Isaiah 41:21-29
“Produce your cause, saith the LORD... Let them shew the former things... or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods... Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought.”
King James Version
God challenges the idols to prove their deity by foretelling the future — the very test of predictive prophecy on which this whole subject rests.
Fulfillment References
Isaiah 42:9 Isaiah 46:9-10 Isaiah 48:3-5 John 13:19
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe God who alone foretells the future (Isa. 46:10) is the one God revealed in Jesus, who said 'I have told you before it come to pass' (John 13:19).
JewishGod's courtroom challenge to the idols — only the LORD declares the end from the beginning, the ground of Israel's confidence.
CatholicGod's unique foreknowledge, the basis for trusting His word and His Christ.
ProtestantA foundational text for predictive prophecy — God stakes His deity on foretelling 'things to come'; the idols cannot.
OrthodoxThe LORD alone knows and declares the future, unlike the idols.
DispensationalGod's predictive power, validating the prophetic word about Messiah and the future.
AcademicPart of Deutero-Isaiah's 'trial speeches' against the idols; scholars highlight the argument from fulfilled prediction as a distinctive theme.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.