God prophesied many things that have already been fulfilled. Consider these prophecies that were fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Fulfilled prophecy: Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
Can we prove God exists? Other articles in this "Is There a God?" section of our website explore this question through scientific evidence. Here is another way: through fulfilled prophecy.
If Someone wrote predictions or prophecies of the future and those prophecies consistently came to pass through the centuries, we would know that this Someone has an ability that no human has. These prophecies would help confirm the existence of God.
Are God’s prophecies true?
The Bible contains numerous prophecies from God that were written hundreds of years before their fulfillment, events that have already occurred and can be documented in history, both biblical and secular. Other prophecies recorded in Scripture are for the future and contain amazing details about events that are yet to occur.
God said in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand’” (Isaiah 46:9-10, emphasis added throughout).
In Isaiah God contrasted Himself with the lifeless idols that so many nations worshipped: “‘Present your case,’ says the LORD. ‘Bring forth your strong reasons,’ says the King of Jacob. ‘Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together’” (Isaiah 41:21-23).
God’s test of the lifeless idols was, in essence, “Tell us what will happen in the future so we can prove whether you are gods.” Idols cannot predict the future, but God can.
God communicated His words to His prophets, as explained by the prophet Amos: “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). These prophecies were spoken by His prophets and written down in the Bible.
Let’s look at just a few of these prophecies in the Bible that predicted the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Prophecies about Jesus Christ
Author Josh McDowell identifies 61 fulfilled prophecies concerning Jesus Christ’s birth, life and death in the Bible (The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, pp. 168-192). For example:
- He would be born in Bethlehem.
The prophet Micah, writing approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, foretold His birthplace.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
The fulfillment: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea” (Matthew 2:1).
- He was to enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
The original prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
The fulfillment: “Then they brought him [a colt] to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’” (Luke 19:35-38).
- He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
Thirty pieces of silver would be the price of betrayal and the cost of the potter’s field used to bury Judas after he hung himself. “Then I said to them, ‘If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. … So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter” (Zechariah 11:12-13).
The fulfillment of this occurred just before Jesus’ crucifixion. “‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15).
After Judas betrayed Jesus Christ, he tried to give the money back to the chief priests and elders, but they wouldn’t take it. “Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in” (Matthew 27:5-7).
- His garments would be parted and lots cast.
The original prophecy: “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:18).
This article has looked at only a few of the fulfilled prophecies concerning Jesus in the Bible. There are many additional prophecies that demonstrate God exists.
The fulfillment: “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said, … ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be’” (John 19:23-24).
The garments were parted among the soldiers, but the tunic was awarded to one soldier by the casting of lots.
What should you do?
This article has looked at only a few of the fulfilled prophecies concerning Jesus in the Bible. There are many additional prophecies that demonstrate God exists.
For instance, God prophesied of the Persian king Cyrus by name more than 100 years before he was even born! God said that Cyrus would issue a decree for Jerusalem to be rebuilt and for the foundation for the temple to be built (Isaiah 44:28). God also prophesied of the Greek ruler Alexander the Great and his successors. For more on these prophecies, see the article “Fulfilled Prophecy.”
Daniel accurately dated the coming of Christ and discussed events leading up to His second coming. This is known as the “70 weeks” prophecy. To learn more about this prophecy, see the article “70 Weeks of Daniel: What Does the Prophecy Mean?”
For additional articles on prophecy see the “Prophecy” section.
Only God can predict the future and bring it to pass. Fulfilled prophecy is proof of God. It also proves that God spoke through the writing of His prophets as recorded in the Bible for our benefit today. Fulfilled prophecy should motivate us to look at the prophecies of the future and realize that they will come to pass as well. Proving that God exists is just the first step. He also challenges us to turn to Him (Isaiah 1:16-18; Acts 2:38).
How you respond to Him is the most important decision in your life!
To get more evidence of God’s existence, be sure to check out the articles in our section “Is There a God?”
