Prophecies – Proof of God's godship!
Prophecies constitute proof of God's godship, proof that He is the true God. Such proof needs to be verifiable. In the Bible, verifiable to the courts meant that on the testimony of two or more witnesses a matter might be settled. Verifiable fulfilled prophecies are one of the cornerstones of each Christian's faith. By seeing the fulfillment of past prophecies that were unerringly fulfilled even thousands of years later, we believe! We believe that God's promised Paradise, Heavenly Kingdom, and the erasure of the wicked will come to be; we believe in all God's promises.
This is what Hebrews 11:1-2 means,"Now faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not. 2For by this the ancients obtained a testimony."
All of the prophecies that applied to Jesus and were fulfilled through Jesus' sojourn on earth have arrived through literature written by witnesses, not by personal experience. Christians believe these eyewitnesses and inspired writers.
It is said the prophecies regarding Jesus Christ number 332! Hebrews above may of course be fulfilled through other means--but prophecies fall within the scope the definition of faith entails.
How do God's Prophecies Work?
Isaiah 46:9-11, Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; I [am] God, and [there is] none like me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yes, I have spoken [it], I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed [it], I will also perform it. (Webster)
Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. (Webster)
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the thoughts in a man's heart, but the counsel of Jehovah, that doth stand. (Darby)
Commentary: Look at the last phrase in Isaiah above. Do you see it? God says "I will also perform it." That is the secret to how God's prophecies work. Here, three times the emphasis is on how God's counsel stands. How is it made to stand? Through his wisdom, his foresight of things needed, and by his will through use of his power that cause these things to pass.
Verification of the above claim is found here:
2 Chronicles 10:15 And he (my insert: he refers to the king) condescended not to the people's requests: for it was the will of God, that his word might be fulfilled which he had spoken by the hand of Ahias the Silonite to Jeroboam the son of Nabat. (DRC)
As may be readily seen here, God made sure that His prophecy was fulfilled by his will and power. This is reminiscent of the way Jesus made sure of fulfilling the prophecies he personally affected. (see the Fate & Free Will page) In this manner, Christians may understand that prophecy isn't a matter of seeing or predicting the future, it's a matter deciding what it shall be thousands even billions of years prior and then cause it to happen as it unfolds.
