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Debunking Christian Circular Arguments and Assumptions
Argument # 3:
The
Fulfilled Prophecies Argument.
Stated
as: “Fulfilled prophecies in the Bible prove its
authority as the word of
God.”
One of the favorite
arguments
that Christians use to support their argument that the Bible is
God’s word and
not man’s word, is the argument of fulfilled prophecies in
the Bible.
However, these Christians never acknowledge, take into account, or were
never
told, that many of the alleged fulfilled prophecies were not even
prophecies in
the first place, and that there is a long list of failed prophecies in
both the
Old and New Testaments. Let’s list all the factors
that they never
consider here.
1) First of all,
we have no basis to assume that
all the events described in the Bible ever occurred in actual
history.
Therefore we have no reason to just take it for granted, as Christians
would
like us to, that they all took place. No historian who is
religiously
unbiased takes the whole Bible as a book of historical facts.
In fact,
they generally state that the Bible, especially the Four Gospels, were
written with an agenda to preach or convert masses, and
not as an accurate historical account. Even though the Bible
contains
some real life historical events and places, we must remember that a
work of
fiction can contain historical places and events without its story
being
true. For example, the story of the Wizard
of Oz begins in the
state of
2) Second, anyone
can just write a prediction in
one book, and that same person or another can just write the
fulfillment of the
prediction in another book, without the prophesied event actually
taking
place. All you need is pen and paper. For example,
I could write in
one part of a book, "Chapter One: The pig will jump over the
horse
one day.” And then later write, “Chapter
Two: And then the pig jumped
over the horse, as was prophesied back in Chapter One." See
how easy
that is? You could do that if you wanted to. For
example, I could
find instances of prophecy fulfillment in Tolkien’s Lord
of the Rings book
series. There are also prophecy fulfillment examples in
Homer’s work The
Iliad (e.g. the prophecy that
the first soldier from the Greek invasion
fleet to set afoot on
Imaginary
messianic
prophecies
3) Third, what
Christian ministers and preachers
NEVER tell you is that most of the Old Testament prophecies claimed by
New
Testament writers to be prophecies of Jesus, were not even meant as
messianic
prophecies in the first place! For example, in Matthew 27:35,
it says
"And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, 'They parted my
garments
among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.'" which is
referring
to Psalm
Likewise,
in The
Fabulous Prophecies Of
The Messiah
Jim Lippard
points out:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_lippard/fabulous-prophecies.html
“There
are several verses taken to refer to crucifixion: Psalms 22:16,
Zechariah
12:10, and Zechariah 13:6 are typical examples. Psalms
Zechariah
Concerning
a famous claimed prophecy of Jesus’ birth, Mr. Lippard also
points out:
“There
are a number of alleged messianic prophecies about Jesus' birth:
prophecies
about the location, manner, and time of his birth, about his genealogy,
and
about events which were to occur at the time of his birth. Probably the
most
famous of these prophecies is the prophecy that Jesus would be born of
a
virgin. The gospels of Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (1:26-35) both claim
that
Jesus was born of a virgin, but only Matthew (1:23) appeals to the
Hebrew
scriptures as an explanation for why this should be the case. The verse
appealed to is Isaiah 7:14, which reads: "Therefore the Lord himself
will
give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she
will call his name Immanuel."
There
are a number of difficulties with this passage. As many have noted, the
Hebrew
word translated as "virgin" in this verse is "almah," which
is more accurately translated simply as "young woman." The Hebrew
word "bethulah" means "virgin." In the book of Isaiah,
"bethulah" appears four times (
Another
problem is that nowhere in the New Testament does Mary, Jesus' mother,
refer to
him as "Immanuel." Thus we have no evidence that one of the
conditions of the prophecy was ever fulfilled.
But
the most serious problem with this alleged messianic prophecy is that
it has
been taken out of context. Looking at the entire seventh chapter of
Isaiah, it
becomes clear that the child in question is to be born as a sign to
Ahaz, King
of Judah, that he will not be defeated in battle by Rezin, King of
Syria, and
Pekah, son of the King of Israel. Jesus' birth was some seven centuries
late to
be such a sign. In Isaiah 8:3-4, a prophetess gives birth to a
son--Maher-shalal-hash-baz--who is clearly described as the fulfillment
of the
prophecy in Isaiah 7:14.[3]”
Also,
Christians seem to like to tout Genesis 3:15 “And I will put
enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy
head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
as
prophecy for the coming of Jesus. However, no
one who looks at that
verse without being told that it is a prophecy would presume that it is
a
prophecy. It simply
says that since snakes and serpents can bite
humans’ feet while humans can stomp on them. To
read more into it than
that is total conjecture without basis, and especially to claim it as
messianic
prophecy.
These
are just some of many examples of false and imaginary messianic
prophecies. For more examples and details, see:
Prophecies:
Imaginary and Unfulfilled
The
Fabulous Prophecies Of The Messiah
Examination
Of The Prophecies by Thomas Paine
Nonexistent
prophecies
4) Fourth,
some
of the prophecies claimed to be fulfilled in the New Testament don't
even exist
in the Old Testament!
For
example, in Luke 24:46, Jesus said:
"Thus
it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to
rise
from the dead the third day."
However,
nowhere in the Old Testament does it predict or say that!
Also, in John
"He
who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will
flow
rivers of
living
water."
If
Jesus was right in saying that scripture prophesied this, where is it
then? No
such statement in the Old Testament scriptures has ever been located,
yet
"the scripture" Jesus referred to would certainly have been in the
Old Testament. How could there be a fulfillment of a prophecy
that was
never even made?
In
another example, Jesus claimed another fulfillment of nonprophecy in
Luke
24:46.
"Thus
it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to
rise
from the dead the third day."
Paul
also claimed that Christ's resurrection on the third day was also
predicted by
scriptures. He said in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
"For
I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ
died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and
that He
rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
However,
Christian apologists cannot produce a single Old Testament passage that
made
this alleged third day prediction! It simply doesn't
exist!
Likewise in John 20:9
"For
as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the
dead."
How
could they not know the scripture, since the scripture prophesying that
doesn't
even exist? No such scripture has ever been found.
Jesus also said
in Mark 1:2
"It
is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'I will send my messenger ahead of
you, who
will prepare your way'"
Yet
no statement like that appears in the book of Isaiah! That is
a clear
error there, without a doubt. In Acts
"In
everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must
help the
weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more
blessed to
give than to receive.'"
Yet
no such words of Jesus are found in the Bible! Later on,
James said in
James 4:5
"Or
do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to
live in
us envies intensely?"
Again,
no such words are found in scripture!
In
another indisputable example, Matthew said that Judas' purchase of the
potter's
field
with
the thirty pieces of silver cast back to the chief priests and elders
fulfilled
a prophecy made by Jeremiah:
"Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet,
saying, And
they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was
priced, whom
certain of the children of Israel did price; and they gave them for the
potter's field as the Lord appointed me." (Matthew 27:9-10)
The
only problem here is that Jeremiah NEVER wrote anything remotely
similar to
this! So how could this be a fulfillment of "that which was
spoken
through Jeremiah the prophet"? There is a passage in
Zechariah that
this might refer to though, however, if the Bible is the inerrant word
of God,
then how could it make mistakes like this?!
When
Joseph took his family to
"...that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he
should be
called a Nazarene." (Matthew 2:23)
Again,
Bible scholars have never been unable to find any statement from any
prophet
that this could be referring to! As a matter of fact, neither
the word
How
can an inerrant Bible contain huge mistakes like this? Is it
any wonder
why Christians never refer to these verses as fulfillment of
prophecy?
These critical errors clearly render the fulfillment of prophecy
argument
inept.
Failed, expired,
and
unfulfilled prophecies
5) Fifth, and
perhaps most damaging, there are
many prophecies in the Bible which never came true or went unfulfilled,
expiring beyond their predicted time.
For
instance, here are 16 obvious failed prophecies in regard to the Second
Coming
of Christ and the end of the world, which was supposed to take place in
the
First Century Apostles’ lifetime!
Below
Jesus clearly predicts that his Second Coming will be during the
lifetimes of
the First Century Christians who lived in their time.
"Verily
I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of
death,
till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:28)
"But
I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not
taste of
death, till they see the
Jesus
clearly predicted in those two verses above that the apostles standing
with him
would see his second coming in their lifetimes. It's clear
and simple,
nothing allegorical or symbolical.
These
following verses also indicate that Paul expected that he and the
Christians of
his time would see the Second Coming of Christ.
"But
this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they
that have
wives be as though they had none;" (1 Corinthians
"For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven... Then we which are alive and
remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds..." (1
Thessalonians
4:15-17)
"God...Hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his Son..." (Hebrews
1:1-2)
2000
years ago it was the "last days"!? More similar verses below.
"For
yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not
tarry."
(Hebrews
10:37)
"But
the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto
prayer."
(1
Peter 4:7)
"Christ...was
manifest in these last times for you,..." (1 Peter 1:19-20)
"Be
patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord... stablish
your
hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh...behold, the judge
standeth
before the door." (James 5:7-9)
"The
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his
servants
things which must shortly come to pass;..." (Revelation 1:1)
"Behold,
I come quickly." (Revelation 3:11)
"And
he said unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for
the
time is at hand... He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I
come
quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:10, 20)
"But
when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily
I say
unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of
(Matthew
10:22-23)
Jesus
said there that his second coming would occur WHILE his apostles were
preaching
in the cities of
In
the following three verses, Jesus says that the generation living at
the time
would experience his second coming.
"So
ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know
that it is
nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this
generation
shall not pass, till all these things be done." (Mark 13:29-30)
"So
likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the
"So
likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near,
even at
the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not
pass, till
all these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:33-34)
Obviously,
that generation that Jesus was speaking to has long since
passed! What an
impressive assortment of failed prophecies! Is this
convincing to you of
the divine infallible inspiration of the Bible?
Also,
in the Old Testament, the Bible made many prophecies which never came
true. Here are some examples.
In
the book of Deuteronomy and Exodus, God promised Moses and the
Israelites that
he would deliver them to a promised land. (Deuteronomy
7:17-24,
4:33-39,
7:1-2,
31:1-8,
Exodus
23:20-33)
However, rather than sending them directly to this “promised
land”, instead
they were dragged through the hot desert for 40 years, hungry and
miserable,
and expected to not complain about it! (Hmmmm, I heard that
patience is a
virtue, but is that fair?) To read the details of this, see
Farrell
Till’s Yahweh's
Failed Land Promise.
Also,
a number of prophecies in Ezekiel, Isaiah and other books also
failed.
Farrell Till lists some in The
Prophecy Farce:
http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1998/3/983front.html
“Another--and
even more effective-- counterargument to use against those who claim
that
prophecy fulfillment proves the inspiration of the Bible requires
sufficient knowledge
of the Bible to show that many Old Testament prophecies obviously
failed.
Anyone who is willing to put the time into learning just a few of those
failures will have no problems rebutting the prophecy-fulfillment
claims of any
biblicists he/she may encounter. The prophetic tirades of Isaiah
(13-23) and
Ezekiel (24-32) against the nations surrounding
Ezekiel
also prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would destroy
As
noted in my exchanges with Matthew Hogan on Ezekiel's tirade against
Tyre
(September/October 1997; November/December 1997), Ezekiel clearly
predicted
that Tyre would be destroyed, become a bare rock and a place for
spreading
nets, and would be built no more forever
(26:7-14, 21; 27:28; 28:19). As
Ezekiel did, Isaiah in his prophecies of destruction against the
nations around
Look
at the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people; it was not
So
Ezekiel predicted a permanent destruction of
So
as you can see, not only did both Isaiah and Ezekiel’s
prophecies concerning
the city of
Paul
Tobin also showed the
Ezekiel
made a prophecy that, at the time he wrote, seems most likely to be
fulfilled.
The prophet was writing, in 587BC, at the time when Nebuchadnezzar was
laying
siege on
|
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Ezekiel
26:7-14 |
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The
whole passage clearly prophesied the sack and complete destruction of
Its
amazing that despite these disconfirming evidence some apologists
actually try
to salvage that prophecy. One example is Josh McDowell in his Evidence
that
Demand a Verdict.[5] In it
he claims that the prophecy
was actually fulfilled. We will look at two of his specific arguments
regarding
the prophecy. First this is what McDowell writes about the
“destruction of
|
|
When
Nebuchadnezzar broke
the gates down he found the city almost empty. The majority of the
people had moved by ship to an island about one half mile off the coast
and fortified the city there. The mainland city was destroyed in 573,
but the city of |
|
The
implication of this paragraph is clear: that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed a
major
portion of
|
|
Ezekiel
29:17-20 |
|
McDowell
tried to twist history to show that
Having
failed in one prophecy did not make Ezekiel shy about making more:
|
|
Ezekiel
29:8-12 |
|
This
passage must take the cake for the most prophecies proven wrong!
Men and people have
always walked through it.
There has never been a
single moment (let alone forty
years) when
Its cities has never been
desolated for any period of
time
and finally there was no
Egyptian diaspora[6].
Ezekiel
tried his luck with another prophecy regarding Nebuchadnezzar:
|
|
Ezekiel
29:20 |
|
Unfortunately,
here too he failed! For Nebuchadnezzar never conquered
(End
of excerpt)
More
examples of failed prophecies can be found at:
For
more reading on the subject of debunking Bible prophecies, check out
this list
of books:
http://www.infidels.org/infidels/products/books/christianity/prophecy.html
Finally, perhaps
the
following amusing story best illustrates what Christians do when they
cite
instances of fulfilled prophecy in the Bible.
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/handbook/s_refuting.html
“While
traveling through a forest, a person noticed a circle marked on a tree
with an
arrow shot perfectly into the center. A few yards away he noticed
several more
targets, each with arrows in the center. Later, he met the talented
archer and
he asked him, "How did you become such an expert that you always get
your
arrows into the center of the bull's-eye?" "It's not difficult,"
responded the archer, "First I shoot the arrow and then I draw the
circle."”
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