Stephen E. Jones

Creation/Evolution Quotes: Unclassified quotes: March 2009

[Home] [Updates] [Site map] [My Quotes; C/E quotes: Unclassified, Classified] [CED blog]

The following are quotes added to my Unclassified Quotes database in March 2009. The date format is dd/mm/yy.
See copyright conditions at end.

2009: Jan, Feb, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

7/03/2009
"Prophecy, as Proof of the Bible. One of the strongest evidences that the Bible is inspired by God ... is its 
predictive prophecy. Unlike any other book, the Bible offers a multitude of specific predictions-some 
hundreds of years in advance-that have been literally fulfilled or else point to a definite future time when 
they will come true. In his comprehensive catalogue of prophecies, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecies, J. 
Barton Payne lists 1817 predictions in the Bible, 1239 in the Old Testament and 578 in the New (674-75)." 
(Geisler, N.L., "Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1999, p.609. 
Emphasis original)

7/03/2009
"The argument from prophecy is the argument from omniscience. Limited human beings know the future 
only if it is told to them by an omniscient Being (Ramm ["Protestant Christian Evidences," 1953], 81). It is 
important to note that this is not an argument to omniscience. It is sometimes wrongly argued that a forecast 
of unusual events is proof that there is an omniscient Being ... This is not necessarily the case, for the odd 
does not prove God ... No matter what the improbability, an odd event (say, a perfect hand in the card game 
of bridge, an extremely improbable deal) can, and sometimes does, occur. However, if an omniscient Being is 
known to exist ... and highly improbable predictions are made in his name which come to pass without fail, 
then it is reasonable to assume that they were divinely inspired. " (Geisler, N.L., "Baker Encyclopedia of 
Christian Apologetics," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1999, p.609. Emphasis original)

7/03/2009
"Predictive Prophecy. If an omniscient God exists who knows the future, then predictive prophecy is 
possible ... And if the Bible contains such predictions, them they are a sign of the Bible's divine origin. Not 
everything called `prophecy' in the Bible is predictive. Prophets forthtold God's Word as well as 
foretold the future. There are several earmarks of a supernatural prediction, at least one with apologetic 
value. First, it is more than a vague guess or conjecture (see Ramm ["Protestant Christian Evidences," 1953], 
82). It cannot be a mere reading of the trends. Second, it deals with human contingencies that are normally 
unpredictable. Scientific predictions are not of the same order, since they deal with projections based on the 
regularity of nature, for example, the prediction of an eclipse. Third, it is a highly unusual event, not normally 
expected. Sometimes the miraculous nature of the prophecy is manifest in the length of time in advance the 
prediction is made, so as to reduce the probability of guessing. At other times it is revealed in the unique 
fulfillment itself." (Geisler, N.L., "Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 
1999, pp.609-610. Emphasis original)

7/03/2009
"Biblical Predictions. Messianic Predictions. There are two broad categories of biblical prophecy: 
messianic and nonmessianic. Payne (ibid., ["Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecies," 1973] 665-70) lists 191 
prophecies concerning the anticipated Jewish Messiah and Savior. Each was literally fulfilled in the life, 
death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth " (Geisler, N.L., "Baker Encyclopedia of Christian 
Apologetics," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 1999, p.610. Emphasis original)

7/03/2009
"Micah made the unambiguous prophecy, `But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the 
clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, 
from ancient times' (Micah 5:2). Even the unbelieving Jewish scribes identified this as a prediction of the 
Messiah and directed the inquiring magi to Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1-6): `After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in 
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one 
who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When 
King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the 
people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem 
in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: `But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of 
my people Israel.'"' (Geisler, N.L., "Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, 
1999, p.610) 

* Authors with an asterisk against their name are believed not to be evolutionists. However, lack of
an asterisk does not necessarily mean that an author is an evolutionist.

[top]