2 Peter 1:19-21 #1 PROPHECEY 5-21-11
Because of all the prophecies that have been fulfilled exactly as they were fore-told strengthens our faith, we that believe the Bible and have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior are convinced that the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled when their due time comes.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
If we find it penned down in His Word we can trust and believe it.
Ø Listen as I read today’s text found in
2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The skeptics might say some thing like; “how can the bible be completely without error when it was penned by imperfect man?” And that would certainly be true if we were talking about any other subject, but Gods Word is not like any other subject.
I’m sure that every man that God used to pen down His Word made many mistakes in their lives.
The apostle Peter who pinned down our text verses certain was not a perfect man, he even denied knowing the Lord three times, he was the most out spoken and high tempered of all the disciples that we read about, there’s no doubt that he did and said things from time to time that was unbecoming of a believer, Peter didn’t claim to be perfect, but when it was all said and done Peter was and is certainly a pillar of our faith, I have read about the deaths of all the Apostles, and it was said of Peter that he requested to be crucified upside down, that he wasn’t worthy to be crucified as the Lord Jesus was.
John 21:18-19 Verily, verily, I say unto thee,( PETER) When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God.
Peter as all the writers of the Bible penned down what the Holy Spirit directed them too, so our KJ Bible are the words that God gave them to write down.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Do I believe that? -With all my heart.
John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Not in just any religious writing, but as the scripture hath said, past tense, there’s not going to be any more.
There are many religious writings in the world but none like The Holy Bible, our Bible; “Gods Word” is without error, most of us have heard of Jeanne Dixon, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, their really false prophets, Gods prophets are always 100 % correct.
All other so-called “holy books” are 100 % wrong. Because of the complete accuracy of the prophecies of the Holy Bible the only sensible conclusion we can come to is that truly this is the Word of God for the English speaking people.
Gods Word is made up of 66 books, there are no lost books, God has given us what He wants us to have, there was over 40 different writers over a period of about 1600 years, these men lived at different times, in different locations, most never knew the other personally and yet they all tell of the same truths, none contradicts the others, and the reason is --
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Bible tells us in Gen. that God created man, that man disobeyed God, it tells us in Rom.5: that because of Adams disobedience all mankind are sinners, we have inherited this terrible blood disease called sin, it also tells us in Rom.5: that Christ Jesus has made away for all mankind to be redeemed, ”bought back”, but man has a choice, God don’t force any one to be saved and most are not going to be, most will die in their damning sin of unbelief, they might have some kind of religion, religion sends people to hell, all that believe in other religious books are condemned already if they don’t become believers in the Lord Jesus.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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Listen dear listener, how can a reasonable person reject the Holy Bible after all the prophecies that have been fulfilled exactly as it foretold?
Ø Listen as I read a few of them;
Ø Isaiah foretold of the worldwide return of Jews to Israel—remember all directions are according to JERUSALEM.
Penned down between 701-681 BC and fulfilled in the late 1900s.
Isaiah 43:5-6 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
In these verses Isaiah said that the Jews would return to their homeland from the east, the west, the north and the south. Isaiah lived about 2700 years ago. At that time, the Assyrians had forced many Jews in the northern kingdom of Israel into exile.
Those Jews were taken to other areas in the Middle East. Then, about 1900 years ago, the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and killed and exiled hundreds of thousands of Jews. Since then, the Jews have been scattered to virtually every country in the world. But, during the past century, millions of Jews have returned to Israel, from the east, the west, the north and the south.
From the east: Many Jews living in the Middle East moved to Israel by the early 1900s.
From the west: During mid-1900s, hundreds of thousands of Jews living in the West (Europe and the United States) began moving to Israel.
From the north: The former Soviet Union (Russia) is north of Israel. It refused to allow its Jewish residents to move to Israel. But, after years of pressure from other countries, Russia finally began to allow Jews to return to Israel during the 1980s. So far, hundreds of thousands of Russian Jews have moved to Israel.
From the south: Ethiopia, which is south of Israel, also refused to allow its Jews to return to Israel. But, in 1985, Israel struck a deal with Ethiopia’s communist government to allow the Jews of Ethiopia to move to Israel.
On the weekend of May 25, 1991, 14,500 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel.
Isaiah’s prophecy was also correct in saying that the north (Russia) and the south (Ethiopia) would have to be persuaded to give up their Jews.
Many countries pressured Russia for years before it began to allow its Jews to leave. And Ethiopia had to be paid a ransom to allow its Jews to leave.
Isaiah’s prophecy was also correct in saying that the Jews would return "from the ends of the earth," and Isaiah said that many centuries before the Jews had been scattered to the ends of the earth. During the past 100 years, Jews living as far east as China, as far west as the West Coast of the United States, as far north as Scandinavia, and as far south as South Africa, have moved to Israel. -----------------------------------------------
Ø Isaiah also prophesied that Israel’s deserts would become like the Garden of Eden.
Penned down between 701-681 BC, and being fulfilled now.
Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD;--
In this verse in Isaiah 51:3, the prophet Isaiah said that God would restore Israel and make it a paradise, like the Garden of Eden. This foreshadows what is currently happening in Israel. The Jews have been irrigating, cultivating and reconditioning the land during much of the 1900s.
Many of the country’s swamps, which had been infested with malaria, have been converted into farmland. And water from the Sea of Galilee (which is fresh water not salt) has been channeled through portions of the deserts, allowing some of the deserts to bloom.
Parts of Israel are blooming again. Although it was described as a wasteland as recently as the late 1800s, Israel is now a food source of food for many countries. And at least 200 million trees have been planted there during the past century.
And let me say here, that this body of land that we call “ISRAEL” was never originally the land of PALESTINE, the Philistines once occupied this land, but the Philistine are now extinct.
During the last few centuries, the world, Christians included, has fallen into a bad habit. We have bought into some early Roman propaganda. We have used the name Palestine, which Roman Emperor Hadrian placed on the country of Israel in 135 A.D
This is as incorrect as calling the Russia of today the “Soviet Union” or referring to Berlin as “East Germany.”
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Ø Isaiah said Israel’s fruit would fill the world in
Isaiah 27:6-- Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
Penned down between 701-681 BC- fulfilled in late 1900s
In Isaiah 27:6, the prophet Isaiah said Israel would one day blossom and fill the world with fruit. This prophecy has been at least partially fulfilled, literally and symbolically. Today, the land of Israel, which had been barren for centuries, is a leading producer of agricultural products, exporting food to many countries. This prophecy also has been fulfilled symbolically with the worldwide spread of Christianity. Christianity, which began with Jesus in Israel, now has about 2 billion followers worldwide.
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Ø Micah said Jerusalem would become the world’s most important religious site:
Penned down between 750-686 BC—fulfilled in these days that we live.
Micah 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. -- mountain meaning Kingdom.
In Micah 4:1, the prophet said that the Temple mount in Jerusalem would become the focal point of the world. This prophecy will reach its fulfillment in the days to come.. But, it is interesting to note that Jerusalem is, and has been for centuries, the world’s most important religious site. Christians and Jews regard the city as the world’s most important, and Christians and Jews comprise about one-third of the world’s population. No other city in the world is a religious focal point to as many people.
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Ø Isaiah prophesied that Trees again would grow in Israel
Penned down around 701-681 BC and fulfilled in late 1900’s
Isaiah 41:18-20 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together (the reason) 20That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
In Isaiah 41:18-20, the prophet Isaiah talks of a future restoration of Israel, and it coincides with an occurrence in modern Israel today- the construction of a vast irrigation system to improve farming. The lack of available water, including rain, is one reason why Israel had been a desolate, unproductive land during much of the past 2000 years. But, during the 1900s, when many Jews returned to their ancient homeland, they built a network of irrigation systems. And during the past century, more than 200 million trees have been planted in Israel; many Christians have been led to partake in this planting.
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Ø Ezekiel prophesied prosperity for modern-day Israel: penned downed between 593-571 BC—Fulfilled in late 1900s. Listen as God speaks to the land.
Ezekiel 36:11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
In Ezekiel 36:11, the prophet Ezekiel said that there would come a time when Israel would be more prosperous than it was in the past. The Bible describes Israel as being a prosperous nation during the time of King David and King Solomon about 3000 years ago. But, Ezekiel knew a very different Israel.
In Ezekiel’s day (he lived about 2600 years ago), the Assyrians already had decimated the northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom (called Judah) was being destroyed by the Babylonians.
In the centuries that followed these destructions, Jews rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, but the Romans destroyed their homeland again about 1900 years ago.
Since then, a majority of Jews have lived in exile. But during the past 100 years, millions of Jews from around the world moved to Israel and they have been rebuilding the country once again. Today, Israel again is an independent nation, as it was in the days of King David, and it is one of the world’s most prosperous countries.
In 1999, Israel had the highest per capita Gross Domestic Product of any nearby country, even though the surrounding countries have many oil resources.
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