Six Failed Bible Prophecies

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The end of the world prophecy, just another that didn't come to pass.  Pic courtesy of www.endoftheworld.net
The end of the world prophecy, just another that didn’t come to pass. Pic courtesy of www.endoftheworld.net

The Bible is a book, not unlike a Stephen King novel but a lot less believable and certainly less exciting.  There are a lot of things wrong with this ancient tome, not the least of which are the many assertions, or prophecies, claimed by the authors as absolute truths which originated with God himself, and therefore must not be questioned.

Well, the fact is, like many things the Old Man was alleged to have said lots of them have been well, wrong.  Here are six examples of Biblical future telling that made about as much sense as a guy named Jesus rising from the dead and ascending into heaven.

Let’s face it, if the Bible were true it would not contain any failed prophecies, yet it does. Before we explore these failed prophecies let’s discuss the so-called fulfilled prophecies. Most of the prophecies from the Old Testament, like those fulfilled by Jesus, are only “fulfilled” within the stories of the New Testament.

In light of the Bible being a work of fiction this is no big deal, the writers of the New Testament simply wrote stories involving characters who fulfilled the prophecies made in the Old Testament stories. As for the prophecies that are claimed to have been fulfilled by actual real life events they are vague prophecies that could easily be applied to any number of events. There are cases where the Bible makes very specific prophecies but to no surprise these are the ones that have failed:

Isaiah 17:1 “An oracle concerning Damascus: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

FAIL: Damascus is still inhabited today with well over a million people and there was never a time where it ceased to be a city. It is widely known as being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.

Isaiah 19:4-5 “I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry.”

FAIL: The river mentioned here is the Nile which never dried up and is still one of Egypt’s greatest natural resource.

Isaiah 52:1 “Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.”

FAIL: There are still uncircumcised people living in Jerusalem even today.

Ezekiel 30:10-11 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his army – the most ruthless of nations – will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.”

FAIL: Ezekiel predicts that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon will conquer Egypt utterly destroying it, slaying and scattering its people. In 568 BCE Nebuchadnezzar tried to conquer Egypt and Egypt survived with no apparent damage. Aahmes ruled for another generation over a prosperous Egypt and lived to see Nebuchadnezzar die. The Egyptians were not scattered or dispersed.

Ezekiel 29:10-11 “therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.”

FAIL: Never in its long history has Egypt been uninhabited for forty years.

Matthew 16:28 “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 23:36 “I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.” 24:34 “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
FAIL: Jesus states in Matthew that all the signs marking the end of the world would be fulfilled before his generation ended, before the people that were standing infront of him “taste death.” Those people have been dead for over 2000 years and the world did not come to an end, neither have all those signs been fulfilled.

Many thanks to our friends at Truth Saves for story contributions.

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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2 years ago

Um. If you need help please ask. Because this is rubbish.

Meera
2 years ago

Great Article!!! Thank you so very much. Read the bible many times, never made the connection.
Brilliant!!!

Dumbed down after reading madmike
3 years ago

I’m now dumber for having read this, incredibly uneducated, spiritually blind, self defeating opinion piece. Quite possibly one of the dumbest attempted atheist rebuttals I’ve ever seen.

Meera
Reply to  Professor Mike
2 years ago

LOL. I love your reply and what you guys and girls put up with. Shaking my head…

Elaine

I so agree. WOW, absolutely uneducated. I didn’t make it past the 1st supposed failed prophecy and was shaking my head. Note for: “madmike” you need to study these scriptures so the truth and meanings behind them can be revealed to you. I will pray for you to have your eyes opened and understanding of scriptures fully understood. Don’t be deceived and don’t be afraid for the truth to be truth. God’s Word is Good! I also pray you will have a change of mind and honestly research the authenticity of the Christian Bible.

Donnie
Reply to  Dumbed down after reading madmike
8 months ago

So, you don’t believe those prophecies? You filthy heathen!

Pete
3 years ago

If you read the Bible strictly as a historical book, you’ll miss the message in it because it’s both a book of history and mystery. It’s a living book and can be proved right at this time with Daniel’s book of truth just recently open. HE is very merciful to give us this final message at the end of time so even some scoffers and mockers may decide to give it a peek. It’s one thing to verify a passage or two, but all are true from Daniel 11:20 right up to awaiting 11:31 which will most likely occur when the annexation happens which triggers the abomination of desolation, great EQ and rapture of the true church.
The LORD even tells us in several passages about this cv pestilence in Isaiah 26: 19-21 “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.” – Shelter in place sound familiar? Repent… time is short. Thanks for allowing me to post.

Namiko
4 years ago

This is a good article. The Bible is full of inaccuracies: failed predictions, false claims, internal and external contradictions, and a whole host of scientific and historical errors. I do not understand how any adult with at least average education and reasoning skills could continue to believe in such a flawed book.

Daniel Konschak
Reply to  Namiko
11 months ago

What does this have to do with you being a sinner in need of saving ?

Brad Erwin
5 years ago

I predict that Bosnia and Herzegovina will be a major super power and rule the world. However, I won’t put any time frame on when it will happen. Using the rules of Christian prophecy fulfillment, my prediction is absolutely useless to the ones I am speaking to today, but rest assured that at some point in the next 10,000 years my prediction will come true.

6 years ago

It is very simple. Some prophecies have yet to be fulfilled. A case in point is the one about Damascus. It is not really difficult to think, with all the trouble going on right now in Syria,and with nuclear weapons, that Damascus could be destroyed at some point in the future.

Prophesy is telling history before it happens. There is a prophecy that Israel and Jerusalem will become a stumbling stone to the world. That is exactly what we are seeing today. Yet that prophecy was made thousands of years ago,and of course, long before Israel even became a nation in 1948.

There is another prophecy in Ezekiel 38 that predicts an alliance will be formed with what is now Russia, Iran, and Turkey, that will go against Israel. That is exactly what is happening.

There are other prophecies yet to be fulfilled, or are in the process of being fulfilled.

Jacob Roberts
9 years ago

If anybody believes this guy, they are obviously descendants of retarded fish monkeys…All he said was completely bias with no resolute fact to deny the prophecies legitimacy. I don’t think he even understands how to read and interpret prophecies let alone say if they failed or not. I’m not a fan of Christianity, but I was raised in it and learned 1000x more then this guy knows, And I can tell you this guy is completely idiotic with absolutely no basis in reason and logic

Nikkip
10 years ago

Alright I’m going to give you the shore version if your trying to prove to yourself that God does exist before you take the leap into the unknown you can’t it doesn’t work like that its a leap of faith. You will have to put faith first cart buggy. So pray ask God to come into your heart put that much faith in and God he will prove to you he exist. He will change you from the inside out. You will be amazed after God takes the blinders off you will see all these prophecy for what they are God’s divinely inspired word. Its backwards from the world thinking. You believe in things you have never seen and don’t understand lock stock and barrel why not God. You believe in a million dollars have you ever seen it in person? Do you understand evolution could you go into a lab and prove it yourself? Unless your a scientist or a millionaire I dont think so. God bless you all.

PB
Reply to  Nikkip
9 years ago

Nikkip,

I’m not sure how someone/thing can feel ‘lonely’ when they don’t have a concept of any other company. People know they are lonely because they know what it is to have companionship…

Another question would be to ask, who or what created this ‘place’ in which God grew lonely. Did he create the very time and space he exists in, or was it in existence before him?

I’m not an evolutionary scientist so I couldn’t prove ‘evolution’ in a lab. But as I know that ‘evolution’ basically means change, the simple question you can ask yourself is if anything has ever ‘changed’ in your lifetime. If it has, then you’re experiencing the basic principles of it…The thing is, how much can things change in 4 billion years? Quite a bit I’d say…

You say you need to believe in God before you can accept he exists. Truth is, people can convince themselves of anything if they really want to; I think you underestimate the power of the mind to believe what it wants to be true….

People tend to believe in things that don’t exist…No one ‘believes’ in the Sun or Moon. Or cats or dogs etc. Why? Because we ‘know’ they exist…

No one, no matter how devout, has any ‘knowledge’ of God or Gods. And that’s why you have Faith instead. I would just say that if it was ‘Truth’ you were looking for, Knowledge would be more reliable that Faith…

Peace

Meera
Reply to  PB
2 years ago

This is what I love about Atheists: Knowledgeable, polite, rational, humble, etc. Thank you so much for that. Love you guys and girls.

PB
10 years ago

Again, I ask the Christians on here. If God exists outside of time (let alone at all) and he knows everything that will be done, even before the people doing it, what is the point of life itself?

This idea would suggest that all the winners and losers have all been known from before Man even walked the earth..

This reduces the whole of civilisation to nothing more than a grand theatre production.

Personally, I’m surprised that people would still base their lives on the thought processes of a much more primitive civilisation.

But I suppose, as it has always been; people believe what they want to be true.

Nikkip
Reply to  PB
10 years ago

This is added to what I’ve already said. Now to answer your question if you were an all powerful being whos all alone what would you do? We’re made in his image but he put some of his other traits in there too like loneliness God was lonely. Anything else PB? I’m not all knowing but I’ll do my best. God bless you.

Meera
Reply to  Nikkip
2 years ago

According to the bible, god is not alone, he is surrounded by 24 elders and many angels telling him how holy he is, over, and over, and over, and over. This while our world, his beautiful creation, burns to the ground with corruption, rot, evil, genocides, murder, wars, robberies, rapes of children by their very priests, human trafficking, etc. But he loves you! Yeah, I see…Made in his image? He must be one hell of thug and gangster then based on the evidence. …if menkind is made in his image.

Nikkip
10 years ago

Well I see no one else has commented so does that mean thiest win. We did prove your “failed” prophecies were not failed at all. God bless you all.

Meera
Reply to  Nikkip
2 years ago

You didn’t prove anything if you know what the word “prove” means. THEY ARE FAILED PROPHECIES. 1+1=2 and not 795.

Nikkp
10 years ago

I was reading my Bible the other day and it said God would circumcise their hearts. I know you don’t have the discernment of the Holy Spirit so I’ll explain it to you, like how you have hardened your heart to God he made their hearts open though I can’t remember if it said all of Israel, Jerusalem or, just Judah it’s in Deuteronomy I believe. Every word of the Bibles true. When people tell my preacher not one word of the Bibles true he quotes a Bible verse that says the wringing of the nose brings forth blood. 🙂 I like that everyone on this page seems to be civilized candid yet civilize.

Nikkip
10 years ago

Ha you said the same thing I did right below you brother or sister in Christ ; ).

Nikkip
10 years ago

Know whats funny the Euphrates river is being turned by Ethiopia their building a dam in the Bible it says up to the borders of Ethiopia, Damascus is being destroyed, Egypt is or had a Civil War not sure oh and you miss read the one about Nebuchadnezz I forgot if he was told not to or what happened but anyway you miss read it. Read it again theres like four. words it. is easy to miss. Anyway GOD BLESS by my calculations we got 10 years max till y’all burn forever. Dont take to long making up your minds the wrath part of the tribulation sucks.

Nikkip
Reply to  Professor Mike
10 years ago

I ment to say the Nile river though but the Euphrates is in the Bible too Rev16 :12 its not been too long ago since it dryed up. You should read the one about the Nile being turned up too the borders of Ethiopia some translations it will be turned up to the borders of Ethiopia and some just say it will be turned. I’ve always wondered what the stitistics are for just even the prophecys mentioned here are of being dead on the numbers have to be astronomicale wouldn’t you think?

Nikkp
Reply to  Professor Mike
10 years ago

I like you Mike I hope that all go to heaven but, I’m getting to be particularly fond of you. 🙂

Elin
10 years ago

I would just like to butt in and say ( failed prophecy 1 and 2 are being fulfilled TODAY)

Damascus and syria are having a major conflict and civil war. 100,000 dead ( death toll still rising) loads are fleeing. -prophecy coming true and in the process

Egypt will suffer when the ethiopian dam project is complete, it will dry the nile up ( dam to be completed in 2016 )

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/24/geography-in-the-news-ethiopias-dam-projects/

Part of the other prophecy claims that whilst the nile dries up, there will be a great civil war and an evil ruler will rule among the egyptians. THAT IS HAPPENING NOW, the arab spring movement is spreading, egypt ruler is being overthrown and there is civil unrest, it is only a matter of time

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
brother will fight against brother,
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,
and I will bring their plans to nothing;
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
the mediums and the spiritists.
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
5 The waters of the river will dry up,
and the riverbed will be parched and dry.
6 The canals will stink;”

Spoke too soon I’d say, this article was written in 2011 probably just before the syrian conflict erupted

Bob
Reply to  Elin
2 years ago

Brilliant answer!

They have a special day for people who doubt God its April 1st. The fool says in his heart there is no God. If Evolution Created you then it did an awful Job.

PB
10 years ago

What I find bizarre about christians and other religious folks, is the sheer double standards. For example, quite a few have commented on prophecies that are ‘yet to be fulfilled’. ie, there is still time for those prophecies to come true…But then you have the other side of the coin where that say a particular part of the world will never be habitable again…Don’t we also need to wait just as long to see if they are ever inhabited again? Is it just certain prophecies that have a time limit?

Another thing that constantly bugs me is this idea of God/Jesus existing ‘outside of time’. I’m not sure how that is possible but if it actually is, then you have reduced the whole of mankind to nothing more than a very long DVD…

If God is indeed ‘outside of time’ and can view mankind at any given point in time, what exactly is the point of prophecies? One poster (Mike) quoted Isaiah, saying that IF the Jews chose to stay in pagan Babylon rather than return to the Holy Land, they would be punished for 430 years and IF they didn’t repent, it would be multiplied by 7.

But if God IS outside time, he would (should) have known that they would have stayed in Babylon and NOT repented. For someone that exists outside of time, there can be no if, buts or maybe’s. The outcome is known almost before the question is asked, surely?

And this has to be true of everything in the Bible. From the creation of Lucifer and his Falling, the other angels, and every other facet of the Bible. This means he already knows who is or isn’t going to heaven as well as every good or bad thing that will happen to everyone.

So apart from everything else, if Christians really believe this ‘outside time’ idea, they’re saying that God has given the go ahead for all things, good or bad, to happen.

What is the point of Abraham, Moses, Jesus or any other chacracter when the ending is already known and can’t be changed???

Peace

Nikkp
Reply to  PB
10 years ago

It will never be inhabited again because this earth will pass away along with hell and time which is why the Bible says there shall they ever be when referring to the saints being with Jesus. I have a theory that when we only existed in Gods mind he seen us and loved us all even if some would perish forever there was no turning back for him. Yes he seen it all and knew all before it happened. It’s like having a child and knowing their life would end horribly you already have that child you know and love them and what if that same child’s life was tied to another child’s life of yours and there life turned out great? Could you kill both children for the sake of one? What I can’t wrap my head around as a Christian is that God has always existed and he created us out of nothing. Explain that to me. I know Gods real because prophecies are coming true (see my other post) this is how God proves he exist to us he gave us the one thing that is unique to him because he’s outside of time and can see it all at one time. I do suppose all prophecies have a time limit just we’re not privy to all the information. God bless you.

Nikkp
Reply to  PB
10 years ago

It’s not his will that you would perish it’s not his will that any should perish the Bible tells us that. He loves you !

Mike
11 years ago

A little late to the party here looking at the dates but i will say my peace non the less..

First, just because a prophecy has not occurred yet does not mean it will not happen..just like the restoration of Israel, prior to its rebirth many people could claim and probably have that it was a failed prophecy,yet in 1948 it occurred. The Bible’s prophesies are past, present and future, just because it has not happened yet, does not mean it wont.

One thing that separates the bible from all others is its prophecy’s.
No other book in the world has predicted and have had it come true with 100 percent accuracy. Right now lets take a look at a few shall we..

One of my favorites is Cyrus, Two hundred years before this man’s birth the prophet Isaiah recorded that he would overthrow Babylon. This man would not only allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem, but they also would be granted the privilege of rebuilding the temple.

Lets look at some key factors here in regards to this prophecy.
Isaiah called Cyrus by name..The Jews were not in captivity at the time. Solomon’s Temple, which Isaiah said would be rebuilt, was still standing. On top of it all, it says Babylon will cease to be inhabitable and never rebuilt..To this day, all who have attempted to rebuild has failed.

lets look at some others

Jeremiah predicted that despite its fertility and despite the accessibility of its water supply, the land of Edom (today a part of Jordan) would become a barren, uninhabited wasteland (Jeremiah 49:15-20; Ezekiel 25:12-14). His description accurately tells the history of that now bleak region.
—————————————–
Israels Rebirth was foretold to the letter and even the date..
The prophet said the Jews, who had lost control of their homeland, would be punished for 430 years.

Ezekiel said the Jews were to be punished for 430 years because they had turned away from God. As part of the punishment, the Jews lost control of their homeland to Babylon. Many Jews were taken as captives to Babylon.

Babylon was later conquered by Cyrus in 539 BC. Cyrus allowed the Jews to leave Babylon and to return to their homeland. But, only a small number returned. The return had taken place sometime around 536 BC, about 70 years after Judah lost independence to Babylon.

Because most of the exiles chose to stay in pagan Babylon rather than return to the Holy Land, the remaining 360 years of their punishment was multiplied by 7. The reason is explained in Bible’s book of Leviticus. (Leviticus 26:18, Leviticus 26:21, Leviticus 26:24 and Leviticus 26:28). In Leviticus, it says that if the people did not repent while being punished, the punishment would be multiplied by 7. And, by staying in pagan Babylon, most exiles were refusing to repent.
So, if you take the remaining 360 years of punishment and multiply by 7, you get 2,520 years. those years are based on an ancient 360-day lunar calendar. If those years are adjusted to the modern solar calendar, the result is 2,484 years. And, there were exactly 2,484 years from 536 BC to 1948, which is the year that Israel regained independence.
——————————————————-

There are many many many bible Prophecy’s that have come true and many more will, as someone above said:

Isaiah 17:1 “An oracle concerning Damascus: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

This is in progress, right now! watch the news, and follow the prophecy happening in front of your eyes.

I know a lot of people will brush this off, or even try to refute it, and that’s ok, they have that right, just as i have the right to believe. The bible has never been proven wrong contrary to popular belief and in many cases have turned to God while trying to debunk it. I urge everyone who does not believe in God to set the worlds common opinion and views aside and study Gods word with a open mind.

Before your study or search into the bible and its truth, literally ask God wither you believe in him or not to open you mind and show you that he is who he says he is.

Brian
11 years ago

Isaiah 17:1 “An oracle concerning Damascus: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

This is in progress, right now! watch the news, and follow the prophecy happening in front of your eyes.

Peg
Reply to  Brian
1 year ago

Brian: Yes, so that means that people work toward making these “prophecies” happen.

Zildjian
11 years ago

It’s simple, The prophecies haven’t failed, they just haven’t happened yet 🙂

Reply to  Zildjian
6 years ago

You are so correct, Zildjian. See my post. I go into a little more detail on this.

Greg
11 years ago

I really like reading Dennis Mckinnsey’s “Biblical Errancy.” Quite an extensive work. I notice that some of Mike’s commentary following the examples of failed prophecies is almost word for word. Was looking for some footnotes crediting Mr. Mckinnsey but couldn’t find any. Maybe just an over site, but it should be corrected. Or maybe the credit is listed somewhere and I just missed it.

In any case, I highly recommend his read.

And Mike, I am enjoying your blog. Bookmarked. Keep up the fight!

CH
11 years ago

RE:
Isaiah 17:1 “An oracle concerning Damascus: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

You said….FAIL: Damascus is still inhabited today with well over a million people and there was never a time where it ceased to be a city. It is widely known as being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.

Im just wondering now that Damascus is deminishing daily before our eyes if you feel maybe you spoke too soon?

Reuters Headline: Increased air raids bring death and ruin to Damascus suburbs
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/02/us-syria-crisis-airraids-idUSBRE8A10RU20121102

Google image search for “Inside Damascus” today yields almost nothing but death, destruction, and ruin.

It’s kind of hard to call the Bible out on 6 supposed failed prophetic statements when they are in fact Prophecy – by definition something that “Will” happen. Just because it hasnt happened in the time you expect it, doesnt make it false.

Explain away Ezekiel 36 and 37? Are you going to tell me that the jewish people have in fact not returned and reclaimed their nation, and that it is not fruitfull? Probably not.

We are all sinners, but there is only one unforgivable sin friend, and that is denial of the holy spirit. – Be careful what you preach because our life here on earth is but a vapor – enternity is a mighty long time.

CH
Reply to  CH
11 years ago

Still no reply? Are you on vacation, our just deep in thought?

Oh and by the way… LA Times is now quoting Assad of some things that sound pretty darn biblical in nature

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-assad-20121109,0,7768985.story

And I quote:
“I think the price of this invasion, if it happens, is … too big,” Assad said in English in one of his infrequent recent interviews. “More than the whole world can afford…. We are the last stronghold of secularity and stability in the region. And coexistence, let’s say. It will have a domino effect … from the Atlantic to the Pacific.”

OH… and to quote the Red Cross…
The International Committee of the Red Cross, meanwhile, said it could no longer cope with the fast-expanding humanitarian crisis in Syria, where a raging civil conflict has left millions in need of shelter, medical aid, food and other necessities.

Now… would that be the same MILLIONS of folks you boasted about in your in your rebuttle?

Just curious?
What Say You?
It’s not too late now, I will pray for you and your hardened heart – Accept the truth and forgiveness of Jesus Christ – before you are on your knees with hooks in your jaw… professing it when its too late.

Anonymous
11 years ago

@Niam Krawt

“Some atheists also believe that no gods exist, but that is not a necessary requirement for atheism.”

Atheism: Definition – The doctrine or belief that there is no God.

Idiot. . .

Sean
11 years ago

LOL this forum is funny. As a Christian I think that trying to refute Christ is just foolish. I wonder why Atheist’s are so big about refuting the existence of God anyway. If you don’t believe in God then keep on living that way. LMBO….If I were an atheist I would never waste a second of my time trying to refute a belief by topics I rarely know myself. I mean if you truly don’t believe in a higher force then why are you trying so hard to convince others……or maybe yourself……that such a being doesn’t exist. I know I wouldn’t….why….because an Atheist doesn’t believe in such a being. So why argue about what you don’t believe in. And Niam Krawt you are wrong….no atheist can say they believe that any God exist and be a Atheist. What you are talking about is called Deist. Deist believe in their own interpretation of God. So you see for Deism God can be an animated motivated being or an eternal inanimate force.

Dennis
Reply to  Sean
11 years ago

We are not trying to prove there’s no god, we are trying to prove that what YOU CALL PROOF, is NOT proof. Atheists are not claiming “there is no god.”, we are claiming that “we don’t believe your assertion that ‘God is real’ is true because you can’t prove it.”. And you can’t.

You are claiming your god is real. The burden of proof is on you. Please present your evidence.

Nikkip
Reply to  Dennis
10 years ago

Go look at my other comments on this page that’s irrefutable proof. Will you become a Christian of course not its easier to just try to find some way to say I’m wrong and change nothing about your life. God bless you

Emmanuel
11 years ago

It is good for learnin purpose

Machine
11 years ago

Leave it to an Atheist to refute the Holy Bible.I look at It this way,1.6 billion people belive In Christ.1.4 billion Muslims belive In Christ,and other Realigions belive In Christ.Even most of the Scientific Community belives Christ existed as a person.It’s safe to assume Christ existed atleast as a person.Your faith has to come in,to belive Christ existed as a God.Christ has done wonderful things In my life;especially,when I asked for them.People belive In Christ,because Christ has done things In their life unimaginable.Have faith,ask and you shall recive.Duspute Christ,ask and you shall recive nothing.Atheism Is a belife In nothing,but It’s still a belief just like Christanity,except they don’t belive In nothing.A guy over here says:belive In Christ,and another guy over there says:belive In nothing.Both systems are bona fide belief systems.These sort of fourms are for trollers.It’s didn’t change my beliefs,and I’m sure It didn’t change other people;otherwise,we’d read comments saying:oh my God this fourm changed my life.

Niam Krawt
Reply to  Machine
11 years ago

I look at It this way,1.6 billion people belive In Christ.

So your main justification, right out of the gate, for your belief in Christ is because about 25% of the world does? Doesn’t seem like a very good reason.

1.4 billion Muslims belive In Christ,and other Realigions belive In Christ.

Yeah, but Muslims and other religions don’t believe Christ is the son of God. So they don’t exactly “believe” in Christ now, do they?

Atheism Is a belife In nothing,but It’s still a belief just like Christanity…

Yeah, and “bald” is a hair color, and “off” is a TV channel. Do you believe that Allah, Zeus, or leprechauns exist? Of course not, you lack a belief in these things because you don’t have any evidence for them. Atheism is a lack of belief in gods, not necessarily a belief that no gods exist. Some atheists also believe that no gods exist, but that is not a necessary requirement for atheism.

Dennis
Reply to  Machine
11 years ago

How can you say the scientific community believes Jesus existed? WHO?!? There is no coroborative evidence to even REMOTELY indicate the existance of this Jesus dude you so blindly believe in.

I believe you prayed and good things happened to you. Do you always pray (as in daily, or even weekely, or even MONTHLY)? Has anything bad ever happened to you? HOw can that be? Your prayers didn’t work? God wanted something bad to happen to you? Got tired of always doing good for you?

“A good thing happened, therefore it’s proof that God did it.”…. How can you make that connection?

Man Made
11 years ago

Regardless of anything in the Bible ever happening or not. Christianity is a copy from earlier
pagan myths. It’s all made up people. End of story.

Jess
Reply to  Man Made
11 years ago

Another “man made” wish. The story goes on.

Joe
11 years ago

Men putting themselves before God. How absurd.

An Angel
11 years ago

I got a prophesy for all of you. But before I say that, know that the Bible has never once been wrong. EVER. It has withstood the test of time and many smart people have tried to discredit it. But back to the prophesy. The Bible says that one day “Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.” It has already happened, you just don’t know it yet as God is outside of time and said it would happen. Oh, and God can’t lie. That is the one thing God can’t do.

Joe
Reply to  An Angel
11 years ago

Agreed.

lol at harold camping fail.
11 years ago

lolololololololololololol @ jess its muppet sheep like u that beilive false prophets that give christians a bad name. so sad read your bible and u will not be giving dates on the world ending….. when will the muppets learn. if you are christian read your bible correctly, and make discissions for yourself, question all that you are told by pastors read your bible and think for yourself. the bible tells you to questing it and seek your answers, test it. as far as prophesies go .. anything can happen 40 year no inhabitants . how is cherynobl, samson aproach from israel if impending doom think of what will be destroyed, egypt, syria, and other arab countries, evil kings arab league – good luck getting them to be a good leader for you. peace

12 years ago

[…] | The Life Less Faithful1Some Failed Prophecy of the Bible « The Word of Me…1Six failed Bible prophecies | MadMikesAmerica […]

Anonymous
12 years ago

If anyone is interested in more evidence , you might want to watch the “Christianity Exposed” Series on YouTube.

Art Stanton
12 years ago

Hi Guys,

It is truly unfortunate that the world takes Christians to be Bible experts. Actually, no one can base Christianity on the Bible.

Though we have had the luxury of believing or disbelieving the Bible until now. The end of the present age is upon us. Even if every Bible was now burned, end time prophecies can be read daily in many news papers.

I do fear that astronomical death tolls that shall befall America’s population this year will proove not only the veracity of scripture, but also the accuracy of biblical dating. This is the year of judgment!

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Art Stanton
11 years ago

And what if it doesn’t happen as you’re predicting? What will you say then?

Jess
12 years ago

Mike,

The problem is that although the Bible is written for everyone to read and heed, it is not written for everyone to understand (parables can illustrate many things while hiding many others). We like to see, feel, smell, hear, measure (etc.) anything before we think we can believe it. Faith doesn’t require those things – but fear and doubt certainly do. This topic seems to have become a passion of yours (and mine, too), shown especially by your study of certain scriptures in an effort to demonstrate a point. There is complete harmony in the Bible. Churches have failed to find it and each has departed from the foundation they all claim. These big, juicy mega-congregations likely have a lot in common with your beliefs and constituency in that they seek their own heaven (we all believe in some type of heaven).

May 21st is the Day of Judgement. I hope that everyone will consider it and come to believe it. But in the end, on that day, it may only matter that you KNOW what just happened. Then, the knowledge will be an unbearable, tormenting sting (Rev. 9:10). However–Today, it’s a steady warning that could lead to an awakening (Heb. 3:14-15). And if you really wake up, you may find yourself in “sackcloth and ashes” – which would be a good thing (Jonah 3:5-10).

Best,
Jess

Bradley Scott
Reply to  Jess
12 years ago

uh, missed it by that much, pal.

Michael
12 years ago

I was debating whether or not to even get involved in this discussion, because I knew from the start that nothing could come of it. People on the opposite side, against belief in God, will look for evidence that supports their beliefs and argue based on that, explaining away points that don’t support their beliefs. And on my side, I knew that I would do the same. I hold strongly to my convictions and I want them to be true (and I of course believe they are, and that there is good evidence for them). But I knew that both I and the people I would be discussing with would be chasing our tails. Even if aliens came down from the sky and said “hey, all those many years ago, we were responsible for planting the first seed of life on Earth…that’s how life could begin to exist. Also, we used our special alien powers to act like God and give people prophecies and then fulfill them, and we acted like demons and spiritual beings in 3rd world countries for fun…that wasn’t really demonic activity it was us.” even then I would choose not to believe them, just like I am sure the same would be true for the other side.

For those who say that Christians cause damage to the world, I’m sorry that you had to experience a side of Christianity that was never supposed to show up. The church was designed to love the world so that the world might see our love and be drawn to our kindness. Unfortunately that’s not the most well known aspect of the church. I will say that the percentage of Christians who picket and burn abortion clinics are slim to none…there ar so few, that they barely even are worth mentioning. But every time a Christian does something like this it makes headlines and that isolated event gets a huge audience…they don’t show the hundreds of thousands of Christians who helped build hospitals or helped with the relief in Haiti, etc.

I find a huge amount of significance in the Gospel, rather than believing that we have no purpose or that we need to make up our own purpose in life, I believe that there is a huge amount of significance to existence. I find grace immeasurably important, and the most incredible part of it is that I have a direct relationship to the father that could only be made possible through Christ Jesus. I don’t consider it a burden to serve him, but rather it gives me that purpose that I have talked about. That’s my short apologetic, so that you know why I choose to believe what I believe.

Bradley Scott
Reply to  Professor Mike
12 years ago

on behalf of the christian left, thanks mike.

Reply to  Michael
9 years ago

i agree with u that there are good christians as well as bad christians just as there are good atheists as well as bad atheists etc etc.
from my study of history, gods and religions for the many years,i found out that all the different races worldwide have created their gods and religions but christianity, juduism and islam (all 3 share the same god) claim that their god is the real creator.
why did u think that your god is the real creator?

Anonymous
12 years ago

I guess that this stupid web site was put up before the uprising in the middle east

Reply to  Anonymous
12 years ago

I guess your stupid comment went up before reading the whole article. What does the uprising in the middle east have to do with most of his points??

Answer?

NOTHING.

Lincecum
12 years ago

The Bible doesn’t fail, no matter how much you want it to.

1. Isaiah 17:1 “An oracle concerning Damascus: See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”

This has not been fulfilled yet. It’s only been a few thousand years. The Earth has been around for a lot longer than that, and it is likely to be around for quite a while longer. Plus, it is highly plausible that Isaiah was talking about when Jesus comes back to the Earth to save us. Just because it hasn’t been fulfilled yet doesn’t mean that it won’t be fulfilled.

2. Isaiah 19:4-5 “I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry.”

You don’t seem to understand. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen. To God, there is no time. Because of this, the “time” that passes us by can be short or long, but for God, it’s however long he wants it to be. I highly doubt that He is talking about physical Egypt, and by the Egyptians he doesn’t necessarily mean the inhabitants of Egypt. The Egyptians persecuted his people, so God could be talking about all those who persecute his people. The dry riverbed means there will be no water: the physical stuff or water from the well of Jesus (read the New Testament to find out more about that). A fierce king could mean anyone from Satan (in hell), or just their own sinful desires, which could be a sort of “king” to God’s peoples’ persecutors.

3. Isaiah 52:1 “Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.”

Read the Bible, and you’ll find that Zion is God’s holy city, in heaven. This coincides with His promise to build a new Jerusalem. So when Jerusalem puts on “garments of splendor,”
it is talking about the new Jerusalem. By the “uncircumcised or defiled,” God does not mean the physically uncircumcised and defiled, but rather the spiritually and inwardly. God speaks this way a lot in the Bible, as you’d begin to realize if you read it. He tends to use physical examples of the spiritual world because we can not comprehend that beyond the physical as easily. So it is true: the spiritually uncircumcised shall not enter Heaven, and the only way to be circumcised is by accepting Jesus into your heart. That’s what God said.

4. Ezekiel 30:10-11 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his army – the most ruthless of nations – will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.”

Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre, a coastal city in Egypt. You are correct in saying, however, that he never “filled the land with the slain.” Still, there are explanations. Some believe that it was really a reference to Alexander the Great’s takeover of Egypt, in which the land really was filled with the slain. Others believe that though Nebuchadnezzar didn’t take over Egypt as much as the Bible said he would, he still fulfilled most of the verse just by attacking and laying siege to the Egyptian city of Tyre. However, another likely scenario is similar to the one that occurred in Nineveh. God said he would destroy the evil city of Nineveh, but in the end, he chose not to because they repented. That’s how God’s mercy works. Though there is no record of this in the Bible, it is another possible reason for it not being fulfilled somewhat. But we can ask Him in Heaven. I definitely have a lot of questions.

5. Ezekiel 29:10-11 “therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.”

First of all, I hate to sound redundant, but there is still time left on this Earth for this to occur, in the physical sense. Secondly, it has already been partially fulfilled: there have been times when the people have been scattered and cities have been in ruin. However, the key part is when it talks about how “no foot… will pass through it.” With all the disasters (both natural and unnatural), surely there are ways for this to be fulfilled. I don’t want it to happen, but as we get closer to the coming of Jesus, there will be an increase in warfare and natural disasters, ones that could prevent anything from crossing Egypt for 40 years. Luckily if you’re Egyptian, God promises just a couple verses later that he will gather the Egyptian from where they were scattered to.

6. Matthew 16:28 “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 23:36 “I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.” 24:34 “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”

This is the easiest one. John, one of the disciples, receives a vision from the Lord, which is pretty much the only source he uses to write Revelations. He was standing there when Jesus said that. As for the other two verses, Jesus is outside of time, right? I think we’ve established that. Therefore, knowing that we’d all be reading this, he very easily could be talking to our generation. However, these possibilities are the far-fetched ones, as Jesus is most likely referring to the event called the Transfiguration, which followed this verse soon after in each gospel. If you don’t know what the Transfiguration is, then read the Bible. Basically, Jesus is glorified by God in the sight of three of his disciples (Peter, James, and John) on the top of a mountain.

And on that mountain, this is what he said: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

I suggest that you do. It’s hard, I know, but for every verse that brings a seed of doubt into your mind, know that there is a reason that it’s in the Bible. Plus, there are a whole lot more prophecies that have most definitely been fulfilled in the Bible than ones that are hard to understand. Read the Bible, with a mind open to Jesus. It’ll all make sense in the end.

ThinkRationally
Reply to  Lincecum
12 years ago

Wow, Lincecum, that’s a lot of rationalization. If you open up your interpretation that wide, you can probably conclude that nearly every prediction ever made by anyone has come true (as long as it doesn’t have any, you know, specifics, like dates or very descriptive explanations).

Even when a name, Nebuchadnezzar, is specified explicitly, you’re willing to allow that maybe the verse is referring to someone else completely. It almost seems like your wide interpretation allows you to read every prophecy as, “something will happen somewhere involving someone.”

One can only conclude that objectivity in these matters is not your strong suit.

Lincecum
Reply to  ThinkRationally
12 years ago

The subjectivity of a person’s beliefs really depends on who he’s talking to. This whole article reeks of subjectivity, as the author attempts to think rationally. Rational thinking is fine, but if you let your opinions get in the way, then you limit the complete capacity of rationality.

I’m not saying you do it any more than I do. As humans, we all have the tendency to believe that our opinions and beliefs are completely rational. But that’s just the point. The only way we can think rationally is if we learn from someone who states absolute truth in a manner untainted be bias. That person is God. So if you want to truly think rationally, then you need Jesus, just as we all do.

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Lincecum
11 years ago

And just how do you know what God said? You know, or claim to know, because you’re read documents which human beings have written. If you say that these documents are different from others because they’re “inspired,” then you’re simply begging the question. Either you know they’re inspired because the documents themselves say so, which is absurd, or because someone (some person, persons, or institution) told you, and a lot of other people believe it too. But then, they’re all human, and subject to the same infirmities as anything else created by humans. The truth is this: WE HAVE NOTHING BUT HUMAN AUTHORITY for any proposition we choose to believe. Now, in a logical, non question-begging way, show me that this is not true, and I’ll concede the point.

Reply to  Lincecum
12 years ago

WOW, that is some VERY convoluted apologetics.

How do you know that jesus and god are outside time? Did you make that up? Or is it just something that you figure that is true based on your personal beliefs?

As far as Nebuchadnezzar filling Egypt with the slain…it NEVER HAPPENED. You can’t pass that on to Alexanders conquests since Alexander wasn’t mentioned by NAME. But guess who was?

Nebuchadnezzar!!! You know, the guy who couldn’t fulfill the bibles prophecy? Remember him?

How about your terrible explaination of the last one? He isn’t outside time for that one, since he makes specific reference to the people that are present and listening to him.
“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

COME ON NOW. He clearly is talking to the people who are STANDING THERE and listening to him!

I love how you have decided that by Jerusalem Jesus meant a Jerusalem that didn’t exist at the time, even though he was speaking to Jews, who would think that he was speaking of the jerusalem that, you know, actually existed.

Your “explainations” are childish and clumsy and to be frank more than a bit intellectually dishonest.

Lincecum
Reply to  J Burgoyne
12 years ago

How low we sink! Calling the opposing explanation childish because you don’t agree with it? The reason that I find intellectual discussions with my atheistic friends difficult is that we have points of view so opposing one another that we completely dismiss the other person’s point before listening to it. In doing so, we fail to comprehend the point that person is trying to make.

The fact is, there are still ways that these prophecies could be fulfilled physically. As long as there is still a way, then they are not Biblical “fails.”

Your comment about how God’s relation to time shows how very little you understand on this subject. Type “God outside of time” into Google, and you will find countless philosophical discussions on the topic. Because God made time, he is not subject to its laws. When Jesus came to the Earth, he subjected himself to the laws of our universe, but the Lord doesn’t have to be unless he chooses to.

God looks upon time as we look at a line. Along that line are many occurring events. To the people on the line, it appears that there is a future and a past, but to God, it is all happening simultaneously and can be duly influenced by him.

You don’t love the fact that I spoke of new Jerusalem instead of old Jerusalem. You find it comical in an uncomfortable way because you don’t know any better. However, if you’d read the Bible, you’d find that Jesus constantly says that when he returns to Earth he will construct a “new Jerusalem.” He is most undoubtedly talking about the new, pure city that will be on the “new Earth” when he takes us to heaven.

As for Nebuchadnezzar, I’ve already told you that I don’t totally understand that one. But I know that God uses plenty of metaphors in his prophecies, so it really is possible that God is speaking about something entirely different. Expand your mind, and look at it from the point of view of someone who believes the Bible’s truth, as difficult as that is.

Reply to  Lincecum
9 years ago

Lincecum, since tokyo and hiroshima were bombed to ruin, why is that they are not predicted or phohesized in the bible?

12 years ago

Not as crazy as those who follow The Koran/Quran or whatever the hell it’s called….

Christian fundamentalists haven’t done any harm generally speaking since The Crusades…We’ve another Crusade over in England and it ain’t bloody Christians that’s for sure.

Niam Krawt
Reply to  Four Dinners
12 years ago

Let’s not forget the Inquisition! I think most of the fundamentalists moved to the U.S. after that, where they continue to inhibit the spread of knowledge and scientific progress, subjugate women, and generally discriminate against anyone they don’t agree with.

Reply to  Four Dinners
12 years ago

Uhh…Fundamentalist Christians are causing lots of harm on a daily basis.

-They are discriminating against homosexuals.
-They are standing in the way of condom use and education in the United Stats, and in Africa where HIV is rampant.
-They are standing in the way of scientific progress through stem cell research.
-They are blocking real science like evolution from being taught in classrooms and pushing wholly unscientific ideas like creationism.
-In much more extreme cases, some Christians have bombed abortion clinics, killed abortion doctors, and murdered their own children to “save them from hell.”

That’s just off the top of my head. Causing no harm? Are you kidding?

Reply to  David
12 years ago

not in England they aren’t….only fundamentalism we have over here is Islamic…apparently the French Secret Service refer to London as Londonistan….not in the least surprised…

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Four Dinners
11 years ago

To say that the Quran is false is not to prove that the bible is true. I don’t know who count as “Christian fundamentalists.” But to assert that Christians haven’t done any harm since the Crusades is patently false. At the time of, say, Michael Servetus, who was burned at the stake for not believing in the Trinity, such things were common practice. He would have met the same fate anywhere in Europe. The fourth crusade lasted from 1202 to 1261. The Spanish inquisition started about 1478. Christians should try to stop living in denial of their history. It’s there, it is what it is, and it can’t be changed. It does no good to try to justify it by saying that others have done similar things. Did not Jesus himself say, “by their fruits shall ye know them”? Christianity is a religion that was spread by the sword. In fact, some of its most celebrated authors believed that heretics should be persecuted and put to death, including Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. If anyone denies it, they’re simply wrong.

12 years ago

Good reads include: CJ Werleman’s “Jesus Lied, He Was Only Human” and by the same author, “God Hates You, Hate Him BAck”. Happy reading you all!

12 years ago

The Bible isn’t even right about things that happened before it was written. The Egyptian captivity, the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, the empire of David and Solomon, the miracles and resurrection of Jesus — none of it ever happened. Such events would have left traces on the ground and/or in the detailed historical records which were being written at the time. There are none.

There’s no reason to expect the Bible to have any more connection with reality than the myths of any other primitive tribe would.

Lincecum
Reply to  Infidel753
12 years ago

Actually, you’ll find that the Bible is the most detailed historical record around. And it does agree quite readily with historical evidence. You’d know that too, if you did a little research instead of using the words of your misinformed friends. The Bible is definitely historically accurate.

Reply to  Lincecum
12 years ago

just because the bible includes names of people and places that actually existed at the time and makes mention of a few things that happened doesn’t make it an accurate historical record. That is like saying that Spiderman comics are historically accurate just because they mention New York, it’s real mayor, and 9/11.

Come on now.

How about the census that never happened?

Reply to  Lincecum
12 years ago

The Bible isn’t a historical record at all. Most of the Old Testament is a forgery created in the 6th century BC. The archaeological record is clear that its major events never happened. See here.

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Lincecum
11 years ago

Does it agree with scientific evidence? Read the first chapter of Genesis, and tell me it does, if you can do it with a straight face.

Michael
Reply to  Infidel753
12 years ago

Really, and how would you interpret the coins that archeologists found with Joseph’s name printed on them? Are those myth too? (Joseph being the historical first Jewish person in Egypt…a sort of father to the slaves if you will)

Reply to  Michael
12 years ago

Of course they are not myth, but how does that prove the historical accuracy of the bible? As I said, having a few historical things in the book does not make it an historical account. There are simply too many falsities to count it as such.

dp1053
12 years ago

It always amazes me how these Bible-thumpers go on about how the word of god is unquestionable, unchangeable and MUST be taken literally, but when it is inconvenient for their purposes it miraculously changes. Looking at it from their point, I suppose it would be pretty embarrassing to admit you invested many years of your life believing in a fraud and a fairy tale.

The Bible in itself is not a bad book if it is remembered that it is not the word of god, but a history of the early Jewish people, intermixed with rules and regulations for keeping a tribal people in line. That is not even to mention the political agenda of the New Testament. A very interesting read is Isaac Asimov’s guide to the Bible, he goes thru a lot of the political and secular aspects of the Bible.

mike
12 years ago

Good article. However, I clicked on your Twitter Icon today, because I wanted to follow you on Twitter and the link was broken.

Brandon
12 years ago

Unfortunately, when confronted with historical evidence pertinent to these failed prophecies, those who would defend the infallibility of the Bible will merely respond “It hasn’t happened yet!” or “Well it wasn’t meant literally.” The latter is particularly amusing when espoused by the denominations that demand a literal interpretation of the Bible, or at least literal-until-it-seems-too-crazy.

mike
Reply to  Brandon
12 years ago

To Brandon: I would say your comment is a true statement for some Christians. However, this article, if actually read by Christians, will at least make some percentage of them think. This article is just one of many articles which Christians need to read to help them begin to think for themselves. I submit this article is excellent.

Michael
12 years ago

Matthew was referring to the destruction of Jusalem, not the end of the world, which happened in 70ad, which WAS in Jesus’ first generation followers time.

That’s just the last of the prophecies you mentioned but I can give you ore details about how you are mistaken about the rest of them too…just don’t have room

Michael
Reply to  Professor Mike
12 years ago

“I don’t believe in the Bible”‘ you don’t believe in it’s existence? You don’t believe in it’s message of love? Is that a bad thing? If there were Christians going around actually doing what the Bible taught then maybe you wouldn’t be so antagonistic towards them

Revyloution
Reply to  Michael
12 years ago

Plenty of room here Michael, please go on debunking. I’d love to hear how the rest of these prophecies are not failed, but actually fulfilled.

Michael
Reply to  Revyloution
12 years ago

I posted a comment a little further down…that pretty well sums it up as best as I really want to at this point…most of these prophecies were meant to bring comfort to Israel, and portrays punishment of a land that has abused them in the past. The Israelites would not have read “the river will dry up” and think “Ha, God will punish Egypt THAT way!” they would understand that it is poetic, but that God will vindicate them.

It seems like you get the idea that Christians bend the truth around their personal agenda? Now I ask you, how is this article, right here, any different? Mike, did you investigate every aspect of the issues and come to a rational decision based on your unbiased judgement? I bet you were already an antagonistic non-Christian who gathered evidence against a position that you were already dedicated to disagreeing with.

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Michael
11 years ago

He’s not being antagonistic toward anyone. And of course no one is denying the bible’s existence, only its veracity. As for your last observation, if Christians were going around actually doing what the bible teaches, then maybe the bible itself would have more credibility. If it is what you say it is, then why doesn’t it succeed in changing more lives for the better? As for the bible’s “message of love,” there are sacred texts in other religious traditions that also have a message of love. Why is the bible’s version superior to theirs?

Robert Hamby
Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

You don’t because you CHOOSE not to. Your choice is not based on any real evidence showing the Bible is wrong, but because of YOUR worldview. Your statement states such, and just shows you are willingly ignorant, as Jesus said many are!
Maranatha

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Robert Hamby
11 years ago

Let’s turn this around. You believe in the bible because you choose to. Now I ask, why? The bible didn’t fall down ready-made from heaven. It is composed of documents which were written, as all are, by human beings. You say that these documents are divinely inspired. Yet, the bible is given to us by a human institution, Christianity. It is members of that institution who decided which documents belong in the bible, and which don’t. But is that institution itself credible? The history of Christianity reveals an institution which is full of religious war, persecution, intolerance, and corruptions too numerous to recount. For centuries, people could be tortured and killed because they didn’t believe what the “church” thought they should. Have you ever witnessed anyone being burnt at the stake? I haven’t. But I submit that all you’d have to see in one such event, and you would run away in horror from anyone who perpetrated such a crime, as well as from the institution he represented. The history of Christianity cannot be rewritten; it is what it is, and if Chrisitans refuse to own it, and own up to it, they’re simply living in denial. Now again, I ask you: what kind of credibility does any “sacred book” have, that was given to us by such an institution?

Niam Krawt
Reply to  Michael
12 years ago

Actually, I am curious about any details you may have about the rest of the prophecies listed here. While I admit I am not a Christian, I do enjoy reading about history and culture; the more factually accurate, the better I say!

Fliblit
Reply to  Niam Krawt
12 years ago

The entry that Egypt will not be inhabitable for 40 years must not be taken literally. 40 is a holy number, just as 3, 7 and 13. 40 simply means ‘a long time’. Just as Moses wandered through the desert for 40 years. The floodings lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Moses was on the mountain with god for 40 days. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilds.

It simply means that something lasted a long time.

Niam Krawt
Reply to  Fliblit
12 years ago

So let me get this straight; Isaiah, a supposed prophet of God, can’t be taken literally? Is that because Isaiah couldn’t translate God’s prophesy accurately, or couldn’t God get the message right in the first place? Or are the magic numbers more important than the prophesy itself?

Following your logic, you can justify *any* prophesy from Nostradamus to Pat Robertson.

Ah, the mental gymnastics people go through to believe in a god these days…

Michael
Reply to  Niam Krawt
12 years ago

That’s the biggest challenge when trying to tell people about OT prophecy and poetry…people with Western minds trying to read Ancient Eastern texts can’t wrap their minds around the fact that a culture ISN’T like theirs in every way. People didn’t read this literally back then either, it wasn’t their custom. We like to have facts and charts and numbers, but that’s not what the Bible is about…and if we say that, Western people say ” ah! That old excuse!”

Reply to  Michael
12 years ago

Balony!! You are talking about a bible that was meant to be the word for all time and the guide for ALL people. If it wasn’t written so that all men could understand, then the writer was either not divine or ONLY writing for a few people and the message ISN’T for everyone.

Ridiculous that you can try to apologize for this in this way.

Nonsense

Michael
Reply to  J Burgoyne
12 years ago

So then clearly you have a great understanding of how God works and about the Bible. Tell me then, to who were these prophecies written? (the ones meant to bring comfort to Israel)

Reply to  Michael
12 years ago

I think that you have answered your own question. It was clearly written to isrealites. The people that your fictional character had named as his “chosen people”. Personally I don’t care who they were written to, only if they are correct. Which they clearly aren’t.

No one cites “poetic language” when they are defending a bit of scripture that they WANT to be literal. They only call upon excuses like that when facts don’t line up with their fantasy.

Michael
Reply to  J Burgoyne
12 years ago

I’m assuming that you are telling me what I SHOULD believe since I believe in God…that is that the Bible was written with 21st century people in mind even as far back as Isaiah, because God is “that powerful” I guess. I’m just not sure I agree that God would change the text for us…because we want science and fact.

So you say that the only thing you care about is that they are correct? So tell me then, what about the tons of prophecies that DID come true? You can sift through a ton of these prophecies and find SIX that are questionable, even though after reading through them I can defend them. So what about the hundreds that they COULDN’T find troublesome?

Reply to  Michael
12 years ago

First off, any prophet that gets only a small portion of predictions correct is 1. Not divine and 2. Not accurate enough to make any difference in the world.

Second those “prophecies” that you think that have been fulfilled are either the product of having been made when the fulfillment of them was completely obvious to all, or they are only accurate with some creative reading. I can read Harry Potter and apply something simular in the world’s current events and say “Look, JK Rowlings was right!!”. They can be applied to many different but simular happenings in the past. The bible isn’t even accurate about things that happened BEFORE it was written.

Third you are correct, if we are to be convinced of the divinity of a book, it should be reasonable to assume that a divine being would have his words apply to people from all time. is he not supposed to be omniscient? If it was only for people of THAT time, and the wording is laced with poetry that clouds it’s meaning to modern folk, then why use it as a standard at all?

Why not wait for the edition that was meant specifically for US?

Oh right, because apparently he only appears once in a world’s history and doesn’t care to give his message to anyone else but people of “that time”.

Nonsense. Either his message is timeless and literal, or it is useless to us regardless of it’s veracity.

If you are to convince anyone about the divinity of the bible, it would have to be unfailing.

It clearly isn’t as the writer has shown above!

Keith
Reply to  Fliblit
12 years ago

Just once I would like to hear a christian explain something without saying “taken out of context” or “not taken literally.”

Bradley Scott
Reply to  Keith
12 years ago

O.k. Keith. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said ‘That you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all you mind and with all your might.’ Then he gave a second commandment like the first, that you should love your neighbor as yourself. on these two hang all the law and the prophets. Tell you what
Keith. These two commandments-not prophecies, or parables, or suggestions by Bible authors with their opinion of God’s opinion attach after the fact, but quotes of Christ’s, which is where you might want to start when investigating Christianity, are fairly contextually unambiguous. And since they are the only two actual quoted commandments of Christ’s, I’d say they pretty much trump anything else in the books. Oh, and they are books, with several authors.But anyway, I’ll be working on more dilligently aligning myself to these to precepts for the rest of my life. Since you don’t believe in God, why don’t you just work on commandment #2, and I’ll talk to Dad about giving you half credit?

Tanongsak Angsakul
Reply to  Fliblit
11 years ago

Now there’s the rub. Just what passages in the bible ARE meant to be read literally, and which ones are not? And how do you decide?

Peter Lake
12 years ago

It’s disturbing to think about how many crazies there are who believe every word of this book.

Robert Hamby
Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

Your claims above re failed prophecies, show your complete lack of understanding re WHEN they were/are to be fufilled.
YOU, like so many take text out of context, and no co-text to try to prove your point. Example: You THINK Jesus was wrong re Predicting “THIS” generation shall not pass until ALL these things are fufilled. IF you read it IN context, He is referring to the GENERATION that is alive when the previous signs He talks about, come to pass. IF you used proper Hermeneutics, and inductive exegisis, instead of deductive esigesis, you would understand this. In context, and with co-texts there are other Scriptures that tell of WHEN this time is. These include the destruction of the 2nd Temple,which happened in 70 C.E[A.D.], and the Jews would be dispersed worldwide.It WAS predicted they would be regathered from all parts of the world, and Israel would once again exist. It was predicted, and it happened in 1948. Please tell me one other book, guru,prophet who has made specific detailed predictions tha have come to pass. Some 2500 years before they came to pass. THIS is your MAJOR mistake due to a complete lack of proper exegisis, and lack of knowledge. Name me One other country in history, where it’s population was decimated[over 1 million killed in 70 A.D. by the Romans in Jerusalem alone]dispersed, their country divided up, renamed anf then regathered. Just ONE example would suffice! I would HIGHLY suggest you,and any readers get a copy of a Documentary called THE DANIEL PROJECT. THEN come back to me ,and refute even ONE of the predictions, with historical proof. IF you have ANY TRUE CRITICAL thought processes, that can look at evidence objestively, then you should do so. I suspect you will come back with soen ad hominem attacks, and general statements, that you have seen/read enough, even though my above commenst challenge your views. YOU Sir are stating Jesus was wrong, and therefore, calling HIM a liar. I PRAY you will look at the DVD I suggested, READ the Bible in context, exegetically, THEN offer some KNOWLEDGEABLE commentary/criticism.
Maranatha

DoctorD
Reply to  Robert Hamby
10 years ago

There has been no “ingathering of the exiles”. Jews have not been “regathered”. The Jewish Diaspora is as great as it ever was, and possibly more so.

DoctorD
Reply to  Robert Hamby
10 years ago

One of the ways we know that the Messiah has arrived is because:

“In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. This is the name by which she will be called: ‘The Lord Our Righteousness.’

(Jeremiah 33:16)

Since that didn’t happen (obviously), it seems unlikely that Jesus was the Davidian King who would continue the line of David.

Jess
Reply to  DoctorD
10 years ago

I think you need to look more closely (and ironically, more broadly) at the prophecies around the Messiah, or you’ll make the same mistake the Pharisees made. Look at Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Did you miss this, too?
Lot’s of Hebrew scholars back then, yet they didn’t know the scriptures that well Then someone called “Jesus” came along with no formal training and taught like He wrote them. To some, Zech 9:9 may seem like an obscure or even insignificant prophecy to put a check mark next to (see John 21). I don’t think the true Messiah would have left it out. Whatever the topic, we need to consult everything the Bible has to say about it before arriving at a conclusion. In doing so, you’ll find less contradiction as all of these points begin to harmonize.

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