s

Historically, when the prophecy was given. 1456s

Look please with me. 1460s

At chapter 44, verse 24. 1462s

Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb, I am the Lord who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread the Word of the Lord. 1475s

Who brought out the earth, who frustrates the omens of liars and make fools of diviners who turn back the wise and make their knowledge foolish, who confirms the Word of his servant and fulfills the prediction of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem. 1485s

It shall be inhabited and of the cities of Judah, they shall be rebuilt and I will raise up their ruins, who says to the deep, be dry, I will dry up your rivers, who says of Cyrus. 1505s

He is my shepherd and he shall carry out all my purpose and who says of Jerusalem, it shall be rebuilt and of the temple your foundation shall be laid. 1525s

Again, this amazing prophecy of that which would come about long after the time in which the prophecy was being made. 1543s

Take a look with me please at chapter 45 of Isaiah, verse 13. 1556s

I have aroused Cyrus in righteousness and I will make all his paths straight, he shall build my city and set my exiles free. 1565s

Not for price or reward says the Lord of hosts. 1577s

Amazing, amazing prophecy that God gives to Isaiah and then just as Isaiah prophesied the history unfolds. 1585s

What we see also with regard to the prophets is they warned of God's judgment against other nations besides Israel, for example. 1601s

Obediah writes about the judgment of Adam or Nahum, for tells the fall of Nineveh. 1613s

And some of these prophecies are about world history of that which will be. 1623s

Let's go to the book of Daniel, please. 1632s

Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, lamentations, Ezekiel, and then Daniel. 1635s

Daniel and we'll pick up in chapter 2. 1646s

Daniel, chapter 2, we'll pick up in verse 36. 1650s

What we see also is prophecy about world history in Scripture. 1656s

So picking up verse 36, chapter 2 of Daniel. 1664s

This was the dream. 1670s

Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 1672s

You, O King, the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory, 1677s

into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field and the birds of the air, and whom he's established as ruler over them. 1684s

You are the head of gold. 1697s

After you shall rise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze which shall rule over the whole earth. 1701s

And there shall be a fourth kingdom strong as iron, just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and shatter all these. 1714s

So the prophecy that's being given here is an outline of world history. 1728s

Well, what does this mean? 1736s

Or what is being referred to here? 1738s

First, the gold part that's being referred to of this idol is Babylon, Babylon. 1741s

And that was roughly about the start of Daniel's ministry. 1752s

Then he references the silver part. 1758s

That's the needs and the Persians, the next kingdom. 1761s

That came under King Cyrus. 1765s

They came to power at that time. 1769s

Remember that was about 539 BC, and God used Cyrus to free the people to return to their home. 1771s

The third kingdom referenced here, or the kingdom of bronze, that's the kingdom of Greece. 1778s

So we just follow history, and you can just go right back into Scripture because here's the outline of history. 1786s

Alexander the Great killed the last Persian ruler in 330 BC. 1794s

So you can see Daniel is foretelling here centuries before this. 1800s

So right now we are over two centuries beyond the earthly lifetime of Daniel. 1805s

And then he references in verse 40, the fourth kingdom, the fourth kingdom, the iron one, is the Roman Empire. 1812s

They captured Jerusalem in 63 BC. 1820s

Here you have in these short verses here, in Daniel the second chapter. 1824s

You have got an historical outline of four kingdoms that will come. 1829s

You go over also for example in Daniel 11, and that covers a period of history that is centuries in the future. 1837s

Centuries in the future, that the Lord gives to His prophet. 1848s

Prophecy is then already fulfilled in the Old Testament prior to the Old Testament. 1857s

We've just done a sampling here today from the period of the patriarchs, to the period of the judges, to the period of the kings. 1867s

We've seen the literary prophets, all sixteen of them. 1879s

And the prophecies, their fulfillment assured the people that God's prophecy about the Messiah to come would indeed come true. 1886s

Prophecy is such a rich subject to study, isn't it? 1904s

And as you study prophecy, what you see once again is the reliability of God's Word, the reliability of His Word. 1910s

Well, next week I look forward to exploring with you prophecy already fulfilled by Christ. 1923s

We'll continue next week. God bless. 1932s