Ezekiel 26:1-4, A Failed Prophecy

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock.

//Ever read a failed prophecy in the Bible? Here’s one. The city of Tyre mocks Jerusalem, and God promises vengeance. God sicks Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, on the disrespectful city of Tyre:

For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you. — Ezekiel 26:7-8

The description of war continues further; the entire battle appears scripted ahead of time. But alas, when Nebuchadnezzer does make his move, the attack fails. In a rare admission of error, Ezekiel admits Tyre somehow survived the oracle, he must have misunderstood the message from God. Now he quotes God as saying Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt instead:

In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army.” –Ezekiel 29:17-19

I say: nyah, nyah to all you skeptics who think the prophecies in the Bible were all made after the event they describe. This one obviously wasn’t.

1 Comment

  1. woodrow nichols

    The Book of Revelation is another excellent example of
    recycled false prophecy — see my, “Hope You Guess My
    Name: The Identity of the Angel of the Book of Revelation
    Exposed.” It is the lead article at my website, antinomianuniversalism.com
    Thanks,
    Woodrow Nichols

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