Believers and non-believers, answer this one.?

Question

Check out this website:

http://www.carm.org/bible/prophecy.htm

And let me know what you think. It talks about how there were prophecies about the crucifixion, etc written 1,000 years before Jesus was born. I have never read the Bible all the way through. I am wondering, is it proven fact that parts of the Bible were written 1,000 years before the rest of it? Or, is this just something that Christians assert? Thanks.

Answer 1

It's true the prophecy was made 1000 years before the crucifiction. You must remember that the Word of God was passed down within the Jewish tribes by mouth at first. It was memorized word for word and taught to each generation exactly that way until it began to be written down. I'm not informed about the details, myself, but, it could be easilly looked up in resources that are available. I don't know when the scribes came into being, but Israel had/has a great respect for the Word and was able to pass the Word on to their children in the most serious manner. They could not alter it in any way and the prophesies were given to them by God's chosen prophets. He hand chose them in each generation and told them exactly what to tell Israel about the future.
Of course the Bible wasn't written down in the beginning, but it was passed down by word of mouth until such time as the writings began. So, I assume that some prophesies were actually written years after they were given to be technical, and whether it was exactly 1000 yrs. before Christ's crucifixion or not that it was "written down", I can't say. But the actual prophesy of His crucifixion was given/spoken 1000 yrs. before it happened. Hope that makes sense.

Answer 2

This is a detailed description of the crucifixion--1000 years before Jesus was born. After you read the section ask him what it was about. He'll say, "The crucifixion of Jesus." Then respond with something like, "You're right. This is about the crucifixion. But it was written 1000 years before Jesus was born. And on top of that, crucifixion hadn't even been invented yet.
How do you think something like this could happen?" After a brief discussion, you could show him (or her) a few other prophecies like where Jesus' birthplace was prophesied (Micah 5:2), that He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), that His side would be pierced (Zech. 12:10), etc.

Answer 3

That site is extremely biased.

To me what it boils down to is the same ol' same ol': that the Bible proves the truth of the Bible. Circular logic. Meh...

For one to accept that a prophesy of the crucifixtion from the Psalms had been fulfilled (Psalms 22:16 ), one must believe that the supposed son of god had also resurrected (Psalm 16:10) . Why would one be true and the other not? Problem here is: I don't believe in the dead rising from the grave.

The New Testament makes the assertion that the prophesies in The Old Testament had been fulfilled. That does not make it true. The same holds for stories from other cultures, other mythologies.. the Abrahamic religions borrowed from and added to those myths, nothing more.

Answer 4

Researching the different sources for the Old Testament (ie the Tora, the accounts of the prophets, and the archives of Israel) is not a hard task, and believer and non-believer historians would mostly agree pretty closely to when these were written. The Jewish scribes kept good records, and they interracted with foreign libraries and historians giving rise to third party accounts of the same events. You can find, therefore, accurate dates for when these books were written. The books were written at different times; many of the prophets quoted by Christians around 1000 to 300 B.C. It is hard to say that this is a conspiracy and the whole bit is falsified as the Jews, the origin of most of these documents, believe in the prophecies but not that Jesus was the fulfillment.
The prophecies tend to be a strong point of conversion to Christianity due to their strong historical accuracy.
Yet, is the ability to predict the future enough to validate one's authority as divine? Your webpage seems to indicate God, as the creator of time and existing outside of it, could give testimony and signs that prove himself by showing his complete knowledge of time. Yet, why couldn't a time traveller exist who decides to set a massive conspiracy. Also, it could be considered prudent to doubt all history as the most flimsy of sensory perception.
So, to answer your question, the accounts of the prophets and when they were written are certainly not something that just Christians assert, but you are still left with the issue of faith.

Answer 5

Actually the books of the Old Testament are much older than that. And it's not something that Christians assert; the Old Testament books were Jewish books, not Christian. It is the New Testament that was recorded by believers in Christ after His resurrection and ascension into heaven.

You know what's particularly ironic? That most Jewish people, although they may be familiar with their Torah, cannot see that Jesus is their Messiah, as the prophecies, and the fulfillment, clearly indicate.

Answer 6

I don't think I've heard anyone question this, though I'm sure they exist. The actual manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures are carbon-dated and I'm sure Bible scholars and archaeologists are using whatever means necessary to get a true idea of their age. I have a question for you now: Assuming this is true, does it make you wonder about the Bible and marvel that something like this can be so? Does it make you wonder if there is a God who has supernaturally orchestrated the Bible to be brought together into one book, which is an anthology of the writings of various men who wrote as God carried them along and as God blew His creative breath onto every page of sacred Scripture?

Answer 7

dead sea scrolls verify the old testament.go talk to a rabbi about info on the o.t.were ,who,what.by the way jesus full filled 97 old testament prophecies,BEFORE HIS BIRTH.one man fullfilling just 19 prophecies is 1 in 22 million chance.jesus was the christ the son of god.and still is.

Answer 8

Here is a nice list of the ones that didn't happen:
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/proph/long.html

It isn't a great track record. It says things like Damascus is going to be empty soon when in fact it is the oldest continuously occupied city. Jesus says over and over he will return during that same generation. There are a bunch of them.

"When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the Deity knows than at what He doesn't know."
-- Mark Twain

Answer 9

All the old prophets were there to tell of the coming of the Messiah and they laid down many requirement for Messiah, Jesus fulfilled them all.

Answer 10

yes, they have most of the original scripture of Isaiah and other prophets archived in Jerusalem and other places. Yes they can date them accurately, yes, they have been translated accurately, and yes, of 700 ancient prophesies concerning Jesus, all of them have come to pass except the day and hour of his second coming.

blessings :)