I thought that I had already described to you what separates low quality prophecy such as biblical prophecy, horoscopes, psychics, and the like, from high quality prophecy. The restoration of Israel was self-fulfilling, and the predictions too vague, two indicators of low quality prophecy.
The least that would be required in this case would be a date, and even then, that would not be enough inasmuch anybody that could read would know that they could fulfill prophecy if they waited until that date. If the date given were wrong, that would also be a problem, wouldn't it? But no date was offered because we simply never see that type of specificity in biblical prophecy, which is why it is not persuasive to the skeptic.
I've seen what you call a specific prophecy. I gave you examples of specific (high quality) prophecy from fiction and science - prophecies that would be compelling to anybody, not just those predisposed to believe that they are evidence of divine prescience.
Once a person decides that the prophecies come from a god, which is done by faith, that is what he will see. It's a very familiar pattern. It goes by the name faith-based confirmation bias.
You seem to think that the prophecies you offered were compelling, and that atheists remain atheist even after seeing them out of stubbornness or rebellion. Sorry, but that is not the case. Do we do that with other ideas - stubbornly refuse to believe that the earth is not flat despite the evidence offered by the spherical earthers? Of course not.
The prophecies you offered don't rise to the standard required by a skeptical, critical thinker to be convinced that they aren't human in origin.
Would these be rats that I created in my own image and claimed to love, rats I had the power to modify to my liking rather than exterminate?
I'm unfamiliar with the term "construction fulfillment" in the religious sense. Google only provided links related to building construction contractors such as
Construction Fulfillment - CHB Industries .
Luke 17:28 says, "
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded" Never before in history have we seen eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building as we see happening today? Have you noticed that more people than ever are living longer, are healthier, are better educated, have more economic and social opportunity, have more comfortable and less tedious lives.
Christian theology depends on the world becoming worse. As I noted above, a faith-based confirmation bias causes the mind it protects to see what it wants to see. Many Christians seem to have a desire to see the world becoming worse in the hope that we are presently close to Armageddon and world destruction. That kind of thinking worries many, especially when it finds its way into the upper echelons of government and those who enact laws and set policy :
- "We don't have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand" - James Watt, Secretary of the Interior under Reagan (note his position and responsibilities)
- "My point is, God's still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous." - Sen. Inhofe, R-Okla
- "The Earth will end only when God declares it's time to be over. Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a flood. . . . I do believe God's word is infallible, unchanging, perfect." - Rep John Shimkus, R-Ill.
These are people are praying for apocalypse, and can be expected to sit idly by. They would not only sit idly by watching as the earth courted disaster, they would be expected to actively assist in its demise.
Matthew 24:14 says, "
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
The gospel has been preached in all the world for as long as that has been possible, and it has become progressively easier to reach people since. Perhaps people were citing the same scripture and asking the same question you did when Gutenberg invented the printing press and began mass producing Bibles Never before could the gospel be spread so easily. Surely that must have been close to the end of days. But that was centuries ago.
I'll bet the same was true when mail service first appeared, the then the telegraph came along, then moving pictures, then the telephone and television, then the Internet. It's not a sign that the Bible is eerily prophetic. It's a sign that culture and technology evolve. Man is a very clever ape. It's hard to imagine how we can improve on near instantaneous written and spoken global communication
