13. The Historical Reliability of the Bible

• Are there any internal contradictions or errors in the content of the Bible?
• Does the content recorded in the Bible match historical facts?
• Have the numerous prophecies recorded in the Bible been fulfilled exactly as written?
• What is the relationship between the remaining prophecies and the current situation?

So far, we have objectively confirmed that there is clear evidence to believe that the Bible is a historically reliable document, based on "textual," "historical," "archaeological," and "circumstantial" evidence, rather than "theological criteria."

However, some of you may continually raise doubts like this:

Let's assume that the Bible is such a historically reliable document. But what does that mean? Isn't it just that people accurately recorded historical events?
What evidence is there for the Bible's claim that it was written by revelation from "God," a "divine being"?

This can be sufficiently refuted with the evidence we have already examined. We have confirmed that the countless miracles, events, the existence and death of Jesus, His resurrection, and other supernatural occurrences recorded in the Bible "actually" took place, which would be impossible without the intervention of a "divine being."

However, I would like to present additional evidence for those who still doubt. That evidence is the "internal consistency and fulfillment of prophecy" within the content of the Bible itself.

The Bible is an ancient document written thousands of years ago when transportation was not as developed as it is today, and there were no information media such as the Internet, broadcasting, or books, let alone the benefits of the printing press. Moreover, it was written by about 40 independent authors who were completely separated geographically and chronologically, during a time when the exchange of information was completely impossible.

In this situation, if internal consistency, complete unity, and historical fulfillment of prophecies are found between the biblical documents, it can be said that this is something that could never happen under normal circumstances without divine intervention.

13.1. Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecies

So how can we verify the internal consistency and reliability of the Bible itself? The simplest and most definitive way is to check whether the numerous prophecies that appear in the Bible have been literally, historically, and accurately fulfilled, and whether there are any inconsistencies in the prophecies between the different biblical documents.

27% of the Bible (6,641 out of 23,210 verses in the Old Testament, 1,711 out of 7,914 verses in the New Testament) consists of prophecies, and these directly deal with the "history" of the past, present, and future, so they can be used as an objective evaluation criterion.

Many people may think of famous prophets like Nostradamus, Jean Dixon, Edgar Cayce, or local shamans. However, do you know that one-third of the Bible, which you may vaguely think of as a fantasy novel, contains very specific historical prophecies about humanity?

Moreover, are you aware that the Bible is overflowing with prophecies that accurately predict the grand historical flow of various ethnic groups and nations, not just vague prophecies that can fit into any situation, even predating events? Would you believe it if I told you that it even prophesies the present and future in which we are living now?

Let's examine the content one by one.

13.2. Methods for Estimating the Dates of Biblical Records

I will first mention the estimation of the dates of biblical records for those who may claim that the prophecies were fabricated after the events took place.

The officially proven dates of biblical records do not change just because you don't believe them. In the case of ancient documents, if it is the original, the measurement date can be determined using scientific dating methods, but in the case of copies like the Bible, the recording dates are estimated through various methods.

There are several methods for dating. One way is to archaeologically study the style and language of the document and compare it with ancient documents of similar content or style that have been proven to be from a certain period. Another way is to trace the place names, personal names, and proper nouns recorded in the document.

Sometimes the writer's status and recording date are indicated, which can be used as a reference. If there is a mention of the document in another credible document, that can also be used to estimate the date.

The dating of the Bible has been precisely proven for all 66 books, and it should be noted that scholars are almost in agreement in estimating the recording dates of the Bible. Just because I think 1+1=3 doesn't make it so.

Thus, even if you claim that the Bible was fabricated later because you don't believe the prophecies in the Bible, the officially established recording dates of the Bible do not change. The dating of the Bible has already been confirmed in academia.

13.3. Fulfilled Prophecies

First, let's look at prophecies that have been clearly fulfilled historically.

Prophecies about Israel

• Israel will become a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3).
• The kings of Israel will come from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10).
• Israel will spend 400 years in Egypt (Genesis 15:13).
• Israel will suffer the agony of civil war (1 Kings 11:31).
• Israel will spend 70 years in Babylon (Jeremiah 11, 29:10).
• Israel will return to Jerusalem after 70 years (Daniel 9:1-2).
• Israel will eventually be scattered all over the world (Deuteronomy 28:25, 64; Leviticus 26:33).
• Israel will become a proverb among these nations (Deuteronomy 28:37).
• Israel will lend to many nations but will not borrow (Deuteronomy 28:12).
• Israel will be persecuted and driven away (Deuteronomy 28:65-67).
• Nevertheless, Israel will maintain its national identity (Leviticus 26:44, Jeremiah 46:28).
• Israel will be isolated among the nations of the world (Numbers 23:9).
• Israel will reject their Messiah (Isaiah 53).
• As a result, foreigners will come and live in their land (Leviticus 26:32; Luke 21:24).
• Jerusalem will be destroyed (Luke 19:41-44, 21:20).
• Nevertheless, Israel will endure forever (Genesis 17:7; Isaiah 66:22).
• Israel will return to Palestine just before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 30:3; Ezekiel 36:24, 37:1-14, 38:1-39:29).

The prophecies about Israel recorded throughout the Bible were initially fulfilled through the ancient history of Israel and Judah. Moreover, they were also fulfilled in the current situation of Israel, which miraculously gained independence and established a nation in 1948 after wandering around the world for about 2,000 years after the country was destroyed.

Prophecies related to other foreign nations

1. Edom
Esau, the brother of Jacob, was the founder of Edom (Genesis 36). After Esau's death, Edom did not help Israel, which was established by Jacob (Numbers 20), but rather enjoyed persecuting God's people. Because of this, God declared the destruction of Edom. Let's look at the prophecies in the Bible:

• Their commerce will be halted.
• Their tribe will be exterminated.
• Their land will become desolate (Jeremiah 49:17-18; Ezekiel 35:3-7; Obadiah 1; Malachi 1:4).

All these prophecies were fulfilled exactly as written, even though Edom's capital, Petra, was so strongly fortified that it was difficult to see. In AD 636, Petra was conquered by Mohammed, and in 586 BC, Petra and Edom disappeared from the pages of history when they were destroyed by Babylon.

The recording dates of Genesis, Numbers, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, and Malachi, in which the prophecies were written, are 1446-1406 BC (Genesis, Numbers), 627 BC (Jeremiah), 565 BC (Ezekiel), 855-840 BC (Obadiah), and 435-425 BC (Malachi), respectively.

2. Babylon
Babylon was one of the first four great powers mentioned in Daniel (recording date around 530 BC) 2:31-43 and 7:1-8. Like Isaiah (recording date 740-681 BC) (13:17-19) and Jeremiah (recording date 627 BC) (51:11), Daniel prophesied that the powerful Babylon would be destroyed.

This prophecy was literally fulfilled on October 13, 539 BC, when Darius the Mede conquered the city by diverting the Euphrates River, which originally flowed under the city walls (Daniel 5).

3. Media-Persia
In Daniel 8:1-7, 20-21, recorded in 551 BC by the river, the following is recorded: In a vision, Daniel hears about a series of wars that would not occur for about 217 years, explaining that Darius III (described here as a ram) would be destroyed by Alexander the Great of Greece (symbolized as a goat).

This prophecy was fulfilled exactly as written in the three decisive battles of the Granicus War in 334 BC, the Issus War in 333 BC, and the Gaugamela War in 331 BC.

4. Greece
Daniel also prophesied that after Alexander's death, the Greek Empire would be divided into four small, separate kingdoms, and one of the generals would rule the country (Daniel 7:6, 8:8, 20-21).

This happened exactly in 301 BC after Alexander died of a fever in Babylon at the age of 33.

5. Rome
Daniel prophesied that Rome would be the fourth kingdom and that its strength would be like iron (Daniel 2:40-41), which has been proven historically. By 300 BC, Rome had already taken control of the most important power in the Mediterranean world. Also, by 200 BC, Rome had conquered Carthage, which it considered its strongest enemy, and in 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey entered Jerusalem.

However, Daniel mentioned in his prophecy that "the kingdom will be divided," which was fulfilled in AD 364.

6. Egypt
About 600 years before Jesus came, the prophet Ezekiel had already prophesied that Egypt would become an extremely weak country and would never again exalt itself above the nations (Ezekiel 29:1-2, 15). Egypt was united as a kingdom around 3200 BC and ruled by succeeding dynasties until it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

However, it is noteworthy that Ezekiel did not prophesy that Egypt would disappear like Edom (35:3-7), but only that Egypt would collapse, that is, lose its power and never again become a world power. This prophecy has now been literally fulfilled.

7. Rosh (Russia)
Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies that near the end of humanity, a huge coalition of Russia and Arab nations will attack Israel, which will be alone.

This has not yet been fulfilled, but as of 2022, the international situation in the Middle East and Russia is rapidly unfolding in a way that is very similar to Ezekiel's prophecy. (More details on this will be mentioned later.)

Prophecies about Special Cities

1. Tyre
The prophecy about the city of Tyre mentioned by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 26 is one of the very important prophecies in the entire Bible. Tyre consisted of two cities, one near the coast about 96 km northwest of Jerusalem, and the other located in a city a little distance from the Mediterranean Sea. Ezekiel prophesied as follows:

• Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon will conquer the city.
• Other nations will join forces to destroy Tyre.
• The city will become a ruin and be flattened like a rock, becoming a heap of ashes.
• It will become a den of beasts.
• Its stones and timber will be thrown into the sea (Zechariah 9:3-4).
• The city will never be rebuilt.

All these prophecies were fulfilled exactly as written.

Ezekiel wrote this prophecy around 590 BC, and four years later, in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Tyre, and 13 years later, in 573 BC, this coastal city was destroyed.

However, the island city was not conquered, and for the next 241 years, Tyre's island city was safe, so it seemed that Ezekiel's prophecy that the city would be completely destroyed was off the mark.

However, in 332 BC, Alexander the Great appeared on the scene and eventually destroyed the island city. Alexander even built a bridge connecting the coast to the island using the ruins of the old city, and in the process, he literally swept the coast clean.

American archaeologist Edward Robinson discovered 40 to 50 marble columns under the sea connected to the coast near ancient Tyre.

After a seven-month siege, Alexander captured and destroyed the island city, and afterwards, the coastal area became a place where village fishermen spread their nets to dry. Tyre was never rebuilt, despite having a fountain known as Roselain that gushed about 10,000 gallons of fresh water a day.

2. Jericho
In Joshua (recording date around 1450 BC) chapter 6, there is a record of the fall of Jericho and the subsequent destruction of the city. Immediately after this event, Joshua made three prophecies about this ruined city:

• Jericho will be rebuilt by one man.
• The firstborn son of the man who rebuilds the city will die when construction begins.
• When construction is completed, his youngest son will die (Joshua 6:26).

About five centuries later, around 930 BC, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho, and when he laid the foundation, his firstborn son Abiram died, and when he completed the gates, his youngest son Segub died (1 Kings 16:34).

3. Nineveh (Nahum 1-3)

In the time of Jonah, God saved that wicked city from destruction by having the Hebrew prophet Jonah preach to Nineveh to repent, but the people of that city soon returned to their evil deeds. So around 650 BC, another prophet named Nahum prophesied that Nineveh would eventually be completely destroyed.

At the time of this prophecy, Nineveh seemed completely impregnable. The city walls were 30 meters high and wide enough for chariots to pass on top, the circumference of the city was 96 km, and there were more than 1,200 strong towers installed.

However, despite these facts, less than 40 years after Nahum's prophecy, Nineveh was destroyed. A coalition of Medes and Babylonians besieged the city for about two months and then broke through the city walls in August 612 BC.

One of the reasons for the fall was that there were traitors inside the city who diverted the water supply out of the city. The scene of destruction was so extreme that when Alexander the Great marched his army into the place where powerful buildings once stood, he had no idea that there had been a city there.

4. Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1-2; Luke 19:41-44, 21:20-24)

The words quoted here are the words spoken directly by Jesus, stating that Jerusalem will be destroyed, its citizens will be slaughtered, and the temple will be completely destroyed, leaving not one stone upon another.

Less than 40 years later, this prophecy was fulfilled exactly as written. In February AD 70, the Roman general Titus besieged Jerusalem with 80,000 troops, intending to annihilate the rebel forces that had started about five years earlier. In April of that year, Titus intensified the siege.

People trapped inside the city were so desperate that women even ate their own sons, and men fought for their lives to be the first to eat bird droppings.

Eventually, in September of that year, the city was conquered and the massacre began, with about 500,000 Jews being slaughtered. In the end, the temple was razed to the ground and the temple site was dug up, and everything was fulfilled exactly as Jesus had prophesied.

Prophecies about Specific Individuals

1. Josiah

In 1 Kings, there is a story related to Jeroboam, the wicked king of Israel, as follows:

And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, "O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.'" (1 Kings 13:1-2)

This event took place in 975 BC, and about 350 years later, in 624 BC, we can see that the new king of Israel, Josiah, took the following actions, fulfilling the prophecy exactly as written> Now Josiah the king of Judah took away all the high places and incense altars that Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had built in Bethel. He also burned the wooden image and crushed it to powder, and burned the high place. And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. (2 Kings 23:15-16)

2. Cyrus
The prophet Isaiah prophesied the following about Cyrus, king of Persia:

"Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'" (Isaiah 44:28)

Isaiah recorded this around 712 BC. In 606 BC, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took many Jews to his city (Psalm 137), and for 70 years they lived in a foreign land.

Of course, all of this was prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:12, 29:10). Then in 536 BC, a miracle occurred. The prophet Ezra prophesied as follows:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah." (Ezra 1:1-2)

Isaiah prophesied 176 years before it happened that King Cyrus would allow the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

3. Alexander the Great
Although Daniel did not directly mention his name, there is no doubt that the goat mentioned in Daniel 8:3-8 refers to Alexander.

Alexander was the first person to conquer the world. He crossed the Hellespont in the spring of 334 BC, and in 333 BC, he decisively defeated the Persian army in the Battle of Issus. Jewish historian Josephus records that when Alexander arrived in Jerusalem, he met the high priest at the gate, who told him that Alexander's victory over Persia had already been prophesied by Daniel 220 years earlier in 553 BC. Deeply moved by this, Alexander bowed to the high priest and did not attack Jerusalem.

4. Antiochus Epiphanes
As in the case of Alexander, Antiochus is not directly mentioned by name, but he is clearly referred to in Daniel 8:9-14. Antiochus was a bloodthirsty general from Syria who conquered Palestine in 167 BC and hated the Jews. He even went into the Holy of Holies in the temple and slaughtered a pig on the altar, defiling the temple. Daniel had already prophesied this about 386 years earlier.

5. Jesus

• The Messiah will come from Israel (Numbers 24:17-19).
• The Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3; 17:19, Numbers 24:17).
• The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
• The Messiah will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
• The time of the Messiah's birth is prophesied in detail (Daniel 9:25).
• The coming of the Messiah will be announced by His forerunner (Isaiah 4:3-4).
• The Messiah is God incarnate (Isaiah 9:6).
• He will spend His childhood in Egypt (Hosea 11:1).
• He will suffer and make atonement (Isaiah 53).
• He will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey's colt (Zechariah 9:9).
• He will be given gall and vinegar when He is in agony (Psalm 69:21).
• People will cast lots to divide His garments (Psalm 22:18).
• In His agony of death, He will say certain words that were recorded before He was born (Psalm 22:1).
• He will be raised from the dead (Psalm 16:10).
• Christ was betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9).
• He will be sold for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
• He will be accused by false witnesses (Psalm 35:11).
• He will be spat upon and beaten by people (Isaiah 50:6).
• He will be hated without cause (Psalm 35:19).
• He will be despised and mocked (Psalm 22:7,8).

The many prophecies about Jesus, the most important person in the Bible, were written at least 400 years before Jesus came, and they were fulfilled in history exactly as written.

In addition to these, there are countless verses in the Bible that prove that numerous prophecies, both large and small, have been fulfilled. The fact that the recording dates of the Bible, archaeologically verified, clearly exist much earlier than the prophecies that were actually fulfilled in history confirms that the prophecies of the Bible were definitely fulfilled.

13.4. Undeniable Evidence

Perhaps some of you are thinking, "No, people must have fabricated it after the historical events related to the prophecies occurred."

You can raise such suspicions as much as you want. However, the important thing is that there must be "objective evidence" to support it. It has been historically and archaeologically clearly proven that the time when the prophecies of the Bible were recorded precedes the point in time when the events that fulfilled them occurred. Because there is no objective evidence to refute this, this claim is clearly an unfounded assertion.

Even the prophecies of famous prophets like Nostradamus and Jean Dixon, who are well-known to us, are often wrong, and the interpretation of the prophecies themselves is often ambiguous. There are also vague, conditional, and pie-in-the-sky shaman prophecies that say if you do this, bad things may happen, so be careful, and if you behave well, you can avoid misfortune.

However, the prophecies in the Bible are not conditional. They are not ambiguous. They are not vague. They are clear, straightforward, and assertive. Is it possible for a human who cannot predict even one minute and one second ahead to accurately prophesy the huge streams of history, nations, and individuals, not just the private fate of a particular individual?

It is absolutely impossible. This is strong evidence that "the Bible is clearly the word of God."

Even after examining the objective evidence so far, some people may not be able to let go of the following unfounded claims without any basis:

Although it is archaeologically correct, I have not directly experienced it, so the Bible was fabricated later.

Then is it really impossible for such people to believe the Bible? Absolutely not. Because you did not live in the era when the historical events of the Bible were written before they took place, and you did not witness it being recorded with your own eyes, if you ignore it despite clear historical evidence, there is only one method left.

You can look at the prophecies that have been fulfilled in the current generation in which you and I are living, are being fulfilled, and will be fulfilled. Even if I show you this, if you say you still can't believe it, you will be an irrational skeptic, not a sound skeptic.

Such people have a firm belief that they will not believe no matter how many thousands of pieces of evidence are presented, not hundreds, so they can never be persuaded.

This is because such a person does not believe what they see, but only tries to see what they believe. In the next article, we will examine the Bible's prophecies about recent fulfillments, ongoing events, and things that will happen in the future.