Atheists! Thanks you for your patience I have one more question for you today!?

Question

Okay atheists, here it is: How do you explain all the fulfilled prophecy in the Bible? If you think that the Bible is just any old book, uninspired and unholy, why is it filled with tons of fulfilled and detailed prophecy, some of which is even being fulfilled today? I'll give you an example of one thats being fulfilled right now: the Bible says that in the last days the prices of food, especially grain, will skyrocket. Have you guys been paying attention to the news? Prices of grain have shot up over 120% in impoverished nations across the world, and we're even seeing effects here in one of the richest countries in the world! So, what do you think?

again, don't be rude! I'm genuinely interested in your opinions, as long as you present them respectfully

Answer 1

by the way you phrase your question, i am imagining all these atheists like cats rubbing against your legs, while you open up a can of food...

Answer 2

The price of food fluctuates all the time. Of course there will be times in history in which it will skyrocket or drop to an all-time low. The extremes are expected to happen, so the prophecy is really not a prophecy when it's just stating the obvious.



The Bible says this will happen in "the last days". Many countries in history faced famine due to inflation or scarce food production, and they haven't yet been wiped off the face of the Earth. In fact, some of them are thriving now.



You tell us not to be rude and you go on to condescendingly call us "kooky atheists". You should check the Bible and search for "hypocrite". Humans are supposedly endowed with logic and reasoning, but I am highly skeptical of that right about now.



Skeptics are suppose to rebut information that denies logic or reasoning through analysis. According to you, skeptics "explain the fulfilled prophecies away by saying these things have always happened." The reason is because of the fact that it had and is happening.

Answer 3

What do I think? I think that the world is not anywhere near its "last days," and that the price of grain going up is a very weak example of a fulfilled prophecy. The price of grain and other foods goes up and down periodically, I don't see how that's such a prophecy.





P.S. I'm an Atheist, but I'm also not bigoted towards Christians or other religions. Everyone should find their own path in this world and I respect other people's right to believe whatever they want to. Just letting you know that there are some really good Atheists out there! =)



Edit: Now why did you have to go and call us "kooky"? We respected your request and didn't provide rude answers, so why are you now being rude? That's sad.

Answer 4

As far as I can tell the prophect in the bible falls into three main categories:





1. Open enough to drive a bus though. The prime example of this is Revelations and the 'signs' for the end times - war and rumors of war, disease and natural disasters. Well that limits it down to any time in recorded history!





2. Postdated. This comes in two forms:

2a Written after the event. It is recognized that Daniel was written after the events it predicted. Claiming that my father said 50 years ago that Bush Sr and Jr would be presidents is not much use if I write it down after the events.



2b. Written to match. The messianic prophecies that Jesus was supposed to have met are good examples. Joseph just has to travel a few hundred miles back to Bethlehem for a census. Yeah, right. Pull the other one. This was not a Jewish requirement - censuses were against God's will as David clearly states. And it was not a Roman one. Either way, can you imagine the chaos that would occur if everyone had to go back to their ancestral town. The area would be paralyzed for weeks. However it is a neat trick to get Jesus of Nazareth born in Bethlehem so he could tick off the prophecy that the messiah had to be born in the city of David. The people who wrote the gospels were Jews, they knew the messianic prophecies. It is not surprising that Jesus manages to go around Judea ticking most of them off.





3. Just plain wrong. Ezekiel predicts that Tyre will be sacked by Nebuchadnezzar and will never ever be rebuilt or used again. In reality Nebuchadnezzar never got to the walls of the city, never mind sacking it. The person who managed that was Alexander. This prophecy would also come as a surprise to the thousands of people who are living there today.







Edit:

Oh, you kooky girl. Are you claiming that food prices have not skyrocketed in the past? Do you seriously try to claim that wars and rumors of war have never happened until now. The bible writers put that caveat in there because they knew that their predictions were so incredibly vague that they could be applied to any time. But they wanted them applied to their time. The closing of the 1st century is when the rapture was supposed to happen and Jesus was to return within that generation and fulfill the prophecy of being crowned king of the Jews, along with all the other ones that he failed to fulfill in his lifetime.



Still waiting.



I find it fascinating that you are so blinded by your own delusion that you refuse to see the truth that is directly in front of you.

Answer 5

There have always been extreme fluctuations in the economy . Look up " The Great Depression" . The world did not come to an end then either .



There are many more unfulfilled 'prophesies' in the Bible than fulfilled ones . If you amke a lot of guesses some will be right , like the vague one you mention . Theat prediction is not detailed . Grain has alway been a staple of the enconomy . Sometimes there's a reason for low prices , sometimes for high prices .



AND .. thereis nothing wrong with C&P anwers like Dearstuff's when they are informative , and factual . AS opposed to C&P scripture .

Answer 6

And of course you know these are "the last days" because of that?



If your bible had a graph with grain prices by year, then you'd have something.



1. There are several mundane ways in which a prediction of the future can be fulfilled:

1. Retrodiction. The "prophecy" can be written or modified after the events fulfilling it have already occurred.

2. Vagueness. The prophecy can be worded in such a way that people can interpret any outcome as a fulfillment. Nostradomus's prophecies are all of this type. Vagueness works particularly well when people are religiously motivated to believe the prophecies.

3. Inevitability. The prophecy can predict something that is almost sure to happen, such as the collapse of a city. Since nothing lasts forever, the city is sure to fall someday. If it has not, it can be said that according to prophecy, it will.

4. Denial. One can claim that the fulfilling events occurred even if they have not. Or, more commonly, one can forget that the prophecy was ever made.

5. Self-fulfillment. A person can act deliberately to satisfy a known prophecy.



There are no prophecies in the Bible that cannot easily fit into one or more of those categories.



2. In biblical times, prophecies were not simply predictions. They were warnings of what could or would happen if things did not change. They were meant to influence people's behavior. If the people heeded the prophecy, the events would not come to pass; Jonah 3 gives an example. A fulfilled prophecy was a failed prophecy, because it meant people did not heed the warning.



3. The Bible also contains failed prophecies, in the sense that things God said would happen did not (Skeptic's Annotated Bible n.d.). For example:

* Joshua said that God would, without fail, drive out the Jebusites and Canaanites, among others (Josh. 3:9-10). But those tribes were not driven out (Josh. 15:63, 17:12-13).

* Ezekiel said Egypt would be made an uninhabited wasteland for forty years (29:10-14), and Nebuchadrezzar would plunder it (29:19-20). Neither happened.



4. Other religions claim many fulfilled prophecies, too (Prophecy Fulfilled n.d.).



5. Divinity is not shown by miracles. The Bible itself says true prophecies may come elsewhere than from God (Deut. 13:1-3), as may other miracles (Exod. 7:22, Matt. 4:8). Some people say that to focus on proofs is to miss the whole point of faith (John 20:29).



References:



1. Skeptic's Annotated Bible. n.d. False prophecies, broken promises, and misquotes in the Bible. http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/proph/long.html

2. Prophecy Fulfilled. n.d. http://www.bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled/



Further Reading:

Festinger, L., H. W. Riecken and S. Schachter. 1956. When Prophecy Fails. New York: Harper & Row.

Answer 7

You obviously weren't around in the early 70's when the cost of loaf of bread went up 250% or more. The world didn't end then or the other 200 times people have said that it is the end of the world. Also, the bible prophecized the destruction of the temple in 70CE. Guess what, people who wanted to destroy the temple thought it was a good time since everyone knew it was coming. The destruction of Babylon. A king came along, read the OT and said I will change my name to Cyrus and use the technique already spelled out by another military tachtician and it worked. It has nothing to do with prophecy it has to do with people looking for an excuse to get people scared and have them send in money.

Answer 8

Have you ever heard of Nostradamus? How about DaVinci? Both of them have projected (I won't say prophecized) many many more things that have come true than you can imagine. One can intrepret Nostradamus' writings to have predicted 9/11, Katrina, WWII, The Great Depression, and many more. DaVinci drew a helicoptor.



I said Bush would be the worst president in my life time and that the Iraq war was unjustified and wrong, well before most people were against them.



I also predicted the Red Sox would win the world series last year. This year it'll be Philadelphia vs Cleveland, with the Indians winning in 6 games.

Answer 9

Please go back and research history. Many times in the past in many different places the price of food has gone up. The world did not end when that happened. This is something that has been happening probably since the beginning of civilization. It is not much of a prophecy to say it will happen again. That makes as much sense as saying that there will be earthquakes or war or famine. This stuff happens all the time.



If I make the prediction that Hollywood will make a really bad movie but it will still rake in millions of dollars does that mean that you will believe my prophecy was true when it happens?



I like how Penn did the prophecy based on "Wheels on the Bus". He took this simple kids song and generated propecies from it that happened in history. All it took is finding an event in history and then trying very hard and re-interpreting the verses of the song to make it match that event.





"oh you kooky atheists"

You asked for us not to be rude. However, you yourself cannot abide by that? Of course, many christians have a double standard on rudeness.

Answer 10

How do you explain the supposed fulfilled prophecies of other religions? I can make a prophecy right now: One day life on Earth will end:in a fiery blaze either by the heavens( a meteor) or hell.( the Earths core breaking up) I call dibs on the prediction and I am so good. [side note: if a deity knew it was going to happen then why did they let it happen, could it be it all mind games?]

Answer 11

well people have been saying that prophecies have been fulfilled, i personaly believe that most of the old testiment that jesus calimed to fulfill was all the mind of the writers of the bibile. they new the old testiment and used it to make sure everyone believed that jesus was the chosen messiah.



and as for any other prophisies. jesus missed the date on one very big one, the end of the world.



Matthew 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Answer 12

Famines and droughts and stuff like that are always easy to predict because they're always happening. The Mayans predicted their own downfall and they predict the apocalypse in 2012 but I'm not very scared. People have been predicting the end of time since the beginning of time and yet here we are. The bible is just a book, it's no more true than Harry Potter. Just a lot more boring.

Answer 13

Very simple. Suppose that the bible is entirely fraudulent (which is in fact the case). Then, one can include in it all sorts of prophecies, along with reports that these have been fulfilled -- every bit of it bogus. Since the bible has hundreds of factual errors, as well as scores of internal contradictions, there is no reason to believe a word of it. For more on this generally, and on prophecy in particular, see:

Answer 14

grain prices skyrocket periodically. Has happened already again and again in history. (example: I am pretty sure grain prices as any food prices skyrocketed during the potato famine in ireland, they stopped import of indian grain and did not stop export or irish grain, and because of bad harvest they couldn't switch to potatoes). What makes the current one more significant than others?



What about unfulfilled prophecies in the bible?

In Matthew 24 Jesus makes the prediction that he will come back within the lifetime of some of his listeners. Either he didn't come back or nobody thought it necessary to write about it in the bible.

24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (KJV)

Answer 15

The price of food, particularly grain has generally been rising continuously for the last 12,000. years. If a 'rise' in the price of food was an indication of the 'last days', then the world would have ended long, long ago. Please note that EVERY biblical 'prophecy' is either vague, non-specific and utterly general so that it's true automatically OR is about something that the world has ALWAYS experienced and so again, it's ALWAYS right.



Are you analytical and objective enough to look at all those prophecies and notice that what I'm saying about them is true? Worth a second look, isn't it?

Answer 16

Here's a few fulfilled bible prophecies with pretty impressive detail that were described long before the events tool place...



• The prophet Isaiah foretold that a conqueror specifically named Cyrus would destroy seemingly impregnable Babylon and subdue Egypt along with most of the rest of the known world. This same man, said Isaiah, would decide to let the Jewish exiles in his territory go free without any payment of ransom (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13). Isaiah made this prophecy 150 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile



• In Ezekiel 26:4, the prophet said the buildings of Tyre would be ripped down and that the rubble would be scraped away. First, the Babylonians destroyed the mainland of Tyre during an attack that ended in 573 BC. Then, Alexander the Great attacked the island of Tyre in 333-332 BC. Alexander's army scraped the rubble from the mainland and tossed it into the sea in order to build a land bridge to the island.



• In Ezekiel 37:21-22, the prophet said that God would one day bring the Jews back to Israel, as a united nation. Ezekiel lived about 2600 years ago and at that time, the people of Israel had already divided themselves into two separate kingdoms. And, both kingdoms had been conquered by foreign invaders, who forced many of the people, including Ezekiel, into exile in other countries. In 1948, the Jews reclaimed sovereignty and did so as a united people, creating one nation - Israel.



• In Ezekiel 29:15, the prophet says that Egypt would never again rule over other nations. Up until the time of Ezekiel, Egypt had been a world power for centuries, dominating many nations, including Israel. But for most of the past 2500 years, Egypt has been controlled by foreign powers, including the Romans, Ottomans and Europeans. In 1948, 1967 and 1973, Egypt tried to dominate Israel but was unsuccessful each time, despite the fact that Egypt is many times larger than Israel. Today, Egypt is an independent nation and still has no rule over other nations.



Personally, I find it difficult to chalk this up to lucky guesses or coincidence. :-)

Answer 17

And you honestly think that the price of grain has not ever gone up over the past 2000 years?



Bible prophecies are either so vaguely worded that they can apply to most anything - or they were written AFTER the events they prophesise.

Answer 18

In the early-mid 1970's food prices skyrocketed as well. We were in a recession.



In the late 1920's-1930's, same thing but worse. It was the Great Depression.



Years from now, we will have the same problems because people will still elect stupid people.



No one has ever been swallowed by a whale and survived.

No one has ever parted any body of water.



Baseless fairy tales. Not to be impolite, but just letting you know my thoughts.

Answer 19

Great! Then Jesus should be here by....ETA...estimated time of arrival... as for prices of grain - weren't they pretty high in california during the gold rush? Do you have any more examples of fullfilled prophecy? I mean I'm an atheist and If you could just give me ...I'll tell you what: if you die of old age ( assuming you're in your 20's or 30's ) will you at least admit to yourself that maybe you were wrong way back in the day?

Answer 20

Honey, by that estimation, Nostradamus must be real too. You know why those "prophecies" came true? Because, if you make things general enough, in the great span of time, EVENTUALLY everything will come true. Thats the way prophecy works.



If I were to say that a man with a blue hat is going to blow up a building sometime in the future... I'll likely be right because there are THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of years ahead of us. Eventually.. what I just predicted WILL happen.



So don't be stupid.

Answer 21

The increasing food prices and inflation has again captivated the attention of religious bigots who state unequivocally that it is a prophecy found in the Bible. That is bollocks!

Answer 22

Well, for one, any book can make some general predictions about what the future may hold, and if they are halfway logical, some of those predictions may come true. Just because some things in a book are true does not mean that EVERYTHING in the book is true. I have read a book about time travel, where some of the science is legitimate while the vast majority of it is completely fictional. The bible is like this. Some of the things in it are true, and some of it's predictions have come to fruition, but the vast majority of it is comprized of mythology and fairy tales.

Answer 23

"rices of grain have shot up over 120% in impoverished nations across the world, and we're even seeing effects here in one of the richest countries in the world!"



Towards the end of the Roman Empire, grain prices were FAR more expensive.



Why didn't the world end then?

Answer 24

What do you think the difference in grain prices is between 1975 and 2005? That doesn't mean anything. When things shoot up they skyrocket for a couple years then level out for awhile

Answer 25

I don't believe in prophecy. I do believe though that with study of society one can arrive at possible future outcomes.



All generations have offered up their 'proof' that the prophecies were being realized. They were all wrong.



With some effort on my part, and watching trends, I too could provide some generic prophecy that could come true.

Answer 26

In the inter war German depression food prices rose so rapidly people had to carry money in wheelbarrows to pay for it. The world did not end. By comparison this is a blip. Once again prophecy unfulfilled.

Answer 27

Lets take a look atany prophetic book......lets take a look at what any profit,(or what christians look down their nose at and call a psychic), says. You can read any book and see things coming true today. Jules Vern did a pretty good job! So did George Orwell. Lets try to keep it all in perspective.

Answer 28

It's a veeeeeeeeeery general, vague prediction. I'm sure the cost of food and grain have shot up countless times since the days of the Bible.

Answer 29

Food has skyrocketed before in our country--do your research. Our country has also gone down before, ever hear of the depression? I think you are delusional. Why are Christians SO obsessed with atheists? It's weird.

Answer 30

Of course when you make prophecies that are bound to happen, then happen. Those prophecies (that are stretched to look like they actually happen) are ones that are inevitable. Here are my "prophesies"

-The number of DVDs for sell will increase

-The stock market will reach a level higher then it is at today

-The number pi will be found to a higher number of decimal places.



Now when all these come true, please worship me as God.

Answer 31

There is NOTHING in the bible that couldn't have been written by an average yokel living in the 1st Century.



Can you just imagine how specific the prophecies COULD have been, if they had actually been written by an omniscient being who could see the future?



You're just grasping at straws, now...

Answer 32

What does it say about gas prices? and don't say gas was not around in those days, anyone that could see into the future should know that it would be around now. Edit..... you have been shot down in flames. Do you actually believe what you read in the bible?

Answer 33

The prices of food go up and down all the time. During droughts and bad weather and all kinds of reasons.



Also, why do you assume that these are the last days? You don't really know that do you? It could just be another price change period.

Answer 34

Here is a new prophecy;

7 of the first 8 answerers above will get cramping diarrhea this weekend and lose sleep because of it. One will crap in their pants while out of the house.

Answer 35

Anybody can interpret and/or skew what they read. Why else do we have so many religions based on the same book?

History has always had, and always will have ups and downs in costs, production rates, disasters, floods, disease and death.

Answer 36

Have you heard of market forces, such as inflation?

Predicting the inevitable is not much of a prophecy.



There is so much unfulfilled prophecy too.

Are they open-ended? Is there some sort of expiration date whereby we can toss out the old, moldy prophecies that obviously nobody wants to fulfill?

Answer 37

grain has been rising because Australia the Number 1 grain provider did not get any rains therefore the crops died



No magic involved

nothing



The bible is false

Answer 38

I believe that also happend durring the great depression back in the 30s.



almost 70 years later we are still here.

Answer 39

When has the price of food not skyrocketed?

Events can be interpreted to fit the prophecies.

Answer 40

Prophesizing that the price of food will rise is like prophesizing that the sun will set tonight.

Answer 41

People are looking for things to fill Biblical prophesy.



[edit:] UP said it better than I did.

Answer 42

Because history is a cycle. There have alwasy been wars and rumors of wars.

Answer 43

Ask any seer, prophet, or astrologer, and they will give you many instances of their "success". But they all consistently ignore the failure rate.



I still plan on paying off my mortgage, and living off of my retirement.

Answer 44

There really isn't any prophecy fulfilled by the bible... it's really more like people bending vague scriptures to fit a modern day occurence...



It's kinda like when you read your horoscope... it's so general that anyone can make it fit their life... but it's just generalized stuff...

Answer 45

Where's that guy with the cat-being-mug picture when you need him?



Giz

Answer 46

The price of food shoots up during every recession.

Answer 47

Can you tell us where in the bible it says that?

Answer 48

you forgot gas prices, almost 4 bucks now!!!!!

Answer 49

they will explain it away in their own scientific way.



God is real the Bible is real.