The Unseen Hand
Whether or not miraculous circumstances are readily apparent at all crucial turning points in history, the Bible nevertheless repeatedly assures us that God is in complete control of events.
The prophet Daniel declares that "God removes kings and sets up kings" (Daniel 2:21, RSV). To King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon, Daniel affirmed that "the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory" (Daniel 2:37). The seven years' punishment of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4) was for the purpose "that all the world may understand that the Most High dominates the kingdoms of the world, and gives them to anyone he wants to, even the lowliest of men" (Dan. 4:17, The Living Bible).
The prophet Isaiah says it is God who "bringeth the princes to nothing" (Isaiah 40:23). King David of ancient Israel declares that "God is the judge; he putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Psalm 75:7).
It is important to understand, moreover, that God's intervention in events is not of a capricious, "play-it-by-ear" nature. Millennia ago, God — who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) — set forth a definite scheme of history, as revealed in the ancient prophecies of the Bible. At certain times, it has been necessary for God to directly intervene to influence events to conform with the timetable of that overall master plan.
In this regard, Victor Hugo — writing with unusual insight in his description of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo — declared: "It was time for this vast man to fall. . . ."
Fulfilled Prophecy
Few realize that the Bible is nearly one-third prophecy. Prophecy is simply history told in advance. James A. Garfield. 20th President of the United States, put it succinctly: "History is but the unrolled scroll of prophecy."
Centuries in advance of their actual fulfillment, the ancient inspired prophecies of the Bible outlined a definite, unmistakable progression of world empires, beginning with the Babylonian and continuing through the subsequent Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian, and Roman empires and beyond. Additional prophecies foretold the fates of numerous other major cities and nations. In all cases, the pages of history have confirmed the unerring accuracy of these prophecies.
The eighth chapter of Daniel — written some 200 years before the time of Alexander the Great — is a remarkable illustrative example of prophecy become history.' In it, Daniel describes a struggle — then two centuries distant — between the Medo-Persian empire and Greece, predicting two great Grecian victories (Alexander's triumphs at Issus — 333 B.C. — and at Gaugamela — 331 B.C), the final collapse of Persia, the untimely death of Alexander, and the division of his kingdom among his four generals — all of which later came to pass exactly as foretold!
Moreover, Alexander himself — at one of those rare, fateful moments in history — may have actually seen those very predictions as he was in the process of fulfilling them! The first century A.D. Jewish historian Josephus records in his Antiquities of the Jews (XI, VIII, 5) that in 332 B.C. Alexander the Great, on a campaign through Palestine, met personally with Jaddua, the Jewish High Priest.”And when the book of Daniel was shewed him, wherein Daniel declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he [Alexander] supposed that himself was the person intended, and . . . he was glad."
Josephus also records that Cyrus the Great — whose conquest of Babylon was foretold by the prophet Isaiah nearly 200 years before it happened — may likewise have read the prophecy regarding his role in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem (Isa. 44:28).
Conference in Heaven
Interestingly, the Bible records an example of an actual conference in heaven at which was discussed the best manner of influencing a crucial historical event! Undoubtedly, similar conferences have been held frequently throughout history.
The question at hand (I Kings 22) was how to influence Ahab — the most wicked of all the kings of ancient Israel — to go to battle against the Syrians, a battle in which he would surely be killed.
With a host of angels gathered around him, God, according to this account, asked for advice: " 'Who will entice Ahab to go and die at Ramoth-gilead?' Various suggestions were made, until one angel approached the Lord and said, 'I'll do it!' How?' the Lord asked. And he replied, 'I will go as a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets' " (I Kings 22:20-22, The Living Bible). So God allowed the angel to influence Ahab's pagan prophets to falsely assure Ahab that he would be victorious in the war.
On the day of battle, however, the powerful Syrian army — as God intended — easily defeated the Israelites. During the fighting, "someone shot an arrow at random and it struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor" (v. 34) — similar to the account of Harold's death at the fateful Battle of Hastings some 2,000 years later.
The Bible also records other supernatural tactics used frequently throughout history, such as God's destroying the ships of Tarshish with an east wind (Psalm 48:7) and his sending a great storm to rout the Philistine armies preparing for battle against the, Israelites (I Sam. 7:10).
Prophecies for Today
But is God still directing the affairs of nations today — in the fast-moving world of the mid-1970s?
Amazingly, some 90% of Bible prophecy is yet to be fulfilled! Is it logical, then, to believe that these prophecies would ignore the major power centers of today — the United States, the British Commonwealth, Western Europe, the Middle East, the Soviet Union?
God is still very active in world affairs — possibly now more than ever before! Write for our two revealing free booklets, How to Understand Prophecy and The Unites States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, for a fascinating look at what lies in store for the world in the years just ahead.