Eschatology : Prophetic Accuracy cont.

4. Prophecies concerning Individuals.

1. Josiah. The following concerns the wicked king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel named, Jeroboam.

1Ki 13:1  A man of God from Judah had come to Bethel. When he arrived, Jeroboam was standing at the altar to offer a sacrifice.

1Ki 13:2  By a command of the LORD, this man condemned the altar. "Altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: There will be a son born in David's family line. His name will be Josiah. Here on you Josiah will sacrifice the priests from the illegal worship sites who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you." G.W.

This all took place in 975 B.C.  After approximately 350 years, then in 624 B.C. we are told of actions of a new king of Israel.

2Ki 23:15  He also tore down the altar at Bethel-the place of worship made by Jeroboam (Nebat's son), who had made Israel sin. He tore down both the altar and the place of worship. They burned the worship site, crushing it to powder and burning the pole dedicated to Asherah.

2Ki 23:16  When Josiah turned and saw the tombs on the hill there, he sent men to take the bones out of the tombs and burn them on the altar to make it unclean. This fulfilled the word of the LORD announced by the man of God. GW

Josiah cleansed the land of Idolatry

2. Cyrus. Perhaps the greatest Old Testament Prophet was Isaiah. For some 62 years this eloquent godly man wrote and preached; but even though Jerusalem was at rest when he ministered, Isaiah predicted her captivity (as did Jeremiah in Jerm 25:12; and 29:10; and the subsequent restoration.

Isa 44:28  He says about Cyrus, "He is my shepherd. He will do everything I want him to do." He says about Jerusalem, "It will be rebuilt." He says about the temple, "Your foundation will be laid."

Isaiah penned these words around 712 B.C.. By 606 B.C. , Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, had captured Jerusalem and had led many captive jews into his Capital. See Ps 137

Godly Isaiah declared that Cyrus would rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem.

For seventy long years they remained there. This was all predicted by Jeremiah 25:12;29:10

Then, in 536 B.C. the Miracle happened.

The prophet /priest Ezra tells us:

Ezr 1:1  The promise the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah was about to come true in Cyrus' first year as king of Persia. The LORD inspired the king to make this announcement throughout his whole kingdom and then to put it in writing.

Ezr 1:2  This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The LORD God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world. Then he ordered me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem (which is in Judah).

So then, Isaiah rightly predicted that Cyrus would allow the Jews to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, 176 years before it happened.

3. Alexander the Great. Although Daniel does not mention him by name, there seems little doubt that Alexander is the “he-goat” mentioned in Daniel 8:3-8

Dan 8:3  I looked up and saw a single ram standing beside the gate. The ram had two long horns, one longer than the other, though the longer one had grown up later.

Dan 8:4  I saw the ram charging west, north, and south. No other animal could stand in front of it, and no one could escape from its power. It did anything it pleased and continued to grow.

Dan 8:5  As I was watching closely, I saw a male goat coming from the west. It crossed the whole earth without touching it. This goat had a prominent horn between its eyes.

Bust of Alexander the Great

Dan 8:6  The goat was coming toward the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the gate. It furiously ran at the ram.

Dan 8:7  I saw it come closer to the ram. The goat was extremely angry with the ram, so it attacked the ram. It broke both of the ram's horns. The ram didn't have the strength to stand up against the goat. So the ram was thrown down on the ground and trampled. No one could rescue the ram from the goat's power.

Alexander was the first real world Conqueror. he crossed the Hellespont in the spring of 334 B.C. and soon met and crushed the Persian Troops in the battle of the Issus in 333 B.C.. Josephus, the Jewish Historian, tells us that when Alexander approached Jerusalem, he was met at the gates by the high priest, who thereupon proceeded to show him that his victories over the Persians had all been prophesied by Daniel in 553 B.C. some 220 years in advance.

Titus Flavius Josephus (/dʒoʊˈsiːfəs/;[1] 37 – c. 100),[2] born Joseph ben Matityahu (Hebrew: יוסף בן מתתיהו, Yosef ben Matityahu),[3]was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry.

He initially fought against the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War as head of Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in 67 to Roman forces led by Vespasian after the six-week siege of Jotapata. Josephus claimed the Jewish Messianic prophecies that initiated the First Roman-Jewish War made reference to Vespasian becoming Emperor of Rome. In response Vespasian decided to keep Josephus as a slave and interpreter. After Vespasian became Emperor in 69, he granted Josephus his freedom, at which time Josephus assumed the emperor's family name of Flavius. Wikipedia

The Greek Warrior Alexander was reportedly so impressed at all this that he worshipped the high priest and spared Jerusalem.

Jerusalem opened its gates in surrender, and according to Josephus, Alexander was shown the Book of Daniel's prophecy, presumably chapter 8, which described a mighty Greek king who would conquer the Persian Empire. He spared Jerusalem and pushed south into Egypt.[86] Wikpedia

4. Antiochus Epiphanes.

Like Alexander Antiochus is not mentioned by name but is surely mentioned in Daniel 8:9-14 Antiochus was a Bloodthirsty, Jew-hating Syrian general who conquered Israel in 167 B.C.

Antiokhos IV Epiphanes

He then entered the Temple Holy of Holies, and horribly desecrated it by slaughtering a hog upon the altar! Daniel foresaw this terrible event 386 years before it happened.

Dan 8:9  Out of one of the horns came a small horn. It gained power over the south, the east, and the beautiful land.

Dan 8:10  It continued to gain power until it reached the army of heaven. It threw some of the army of heaven, the stars, down on the ground and trampled them.

Dan 8:11  Then it attacked the commander of the army so that it took the daily burnt offering from him and wrecked his holy place.

Dan 8:12  In its rebelliousness it was given an army to put a stop to the daily burnt offering. It threw truth on the ground. The horn was successful in everything it did.

Dan 8:13  Then I heard a holy one speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, "How long will the things in this vision-the daily burnt offering, the destructive rebellion, the surrender of the holy place, and the trampling of the army-take place?"

Dan 8:14  He told me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the holy place will be made acceptable to God."

Antiochus Epiphanes desecrating the Temple in Jerusalem