Atheists: What Do You Think About Daniel's Accurate Prophecy of Alexander the Great?

There is a line in the linked article that says, “This would be like someone predicting World War II in 1730!”

He is referring to the words “Suddenly, from the west a goat with one large horn ran at the ram ‘with furious power’ and ‘trampled him.’ Then the large horn was broken, and four notable ones came up in its place.”

Except it wouldn’t, would it. If someone in 1730 had written something obscure about birds attacking cats and roosters and then being defeated, that would indeed be similar. And like all prophecy, it would be useless.

Assessing the Purpose of Prophecy

If you assume the purpose of prophecy is to inform and warn of future events, then there is no useful prophecy in the Bible or elsewhere for that matter. However, that is probably not what prophets are doing. Many are trying to alter the course of contemporary events by speaking of unintended consequences in the future. Some are actually making prophesy after the events in order to improve their standing. And more than a few are just making general and vague claims that can be interpreted to fit any outcome, see also the Barnum effect.

Prophesy is easy; anyone can do it. Useful prophesy is not only hard, it is all but non-existent. Vaguely predicting something in a way that cannot be confirmed until after the event is not even slightly useful.

Examples of Useless Prophecies

Let me give you some examples because I occasionally venture into this prediction game myself:

After a change of government, the incoming political party will be shocked shocked, I tell you, to find the outgoing party left behind a disgraceful mess. An anti-gay preacher will be caught with a homosexual lover. A “family values” politician will be caught having an affair. There will be an earthquake. There will be a new gun massacre in the USA that brings a record number of deaths.

All will be proven correct in time and all are completely useless.

Clues About the Timing of the Prophecy

It’s a dead giveaway that the Book of Daniel was written after the time of Alexander. This fake prophesy was tossed off so that the real story about the fall of Antiochus IV would be believed.

Therefore, the accuracy of the so-called prophecy must be questioned. The true purpose of the prophecy was to legitimize the narrative of a later time rather than serve as a genuine prediction.

Conclusion

Take any perceived prophecy with a grain of salt. The usefulness of prophecy lies in its ability to warn and inform, not in its accuracy. Most so-called prophecies are mere attempts to manipulate or control popular narratives.