The
Validity of Prophecy
2
Let us not forget the
Master's advice regarding scripture interpretation.
UB 1768 The
Scriptures are sacred because they present the thoughts
and actions of
men who were searching for God . . . they
contain
much that is
true, very much, . . . but these writings also contain
much that is
misrepresentative of the Father in heaven, the loving
Father I have
come to reveal to all the worlds. (Jesus)
UB 1768 Nathaniel,
never permit yourself for one moment to believe the
Scripture
records which tell you that the God of love directed your
forefathers to
go forth in battle to slay all their enemies . . . Such
records are the
work of men, not very holy men, and they are not
the word of
God. The scriptures always have, and
always will
reflect the
intellectual, moral, and spiritual status of those who
create them. . .
Many earnest seekers after the truth have been, and
will continue to
be, confused and disheartened by these doctrines
of the perfection of Scripture (Jesus).
UB 1768 The authority of truth is the very spirit that indwells . . .The
revelations of
divine truth are not sealed except by human
ignorance, bigotry,
and narrow minded intolerance.
UB 1770 Jesus did
not hesitate to appropriate the better
half of a
Scripture while
he repudiated the lesser portion.
Now, with the rudder set straight, let’s define and further consider the
prophet himself. Consider the following quotes from The Prophets, by Abraham Heschel, 1962:
To a person endowed with prophetic insight,
everyone else appears blind. (pg.16)
To
be a prophet is both a distinction and an affliction. . .
The prophet
bears scorn and reproach (Jer. 15:15). He is
stigmatized as a
madman. . . he is a lonely man. He alienates
the wicked as
well as the pious. (p. 18)
Ezekiel was told not to entertain any illusions. . . ‘I (God) send you
to them. . .
whether they hear or refuse to hear.’ Ezekiel 2&3 (p.19)
The
prophet claims to be far more than a messenger. He is a
person who
stands in the presence of God (Jerermiah 15:9). (p. 21).
The gift he is blessed
with is not a skill, but rather the gift of
being guided and
restrained. (p. 22).
He
not only conveys but reveals. (p. 22).
The
fundamental experience of the prophet is a fellowship with
the feelings of
God, a sympathy with the divine pathos. (p. 26).
Now consider the
distinction between a false and a true prophet from Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict, 1972:
False prophets were usually paid staff under the king. . . They
"prophesied" what the king wanted
to hear. . . he preaches of peace. . .
They steal the
name of the Lord, use their own authority in His name and
claim their own
self-exalted status. . . They lead the
people with false
assurance.
(p. 269).
True prophets. . .do not begin
with a message of peace because god-like
peace comes only
through holiness, righteousness and repentance. The
theme of the true prophet has been set by
Moses, which is the theme of
God’s law. The true prophet is commissioned by God and
speaks in His
name, with His
authority. . . He challenges his hearers head on to examine
themselves. (p. 270).
Now lets move on to
the accuracy of prophecy. Science
always asks, what does the data say? What is the prior success record? As with
all searches for truth, we must come to each question with an open mind, aware
of the biases we inevitably have. This
is particularly hard to do with prophecy because we have all been inculcated
with the same unexamined "modern" suppositions and assumptions
regarding reality. We are like fish
swimming in a sea of suppositions,
and fish are always the last to know about water, because it pervades their
universe, and its absence is never experienced/realized. After all, is it really so hard to believe
that our Father would want to warn, teach, and prepare His children regarding
events to come? Most modern,
"popular," scholars think something like this: "Miracles are not possible and so they
can not exist. And miracles cannot
exist because they are impossible. Now
we have proved it." Notice anything
funny? Perhaps, this is an example of how our "arrogance outruns our
reason," as per The Urantia Book.
Next, having "proved" the impossibility of prophecy, our most popular
scholars must now invent any possible scheme they can to "prove" that
the accurate prophecy was in fact
written after the event had
occurred. Thus the case is closed,
irrefutable to anyone with a "modicum of sense." And if the evidence
is too strong to refute, then the authorities of politically correct thought
step in to downplay, ignore, or obfuscate such evidence. This club sees no evil, hears no evil, and
does no evil.
There are many, many
well-documented examples of detailed prophecies that have come true to the
exact details. We must realize that mans simplistic notions of time, space, and
causality have already been destroyed by a new and enlarged perspective largely
forced on us by the evidences of
quantum theory, chaos theory, Bell’s theorem, and Godel’s incompleteness proof.
There is already a sound human basis for a philosophy that
embraces both reason and intuition, matter and spirit, logic and faith.
The materialistic,
reductionistic, mechanistic universe paradigm has been forever shattered. Yet
the majority of conventional scientists cling to their old ideas of certainty
and predictability. This is because there is a religion about science that scientists are not willing to admit to, just as
stubbornly as any other religionist has, from time to time been. This religion is unexamined and lurks in the
darkness of unrecognized assumptions, prejudices, and biases about the world
and the way we want it to be rather
than the way it really is. If we want
to be "top dog" and in control of everything then we cannot also
allow ourselves to believe in God. A belief in God would logically bring our
self-sovereignty into question. Since
we are too weak and prideful to allow for the existence of spiritual realities
we must find the Universe to be
strictly materialistic, strictly mechanistic, and strictly under our control. But then these religious
beliefs of our conventional scientists, and many others, are masqueraded as proved scientific
certainties to the untrained eye. Let
it be known that a logical, rational, and intelligent person can examine phenomena outside of our
present paradigm and make logical judgments regarding the unknown. The belief
in God is neither irrational or unfounded.
In fact we will see that a belief in a purposeful God is far more
rational than a belief in an unending series of infinitely improbable
"accidents." The scientific
method is a good approach to all types of questions and always asks what does
the evidence show. Even if there is
only one well-documented case of a detailed and accurate prophecy, our
assumptions about reality must be adjusted
to allow for this. Instead, what
happens is that uncomfortable facts are quickly swept under the rug to keep up
appearances. Most people, including
scientists, do not love truth. Therefore, the truth is crucified and
sacrificed day after day in the halls of cowardice, laziness, and
self-centeredness.
Now lets look at the
evidence about the past predictive accuracy of prophecy. If the past evidence of accuracy is good,
then we can confidently use prophecy to look into our future.
I have selected
several prophecies that will be well known and therefore easy to evaluate by
the individual reader. First, some
material from an informative letter written by Preston Thomas to Larry Watkins,
1992, about prophecy. Both individuals are Urantia Book students.
Letter
Jeremiah lived in the time before the fall of Jerusalem to
Nebuchadnezzar
Preston
(of Babylon). He
prophesied for twenty years before it
happened…and for
Thomas
this he was put
in prison. I (Preston Thomas) am attracted to Jeremiah
because he (like
us today) lived in a time before a great crisis – the fall of
all Jerusalem
and Judah to Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah’s ministry began
around 625 B.C. and ended sometime after
580 B.C. In 586 B.C., after an
extended siege,
Nebuchadnezzar leveled the city and the temple, and took
most of the
remaining residents of Judea into captivity (in Babylon). The
first twenty
chapters of Jeremiah record this prophecy of Judea many
Jeremiah’s
prophecy is very specific and right
on the money. For example,
Jer
20:4, "I (the Lord) will give Judea into the hand of the King of
Babylon, he
shall carry you captive to Babylon."…By the way, this
prophecy is
confirmed by the Urantia Book (1067D), "it was considered
blasphemous treason when during the siege
of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said;
‘And now have I
(the Lord) given these lands into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar,
the King of Babylon, my servant.’ And
when
Jeremiah counseled the surrender of the city, the
priests and civil rulers
cast him into a
miry pit of dismal dungeon…" (Preston Thomas)
Other examples of the
positive portrayal of prophecy (in the Urantia Book) include the following:
Ever and anon true prophets and teachers arose to denounce and
expose
Shamanism. (UB 988). Guatama was a real prophet. (UB 1035)
Our Father did
indeed speak through Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Amos, and
Hosea. (UB 1731)
But true prophetic vision is a suprapsychologic
presentiment.
Such visitations are not hallucinations, neither are they
trancelike
ecstasies. (UB 1000) (Preston Thomas, letter 1992)
Preston Thomas
continues. Another excellent example is
found in Isaiah 53…(Written over 600 years before Jesus.)
Isaiah 53 He was
despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows,
KJV and acquainted
with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he
was despised,
and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed
him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was
wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised
for our iniquities;
upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole,
and with his
stripes we are healed.
All we like
sheep have gone astray;
we have turned
every one to his own way;
and the LORD has
laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like
a lamb that is
led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep
that before its shearers is dumb,
so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression
and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his
generation,
who considered
that he was cut off of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made
his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,
although he had
done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
(Preston Thomas)
Preston Thomas points out…Notice
how many "hits" this prophecy contains:
.
He was despised and rejected by men
. A man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief
. He was
despised, and we esteemed him not
. He has born
our griefs and carried our sorrows
. He was wounded
for our transgressions
. He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth
. Like a lamb
that is led to the slaughter
. By oppression
and judgment he was taken away
. And they made
his grave with the wicked, and with a rich
man in his death, although he had done no violence,
and there was
no deceit in his mouth.
(Preston Thomas, letter 1992)
I think you must admit
that this is an excellent and specific, description of Jesus’ life here on
earth.
Having heard from
Preston Thomas, let’s consider some research from Grant Jeffrey, a well-known
Christian prophecy interpreter.
EZEKIEL’S VISION
OF THE REBIRTH OF ISRAEL IN 1948
The prophet Ezekiel, like Daniel, was
carried off to Babylon as a captive.
He prophesied there for about 20 years.
Also he, like Daniel, was aware
from the prophecies of Jeremiah that
the captivity in Babylon would last
only 70 years. Here is what he
prophesied: Ezekiel 4:3-6, "this shall be a
sign to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the
iniquity of the house of Israel
upon it: upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
For I (the Lord) have laid upon thee the years of their
iniquity, according to
the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt
thou bear
the iniquity on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the
iniquity of the house of
Judah forty days:
I (the Lord) have appointed each day for a year." (Grant Jeffrey)
In this prophecy
we are given a clear message that Israel (the Northern
tribes would be punished for 390
days of years plus an additional 40 days
of year for Judah’s (Southern Tribes) transgressions—which is a
total of 430
years. From the Second Captivity
they only served 70 years and then were
freed by king Cyrus. So it appears that we have a conflict since
430 years
minus 70 years = 360 years left for future punishment. (Grant Jeffrey)
Leviticus 26: I tell them the rules, and Verse 18
tells them that if they still
disobey God that their punishment will be seven
times more severe. If
you continue this chapter you will see
that God warns the Israelites more
than once that if they didn’t
repent of their sins that the previously specifie
judgments would be multiplied by seven (the number of completion).
(Grant Jeffrey)
So now we have a
new duration of punishment, remember we had
360
years of unfulfilled punishment,
and the Jews had not only not repented of
their sins but they crucified the
very one who could redeem them. So, the
360 years remaining period of
punishment is multiplied by 7 which equals
2,520 Biblical years. A biblical year is 360 days (Grant Jeffrey)
The end of the Babylonian captivity is well documented
historically as
536 B.C., so 2,520 years from
536 B.C. equals May 14, 1948—THE VERY
DAY THAT ISRAEL BECAME A NATION.
(Grant Jeffrey)
The Lord in this
example is like the strict parent who lays out the rules and penalties in
advance and sticks to his word. He is
strict, but always fair, and always trying to give his children the benefit of
any doubt. The Lord’s time horizon,
2500 years, is a little longer than our own. Nevertheless, 2500 years earns a
lot of respect.
Next under consideration, The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, by
Randall Price, 1996, states: "This fragmentary text, dated to about 100
B.C. is known as 4QaaronA (4Q541)
because it refers to a sagely and priestly figure. The translation of the crucial fragments (9&24) are often
considered together, but are probably not related, read as follows:"
Jesus and the
Dead Sea Scrolls
DSC He will
atone for all the children of his generation, and he will
4Q541.9 be sent to all his
children of his [pe] ople. His word is
like a
word of heaven,
and his teaching is in accordance with the will
of God. His eternal sun will shine, and his light
will be kindled in
all corners of
the earth, and it will shine on the darkness. Then the
darkness will
pass away [fro]m the earth, and thick darkness from
the dry land.
(spiritual darkness) (my parenthesis)
They will speak
many words against him, and they will invent
many [lies] and
fictions against him and speak shameful things
about him. Evil
will overthrow his generation […] His situation
will be one of
lying and violence [and] the people will go astray
in the days, and
be confounded.
DSC Do [not]
grieve for [him] […] God will set many things right
4Q541.24 […] many revealed things
[…] Examine and seek and know what
the dove (or:
Jonah?) sought (?) and do not afflict the
weak by
wasting or
hanging […] [Let] not the nail approach him. So you
will establish
for your father a name of joy, and for your brothers
a proven
foundation […] You will see and rejoice in the eternal
light, and you
will not be an enemy. (dotted lines and parentheses
indicate missing
original text)
The first paragraph
describes the Son of Man perfectly; his "eternal" existence,
"his word like a word of heaven," and his "teaching in
accordance with the will of God" could apply to no other person. The first line of this first paragraph refers to
the concept of atonement. This
erroneous concept is an example of how revelation is shaped by the cultural
mindset into which it is given, just as a cup gives shape to the coffee poured
into it. We must distinguish between
the facts described and the prophet’s
interpretation of those facts; i.e.
the same level separation that the Urantia Book teaches: fact, meaning,
value. The events can still be accurate
even if the prophet’s assumptions and interpretations of these is incomplete or
inaccurate; i.e. the coffee tastes the same no matter which cup you choose to
put it in. The method of level separation taught in the Urantia Book is a very
powerful tool for the understanding of all phenomena, as well as this specific
phenomenon, prophecy interpretation.
The second paragraph of 4Q541.9
describes the corrupt social and political scene found at the time of Jesus’
death, near the end of an age in 70 AD (Roman war). This corrupted socio-political scene of lying, violence and
confusion can refer to any end of an age time period, as it is the same for all
ends of ages: i.e. the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple in 587
B.C., the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple A.D. 70, and today;
the end of the dispensation of the "gentiles/Christians" (as well as
the end of the larger age of the Adamic default and the temporary Sovereignty
of Man). Human ages end because the
weeds eventually overgrow the good seed.
This happens because there is no one to pluck up the weeds along the
way. Only a divine leadership can have the authority and wisdom to do this
consistently and effectively over long periods of time. Not only man, but even most lower orders of
divine beings are incapable of self-governance as is discussed in The Urantia Book.
UB 766 Without help from superhuman sources the
strain of society
breaks down upon
reaching certain limits, and these very
influences of
social mobilization –hunger, love, vanity and
fear – conspire
to plunge mankind into war and bloodshed.
Melchizedek surely
understands this and just as surely would have provided a solution for it in
his "comprehensive plan" for rehabilitation of the planet. I wonder
if he is challenged by any impatience as he waits for harvest time and the
beginning of a new dispensation for his estranged children, to whom he has
devoted so much, for so long.
The third paragraph of the Dead Sea Scroll text 5Q541 under
consideration, again describes Jesus’ situation accurately and specifically,
this time crucifixion is alluded to, i.e. "do not afflict the weak by
wasting or hanging […] [let] not the nail approach him." The "nail" and "hanging"
are specific to ancient descriptions
of crucifixion. No one knows for sure,
but my intuition tells me that the Qumran leader, the Teacher of Righteousness,
is addressing his community in this paragraph and is warning them not to have
any part in the upcoming, near future crucifixion of the Son of Man, so that
they and their families will stay on the side of righteousness. Very likely then, Melchizedek has already
"collaborated" with the Teacher of Righteousness in a revelatory
process that has included revelaton of Jesus and his crucifixion. The Teacher of Righteousness is God’s
servant and prophet for that time period, 100 years before the birth of
Jesus. The Qumran community is then a
faithful Jewish remnant of that time who have elected to follow God's will, and
who have chosen self-exile (isolation) from the corruption and lawlessness of
their times. By the evidence of this accurate and important prophecy about
Jesus, we can postulate that other prophetic material in the Dead Sea Scrolls
may also be highly accurate and important.
Since the Teacher’s prophecies clearly focused on a future Messianic
time period, when all is set right in the world, this body of prophecy is
likely to be very important to our situation today at the close of The Age,
just before the arrival of the Messiah, Melchizedek. What a "coincidence" that these Scrolls have just been
recently found and brought to our attention today, the very day of its
relevance. We will return to the Scrolls at various points later on.
Now, continuing to explore the
accuracy of past prophecy, lets look at an Old Testament prophecy regarding
ancient Moab-Ammon. The following is an
extended excerpt from Josh McDowell’s, Evidence
that Demands a Verdict, Vol. 1, copyright 1972.
Moab-Ammon
Two small kingdoms,
Moab, positioned east of the Dead Sea, and Ammon, north of Moab, were also
objects of God’s judgment.
Scripture and Dating:
Ezekiel 25:3 …And say to the sons of
Ammon, "hear the word of the Lord God!
Thus says the
Lord God, ‘Because you said, "Aha!" against My
sanctuary when
it was profaned, and against the house of Judah when
they went into exile, and against the
land of Israel when it was made desolate,
Ezekiel 25:4 Therefore, behold, I
(the Lord) am going to give you to the sons of the east for a
possession, and
they will set their encampments among you and make their
dwellings among
you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.
Jeremiah 48:47 Yet I
will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord.
Thus for the judgment on Moab.
Jeremiah 49:6 But afterward I will
restore the fortunes of the sons of Ammon, declares the Lord.
Predictions:
Ezekiel 25:4 Will be taken by
easterners who will live off the fruits of the land
Ezekiel 25:4 "Men
of the east" will make Ammon a site for their palaces
Jeremiah 48:47
49:6 People
of Old Moab and Ammon will reinhabit their land
History:
With this in mind, we will study
the background and history of these lands.
Howard Vos writes: "A study of the topography of the area
demonstrates the impregnable nature of mountain strongholds, and an indication
of the military prowess is seen in the fact that Baasha, the Ammonite, sent
10,000 troops to Quargar in 354 B.C. to do battle with Shalmanesser of Assyria.
So rich and powerful was the nation (Ammon) when Jeremiah wrote, "Rabbah
[Ammon] shall be a desolate heap that it seemed very unlikely that such a
catastrophe would ever occur."
(Josh McDowell, Evidence that
Demands a Verdict)
The first and second predictions
have been fulfilled as predicted, according to Howard Vos: "The Emir
Abdullah of the East, ruler of Transjordania, built his palace there,
fulfilling another prophecy that the men of the East shall possess Rabbah and
set dwellings and palaces in her. In recent days the Emir has distinguished
himself as director of the Arab Legion, which has taken such an active part in
the fighting with the Jews in Palestine. Today the City of Ammon has a
population of over 20,000, is a stopping place of the Damascus-Hejaz Railway,
and has officials of other nations numbered among its population. The size of the city is significant when one
realizes it numbered only a couple of hundred inhabitants in 1920."
Vos summarizes in a
simple manner and states that "men of the east do inherit her (Moab) at
the present…"
At present, however,
Moab and Ammon are waking up. Keep in
mind the third prediction as this quote from Davis is revealed. (Josh McDowell)
Both lands [Moab and Ammon] are making rapid strides forward
after their long
sleep of centuries. Ammon, the Capital of Trans-Jordan,
is the Old
Rabbath of the Ammonites, that was captured by Joab and the
Israelites
acting under the direction of King David. Only a dozen years
ago Ammon was a
mere village of two or three hundred people. Today
it is a
flourishing city with a population of 20,000 and is the residence of
the ruler of
Trans-Jordan, the Emir Abdellah. (George Davis, Evidence
that Demands a
Verdict, Josh McDowell, pg. 287).
Possibly the people
inhabiting Moab and Ammon are not the ancient Moabites and Ammonites, but even
if this possibility were to be entertained, is it too much of a stretch of the
imagination to see it happening in the future? (Josh McDowell)
The
impact of this material has been so great that a writer in a
purely secular encyclopedia with a
tremendous circulation has said:
‘But Israel
remained a great power while Moab disappeared. It is true
that Moab was
continuously hard pressed by desert hordes; the exposed
condition of the
land is emphasized by the chains of ruined forts and
castles, which
even the Romans, were compelled to construct. But the
explanation is
to be found within Israel itself, and especially in the work
of the
prophets. (Howard Vos, Evidence that Demands A Verdict, Josh
McDowell, pg. 287)
Peter Stoner evaluates
the probability of this being fulfilled at one thousand-to-one.
The
estimates for the probable fulfillment of these items [relating to]
the Moab-Ammon
prophecies were given as (1) 1 in 5 for the take-over
by men of the
east; (2) 1 in 10 [for] palaces in Ammon; (3) 1 in 10 [for
the] return of
the Moabites and Ammonites. This gives an estimate in
the whole
prophecy of 1 in 10 (Josh McDowell)
Another excellent
example of well-documented, accurate prophecies is the book of Daniel. Daniel,
chapter 11, accurately and in great detail predicts over 400 years of
history. (Discussed in this book in the
chapter - Daniel.) This startling information has been buried in dust by the
naysayers, whose logic and premises are quite flimsy but have nevertheless
ruled the day for so long. However, studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls support
strongly the thesis that Daniel was written long before, and not after, the
events prophesied.
These then, are but a small number of very accurate prophecies
in the Old Testament prophetic scripture.
I am no expert, by any means, but I know of no well-documented Old
Testament prophecies that have been definitively shown to be inaccurate. The
prophecies are precise and detailed, and sometimes include precise time frames
for their fulfillment. Ultimately, prophecy is only possible because human
minds are capable of tuning in to God’s mind. Only God can know the future.
His mind is omniscient and absolute. The quality and accuracy of any
given prophecy is determined by the intellectual capacity and spiritual
receptivity of the prophet’s mind.
`The more complete the prophet’s
subordination is to God’s will, the higher is the potential for safe and accurate
receptivity. Dreams and visions are
sometimes used, but the more common and mundane experiences are those
"suprapsychologic presentiments" (UB 1000) given through the
intuitive mind. This represents the
same process as achieving close contact with the indwelling thought adjuster
that is described in full detail by The Urantia Book and discussed in a later
chapter. And so, the cup of our understanding grows and changes as we
assimilate knowledge and concepts and grow spiritually in our lives. Our ultimate capacity is limited only by
time, our will, and the biologic factors that condition intelligence and
spiritual receptivity. However, no
matter how large or small our cup may be, God will always fill us up over the
brim of our capacity. And when the
capacity of the material form is exhausted, another and higher form is
given. This process of increase never
ends because God never ends.
The-Foretold-History-of-Israel