Yes, because properly written prophecies always fail. But the problem is that many Christians do not realize that overly vague prophecies automatically fail. If there is more than one possible "fulfillment" then it is a failed prophecy since once can never know if those were the events in the prophecy or an even later one.
The Bible includes prophecies.
These prophecies foretell things that would happen.
They are hidden in mystery.
And it is up to those who are sent to reveal them.
THE BIBLE DECLARES WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
The Bible contains several examples of God’s words that were declared long ago but were appointed to take place in the time when the end is near. One of these is that written in Revelation chapter 6:12-13:
“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” (Revelation 6:12-13 NKJV)
In this verse, the Bible is telling about a “great earthquake.” Although there were many “great earthquakes” happened in the past, but the Bible explicitly tells us that this “great earthquake” is followed by the “sun became black as sackcloth of hair,” the “moon became like blood,” and the “stars of heaven fell to the earth.” These distinguished the “great earthquake” of Revelation 6:12-13 from other earthquakes occurred in the past.
The fulfillment of this “great earthquake” is the earthquake of 1755 in Lisbon, Portugal. The Lisbon earthquake is one of the strongest earthquakes recorded, felt in a radius of about forty times larger that the United Kingdom and claimed 6,000 lives (The Physical Earth, pp. 28-29).
I believe I am certain that the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 is the fulfillment of the “great earthquake” mentioned in Revelation 6:12-13, because this is the earthquake followed by the “sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became like blood” which the fulfillment is what history called as the “Black Friday” of May 19, 1780 in New England (The New International Encyclopedia, volume VI, p. 502).
Take note that according to the Book of Revelation the “great earthquake” was followed by “sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the “moon became like blood” which followed by “stars of heaven fell to the earth.”
The fulfillment of the “stars of heaven fell to the earth” that followed the “sun became black as sackcloth of hair” and the “moon became like blood” is the “meteor shower” of 1833. In the night of November 12, 1833, hundreds of meteorites (also called “falling stars”) seen in the whole eastern part of the United States (N.E.S., p. 1217).
Take note of the following:
Revelation 6:12-13
“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” (Revelation 6:12-13 NKJV)
(1) “there was a great earthquake”
1755
The great earthquake in Lisbon
(2) “and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.”
1780
The “Black Friday “of New England
(3) “And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.”
1833
“Meteor shower” seen in the whole eastern part of the United States
The “great earthquake” followed by the “sun became black as sackcloth of hair,” the “moon became like blood,” and the “stars of heaven fell to the earth” mentioned in Revelation 6:12-13 is followed by the coming of the “great day of their wrath”:
“The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:14-17 NIV)
Because of the “great day of the wrath” of the Lord, the “
sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” The “great day of the wrath” of the Lord mentioned in Revelation is not the Day of Judgment but a war which also mentioned in the prophecy written in the Book of Isaiah:
“Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it! The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter.
“All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.” (Isaiah 34:1-2, 4 NIV)
What the Book of Revelation mentioned that “the sky receded like a scroll” is also mentioned in Isaiah 34:1-2 and 4, “the sky rolled up like a scroll.” Isaiah also mentioned the “wrath” of the Lord. Thus, Revelation 6:12-13 and Isaiah 34:1-2 and 4 are related prophecies.
The prophecy of Revelation 6:12-13 and the prophecy of Isaiah 34:1-2 and 4 are both referring to a “great war.” Isaiah said, “
Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it! The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter.”
Because of this “great war,” according to Revelation “
The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place...” The “sky” or “heaven” mentioned by the Book of Revelation refers to the “heavens of men” (Lev. 26:19), and the “glory of the kings” (Is. 14:18). The “mountains that were removed” refers to “kings” (Rev. 17:9-10).
The prophecy indeed came to past. The “great war” referred to by the biblical prophecies is the “Great War” of 1914-1918” also called as First World War (WWI):
“The first great campaign on the southeastern battle grounds of the Great War began on July 27, 1914, when the Austrian troops undertook their first invasion of Serbia.” (The Story of the Great War from official Sources, p. 291).
As the prophecy said, the “
sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place,” the emperor of Russia, Austria and Germany were dethroned, and also the kings of Greece and Bulgaria, because of the First World War. Also, the government of these nations was changed (Modern Times and the Living past, p. 687).
The “islands” that were “
removed from its place” were the “colonies.” Like the colonies of Germany in the Pacific, after the Great War, were transferred to Japan and England (M.T.L.P., pp. 707-707).
How about the hiding in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains of the “
kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man”” This is the testimony of the history:
“The First World War was unlike any war in the past…This was the first war in ‘three dimensions,’ the first war in which cities were bombed from the air and winged warriors fought among the clouds. Of course the airplanes of 1914 were not so past, so formidable, nor so numerous as those of today…The soldiers had to turn themselves into beavers and moles and dig deep trenches…” (W.Hist., pp. 478-479)
The great War of 1914-1918 was the first war which cities were bombed from the air, thus people have to hide themselves in the air-raid shelters. The soldiers had to turn themselves into beavers and moles and dig deep trenches.
Take note that the First World War that began in 1914 was also the war that was followed by the “four angels” holding back the “wind”:
“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.” (Revelation 7:1 NKJV)
The “wind” refers to a “war” (Jer. 4:11-13 and 19). The “four corners of the earth” refers to the “four directions of the earth” (I Chron. 9:24). Thus, “wind of the four corners of the earth” is referring to the world war.
The word “angel” came from the Greek word which literally means “messenger,” and messenger means “sent.” According to Apostle Peter, the kings, governor or leaders of nation are “sent by Him”:
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” (I Peter 2:13-14 NKJV)
The fulfillment of the prophecy:
“Orlando of Italy, Lloyd George of Great Britain, Clemenceau of France, and Wilson of America who were called the Big Four when they met in Paris to confer concerning the Treaty of Versailles.” (World History, p. 494)
The Bible also explicitly said that there was “silence in heaven for about half an hour” when the seventh seal was opened:
“When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” (Revelation 8:1 NKJV)
As already mentioned, the “heaven” refers to “heavens of men” (Lev. 26:19). Also take note that “one day to God is one thousand years to man”:
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (II Peter 3:8 NKJV)
One day to God is one thousand years to man. One day is 24 hours. Dividing one thousand years with 24 hours is “one hour is 41 years and 8 months.”
One day = One thousand years
24 hors = 1,000 years
1 hours = 41 years and 8 months
Half hour = 20 years and 10 months
Did the prophecy come to past?
First World War ended on November 11, 1918
Second World War started on September 1, 1939
YEAR MONTH DAY
1939 9 1
1918 11 11 .
20 years 9 months 20 days
Indeed, Revelation 8:1 came to past.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, the Bible is indeed the word of God. “What God was, the word was.” God’s power to declare what the future holds, telling us the things to come long before they happen. Since the power of God’s words are found in the words written in the Bible, the Bible also declares what the future holds, long before it happens. Thus the Bible is indeed not a human text, not a collection of myth, not in equal status with other “scriptures,” but the only Sacred Scripture where the words of God are written.