WHY YOU CAN TRUST BIBLE PROPHECY

Points of Contrast

The trademark of oracles was their ambiguity.  At Delphi, for example, the answers provided were uttered in unintelligible sounds.  This made it necessary for priests to interpret them and create verses  capable of opposite interpretations.  A classic example of this is the answer given to Croesus, king of Lydia.  When he consulted the oracle, he was told:  "If Croesus crosses the Halys, he will destroy a mighty empire."  Actually, the "mighty empire" destroyed was his own! When Croesus crossed the river Halys to invade Cappadocia, he met defeat at the hands of Cyrus the Persian.

In sharp contrast with pagan oracles, Bible prophecies are noted for their accuracy and clarity.  A case in point is the prophecy regarding the fall of Babylon, which is recorded in the Bible book of Isaiah.  Some 200 years before this event took place, the prophet Isaiah predicted in a detailed and accurate way the overthrow of Babylon by Medo-Persia.  The prophecy disclosed that the conqueror would bear the name Cyrus, and it revealed the very strategy  of drying up a moat-like river defense and entering a fortified city through open gates.  All of this was accurately fulfilled.  (Isaiah 44:27-45:2)  It was also correctly prophesied that Babylon would eventually be totally inhabited. -Isaiah 13:17-22.

Consider, too, the explicit nature of this warning declared by the prophet Jonah:  "Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown."  (Jonah 3:4)  There is no ambiguity here!  The message was so dramatic and straightforward that the men of Nineveh immediately "began to put faith in God, and they proceeded to proclaim a fast and to put on sackcloth."  As a result of their repentance, Jehovah did not bring calamity upon the Ninevites at that time. - Jonah 3:5-10.

Oracles were used as a means of political influence.  Rulers and military leaders often cited the interpretation that they favored in order to promote their own personal interests and undertakings, thereby giving such a "divine cloak."  However, God's prophetic messages were given without deference to personal considerations.

Next time: Conclusion of Points of Contrast

Watchtower, 2000