Prophecy: Divine Revelation and Its Fulfillment
Prophecy is a revelation from God concerning the future, not speculation based on human reasoning, science, or probability. Unlike prediction, which is rooted in speculation, prophecy is grounded in divine revelation and must be interpreted literally, just as any other portion of Scripture.
A prophet is one who utters divine words. Jeremiah prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians (Jeremiah 19:15–20:1), he also spoke concerning the nations (Jeremiah 25:13), and Ezekiel prophesied to the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1–7). The Greek word προφήτης means “to speak before,” referring to prewritten history. The New Testament refers to many such prophets, including Jeremiah (Matthew 2:17), Isaiah (Matthew 8:17), Daniel (Matthew 24:15), Jonah (Matthew 12:39), Elisha (Luke 4:27), and Joel (Acts 2:16). The term προφητικός refers to that which pertains to or emanates from a prophet, such as the prophetic writings mentioned in Romans 16:26 and the words of the prophets in 2 Peter 1:19.
Scripture makes it clear that prophecy is not a matter of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). It did not come by the will of men but by the Holy Spirit carrying along holy men of God (2 Peter 1:22). The many fulfilled prophecies of Scripture stand as undeniable evidence of divine inspiration and prove that God’s Word is trustworthy.
The study of prophecy is important because it is part of Scripture, and approximately one-quarter of the Bible was prophetic at the time it was written. Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates God’s faithfulness, such as His declaration that “dying you will die” (Genesis 2:17), the captivity of Israel in Egypt (Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40; Galatians 3:17), and the captivity of Israel’s kingdoms (Joshua 24:20; Deuteronomy 30:1–3).
Prophecy also points directly to Christ, particularly concerning His birth and lineage. Scripture foretold that He would be the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23), and come through the line of Seth (Genesis 4:25), Noah (Genesis 9:1), Abraham (Genesis 22:17), Isaac (Genesis 21:12), Jacob (Genesis 25:23; 28:3–4), Judah (Genesis 49:10), Perez (Genesis 38:27–29), and David (2 Samuel 7:12–13; Romans 1:3).
Prophecy, therefore, is not simply history written in advance. It is God’s revelation, fulfilled with precision, and it provides solid evidence for the inspiration and authority of Scripture.
