Does the bible predict the fall of Babylon? Did this prediction come true?

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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Whitfield on December 3, 2009 at 6:16pm

Have you tried the Skeptics Annotated Bible?


A brief skim doesn't reference any prophecy on Babylon, but theres a whole host of false prophecies there.

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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Whitfield on December 3, 2009 at 6:21pm

I Didn't look hard enough apparently, yes the bible say's Babylon shall never be Inhabited again. Yet people obviously live there now (modern Iraq, and Baghdad for that matter). That's a world of difference from never being rebuilt.

Tell your friend that he needs to read the bible more closely next time.

Isaiah 13:19-20

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Permalink Reply by Agner J Santiago on December 3, 2009 at 6:49pm

Thanks for the quick reply Nicholas. I'm still waiting on her reply, which I asked her to include her sources.

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Permalink Reply by Denise Royer on December 3, 2009 at 11:52pm

My brain is mush after working long hours this week so this is the best I can offer for now:
http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/how-do-you-counter-arguments

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Permalink Reply by Agner J Santiago on December 4, 2009 at 1:54pm

Thank you, this link helps and is very good reading.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Moore on December 4, 2009 at 12:03am

Is it really prophecy if Jahweh says he's going to do something? After all, it's like saying, "And lo, on the evening of the sixth day I shall cause merriment and joy, for the fermentation of the grain of the field shall flow freely, and all of the house shall be sloshed," and then going out and drinking beer on Friday or Saturday night. Have I really prophecised the future?

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Permalink Reply by Agner J Santiago on December 4, 2009 at 1:53pm

Wow, those are funny prophecies as I'm sure many are. In my current comparitive religions class, there are about 10-15 students who are extremely serious about the bible, demons talking and haunting them, and Jesus being without flaw.

Thanks for the reply.

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Permalink Reply by Agner J Santiago on December 4, 2009 at 2:03pm

Good point, but I don't think these people are touting that their God can prophecies the future. I think they are making the statement that because the bible prophecies, supposedly, came true, then this is evidence that the bible is true and therefore God exist.

Even if it where true that there are fulfilled prophecies in the bible, I say it doesn't prove anything in regards to God. I would say that the writers either got lucky, where talking about something else, or made educated guesses based on their experiences.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Lin on December 4, 2009 at 2:27am

I suspect that the bible may have predicted the past. The bible were probably written after the fall of Babylon. A story that predicts the past is not a prophecy.

Many missionaries use this "prophecy" to trick people into reading the bible and treating it as something holy, ie a gift from God. This trick is getting old.

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Permalink Reply by Agner J Santiago on December 4, 2009 at 1:56pm

I've heard the statement of the bible being written after the so called prophecies happened. Could you explain how we know this or link me to some literature on the matter?

Thanks for your help and time.

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Permalink Reply by Rusty Gunn. on December 4, 2009 at 3:46pm

When the Jews returned to Israel from Babylon (Iraq) they collected all their "holy" works and in the "midrash tradition" they "updated" events and put words in the mouths of the prophets using the benefit of 20-20 hindsight.

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Permalink Reply by Agner J Santiago on December 4, 2009 at 4:28pm

Thanks for the info Rusty. Do you have source I could inform myself further with on this matter?

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