“In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. A third stimulus check is on the horizon as Congress works through different proposals. The prophetic answer is not prosperity and glory, but destruction. These are only a few of many Bible prophecies that could be mentioned as having been fulfilled. It will have no further power over Adam’s descendants because Christ’s ransom sacrifice will have brought release from it. Neither can the future be learned from mediums who claim they are in contact with the dead. What the Bible makes known to us about the future is always in connection with God’s purposes. Through Isaiah, God foretold the release of the ancient Israelites from Babylonian captivity and their return to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. He does not give information that people imagine fortunetellers are able to give. We can learn to trust God as we see how He has proven Himself to be trustworthy in our lives and the lives of others. Regarding this Jesus Christ said: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28, 29) On another occasion he revealed the future by not only mentioning this resurrection but also saying that resurrected persons who exercise faith will never die again. So the non-JW told him that he had spoken to a former Bethelite who worked at the World Headquarters of JW's aka "1" who indicated to him that, "As JW's, we don't do interpretations since it only belongs to Jehovah." If we chose movies, music, or books about spirit mediums, magic spells, demon possession, witches, vampires, or similar subjects, Satan and the demons would know that we are curious about them. 3:6, 7) In another place the Bible says God will assemble the nations to pour upon them his indignation.—Zeph. No one can know the exact timing of that end, but evidence shows that it is close. He even foresaw that Cyrus would find the massive two-leaved doors in the city wall carelessly left open, contributing to Cyrus’ easy victory.​—Isaiah 44:24–45:7. The people of Samaria now had more than enough to supply their needs. The people who make claims of having the power of foreknowledge are false prophets. It has been an age-old desire to have that foreknowledge. Jehovah’s Witnesses have long established Scripturally that since 1914 we have been living during Jesus’ promised “presence.”. Knowledge of how a person thinks makes it possible to predict what he will do under certain circumstances. 6:26) This prophecy was fulfilled about five hundred years later in the days of King Ahab. As the last enemy, death is to be destroyed.” (1 Cor. For example, scientists can study what Earth's climate was like hundreds of years ago by studying the insides of trees that have been alive since then.. Personal identity deals with philosophical questions that arise about ourselves by virtue of our being people (or, as lawyers and philosophers like to say, persons).This contrasts with questions about ourselves that arise by virtue of our being living things, … Isaiah lived more than 700 years before Jesus, the Messiah. IN THESE unstable times, political, financial, and social analysts study history and modern trends in an effort to predict the future. Change site language. During the night God caused the attacking Syrians to hear the sound of war chariots. Psychologist Carl Jung once said, “Whatever you resist, persists” and that includes thoughts. The wicked invisible ruler of this world will be restrained from interfering with human affairs. 21:21, AT. It is as strong as it ever was. The future is a blank page to them, just as it is to everyone else. Read two reasons why you can really believe his promise of a happy future. They have spoken falsehood and divined a lie; they say, ‘Says the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfil their word.” (Ezek. The forming of smaller, localized variants of religious movements generally occurs after a previously strong central authority wanes. This was seen by the apostle John in a prophetic vision of the future: “I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/ct/f96eb29aef/images/cvr_placeholder.jpg. Rather, they “spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21) In the following articles, we will focus on some details of Jesus’ life that were foretold through Isaiah. An example of knowing the future hundreds of years in advance is found in what Joshua said at the time the city of Jericho was destroyed. Some persons may appear to have knowledge of future events because they occasionally make accurate predictions. In the end, can anyone really foresee the future? Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.” Almost everyone has the means for knowing the future, but few realize it. 15:25, 26) This means mankind will have been brought to a state of human perfection as was enjoyed by Adam before he sinned. His power to tell future events came from God, not from divination. They have claimed that Isaiah’s prophecies were not truly predictive but were written after the fact, a later writer merely recording what had already happened. In 5 years, you will get married at the most beautiful beach in Hawaii. When life is tough or disaster strikes, religion … The prophet Elisha was able to do this because God gave him knowledge of what had not yet taken place. God notifies us of his will, showing us that he is not apathetic or coldly uninterested in … 20:1-3. When the apostle Peter was inspired to speak about it he referred to the present system of things as the “heavens and the earth that are now.” He said: “The world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water. Would you like to read this article in %%? and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” (Dan. The future consists of blank pages in the book of history. It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up. THE past is an open book to anyone who wants to read it, but that cannot be said of the future. Who Can Know the Future? Melted wax takes on interesting forms, and when you pour the melted wax into water the forms solidify and you can tell the future. We know what Earth's past climate was like by studying things that have been around for a long time. Prophecy reveals that during this period of one thousand years when Christ rules over the earth as King the curse of death that we inherited from Adam will be destroyed. Not all persons who have claimed to be Jehovah’s prophets were actually inspired by him. Tozer: 'What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. In 4 years, the two of you will realize you’ve been in-love with each other for a long time. 22:38) Elijah’s prophecy became history. And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. TERMS OF USE Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. We can know for certainty that they will take place because God has caused them to be written in his Word as history in advance. If you present these to a JW, he will probably say something like, “Those are taken out of context,” or “They didn’t claim to be the prophet of God,” or “The light is getting brighter, and we are understanding Bible prophecy better now,” etc. THE WATCHTOWER October 2008, Audio download options They are students of the Bible who can show you the good things that God is actively arranging for your future. 9:34, 35) She had been eaten by the dogs, as Elijah had foretold. How can Satan take advantage of our desire to be healthy? Scholars determined that this  copy was made more than a hundred years before the birth of the foretold Messiah, or Christ. Thus what Daniel spoke was accurate knowledge of what would happen more than 500 years later. The fact that many of the Bible’s prophecies have been fulfilled gives us basis for having faith in those that are yet to be fulfilled. Since this will necessarily follow the destruction of the present world, over which Satan has been the invisible ruler, we can look forward to the earth’s having one thousand years of peace with no disturbance from Satan and his seed. These marvelous events and changes are yet to come. Nothing can be learned from them unless there is some means of foreknowing what will be written on them. In 1 Kings 8:56 we read, “Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. CLOSE. According to ceromancy, that is. Regarding this the Bible says: “The king of Babylon stands at the parting of the ways, at the fork of the two roads, practicing divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the teraphim, he inspects the liver.”—Ezek. “Elisha now said: ‘Hear, you men, the word of Jehovah. Events are taking place in God’s calendar according to His plan. As there were false prophets then, so there are today. When you daydream, you're usually thinking about: Someone you like. In great fear they fled toward their own borders, leaving all their possessions behind. Active Jehovah’s Witnesses can currently be found in a claimed 239 lands around the globe. At the forfeit of his first-born let him lay the foundation of it and at the forfeit of his youngest let him put up its doors.” (Josh. What is it? The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1968, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1984, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1965, The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1959. Read More . Sorry, there was an error loading the video. “He must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. Ahab was killed in a war chariot and “they began to wash off the war chariot by the pool of Samaria and the dogs went licking up his blood.” (1 Ki. Yet, Isaiah prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. This inspired Book that sits on almost everyone’s bookshelf is the means by which you can know the future. The ancients tried to gain it by studying the position of the stars, the flight of birds, the condition of an animal’s liver, the appearance of water when poured into a vessel, the position of objects that are dropped on water, and by consulting the dead. JW.ORG. One great place I found online that demonstrates the extremes the JWs go to regarding birthdays is www.WatchtowerLetters.com. “And the people proceeded to go out and plunder the camp of the Syrians, and so a seah measure of fine flour came to be worth a shekel and two seah measures of barley worth a shekel, according to the word of Jehovah. One authority on the subject estimated that Americans alone pay some 125 million dollars annually to people who profess to have the ability to foretell the future. He is our loving Father, and knows what is good for us better than we know. By means of those that are still due to be fulfilled we are able to know what will be put on some of history’s blank pages of the future. Share It should be kept in mind that God does not grant a view of the future so that people might satisfy selfish desires. Further, he has unlimited ability to control the outcome of events. It was at this time that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and was anointed by God’s spirit. What prognosticator today could accurately foresee that a famine-stricken city would have food in abundance the next day or that a scoffer at this prophecy would see this abundance but would not be able to eat a mouthful? At the forfeit of his first-born let him lay the foundation of it and at the … About 200 years in advance, Isaiah correctly named Babylon’s future conqueror, Cyrus. Queen Jezebel met a frightful death by being thrown from an upper-story window and then trampled beneath the hoofs of Jehu’s chariot horses. In 1947 a copy of the book of Isaiah was discovered, along with other ancient scrolls, in a cave near the Dead Sea. They could then try to involve us even more deeply in demonism. In his words to the prophet Isaiah, quoted above, Almighty God, Jehovah, described his own ability to foretell the future. It was history in advance. They are windows to the future. The Watchtower Study Edition December 2017 p.12 par 19. Almond orchards are a thriving $6 billion business here in the valley. Log In (opens new window) Search JW.ORG. His power to tell future events came from God, not from divination. “After that he came on in and ate and drank and then said: ‘You men, please, take care of this accursed one and bury her, for she is the daughter of a king.’ When they went to bury her, they did not find anything of her but the skull and the feet and palms of the hands.” (2 Ki. Isaiah and other Bible writers could not have foretold future events based solely on their own insight. They imagined that the king of Israel had hired the help of the Egyptians and the Hittites. Examining Bible prophecies teaches us something interesting about God’s personality. Whatever the case may be, Jehovah's Witnesses as we know them today will be a dying breed in the not too distant future. He can know what will be written on those pages whenever he pleases. And the king himself had appointed the adjutant upon whose hand he was supporting himself to have charge of the gateway, and the people kept trampling him in the gateway, so that he died, just as the man of God had spoken.”—2 Ki. Our look into the future also reveals that multitudes who have died will be brought back to life by resurrection. Your dream job. The king of Babylon employed some of these devices before attacking Jerusalem. Thus the Anointed One, the Prince, had come. . So the dear elder opened his mouth and inserted his foot. What is its future? THE WATCHTOWER October 2008. 3:8. So, what do you think of your future? The passing of the centuries since the days of Babylon has not caused the desire to know the future to fade away. Such people are often disappointed with the results. 17. We know who holds the future—the one true, personal, eternal, and all-knowing God of the Bible. Particularly from the 18th century on, however, critics of the Bible have attacked the authenticity of the book of Isaiah. This happened in the ninth century before Christ when the armies of Syria were besieging Samaria. 16:34) No human, by his own power or by divination, could have foretold this. But such predictions can be made by almost anyone who is a shrewd judge of personality or a watcher of world trends. No human can foresee even his own future. 9:25, AS) These sixty-nine weeks of years are equivalent to 483 years. This will be the same thousand years during which Satan is bound.