Thursday, 29 September 2011
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Are These Failed Prophecies?
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 in front 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.The Bible says Joshua destroyed the wall of Jericho around 1400 BCE but Archaeological evidence shows that an earthquake destroyed the wall in 2300 BCE. The city was also thoroughly destroyed by a fire and then abandoned in 1600 BCE. Jericho was not inhabited again until 700 BCE. There was no wall to tumble down or citizens to destroy at Jericho within centuries of when the Bible says Joshua was there.
Matthew 27:52-53 claims that when Jesus died graves were opened as zombies rose from them and this was seen by many people. If a city under Roman occupation was invaded by zombies don't you think at least one contemporary historian would have written about it? Needless to say, there is not one historical documentation of an actual zombie uprising.
The Bible does not say what year Jesus was born but it does tell us during which specific historical events his birth took place. Matthew says Jesus was born in Judea during the reign of Herod the Great and Luke says Jesus was born during the major tax census while Quirinius was governor of Syria. These are both documented historical events but they are also separated by at least 10 years making it historically impossible for Jesus to be born during both events.
The Bible places the events of its Tower of Babel story around 1000 BCE. According to Genesis before this time "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech". In reality there were many spoken and written languages prior to the Tower of Babel events. Chinese was developed prior to 1200 BCE and speakers of several Semitic languages developed the abjab and consonantal alphabet prior to 1500 BCE. The oldest known text in the Sanskrit language, the Rigveda, dates to 1700-1100 BCE. Egyptian hieroglyphs date back to about 3100 BCE and Sumerian writings date as far back as 3200 BCE.
Are these failed prophecies? Is there an explanation for why these things didn't happen?
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Comments (45)
cheers to you for making the zombie connection. i'm pretty sure that one of the times i was kicked out of Sunday school as a little kid was for asking that question.
I wonder whether it's an accident that most atheists who used to be Christians were also literalists and/or fundamentalists.
You really think God's prophecy about a river, when he talks about the Nile, even though one of the dominant images of Isaiah revolves around the desert/river motif?
It would obviously take a lot of time to answer all of these, but quickly, I can say a little about a few of them.
About the "zombie invasion". When Lazarus was raised from the dead, the scriptures don't indicate that he looked like a typical zombie off of, oh let's say, Michael Jackson's "thriller" video. He looked normal. And only those who knew that Lazarus was in fact dead would've been able to see what a miracle it was that Jesus raised him. Same with Christ. We know he didn't look crazy scary because Mary mistook him for the gardener. They looked normal. If you saw a man walking down the street that looked perfectly normal, you'd have no reason to think he just rose from the dead. And also, the Jewish community was widely ignored in the Roman Empirer. I'm sure they would've thought, "Oh, another stir-up in the Jewish community" *rolls their eyes*. I'd be surprised if there were other documentations of it.
And also, just because a city isn't destroyed now doesn't mean it won't be destroyed later. The final judgment obviously hasn't come yet, so..........yeah.
Appreciate you asking. Going to bed ATM so can't address them all but I hope someone else can clear them up for you :)
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."
Read the passage again. Is Matthew 16-21-28 about the end times? If so, what in the actual passage indicates that to you? Because, in my head, Jesus is expressly talking about his suffering and his resurrection. Nothing is written here of his second coming or the end times.
"23:36 "I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation." 24:34"
Read the passage again. Is Jesus talking about the end times, or is he speaking condemnation to the specific group of people he's talking to: "teachers of the Law, and the Pharisees"? Nothing in this passage about the end-times. I'm not sure why you plastered these verses together. Christian evangelicals and fundamentalists screw up interpreting the Bible already so much, please don't add to the confusion.
The only relevant verse in that batch was 24:34, where Jesus says "this" generation will not end till all the signs occur. Now this could mean two things: (1) If Jesus was referring to only the destruction of the Jerusalem, then the "generation" he referred to is the one in existence when Jesus was teaching, in which case, all things were fulfilled within the generation. (2) If Jesus was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and his own come-back, then the "generation" is that future generation in which the end-times signs began, and will be completed in.
@nyclegodesi24@xanga - In the O.T., God's coming was many times mentioned as referring to God coming in judgment. The Son of man did come in judgment in that generation, in 70 A.D., when the temple was destroyed.
these prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. give it time. be patient. the Word of God will prevail.
as for Jericho, the Biblical record is correct. the historical timeline established by men is ever changing. historians and archaeologists still can't agree who the pharaoh of Egypt was at the time of Joseph or at the time of Moses.
there were also conditional prophecies in the OT. the Hebrews had to meet certain conditions spelled out by God in order for the prophecy not to pass. if the Hebrews failed to meet them, then the prophecy did not come to pass.
"The Bible says Joshua destroyed the wall of Jericho around 1400 BCE "
So you are saying that Joshua destroyed Jericho 1400 years before common era. The story takes place in the book of Joshua, after the children of Israel, descendents of Abraham, Issac and Jacob left Egypt.
"The Bible places the events of its Tower of Babel story around 1000 BCE."
So, 1000 years before common era, 400 years after your statment about Jericho, We are now in the book of Genesis, the flood just happened, and Abraham, Issac and Jacob have not been born yet let alone have descendents.
Can I just ask what Bible have you been reading?
Prophecies are often the product of too much binge drinking and late nights with women of questionable morals. When morning comes, nutthin of what they have said matters....
So you are still lurking around here? Where is the "Yahweh", and "Yashua", the "El" and "Elohim" and all the other nonsense you used to spout?
And what's up with the butch haircut? Thought you were always supposed to keep your head covered. Now you have it uncovered and look like a dyke.
I see you still play "hit and run" tho. Take a bunch of verses out of context, presuppose that each verse is meant to be interpreted literally instead of figuratively, and stir things up. But you always did like to do that.
This gal is pure troll...
you're an idiot..
there is still time...
There's still time for all the people in Jerusalem to get circumcised. No worries, bro.
With enough thought and "evidence" you can prove or disprove everything in the Bible. It's a matter of faith or a lack of faith, that's the bottom line.
Neither the Bible (with its many interpretations and some mistranslated words) nor Archaeology can be proven 100% accurate. It's like the joke where they say something like in a thousand years archaeologists will find tanning beds and think we cooked people to death for punishment.
If one looks at both Egypt and Syria from a spiritual stand point, they both have truly been destroyed. Lands that were Christian for centuries were laid waste by the Jihad.
And both Egypt and Syria are experiencing violence and revolution in the present day after decades of tyrannical rule.
Consequently, saying that biblical prophesies have failed isn't true.
"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."
You are wrong.
In context, this is a prophecy concerning the millennial reign of Messiah (i.e. see Isa 53 that describes in great detail things that few would argue are true about Jesus). Of course, Christians see Jesus as perfectly fulfilling the 300+ prophecies about the Messiah (Greek: Christ) and many more to come. Another interesting detailed prophecy that is yet to come is that a 3rd temple will be built (Ezek 40-43). This is another amazing prophecy that makes us wonder how it could possibly happen with so much unrest in Jerusalem. Yet, those of us that believe in the God who has fulfilled his promises as documented in the Bible also believe that he will do what he has said in the years yet to come.
@Ork58@xanga - Wow, what a rude comment. Instead of addressing the actual blog, you attacked the blogger personally. At least most people on here who disagree with her can do so nicely. They can intellectually debate while you apparently cannot.
@Ork58@xanga - Kris isn't trolling, she's had an awakening in regard to her spirituality and this has caused major changes in her life. I can't speak for her directly, but I think she and I have a good bit in common, including questions regarding religion. I personally can't understand how people can read the bible, see the inconsistencies, failed prophesies and contradictions and still have faith. In order to understand this, who better to ask than people of faith?
@TiredSoVeryTired@xanga - LOL on the tanning beds!
I agree though, a lot of it is not only open to personal interpretation (which opens up yet another wiggly can of worms because the punishment for misunderstanding/misinterpreting scripture is severe and eternal), but any religious belief requires an eventual leap of faith. Either a person can look at the assets and liabilities of their particular religious practice, accept both and stay faithful or they can't.
@ZombieMom_Speaks@xanga - thank you. Ork58 has never liked me and has always attacked me. I am not sure why all the hate but it is nothing new.
@ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga - "The Bible places the events of its Tower of Babel story around 1000 BCE."
Just out of curiosity, what are you quoting this from? Bible scholars/historians tend to date David's reign at 1000 B.C.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_david
@kk_grayfox@xanga - I got it from the original post. see the 1st sentence of the last paragraph.
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 in front 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.
I think this is an inaccurate reading of the verse and it's actually referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple, which did happen in a generation (literally: 40 years).
"Matthew 27:52-53 claims that when Jesus died graves were opened as
zombies rose from them and this was seen by many people. If a city
under Roman occupation was invaded by zombies don't you think at least
one contemporary historian would have written about it? Needless to say,
there is not one historical documentation of an actual zombie uprising."
Sure there is. It's recorded in Matthew 27:52-53. Just because it's a biased source does not mean it's untrue and does not mean it has to be validated by a second source (it certainly helps though). If you were to reject everything that is only recorded in a single source, you'd have to throw out massive amounts of historical material for all sorts of secular individuals as well.
"The Bible places the events of its Tower of Babel story around
1000 BCE. According to Genesis before this time "the whole earth was of
one language, and of one speech". In reality there were many spoken and
written languages prior to the Tower of Babel events. Chinese was
developed prior to 1200 BCE and speakers of several Semitic languages
developed the abjab and consonantal alphabet prior to 1500 BCE. The
oldest known text in the Sanskrit language, the Rigveda, dates to
1700-1100 BCE. Egyptian hieroglyphs date back to about 3100 BCE and
Sumerian writings date as far back as 3200 BCE."
It most certainly does not. It dates King David's rule at 1000 B.C.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_david
"The Bible says Joshua destroyed the wall of Jericho around 1400
BCE but Archaeological evidence shows that an earthquake destroyed the
wall in 2300 BCE. The city was also thoroughly destroyed by a fire and
then abandoned in 1600 BCE. Jericho was not inhabited again until 700
BCE. There was no wall to tumble down or citizens to destroy at Jericho
within centuries of when the Bible says Joshua was there."
Apparently the earlier dating (2300 BCE) is still contested. This link has a brief description but there's a more in depth discussion in a link at the bottom of the page: http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/08/Carbon-14-Dating-at-Jericho.aspx
For some of the other prophecies, I'm not a Bible=inerrant Word of God believer, but it's quite plausible that some of the descriptions are hyperbole, as is typical of prophetic language. Also, some of them may have been conditional prophecies. God has "changed His mind" several times according to the Bible (though there's at least one verse where He says He doesn't...lol).
@ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga - My bad! I just noticed that...lol.
@kk_grayfox@xanga - Yep, I was trying to point out that the timeline in the original post was a little off, if things recorded in genesis were taking place after events in Joshua.
@ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga - That's a good point. The post isn't internally consistent, unless the Babel date was a typo.