Prophecy is not just an evidence of God’s power, it is also a preservative. By predicting events long before they become reality, God ensures that the message came from Him, because only He has the power to bring about such fulfillment. The completion of prophetic predictions is nothing less than Divine evidence that His words are prompted and protected by Him.
Both Zechariah and Isaiah lived over 500 years before Christ was even born. They wrote the books which bear their names and are credited for recording numerous prophecies about the death of Jesus. The ancient book of Psalms, which is also rich in prophecies, can be dated even earlier than Isaiah and Zechariah. Even though these men lived so far apart in time and predicted events that would occur hundreds of years after their deaths, the harmony and accuracy of their prophecies is almost unbelievable. Notice just a few of these amazing prophecies.
- The betrayal money of Judas – Read Matthew 26:14-16, 27:3-6 then compare it to the words in Zechariah 11:12-13 which were written some 500 years earlier.
- The tortures of Jesus – Read Matthew 26:65-68 then compare it to the words in Isaiah 50:6 which were written over 600 years earlier.
- The silence of Jesus at His trial – Read Matthew 27:13-14 then compare it to the words of Isaiah 53:7 which were written over 600 years earlier.
- The clothes of Jesus – Read John 19:23, 24 then compare it to the words of Psalm 22:16-18 which were written 1,000 years earlier.
- The phrases of mockery at the crucifixion – Read Matthew 27:42-43 then compare it to the words of Psalms 22:7-8 which were written 1,000 years earlier.
- The torturous thirst of Jesus on the cross – Read John 19:28-29 then compare it to the words of Psalms 69:21 which were written 1,000 years earlier.
- The exact words of Jesus on the cross – Read Matthew 27:46 then compare it to the words of Psalms 22:1 which were written 1,000 years earlier.
And the list goes on and on…
Prophecy emphasizes the attention God has given to His message. If He took the time to connect all those prophetic dots back then, why would He not take the time to protect His message for us today?
Conclusion
Yes, you can trust Scripture and depend upon it to test all doctrines. God’s prophetic preservative says so.
In order to be sure of God’s message, always let the Bible interpret the Bible.