Prophecy and Future Fulfillment

Is the Bible a book of prophecy? Did the Old Testament predict the coming of the Messiah? Does the New Testament show us the end of the world? In this essay, Ben Smith explains the distinct genre of scriptural “prophecy,” explores the evidence for its accuracy and fulfillment, and compares that accuracy with the putative prophecy of other religious writings.

Smith presents substantive evidence for distinct, supernatural foreknowledge displayed in the Jewish and Christian scripture, supporting belief that the Bible is what it claims: the divinely inspired Word of God.

The Bible is the only religious writing that proves its supernatural origin by clear examples of fulfilled prophecy. No other religious book or supposedly paranormal work can give an example of fulfilled prophecy that is as specific or as far in advance of its fulfillment as those of the biblical prophets.

This fact shows that the Bible truly is what it claims to be—the Word of God; and it shows the others to be untrustworthy frauds. In fact, God challenges all false gods and false prophets to try proving their authenticity by foretelling the future and accurately describing the past.