Ancient Egypt by the Nile

Joseph’s Prophetic Dreams and Their Fulfillment

Genesis 37-50 records the incredible account of Joseph, his dysfunctional family, and God’s faithfulness through it all. Joseph’s prophetic dreams during his youth sustained him in his making wise choices throughout his life. Joseph had additional opportunities in the narrative to interpret dreams for the baker, the cupbearer, and for the great Pharaoh. But the ones we will focus on concern the dreams of his eventual exaltation above his brothers. This prophecy of exaltation has several unique features. First, in a narrow sense, it was focused on just one person—Joseph himself.
Parchment on Table

The Fulfillment of Daniel’s “70 Weeks” Prophecy

One unique and interesting facet of biblical literature is the existence of predictive prophecy. I am always encouraged by the cohesiveness of God’s word when I read in Scripture of a prophecy coming to fruition. One such prophecy is the “coming and cutting off of the Messiah” predicted in Dan 9, referring to the arrival of the Messiah to his people and his subsequent crucifixion. The goal of this article is to briefly survey this prophecy from Dan 9, as well as observe its fulfillment in Luke 19.
Mountain Overlook

Fulfilled Prophecy in Daniel 2 & 7

The hiker who ascends the lofty mountain and pauses to view the landscape below him can see in one panoramic view the entire forest and its relationship to the landscape around it. The interpreter of the book of Daniel is like this hiker. The student of this book receives a panoramic view of the forest of prophecy and how this forest relates to the theological landscape of God’s sovereign plan. In essence, when one studies the book of Daniel the individual is looking at the big prophetic picture.
Israel Ruins

Isaiah’s Amazing Prophecy of King Cyrus

Isa 44:28: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Isa 45:1: Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; Introduction: Imagine in 1830 that someone in the then 54-year-old United States of America predicted by name in writing that a future president, who himself had formerly been a Hollywood actor, would be instrumental in ending the Cold War with the Soviet Union some 150 years later—in the 1980s!
King and Priest

The Prophecy of the Eternal King-Priest in Psalm 110

The study of prophecy is always a favorite among believers. It is compelling and intriguing to see how prophets of God predict what will take place in the future. Fulfilled prophecy bolsters our faith and encourages us in the sovereignty of our great God. Only God has the omniscience to predict the future, and only God has the omnipotence to fulfill the prediction. Most prophecy in Scripture is directly tied to God’s plan and promises. This is the case with the prophecy found in Psalm 110.
Babylonian King

Israel’s Future Enemy: The King of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4–21

The Bible has much to say about Israel—past, present, and future. This small plot of land, this scattered people throughout the world, are precious in the sight of the Lord (Zech 2:8). The prophets prophesied a bright future filled with abundance and blessing. On the eve of blessing, however, will be a time of great trial. The persecutor of Israel will prevail, conquering rulers, brutally ruling over his own people, and leading a worldwide persecution of the Jewish people. Israel’s deliverer will not come from a political alliance, but from the true King of Kings who will usher in a time of eternal blessing.

God’s Kingdom Program in the Old Testament: A Biblical Theological Overview Part 1

Introduction The kingdom of God is a prominent and multi-faceted biblical theme. Kingdom concepts can be found in virtually every biblical book, and it touches on a wide range of biblical ideas. While it is debatable whether the kingdom of God is the over-arching theme of the Bible, it certainly is a theme that transcends several eras of biblical history and binds together several strands of biblical revelation. The goal of this article is to give a brief biblical/theological overview of the kingdom theme in the Old Testament.

The Future Kingdom in Zephaniah

The question of the literalness of the prophecies concerning Israel’s future is a major theological issue today. That issue is a key distinction between dispensational and Reformed/Covenant views of eschatology. In this article Dr. Ken Rathbun, a graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary and the academic dean of Fairview Baptist Bible College in Jamaica, explores the prophecies related to Israel’s future in Zephaniah 3. His careful interpretation provides a paradigm for interpreting other prophetic passages. In his second article he looks at the implications of a dispensational approach to prophecy.

The Israelite Prophecies: A Cause for Rejoicing

Bible-believers differ in how to interpret prophecy. These differences are not merely academic. They affect a person’s view of the end times, the Old Testament, the future of Israel and the church, and even God Himself. The opposing viewpoints are characterized under the theologies of covenant theology and dispensationalism. From my study of the Scripture, I am committed to dispensationalism so far as it reflects a consistently literal interpretation of the Scriptures. I believe dispensationalism offers the best framework in which to understand how God interacts with various people groups throughout His revealed history.