Apologia! Every word of God is tested… Proverbs 30:5

Attacks on Bible Prophecy We should not be surprised that critics attack every aspect of the supernatural nature of the Bible. They attack prophecy because genuine prophecy cannot happen without a higher, all-knowing God. Otherwise it is nothing more than guesswork and blind luck.

Attacking Prophecy On Dates Critics say that Bible prophecy is accurate only because the prophecy was made only after the event had already taken place and was therefore “postdated”. Yet the prophets themselves are claiming to be predicting future events. They are obvious and consistently use proper tenses in their writing.

Notes On Dates Dating of some of the prophets and their writings is not without difficulty. Most, however, can be fairly accurately dated by material in the book and other biblical or secular supporting evidence. At the very latest date, all of the O.T. prophets were translated into Greek in the Septuagint no later than 280-250 B.C.

Suggested Dates Unger’s Bible Dictionary Amos – 700s B.C. Daniel – 605-538 B.C. Ezekiel – 592-570 B.C. Hosea – 748-690 B.C. Isaiah – 783-704 B.C. Jeremiah – 626-586 B.C. Joel – pre 300 B.C. Leviticus – 1,520-1,400 B.C. Micah – 738-690 B.C. Nahum – between 661-612 B.C.

Dating Ezekiel About 570 B.C. Two fragments of Ezekiel found in the Qumran scrolls. Important because of prophesies concerning Tyre, Samaria, Gaza, Ashkelon, Jerusalem, Palestine, Moab-Ammon, Edom and Babylon.

Peter Stoner – Science Speaks “No human being has ever made predictions which hold any comparison to those we have considered, and had them accurately come true. The span of time between the writing of these prophecies and their fulfillment is so great that the most sever critic cannot claim that the predictions were made after the events happened….One of these prophecies was completely fulfilled before Christ. Two had small parts fulfilled before Christ and the remaining parts after Christ. All others … after Christ.”

The Critics’ Presuppositions We live in a closed universe There is no God Miracles are not possible Predictive prophecy cannot happen Therefore, what was supposedly predictive prophecy was in fact history re- couched as prophecy.

James Davis, researcher “(I) used to wonder if what these men say really is true. I don’t anymore; not since I began seeing how these contentions were disproven again and again by archaeology and science….one by one, their accusations began to dwindle in number and potency as archaeology continued to objectively search and find facts. Eventually, I refused to even give critics the benefit of doubt and gave up confidence in them completely.”

Prophecy Concerning Tyre Ezekiel 26:3-21 Nebuchadnezzar would destroy mainland Tyre Many nations would rise against Tyre God would make her a bare rock Fishermen would spread their nets there God would throw her debris into the water She would never be rebuilt She would never be found again

Fulfillment of the prophecy Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre three years after the prophecy was made. Siege lasted 13 years. Tyre acknowledged Babylonian rule. Mainland city destroyed in 573 B.C., but most of the people had moved to an island and fortified a city there. It remained for several hundred years.

Alexander the Great next laid siege to the city in 333 B.C. He finished the demolition of the mainland city and threw the debris into the ocean to build a stone pier 200 feet wide to cross to the island city. He built siege engines at the far end. Additionally, he enlisted help from surrounding cities of Sidon, Aradus, Byblus, Rhodes, etc. to build ships.

Pier (causeway) can still be found. Island city fell. 8,000 people were killed and another 30,000 taken into slavery. This happened in 332 B.C. Philip Myers (secular historian) said Tyre never regained her previous stature. He said the fishermen now dry their nets on the site. For about 1,600 years the city kept being rebuilt and destroyed until finally it fell never to be rebuilt again to this day. Others who had a hand in her destruction were Antigonus (314 B.C.); and the Muslims in 1291 A.D. when it was reduced to rubble.

Present Day Tyre Site There exists a city called Tyre today, but it is built down the coast from the original city. The original city is, as predicted, a barren rock where nets of local fishermen are spread. Author/Historian Nina Jidejian said that the stones of Tyre, “may be found as far away as Acre and Beirut.” The prophecy was made over a thousand years before the final fulfillment, yet all was fulfilled exactly as God said that it would be.