Why Believe The Bible Is From God? Only God Can Predict The Future
One of the strongest evidences that the Bible is truly the Word of God lies in its fulfilled prophecy. No other religious book predicts future events in such detailed and accurate ways—often centuries before they happen. Let’s explore why this matters and what it tells us about the Bible’s divine origin.
What Is the Bible?
The Bible is a collection of 66 books, written over roughly 1,500 years by more than 40 authors from different backgrounds, languages, and regions. Despite this diversity, it presents a unified message about God’s nature, His relationship with humanity, and His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.
Who Wrote the Bible?
Though human hands penned the words of Scripture, the Bible itself claims that its ultimate author is God.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” — 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)
God used men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to write what He intended to communicate to humanity.
What Is Prophecy?
Prophecy is a divine message that often includes foretelling future events. These predictions are not vague or metaphorical—they are specific and often time-stamped, describing places, people, and outcomes in clear terms.
Who Can Predict the Future?
God declares that only He can accurately predict future events.
“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…” — Isaiah 46:9–10 (NKJV)
No human, government, or religious leader has consistently predicted world events or the coming of a messiah with flawless accuracy—except the God of the Bible.
How Can We Tell the Bible Was Written by God?
Fulfilled prophecy is one of the most convincing proofs. The Bible contains hundreds of specific predictions, many of which have been fulfilled with incredible precision. This divine foreknowledge confirms the Bible’s supernatural origin.
Two Groups of Fulfilled Prophecies
We’ll examine two major categories:
- Significant Historical Events
- The Coming of the Messiah
Table 1: Fulfilled Prophecies — Significant Events
| Prediction | Bible Ref | Verse | Date Prophecy Written | Date of Actual Event | Reference Document |
| Destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon | Jeremiah 25:11 | “This whole land shall be a desolation…” | ~605 BC | 586 BC | Babylonian Chronicles |
| Cyrus to Rebuild Jerusalem | Isaiah 44:28 | “Cyrus…shall perform all My pleasure…” | ~700 BC | 538 BC | Cyrus Cylinder |
| Fall of Babylon | Isaiah 13:19 | “Babylon…will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” | ~700 BC | 539 BC | Persian & Greek Histories |
| Alexander’s Empire Split |
Daniel 8:21-22 |
“…the large horn is the first king…four kingdoms shall arise…” | ~550 BC | ~323 BC | Historical Records |
| Destruction of Tyre | Ezekiel 26:3-14 | “They shall destroy the walls of Tyre…” | ~586 BC | 332 BC (by Alexander) | Greek Histories |
| Global Dispersion of Jews | Deuteronomy 28:64 | “The Lord will scatter you among all peoples…” | ~1400 BC | AD 70 onward | Roman Historians |
Table 2: Fulfilled Prophecies — The Messiah
| Prediction | Bible Ref |
Verse |
Date Prophecy Written | Actual Event | Bible Ref | Verse |
| Born in Bethlehem | Micah 5:2 |
“But you, Bethlehem…out of you shall come forth…” |
~700 BC | Birth of Jesus | Matthew 2:1 | “Jesus was born in Bethlehem…” |
| Born of a virgin | Isaiah 7:14 | “Behold, the virgin shall conceive…” | ~700 BC | Virgin birth | Matthew 1:22–23 | “A virgin shall be with child…” |
| Enter Jerusalem on a donkey | Zechariah 9:9 | “Your King is coming…lowly and riding on a donkey…” | ~500 BC | Triumphal Entry | Matthew 21:5–7 | “They brought the donkey…” |
| Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver | Zechariah 11:12–13 | “…they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver…” | ~500 BC | Judas’ betrayal | Matthew 26:15 | “They counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.” |
| Hands and feet pierced | Psalm 22:16 | “…they pierced My hands and My feet.” | ~1000 BC | Crucifixion | John 20:27 | “Look at My hands…” |
| Cast lots for clothing | Psalm 22:18 | “They divide My garments among them…” | ~1000 BC | At the cross | John 19:24 | “They cast lots for My tunic…” |
| Buried in a rich man’s tomb | Isaiah 53:9 | “They made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich…” | ~700 BC | Burial in Joseph’s tomb | Matthew 27:57–60 | “A rich man…laid it in his new tomb.” |
Conclusion: God’s Signature in Prophecy
Fulfilled prophecy is like God’s signature across the pages of Scripture. No other book dares to make hundreds of predictions, many centuries in advance, and succeeds without error. The Bible does, and this is one reason you can trust it is indeed the Word of God.
“So we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place…” — 2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV)
If God has spoken, we would be wise to listen. And through prophecy, we know—He has.
Resources for Further Research:
| John Ankerberg & John Weldon | The Facts on Bible Prophecy | https://www.amazon.com/Facts-Bible-Prophecy-Ankerberg-Weldon/dp/0736914405 |
| J. Barton Payne | Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy: The Complete Guide to Scriptural Predictions and Their Fulfillment | https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Biblical-Prophecy-Predictions-Fulfillment/dp/0060664766 |
| Josh McDowell | Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Chapters on Prophecy) | https://www.amazon.com/Evidence-That-Demands-Verdict-Historical/dp/1401676707 |
| Mark Hitchcock | The Complete Book of Bible Prophecy | https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Bible-Prophecy/dp/0849911321 |
| David Reagan / Lamb & Lion Ministries | Christ in Prophecy Video Series | https://christinprophecy.org/ |
| Chuck Missler | Learn the Bible in 24 Hours (Includes Fulfilled Prophecy Overview) | https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Bible-Hours-Chuck-Missler/dp/1578214298 |
| Don Stewart | 25 Signs We Are Near the End (Includes Prophecy Fulfillments) | https://www.amazon.com/25-Signs-We-Are-Near/dp/1948766115 |
| Arnold Fruchtenbaum | Messianic Christology: A Study of Old Testament Prophecy Concerning the First Coming of the Messiah | https://www.amazon.com/Messianic-Christology-Testament-Prophecy-Concerning/dp/0914863099 |
| Jews for Jesus | Isaiah 53 Explained (Messianic Fulfillment) | https://jewsforjesus.org/isaiah53 |
| GotQuestions.org | What are some prophecies that Jesus fulfilled? | https://www.gotquestions.org/prophecies-of-Jesus.html |
| Blue Letter Bible | Prophecies of the Messiah – Detailed Chart | https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/messiah/prophecies.cfm |