Old Testament Predictions which were Accomplished in the Old Testament

Predictions Concerning the Rise and Fall of Empires

  • Isaiah
    • 7:8  This prediction came in about 741 BC.  Although Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, fell in 721 BC, its total destruction and deportation took much longer.  Historically, 65 years was exactly correct for the time until the Northern Kingdom was totally gone, having been replaced by captives from other nations (2 Kings 17:24 – 41).
    • 7:14 – 16 and 8:1 – 4  God promised Ahaz that the kings of Syria and Israel, who had formed an alliance against Judah, would both be dead within 3 years, which is exactly what happened.  2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28.
    • 10:12  God promised to punish the arrogance of the king of Assyria.  This was accomplished at the walls of Jerusalem, after Assyria had conquered every other city in Judah, when 185,000 Assyrian besiegers died overnight (2 Kings 19:35, Isaiah 36 – 37) without a battle.
    • 13:17 – 22.  Isaiah was nearing the end of his career when Hezekiah was king and the Assyrian army died by the hand of God (not in battle) at the walls of Jerusalem.  The Babylonians decided that that would be an opportune time to throw off domination by Assyria (which had built Babylon as a southern administrative center).  One of their first actions was to send ambassadors to Jerusalem.  Hezekiah showed them all his wealth.  Isaiah rebuked him for this vanity (2 Kings 20:12 – 18).  Babylon spent the next century at war with Assyria.  Before Babylon became a world power, Isaiah revealed their conquerors, the Medes.  Darius the Mede defeated Babylon in one night and destroyed the city, never to be rebuilt (Daniel 5:30 – 31, Isaiah 211 – 10) more than two centuries after Isaiah wrote this prediction.
    • 14:28 – 32.  When a king dies, the vassal nations always see an opportunity to revolt as the new king is occupied with establishing his authority.  So, when Ahaz died, the Philistines thought that they could throw off the yoke of Judah because the 25-year-old Hezekiah would have neither the power not the wisdom to maintain Judah’s domination.  Hezekiah was successful in maintaining that domination (2 Kings 18:8).
    • 23:1 – 18.  Tyre was the capital of the Phoenician empire.  Since they were a maritime power, not occupying land masses but controlling trade in the Mediterranean, they had been immune to attack for centuries.  Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army attacked and destroyed Tyre in 606 BC, but the people of Tyre escaped to an island in the middle of the bay.  The Babylonians had no naval skills, so they satisfied themselves with the booty of the city.  The base of operations of the Phoenician merchant fleet was moved to Cyprus and Gibraltar (Tarshish).  This situation remained until Babylon fell to the Medes in 536 BC, the same period of time which Jeremiah predicted that Judah would serve Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11 – 12, 29:10, Daniel 9:2).  By the way, Ezekiel, who lived during that Babylonian destruction, predicted that Tyre would become “a place for the spreading of nets,” (Ezekiel 26:5) never to rise again.  This was accomplished by Alexander about two centuries later.  He built a causeway to the island using the rubble of the previously destroyed mainland city, along with all the topsoil for miles around.  Tyre never recovered.
    • 44:24 – 45:4.  Among several promises of restoration after the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, Isaiah specifically named the king who would allow that to happen: Cyrus (Daniel 10).  Isaiah died about 700 BC.  Cyrus was born about 600 BC, and did not come to power until 560 BC, yet, his name is given specifically.
  • Jeremiah
    • 28:1 – 17.  Jeremiah confronts a false prophet who claims that Judah overcome Babylonian rule within two years, plus the Temple goods and their captive king will be restored.  Jeremiah predicted that the false prophet would be dead within the year.
    • 25:11 – 12, 29:10.  Serve Babylon 70 years (Daniel 9:2).  Interestingly, Babylon fell from power overnight, at the height of their glory.
    • 31:7 – 9, 32:36 – 38.  Many predictions of restoration appear in Isaiah and Jeremiah.
    • 48:47.  Moab will return.
    • 49:17 – 18.  Edom will be totally wiped out.
    • 49:33.  Hazor will never be inhabited again.  The only life at that location today is an archeological dig.
    • 50:1 – 5.  During the most powerful period of Babylonian history, Jeremiah predicted their downfall and the restoration of Israel (through chapter 51).
  • Ezekiel
    • Chapters 26 – 28.  Tyre will be destroyed and will never rise again.
    • Chapter 29.  Egypt will be destroyed, be vacant for 40 years, will be repopulated, but will never rise to power again.  Plunder from Egypt will be payment for Nebuchadnezzar because he did not get any from Tyre (29:18 – 20).
  • Daniel
    • Chapter 2.  Nebuchadnezzar’s dream predicted four empires.  Babylon was the first.  Numbers 2 and 3 are unnamed in this place, but turn out to be Persia and Greece, revealed by name later in the book.  The fourth kingdom is not named, probably because Rome was just a nominal city-state, not controlling even all of Italy until centuries later.  However, Rome is certainly what is intended since the Kingdom of God is established in that period.
    • Chapter 7.  Four beast arise from the sea, representing four kingdoms.  Although not named, they appear to be the same as the four kingdoms of chapter 2.  In the times of the fourth kingdom, the Messiah returns to heaven having finished His purpose and is presented with the eternal kingdom.  Jesus cited verse 13 several times (Matthew 24:30, 26:64, Mark 13:26, 14:62, Luke 21:27, Revelation 1:7, 13, 14, 14:14). which the leaders understood to be Jesus’ claim to being the Messiah.
    • Chapter 8.  The middle two empires are identified (8:20 – 21) as Medo-Persia and Greece.  The Greek empire being broken into four parts was predicted in 8:22.
  • Daniel 9:24 – 27.  The 70 weeks prophecy:
    • At this time (~536 BC) Jerusalem and the Temple were in ruins and vacant.
    • Jesus cited this (Matthew 24:15) concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (also see Matthew 24:34).
    • (24)  The end of prophets (Zechariah 13:1 – 6, 1 Corinthians 13:8 – 10, Ephesians 4:11 – 13, Revelation 11:1 – 13)
    • (24)  Anoint (Hebrews 9:23 – 27)
    • (24)  To finish transgression, to make an end of sins (Hebrews 9:24 – 10:4)
    • (24)  To make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness (Hebrews 9:12 – 15).
    • A general timing follows in 25 – 27, but the details of that timing are in chapters 11 and 12.
    • Isaiah 39 – Hezekiah (~ 700 BC) is told that Babylon will conquer Israel.  Babylon had recently freed themselves from Assyria rule due to the Assyrian loss of 185,000 men at Jerusalem.
    • Isaiah 40 – 66  A general history (in advance) from Babylon to the Messiah.
      • Isaiah 40:1 – 8, Matthew 3:3  John the Baptist.
      • Isaiah 42:1 – 4, Matthew 12:18 – 19  The Messiah
      • Isaiah 43:5 – 7  Return from captivity
      • Isaiah 44:28 – 45:4  Cyrus named as the agent of restoration more than a century before his birth.
    • (25)  The command to rebuild did not happen in 536 BC when Babylon fell.  Two years later Darius died and Cyrus took over (2 Chronicles 36:22, Ezra 1:1).  Cyrus gave permission to rebuild.
    • Artaxerxes provided additional decrees around 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:1 – 8).
    • The starting date for this prophecy is conjectural.
    • “The people of the prince” (26) turn out to be the Roman army.
    • The comment about the destruction of Jerusalem is an aside, not coincident with the death of the Messiah.
    • The regular sacrifice is to be stopped at week 69.5.
    • At week 70, the list in verse 24 is complete.
    • Although the exact number of years represented by each “week” may be figurative or may have a different starting point, people in Jesus’ day knew that they lived in the right time based on chapters 11 and 12.  Premillennialism has an extraordinarily long last half week.
  • Daniel 11

1       The same angel aided Darius in his conquest of Babylon.  See also Isaiah 44:28 – 45:4.

2       This historical record is too short to be definitive.  Several lists of Persian kings have been proposed.  However, the Greco-Persian wars lasted from 499 – 449 BC.

3       The “mighty” Greek king was Alexander (336 – 323 BC).

4       When he died, four of his generals split the empire (Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece).

5       King of the South: Ptolemy, Egypt.

6       King of the North: Seleucus, Syria.  Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II, married Antiochus II (Syria) around 250 BC.  But Antiochus returned to his first wife, killing Berenice and her children.

7       But her brother, Ptolemy III, avenged her and occupied Antioch.

8       Ptolemy II carried away 2500 golden idols and 1000 tons of silver (245 BC).

9       Seleucus II counterattacked to no avail (235 BC).

10     Antiochus III regained what had been lost.

11     Ptolemy IV counterattacked, the decisive battle being fought at Gaza (217 BC).

13     But, Antiochus III regained Palestine in 198 BC.

14     Some Jews who thought that Daniel’s prophesy was in Week 70 tried to help it along resulting in idols in the Temple.

15     Antiochus III re-captured Gaza and pushed into Egypt.

17     Antiochus III gave his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V.  She sided with her husband rather than making an alliance.

18     So, Antiochus turned his attention to the coasts of Turkey.

19     Antiochus III then turned east (into his own territory) but died trying to rob a temple in Elymais (SW Iran).

20     Seleucus IV inherited a bankrupt kingdom, so was soon killed.

21     Antiochus IV seized power by intrigue.  He was the worst of the line (175 BC)

22 – 28  Antiochus IV was known for his deceit and arrogance.  In addition, he taxed the Israelites very harshly.

29 – 32  Antiochus invaded Egypt again, but the Romans intervened.  He retreated to Israel.

36 – 39  Antiochus IV put a statue of Zeus in the Temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, and ended the sacrificial system (171 BC, see 8:13 – 14).

40 – 45  A synopsis of the final years of Antiochus IV, up to the time of the Maccabees (165 BC).  Premillennialists claim that thousands of years will pass between verse 39 and verse 40.

Other Predictions

  • Numerous promises were issued by God that the Israelites would be restored to the Promised Land by the Persians after the fall of Babylon.
  • The destructions of the small countries around Israel are detailed.  Edom, Moab, and Philistia were predicted to never return.
  • Many small events are predicted in many of the prophets which coincide with historical events recorded in other countries.
    • The Neo-Assyrian Empire paused its rapid conquests for about 60 years, coinciding with the era of Jonah.
    • The conquest of Egypt by Assyria, Babylon, and Persia coincide with the Biblical accounts.
    • The fall of Tyre, initially by Babylon, finished by Greece, match the Biblical prediction.