The Bible tells us THAT something will happen, but not necessarily HOW or WHEN
The events predicted in the Bible have so far all come to pass, except of course for the ones yet to happen in the future. However, some people are upset that every detail of the predicted events is not made available to us in the Bible. This is true that every detail is not available. But that does not mean the Bible is false. The Bible tells us that something will happen, but does not usually tell us how or exactly when.
There is good reason for this. As mentioned in a previous post, if every detail of every predicted event were to be revealed, the Bible would wind up as a lengthy tome which no-one could reasonably manage to read in their lifetime. Instead, just the parts that are important for us to know are in there.
When a prediction is made, it does not make it any less true if it happens by highly unusual means. Likewise, it also does not make it any less true if the prediction occurs via what might seem like "ordinary" or "explainable" means.
One specific example is the destruction of Babylon, spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,
jackals her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.
One specific example is the destruction of Babylon, spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,
jackals her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.
Isaiah 13: 19-22
At the time, Babylon was a large and prosperous city, and that it would become empty and deserted was virtually unimaginable. It went through conquest by other countries at various times (references 1, 2) and in some cases suffered some destruction but was eventually rebuilt.
In the 1800's, its ruins were discovered under sand, in what is modern-day Iraq (references 1, 2). Some restoration of the Babylonian ruins was undertaken by the Iraq government. However, no-one lives there (reference 1). It is a tourist site only.
Perhaps during the earlier times of conquest, the people of the time may have thought the prophecies of the Bible were coming to pass. Yet Babylon was rebuilt, and perhaps some people wondered if the prophecy was really accurate. Yet in hindsight, we know that those were not the times of fulfillment of the prophecy. At some point after its last conquest, it became deserted and covered over with sand. This was when the prophecy was fulfilled.
The Bible is accurate, and it tells us that something will happen, but not necessarily how or when.
Cited sources:
1. Babylon by Wikipedia. Last updated February 11, 2018.
2. Babylon by Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last updated 28 April 2011.
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