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This chapter is from a copyright book, 100 Prophecies, by Ray Konig. It is reprinted here with permission from the author. The new and expanded version of this book, now called 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies, is available at Amazon.com.
These 10 Bible prophecies were fulfilled by ancient nations that were near the land of Israel. These nations include Edom, Tyre, and Egypt.
Bible passage: Daniel 2:27-47
Written: Daniel lived more than 2,500 years ago
In Daniel 2:27-47, the prophet Daniel, who was a Jew living in Babylon as an exile, was given the power by God to interpret a dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The dream, as Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar, foresaw a succession of kingdoms that would rise up and become dominant world powers.
As shown in verses 32 and 33, Nebuchadnezzar's dream involved a vision of a man-like statue, which Daniel later explained in four parts, beginning with the head:
1. A head of gold.
2. A chest and arms of silver.
3. A belly and thighs of bronze.
4. And legs of iron, with feet that were part iron and part clay.
The prophetic dream described four empires, starting with Nebuchadnezzar's Neo-Babylonian Empire, which is symbolized as the head of gold. The Neo-Babylonian Empire rose up about 2,600 years ago. The Babylonians defeated the Assyrian army in 612 BC, chased down the last Assyrian king in 609 BC, and controlled a vast empire until 539 BC.
The next great kingdom to arise was the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Some scholars have suggested that the symbol of the two arms of silver represents the Medes and Persians, the two principal groups that comprised the heart and power of the empire.
The third kingdom is symbolized by the statue's belly and thighs of bronze. (Some English translations, such as the KJV, use the word brass instead of bronze). Many scholars understand this to be a reference to the Greek Empire, which succeeded the Medo-Persian Empire. Some commentators have proposed that the symbol of a belly and thighs suggests that the kingdom was to start out as a united kingdom but end up as a divided kingdom. After the death of Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire initially was divided up into four parts.
The symbolism of the fourth kingdom often has been recognized as a description of the Roman Empire. Some commentators have suggested that, like the legs of iron, the Roman Empire was extremely powerful, but ultimately divided.
The Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV offers a succinct description of the symbolism:
The diminishing value of the metals from gold to silver to bronze to iron represents the decreasing power and grandeur (v. 39) of the rulers of the successive empires, from the absolute despotism of Nebuchadnezzar to the democratic system of checks and balances that characterized the Roman senates and assemblies. The metals also symbolize a growing degree of toughness and endurance, with each successive empire lasting longer than the preceding one.
- Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV, footnote for Daniel 2:32-43.
Each of the four empires covered a large swath of land, including the land of Israel, in the general area of where the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe converge. And each rose to power before the completion of the Bible. The final part of the Bible - the New Testament - was completed during the first century AD, when the Roman Empire was still in power.
And, each of the four empires had a profound impact on the history of Israel. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and forced many Jews into exile. The forced exile ended by decree during the time of the Medo-Persian Empire, and the Jews were given permission to resettle and rebuild Jerusalem. The Jews later gained sovereignty for part of their homeland, during the time of the Greek Empire. And the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and forced the Jewish people into an exile that later contributed to a worldwide dispersion.
Daniel also noted that a fifth kingdom would arise, one that would not be created by human hands, and which would not be destroyed (Daniel 2:44,45).
According to the Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV:
The fifth kingdom is the eternal kingdom of God, different from the sinful and transient empires of man. Its authority will extend over "the whole earth" (v. 35) and ultimately over "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1).
- Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV, footnote for Daniel 2:44.
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Here is Daniel 2:27-47 (KJV):
27Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
28But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
29As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
30But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
31Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
46Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
47The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
Bible passage: Jeremiah 47:1-7
Written: About 2,600 years ago
The prophets of the Old Testament had much to say about the nations that had sought to harm or destroy Israel. Some of their prophecies foretold that these nations would be destroyed.
The following example involves the Philistines, who controlled a portion of land between Judah and the Mediterranean Sea. That area included the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. At various times in history, such as during the time of King David about 3,000 years ago, the Philistines were often involved in conflicts with Israel.
About 2,600 years ago, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that the Philistines would be destroyed. In Jeremiah 47:1-7, the prophet announced that the real threat against the Philistines would not come from Egypt, which was about to attack the city of Gaza, but from the north, which would be the direction from which the Babylonians would invade and subdue the region.
Biblical mentions of the Philistines, as well as mentions of them in other records, decreased substantially after the time of the Babylonian invasion. Whereas the Jews recovered from their hardships and retained their national identity, the Philistines did not.
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Here is Jeremiah 47:1-7 (KJV):
1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
2 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;
4 Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
5 Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
6 O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
7 How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.
Bible passage: Zechariah 9:3,4
Written: About 2,500 years ago
In Zechariah 9:3,4, the prophet said that the Phoenician city of Tyre (Tyrus) would lose its power in the sea.
During the time of Zechariah, Tyre was a Phoenician colony and a dominant maritime power within the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenicians were among the most culturally and economically influential people within the Mediterranean world, and they enjoyed many centuries of success.
The Bible describes a trading agreement that existed between Tyre and Israel about 3,000 years ago, during the time of King Solomon. In exchange for shipments of wheat and pressed olive oil, Tyre supplied materials and skilled laborers to help with the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 5:1–12).
Tyre had trading partners far beyond Israel, in every direction. Ezekiel lists several in Ezekiel 27:12-24, including places in and around present-day Armenia, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, and possibly Spain or Sardinia.
Along with its wealth and power, Phoenician Tyre was also secure. It consisted of a mainland area and an island. By some accounts, portions of a wall protecting the island exceeded 100 feet in height.
But for all of its success, and despite its security, several prophets of the Bible, including Amos, Isaiah, and Ezekiel foretold a bleak future for Tyre.
During the time of Ezekiel, about 2,600 years ago, the Babylonians attacked the mainland of Tyre. And, about 2,300 years ago, Alexander the Great conquered the island. Alexander's conquest brought an end to the Phoenician empire and was followed by the eventual demise of the Phoenician people.
The Tyre of today is no longer a sovereign city-state, and it is no longer Phoenician. In fact, the island itself is no longer an island. It is joined to the mainland of Lebanon by means of a man-made causeway, which was created when Alexander conquered the island.
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Here is Zechariah 9:3,4 (KJV):
3And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
4Behold, the LORD will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
Bible passage: Amos 1:9,10
Written: Amos lived about 2,800 years ago
In Amos, chapter 1, Amos delivered a prophecy proclaiming that God would punish nations around Israel because of their hostility and cruelty. In the case of Tyre, it was to endure destruction because it had violated a treaty of brotherhood and had delivered captives to Edom (Amos 1:9,10).
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Here is Amos 1:9,10 (KJV):
9Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:
10But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.
Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:12
Written: About 2,600 years ago
In Ezekiel 26:12, the prophet said that Tyre's stones, timber, and soil would end up in the sea.
The details provided in this verse are similar to a description of the steps that Alexander the Great took in conquering Tyre (Tyrus), more than 2,300 years ago. In order to build a land bridge from the mainland to the island, to aid in attacking the island fortress, his army tossed the rubble from the mainland area of Tyre (Palae-Tyrus) into the Mediterranean Sea.
As explained by George Rawlinson, who was an ancient history professor during the 1800s at the University of Oxford:
Material for the construction was abundant. The great city of Palae-Tyrus was close at hand, partly in ruins, and with many of the houses deserted by their inhabitants. Its walls would furnish abundance of stone, mortar, and rubble. . . . Whole trees, torn up by the roots, and with their branches still adhering to them, had been dragged to the water's edge, and then precipitated into the strait ; a layer of stones and mud had been placed upon them, to solidify them into a mass ; on the top of this other trees had been placed, and the former process repeated.
- Rawlinson, History of Phoenicia, Chapter XIV.
Some Bible scholars, including John Gill, who was an English Baptist minister who wrote during the 1700s, described this event as being the fulfillment of Ezekiel 26:12.
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Here is Ezekiel 26:12 (KJV):
And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
Bible passage: Ezekiel 26:1-14
Written: About 2,600 years ago
In Ezekiel 26:1-14, the prophet gave a detailed prophecy about the destruction of Tyre (Tyrus), the great maritime city that had gloated over the fall of Jerusalem.
In verses 3-5, Ezekiel prophesied that Tyre would be attacked by many nations and that its walls and towers would be torn down.
In verses 7-11, Ezekiel described how Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, would demolish the mainland of Tyre. Nebuchadnezzar began his attack during the time of Ezekiel, about 2,600 years ago.
Tyre was a powerful and commercially successful Phoenician city. It consisted of a mainland area, which was on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and an island within the sea.
A few centuries after Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great was in the process of building his own empire, which would include the island of Tyre. Some historical sources list the date of Alexander's conquest of the island, which was in 332 BC, as being the end date for the Phoenician empire, which was never revived.
In the centuries that followed, the identity of the Phoenicians as a group of people was lost. The island fell under the rule of a succession of foreign powers and was attacked again and destroyed in 1291.
A Jewish traveler during the 1100s, named Benjamin of Tudela, visited Tyre and wrote the following:
A man can ascend the walls of New Tyre and see ancient Tyre, which the sea has now covered, lying at a stone's throw from the new city. And should one care to go forth by boat, one can see the castles, market-places, streets, and palaces in the bed of the sea. New Tyre is a busy place of commerce, to which merchants flock from all quarters.
- Benjamin of Tudela, The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela.
Today, it is difficult to find artifacts from the Phoenician city of Tyre that existed during Ezekiel's time. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia entry for Tyre: "The principal ruins of the city today are those of buildings erected by the Crusaders. There are some Greco-Roman remains, but any left by the Phoenicians lie underneath the present town."
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Here is Ezekiel 26:1-14 (KJV):
1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
3 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
5 It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
6 And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
8 He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
9 And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
10 By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
11 With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
12 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
13 And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
Bible passage: Ezekiel 29:15b
Written: About 2,600 years ago
In Ezekiel 29:15, the prophet proclaimed that Egypt "shall no more rule over the nations."
Up until the time of Ezekiel, Egypt had been a powerful nation for many centuries, dominating many nations, including Judah, at different times.
But, Egypt's sphere of influence was deflated about 2,600 years ago, during the time of Ezekiel. In about 605 BC, the Babylonians soundly defeated the Egyptian and Assyrian armies at Carchemish, which is near the border of Turkey and Syria. In 2 Kings, we are told of the impact that the defeat had on the Egyptian pharaoh (king):
And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt. (2 Kings 24:7, KJV)
Since the time of Ezekiel, Egypt has spent much of its history being ruled over by other nations. Egypt's last native Pharaoh was King Nectanebo II, who was defeated by the Persians in about 343 BC, which is about 2,300 years ago. Afterwards, Egypt fell to a succession of foreign powers, including the Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, and the British.
Egypt regained sovereignty in 1922, from the British.
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Here is Ezekiel 29:15b (KJV):
… for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
Bible passage: Ezekiel 25:14
Written: About 2,600 years ago
In Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel foretold that the people of Israel would take vengeance on Edom, a nation that had often been hostile with Israel.
During the time in which Ezekiel delivered this prophecy, his homeland had been conquered by Babylon, and many Jews, including Ezekiel, were being forced to live in exile. But, about 400 years later, the Jews regained sovereignty for part of their homeland, including the city of Jerusalem.
During that time of sovereignty, the Jews subdued Edom, which also was known as Idumea. Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived about 2,000 years ago, wrote that a Jewish leader named Judas Maccabeus fought and defeated Edom sometime around 168 BC:
When these things were over, the nations round about the Jews were very uneasy at the revival of their power, and rose up together, and destroyed many of them, as gaining advantage over them by laying snares for them, and making secret conspiracies against them. Judas made perpetual expeditions against these men, and endeavoured to restrain them from those incursions, and to prevent the mischiefs they did to the Jews. So he fell upon the Idumeans, the posterity of Esau, at Acrabattene, and slew a great many of them, and took their spoils.
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, Chapter 8.
Decades later, around 125 BC, the Jewish priest-king John Hyrcanus I also fought with and subdued the people of Edom, who were known as Edomites or Idumeans.
Hyrcanus permitted the Edomites to remain in Edom if they adopted Jewish laws and customs, which they did, according to Josephus:
. . . that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living ; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.
- Antiquities of the Jews, Book XIII, Chapter 9.
The Edomites lost their identity as a distinct group of people sometime around the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia: "From this time the Idumeans ceased to be a separate people, though the name 'Idumea' still existed [during] the time of Jerome." (Jerome was a Christian writer who lived during the fourth and fifth centuries of this era, about 1,500 years ago).
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Here is Ezekiel 25:14 (KJV):
And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.
Bible passage: Ezekiel 35:1-5
Written: About 2,600 years ago
In Ezekiel 35:1-5, Ezekiel prophesied that the country of Edom (mount Seir) would become desolate, because of its perpetual hatred of the people of Israel.
In the centuries that followed the time of Ezekiel, the land and people of Edom were conquered and re-conquered. The people eventually lost their identity as a separate ethnic group. And the land became isolated, forgotten, and desolate, as alluded to by various writers throughout history.
In the book, The Biblical World, a writer named George L. Robinson offered details as to how isolated the land of Edom was during the 1800s:
The regions east and south of the Dead Sea have been the last portions of Palestine to be explored. ... Travel in these parts has hitherto been difficult and unsafe, owing on the one hand to the opposition of the Turkish government, which does not favor foreigners' running so great a risk, and on the other to the wild Bedouin themselves, who usually plunder those who undertake to make the expedition. Accordingly Moab, especially Edom and the northeastern portion of the peninsula of Sinai, still awaits careful exploration . . . It had been the writer's earnest wish for several years to visit Petra, the ancient capital of Edom. On arriving in Cairo, however, he sought in vain for a dragoman who was willing to venture thither from the south. In Jerusalem also no native guide had the courage necessary to make the attempt. At length an Englishman was recommended, who, having been seven years a missionary in Kerak, Moab, consented to do so, on condition that tents, equipment, and all luxury of every sort should be left behind.
- Robinson, The Biblical World.
Another traveler wrote the following, which was published in 1866:
On leaving El Uebe, (the water, by the bye, stank, and was full of worms,)--we entered the low barren ridges that skirt Wady Araba on the west, and, for several hours during this and the following day, traversed a country of the most utter desolation, hills succeeding hills, without the slightest picturesque beauty, covered with loose flints, sand, gravel ; sterility in its most repulsive garb ;--it made the very heart ache, and the spirits sink--and such is Edom now, "most desolate," as prophecy foretold it should be, . . .
- Letters on Egypt, Edom, and the Holy Land.
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Here is Ezekiel 35:1-5 (KJV):
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:
Bible passage: Obadiah 1:10
Written: More than 2,000 years ago
In Genesis, we are told about twin brothers named Esau and Jacob, who were born about 4,000 years ago. Both became the patriarchs of a nation. Jacob's descendants became known as the Israelites. Esau's descendants were called Edomites or Idumeans.
Although they entered history at the same time, the Bible prophets foretold that their futures would be very different.
Edom, as many Bible prophets proclaimed, would be destroyed. One example came from the prophet Obadiah:
For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. (Obadiah 1:10, KJV)
The word "Jacob" is used in this verse to refer to the people of Israel, who are the descendants of Jacob.
Edom had been a frequent enemy of Israel. In Numbers 20:14–21, when the descendants of Jacob returned from Egypt, the descendants of Esau refused to let them travel through Edom to return to the land of Israel. In fact, the Edomites threatened to attack the Israelites if they tried to pass through Edom.
Another example of conflict can be found in 1 Samuel 14:47, where Edom is listed as an enemy to Israel during the time of King Saul, about 3,000 years ago.
And, in Obadiah 1:12-14, the prophet described how the Edomites gloated during a time of calamity for the people of Judah and how the Edomites persecuted refugees as they tried to flee from Jerusalem.
But in the centuries that followed, it was Edom that the world would forget and it was Israel through which the world would be changed.
The Bible offers many statements and prophecies about the role and perseverance of the people of Israel. They were chosen to record the words of God. They were chosen to be the people from whom the Messiah would come. And Israel was chosen to be the place from which the message of salvation would extend to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 24:14; and Acts 1:6-11).
And, indeed, as history has shown, it is from the people of Israel that the world has its most widely published book (the Bible), and its most widespread religion (Christianity), and its most widely known person (Jesus).