With the solar eclipse, hurricanes, rising sea
levels, political and social unrest, many people have been asking me about
biblical prophecy. They want to know if
these things are signs of the times. To
which I reply as the apostle Paul did.
While he thought that Jesus would return anytime, he remained vague,
saying, “For you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our
salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11).”[i] That’s because Jesus Himself warned us not to
try to predict the end, telling us that “no one knows the day or hour when
these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.
Only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36).”
But that doesn’t stop some people from trying. It seems like there’s always one doomsday
forecaster or another trying to find some obscure prophecy, and attaching a
date to it. Recently, David Meade
predicted that the alignment of Virgo and Leo on September 23, 2017, would
signal the beginning of the end.[ii] Yet that date has come and gone, with no sign
of the apocalypse. Meade should have
taken Jesus’ advice before trying to figure out a date.
The fact that there are crackpots predicting the end of
the world does not, however, mean that we should discount all prophecy. The Old Testament is filled with predictions
of the Messiah (perhaps over 300 of them!) that find their fulfillment in
Jesus. As we continue our study through the book of John, we come across some of
these fulfilled prophecies. John 19:23-24
tells the story of the crucifixion and how…
When the soldiers had
crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also
took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart,
let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided
my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what
they did.
This fulfills a prophecy in Psalm 22:18, which says, “They
divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.” Then, we see the fulfillment of Psalm
22:17, “I can count all my bones,” together with Psalm 34:20, which
says, “For the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is
broken!” These come to fruition in
John 19:31-33, which says:
It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders
didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a
very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten
their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be
taken down. So the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to
Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs.
Psalm
22:14 also says, “My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out
of joint. My heart is like wax, melting
within me.” This parallels John 19:34-37:
One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a
spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an
eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may
continue to believe. These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures
that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,”and “They will look on the one
they pierced.”
Finally,
we have a prophecy that says, “He had
done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man's grave (Isaiah 53:9).” This finds its fulfillment in John 19:38-42,
which reads:
Afterward
Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared
the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When
Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came
Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about
seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following
Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets
of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new
tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the
Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Generations
before Jesus was crucified and buried like a criminal yet given a rich man’s
grave, it was foretold by Isaiah through a prophecy from God. A thousand years before Jesus hung on the
cross, David predicted the flow water, his pierced hands and feet (Psalm
22:16), his intact bones, and the soldiers gambling for his clothing. Why is so much detail given through prophecy
and later fulfilled in Jesus’ death? So
that the evidence will be overwhelming, that Jesus is who he says he is. So that, after examining all the prophecies
of the Messiah, along with their fulfillments in Jesus[iii], you too might believe
and say as the Roman centurion at the crucifixion, “This man truly was the Son of God (Mark 15:39)!”
When you read
predictions made by people like David Meade, be careful. When you hear preachers talking about how an
event in the news is the fulfillment of scripture, be cautious. While interest in the End Times can be
fascinating, it’s better to focus on the greatest subject of prophecy found in
the Bible—the atoning work of Jesus, done for us on the cross. In that respect the Bible interprets itself,
and demonstrates how Jesus is the both the subject and fulfillment of prophecy,
and how by God’s grace we can put our trust in him.
[i]
All scripture quotations are taken from the NLT.
[ii]
“Biblical signs in tonight’s sky?” By Christopher M. Graney in ASTRONOMY
ESSENTIALS | HUMAN WORLD | September 23, 2017http://earthsky.org/human-world/biblical-signs-in-the-sky-september-23-2017. September 28, 2017.
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