Claim CH110:
The Bible contains many prophecies that have accurately been fulfilled,
proving it is a divine source.
Source:
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 1985. Life--How Did It Get Here?
Brooklyn, NY, pp. 216-223.
Response:
- There are several mundane ways in which a prediction of the future can
be fulfilled:
- Retrodiction. The "prophecy" can be written or modified after the
events fulfilling it have already occurred.
- Vagueness. The prophecy can be worded in such a way that people can
interpret any outcome as a fulfillment. Nostradomus's prophecies
are all of this type. Vagueness works particularly well when people
are religiously motivated to believe the prophecies.
- Inevitability. The prophecy can predict something that is almost
sure to happen, such as the collapse of a city. Since nothing lasts
forever, the city is sure to fall someday. If it has not, it can be
said that according to prophecy, it will.
- Denial. One can claim that the fulfilling events occurred even if
they have not. Or, more commonly, one can forget that the prophecy
was ever made.
- Self-fulfillment. A person can act deliberately to satisfy a known
prophecy.
There are no prophecies in the Bible that cannot easily fit into one or
more of those categories.
- In biblical times, prophecies were not simply predictions. They were
warnings of what could or would happen if things did not change. They
were meant to influence people's behavior. If the people heeded the
prophecy, the events would not come to pass; Jonah 3 gives an example.
A fulfilled prophecy was a failed prophecy, because it meant people
did not heed the warning.
- The Bible also contains failed prophecies, in the sense that things God
said would happen did not (Skeptic's Annotated Bible n.d.). For example:
- Joshua said that God would, without fail, drive out the Jebusites
and Canaanites, among others (Josh. 3:9-10). But those tribes were
not driven out (Josh. 15:63, 17:12-13).
- Ezekiel said Egypt would be made an uninhabited wasteland for forty
years (29:10-14), and Nebuchadrezzar would plunder it (29:19-20).
Neither happened.
- Other religions claim many fulfilled prophecies, too (Prophecy
Fulfilled n.d.).
- Divinity is not shown by miracles. The Bible itself says true
prophecies may come elsewhere than from God (Deut. 13:1-3), as may
other miracles (Exod. 7:22, Matt. 4:8). Some people say that to focus
on proofs is to miss the whole point of faith (John 20:29).
References:
Further Reading:
Festinger, L., H. W. Riecken and S. Schachter. 1956. When Prophecy
Fails. New York: Harper & Row.
created 2003-6-5, modified 2006-1-31