Connect360: Wonders of the Word: Part Two

• Lesson Six in the Connect360 unit “Find Us Faithful: Standing Firm in Our Faith” focuses on 2 Peter 1:16-21

Can you imagine making a declaration of fact about events that haven’t happened yet?

That’s exactly what the Old Testament prophets did. For doing so, many of them suffered and were rejected by their own people.

Yet, they obediently declared a message from God that would be proven years or even centuries later.

In fact, the only way to know if a prophecy is true is to wait and see if it happens (Deuteronomy 18:21–22).

Thankfully, the prophecies we see in the Old Testament do, in fact, come true. Why is this important?

It is internal proof the Bible is true. Let’s look at two specific examples.

First, in Daniel 7, Daniel received and wrote down a prophetic vision that reveals “the most comprehensive and details prophecy of future events to be found anywhere in the Old Testament.”

He described in detail the rise and fall of four great empires from around 600 B.C. to around A.D. 500: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, plus a fifth which represents the ultimately victorious kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.

This vision parallels Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the giant statue from Daniel 2.

Daniel 11 spoke with such specific detail about a 200-year section of this history that some secular historians claimed it was a forgery, written years after the events occurred.

However, the style of writing and other internal clues prove it was written during the time of Daniel and the incredible accuracy of the prophecies are nothing short of miraculous.

A second example of prophetic validation comes from Psalm 22.

In this Messianic Psalm, David described things clearly present at the cross of Jesus: disjointed bones, dry mouth and tongue, pierced hands and feet, emaciated body and divided garments won by casting lots.

David wrote these words nearly 600 years before crucifixion was invented. And look at the specificity with which he mentioned them dividing up and casting lots for Jesus’ clothing.

Remarkably, these specific things happened as Jesus hung on the cross.

I point out these two prophecies for a couple of reasons.

First, the things prophesied in them happened centuries later.

We have existing manuscripts containing the prophecies dated before the events occurred, meaning the prophecies could not have been written in hindsight.

Second, these are actions outside the control of those who might want the prophecy to be fulfilled.

The disciples could not orchestrate the events of Jesus’ crucifixion to happen as they did, even if they had wanted to.

It was divinely orchestrated.

In today’s passage, Peter spoke about the prophetic word he had experienced and that his readers can experience as well.

He encourages them to “pay attention” (1:9) and look for the day when things foretold begin to come about. He uses the prophetic nature of God’s word to encourage them to trust in it and to recognize its validity for their lives.

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