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The Incredible odds of fulfilled bible prophecy

Jonah

Yes, as has already been mentioned, the prophecy that possibly did not happen occurred in Jonah. I say possibly because Jonah predicted that wicked Ninevah would be “overthrown (KJV)” in 40 days. What "overthrown" means can be debated. But no matter how you interpret the prophecy it was very successful because it turned a whole city to God. When Jonah cried that Ninevah would be overthrown in 40 days everyone in the city repented and fasted, even the King. It seems that after this free will decision by the people to repent and change, God called off any punishment because the sincere repentance of the city trumped the importance of the accurate prophecy. Jonah on the other hand was more concerned with the accuracy of the prophecy than the people repenting (which was a wrong ungodly attitude). So by not happening as Jonah said (which the bible seems to admit) the overall outcome of the prophecy was successful.

On another note most people have heard of the story of Jonah and the whale or big fish. Most Christians believe the story is historical, some say it is allegorical. Of course if God exists then miracles are possible and the miracle story of the fish is certainly possible. If the story is allegorical it still teaches a spiritual truth of God’s punishment for disobedience. And whether the story is historical or allegorical it can be said it produces another correct prophecy. That occurs when Jesus says this in

Matthew 12: 39-41.

An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

So using the story of Jonah, it can be said Christ made a correct prophecy of what would happen to Him.

And as stated the prophecy was also successful because it caused a large wicked city to repent.

____

All of the above seems to show that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that God could cancel the tribulation prophecy if the world repents and turns to God but that is just a thought by myself and I have never heard anyone else say that.
 
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Oh, I'm so proud I got that right! But DOC, why refer to Matthew 12's feeble version of the story? Let's go right back to Jonah 3 where we can read what the Ninevites did to avert the Wrath of YHVH.
6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
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God repented! And if you think God's annoyed with you, start being good, but first starve your cat and cover it in sackcloth and ashes. That should do the trick.

Oh, DOC, DOC, is this the best you can do?
 
DOC

Your view that "most Christians" believe the story of Jonah to be literally true may be accurate as regards the Bible Belt of the USA, but I have never met a Christian in Scotland who believed such a thing. And to imagine that the whale story is part of a prophecy that was realised by the alleged entombment and resurrection of Jesus, is to enter an intellectual realm alien to the developed human mind. A veritable phantasmagoria.

Now I'm going to cover my cat with sackcloth, to avert the wrath of the Divinity. If I get scratched it's the fault of the whale for not secreting digestive juices powerful enough to dissolve that rascal Jonah, even after three days.
 
Helen said:
So the prophecy that didn't come true came true?

And free will means being forced to act a certain way, or else?

And overthrow means not overthrow?
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Exactly! And we've always been at war with Eastasia. It's simple if you park your brain at the church door.
 
DOC,

Another thing that puzzles people is this: why did Nineveh deserve to be "overthrown"? That, by the way, would normally mean sacked and plundered by an enemy, its men killed, and the women and children taken as slaves, or even every person and every animal killed, or as the Israelites were commanded by YHVH to do to the Midianites (Numbers 31) perhaps the men, the boys and the widowed women killed, and the virgin girl children taken "for yourselves" by the Israelite conquerors.

Now, the problem is that no population deserves such treatment. The firstborn children of the Egyptians (let alone the first born animals, which suffered too) were not participants in the crimes of Pharaoh. Why does God, in His Omnipotence, not single out the guilty for punishment? Why does He find it expedient to "carpet bomb" whole populations, to get at the individuals who have offended Him?

During the Second World War the main town near where I am living in Italy was substantially destroyed by Allied aerial bombardment, and a great number of its people killed. This was an attempt to deny to the German occupying forces (the Italians were no longer at war with the Allies) the use of an important bridge near the town centre. (It failed. The bridge survived.) Perhaps that was a pardonable act of war, but surely God's aim is better than that, and He can strike unfailingly at even the most difficult target. Indiscriminate destruction is not excusable, as the act of an omnipotent being.

Even if you could show that the prophecies were correct, you would never get me to worship such a being. If God wants us to renounce our evil ways, He could do no better than to start by amending His own conduct.
 
Thanks, DOC, for giving another example of the bible getting things wrong.
Although the truth is, that is much much easier than showing an example of a fulfilled biblical prophecy.
 
Agatha said:
Exactly! And we've always been at war with Eastasia. It's simple if you park your brain at the church door.
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Then you hand the keys to your brain to the preacher. It's valet thinking.
 
Hokulele said:
Wait, being forced into an action due to threats of destruction is an example of exercising free will?

Riiiiiight...
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People are free to NOT pay the mob protection money, they just shouldn't be surprised when something bad happens to them.
 
The problems with using Jonah as a prophecy of doom averted by repentance are as follows:

First, there is no evidence in history of the Assyrians in general or the Ninevites in particular turning from their evil ways. There is no mention in Jonah as to who was king of the Assyrians; so, there is no way to test the book's historicity against what we know of the Assyrians. The city of Nineveh is presented in mythic terms in Jonah as a city so large it took three days to traverse (Jon. 3:3, 4). Clearly, this is a work of homiletic fiction.

Second, according to the Books of Nahum and Zephaniah (Zeph. 2:13 - 15), God will destroy Nineveh for the wickedness of the Assyrians. So, for Jonah to be true, Nahum and Zephaniah have to be false. It could be argued that Nineveh repented temporarily, but lapsed back into sin; but, again, there's no sign, either from Assyrian inscriptions or from archaeology that they ever ceased worshipping Asshur, patron deity of the Assyrians, or Ishtar, patron deity of the city of Nineveh.
 
Craig B said:
DOC,

Another thing that puzzles people is this: why did Nineveh deserve to be "overthrown"? That, by the way, would normally mean sacked and plundered by an enemy, its men killed, and the women and children taken as slaves, or even every person and every animal killed, or as the Israelites were commanded by YHVH to do to the Midianites (Numbers 31) perhaps the men, the boys and the widowed women killed, and the virgin girl children taken "for yourselves" by the Israelite conquerors.

Now, the problem is that no population deserves such treatment. The firstborn children of the Egyptians (let alone the first born animals, which suffered too) were not participants in the crimes of Pharaoh. Why does God, in His Omnipotence, not single out the guilty for punishment? Why does He find it expedient to "carpet bomb" whole populations, to get at the individuals who have offended Him?

During the Second World War the main town near where I am living in Italy was substantially destroyed by Allied aerial bombardment, and a great number of its people killed. This was an attempt to deny to the German occupying forces (the Italians were no longer at war with the Allies) the use of an important bridge near the town centre. (It failed. The bridge survived.) Perhaps that was a pardonable act of war, but surely God's aim is better than that, and He can strike unfailingly at even the most difficult target. Indiscriminate destruction is not excusable, as the act of an omnipotent being.

Even if you could show that the prophecies were correct, you would never get me to worship such a being. If God wants us to renounce our evil ways, He could do no better than to start by amending His own conduct.
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I wouldn't be so quick to assume that gunderscored is all that much of a sharpshooter. Remember, this is the same being who reportedly sent hurricane Katrina to sack New Orleans to punish the homosexuals and left the gay district mostly untouched. He might be able to count every sparrow, but he'd a hell of a time hitting one with bird shot.
 
Gaucho

Aja

Donald Fagen The Nightfly?

Pretzel Logic!

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Stevie Dan or whatever...
 
Well, that WAS interesting, DOC

DOC said:
Yes, as has already been mentioned,...
Matthew 12: 39-41. ... so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ...
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How do you reckon the prophecy of the 3 days and 3 nights was fulfilled?
 
kmortis said:
I wouldn't be so quick to assume that gunderscored is all that much of a sharpshooter. Remember, this is the same being who reportedly sent hurricane Katrina to sack New Orleans to punish the homosexuals and left the gay district mostly untouched. He might be able to count every sparrow, but he'd a hell of a time hitting one with bird shot.
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Don't forget what he didn't do to Van Nuys with that earthquake.
 
welshdean said:
Yeah, was it when jeebus said he'd be dead/buried for 'three days and 3 nights" Matt 12:40?

Now I'm not a mathematician by any stretch, but Friday afternoon 'til Sunday morning is 1.5 days and just 2 nights. This I know. No sane person can deny this.

So is jeebus a liar DOC?

Is this a failed prophecy DOC?
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pakeha said:
Well, that WAS interesting, DOC



How do you reckon the prophecy of the 3 days and 3 nights was fulfilled?
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Come on DOC, enquiring minds want to know.
 
I don't get it, a prophecy that didn't come true came true because of a different interpretation of what was said?
 
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