Short answer
Yes. God (﷾) promises in Samuel that Israel will live in its own land and move no more. Assyria and then Babylon carried the people away. Isaiah says the uncircumcised will never again enter Jerusalem. Roman soldiers burned it, and the Crusaders, European Christian armies, took it. Ezekiel says Tyre will be built no more and never be found again. It is a town in Lebanon today. The Bible gives its own test: when a prophet's word does not come to pass, the Lord has not spoken it. So these words, as they are written now, were not God's (﷾). The Qur'an foretold that the beaten Romans would win within a few years, and they did.
Full explanation
The Bible's own test for a prophecy
The Law of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, gives the test. If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and the thing does not happen, the Lord did not speak it. Every prophecy below is judged by that rule, not by an outside one.
“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
Israel would never be moved again
God (﷾) tells David that Israel will dwell in its own place, move no more, and no longer be afflicted by the wicked. Chronicles repeats it. Later the king of Assyria carried Israel away. Babylon burned the Temple and every house in Jerusalem. In 70 CE Rome destroyed the city and its Temple again.
“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,”
“Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,”
“In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”
“And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.”
An eyewitness account of the Roman siege of Jerusalem under Titus in 70 CE: the Roman army broke into the city, the Temple was burned, and the city was destroyed.
The uncircumcised would never again enter Jerusalem
Isaiah, a Hebrew prophet of the 8th century BCE, tells Jerusalem that from then on the uncircumcised will no more come into it. A single entry breaks that promise. The verse says "henceforth", meaning from then on. It speaks to the earthly city, "Jerusalem, the holy city", which men later entered and burned. Moving the promise to a future or heavenly city admits that it failed for the city it names. The Roman army entered and burned the city in 70 CE. The Crusaders took it in 1099 and killed many of its people.
“Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.”
An eyewitness account of the Roman siege of Jerusalem under Titus in 70 CE: the Roman army broke into the city, the Temple was burned, and the city was destroyed.
The armies of the First Crusade took Jerusalem on 15 July 1099 and massacred many of its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants.
Tyre would be built no more
Tyre was an ancient port city in what is now Lebanon. Ezekiel, a Hebrew prophet of the 6th century BCE, names Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon as the king who will come against it. He says Tyre will be a bare rock, built no more and never found again. Later Ezekiel admits that Nebuchadnezzar and his army got no wages from Tyre for their long siege. The city was rebuilt and still stands.
“For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.”
“And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God.”
“I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.”
“Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:”
Tyre (Arabic Sur) is a town on the coast of southern Lebanon and was a leading Phoenician city. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon besieged it for thirteen years (585–573 BC); the island city was not stormed, but made terms and accepted Babylonian overlordship. Alexander the Great took it in 332 BC. It was rebuilt and remained an inhabited city under later empires, and it is a town of Lebanon today.
Zedekiah would die in peace
Jeremiah tells Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, that he will not die by the sword. He will die in peace and be mourned as a king. Instead his sons were killed before his eyes, his eyes were put out, and he was kept in a Babylonian prison until he died.
“Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.”
“And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.”
“And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”
| Promise | What the Bible says | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Israel would never be moved | Israel will dwell in its own place and “move no more” (2 Samuel 7:10). | Assyria carried Israel away (2 Kings 17:6). Babylon destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:9), and Rome destroyed them again in 70 CE. |
| The uncircumcised would never enter Jerusalem again | Isaiah: “henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised” (Isaiah 52:1). | The Roman army entered the city in 70 CE, and the Crusaders took it in 1099. |
| Tyre would be built no more | Tyre will be a bare rock, built no more and never found again (Ezekiel 26:14, 21). | Ezekiel later admits that Nebuchadnezzar got no wages from Tyre (Ezekiel 29:18). Tyre is a town in Lebanon today. |
| King Zedekiah would die in peace | He will die in peace and be mourned as a king (Jeremiah 34:4-5). | His sons were killed before his eyes, he was blinded, and he died in a Babylonian prison (Jeremiah 52:10-11). |
The Bible's own test: when a prophet's word does not come to pass, the Lord did not speak it. The Qur'an foretold that the beaten Romans would win within a few years, and they did.
David's throne would last for ever
God (﷾) promises that David's throne will be established for ever, yet it ended with Zedekiah. Christians answer that Jesus fulfils it. But Luke traces Jesus through David's son Nathan, not through Solomon. Matthew's line runs through Jechonias, a king of Judah. God (﷾) said no man of his seed would prosper sitting on David's throne. And by the New Testament Gospels' own account Joseph was not his father.
“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
“He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.”
“Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,”
“And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;”
“Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”
“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
A promise Matthew puts in Jesus' mouth
Matthew has Jesus say that some standing there would not die before they saw him coming in his kingdom. The verse before describes that coming: every man is rewarded for his works. All of them died long ago. Muslims hold that Jesus was a true prophet. So the fault lies with the report in Matthew, not with him.
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
The Qur'an's warning to Israel
The Qur'an never promised Israel that it would never be moved from its land. The Law itself had already warned that the Lord would scatter Israel among all peoples. The Qur'an records a warning instead. God (﷾) had told the Children of Israel in the Book that they would twice do mischief on the earth and grow arrogant. Twice they would be punished. Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed twice. Babylon did it, as 2 Kings records. Rome did it in 70 CE, as the eyewitness Josephus records. Many Muslim commentators read the two punishments as these. The Samuel promise failed, and the warning came true.
“And We gave (Clear) Warning to the Children of Israel in the Book, that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!”
“And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.”
“And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.”
An eyewitness account of the Roman siege of Jerusalem under Titus in 70 CE: the Roman army broke into the city, the Temple was burned, and the city was destroyed.
What the Qur'an foretold
The Persians had just beaten the Romans and taken Jerusalem. Then the Qur'an said the Romans would win within a few years. The Arabic word allows up to nine years. Within that time Heraclius, the Roman emperor, had turned the war, winning his first victories from 622. By 627 Persia was beaten. The Qur'an also said that Abu Lahab, an uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ), would burn in the Fire. He could have tried to disprove it by simply declaring himself a Muslim. Yet he died an enemy of Islam after the battle of Badr.
“The Roman Empire has been defeated- In a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious- Within a few years. With Allah is the Decision, in the past and in the Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice-”
A history of the Roman (Byzantine) emperor Heraclius. It records the Persian conquests of Roman lands, including Jerusalem in 614, and Heraclius' counter-campaigns from 622, which ended with his victory near Nineveh in 627 and the Persian surrender of the conquered lands.
“Perish the hands of the Father of Flame! Perish he! No profit to him from all his wealth, and all his gains! Burnt soon will he be in a Fire of Blazing Flame!”
Reports that Abu Lahab stayed behind in Mecca when the Quraysh marched to Badr, and that he died soon after the battle, still an enemy of the Prophet (ﷺ) and of Islam.
Verse by verse
Ezekiel 26:3-4 — Nevi'im, Yechezkel, chapter 26, verses 3-4
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.”
Cited for
Ezekiel foretold waves of "many nations". Nebuchadnezzar took the mainland town, and Alexander later scraped the ruins into the sea to reach the island. The old site is bare rock where fishermen spread nets.
The response
Ezekiel names Nebuchadnezzar as the king who will break Tyre, and then admits that he got no wages from it. Alexander needed a long siege more than two centuries later, because the city was still standing. It was rebuilt again after him and is a town today. So "built no more" and "never be found again" did not come true.
Where it lands — Tyre stands, so by Deuteronomy 18:22 the words were not the Lord's.
Matthew 16:28 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 28
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
Cited for
Jesus meant the Transfiguration, six days later, when three disciples saw his glory.
The response
The verse before speaks of the Son of man coming with his angels to reward every man for his works. That is the judgment, not a vision on a mountain. Others move it to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. But no one was judged and rewarded for his works in 70 CE.
Where it lands — The coming described did not happen in that generation, so the saying as Matthew reports it failed.
Jeremiah 34:4-5 — Nevi'im, Yirmeyahu, chapter 34, verses 4-5
“Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.”
Cited for
The promise depended on Zedekiah surrendering to Babylon (Jeremiah 38:17-18), and he refused.
The response
Jeremiah 34:4-5 reads "Thus saith the Lord of thee... thou shalt die in peace", sealed with "I have pronounced the word". The condition belongs to a different, later message. And the peaceful death never came: his sons were killed before him, he was blinded, and he died a prisoner.
Where it lands — Jeremiah promised a peaceful death mourned as a king's. Zedekiah died blind in a Babylonian prison.
Jeremiah 34:4-5 — Nevi'im, Yirmeyahu, chapter 34, verses 4-5
“Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.”
Cited for
"In peace" means a natural death, not by the sword. The same message said he would be taken to Babylon.
The response
Verse 5 promises more than escaping the sword. It promises the burnings of spices and the royal lament given to "the former kings which were before thee", the honoured death of a king. Instead he saw his sons killed, his eyes were put out, and he was kept in a Babylonian prison until the day he died.
Where it lands — A blinded prisoner's death is not the honoured death promised.
2 Samuel 7:16 — Nevi'im, Shmuel Bet, chapter 7, verse 16
“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
Cited for
Jesus is the eternal son of David, so the throne endures in him.
The response
Luke traces Jesus through Nathan, not through Solomon, the son to whom the throne was promised. Matthew's line runs through Jechonias, and God (﷾) said no man of his seed would prosper sitting on David's throne, or rule any more in Judah. And both Gospels say Joseph was not his father.
Where it lands — No line the Gospels give Jesus can carry Solomon's throne.
2 Samuel 7:10 — Nevi'im, Shmuel Bet, chapter 7, verse 10
“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,”
Cited for
The promise of rest depended on Israel's obedience, and Israel broke the covenant.
The response
Nathan's promise to David names no condition. Israel will dwell in its own place and "move no more". In the same message God (﷾) does say what sin will bring for the king. He will be chastened "with the rod of men", but "my mercy shall not depart away from him". So for the king's line, sin brings punishment but not the loss of God's (﷾) mercy. The promise to Israel that it would "move no more" carries no condition at all. The Law had already warned that disobedience would scatter Israel (Deuteronomy 28:64). Nathan's promise came after that warning, worded as a new grant with no condition.
Where it lands — The promise in 2 Samuel named what sin would bring, and it was not the loss of the land. Yet the land was lost.
Isaiah 52:1 — Nevi'im, Yeshayahu, chapter 52, verse 1
“Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.”
Cited for
Isaiah speaks of the new Jerusalem at the end of time.
The response
Isaiah speaks to the earthly Jerusalem that lay in the dust. He tells it to shake itself from the dust and loose the bands of its captivity. He says the uncircumcised will not enter "henceforth", meaning from then on.
Where it lands — The promise was for the earthly city, and armies entered it.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Every prophecy of God is fulfilled. Some were fulfilled in stages, some depend on Israel's obedience, and some await the end of the age.
Ezekiel foretold "many nations" coming against Tyre, and Alexander the Great later destroyed the island city.
Rebuttal
Alexander did take Tyre, and that is granted. But Ezekiel names Nebuchadnezzar, who got no wages from it. Tyre was rebuilt after Alexander and is a town today, so "built no more" did not come true.
The promise that some would see the Son of man coming in his kingdom was fulfilled days later. Jesus was transfigured before three of his disciples.
Rebuttal
The Transfiguration did happen days later, and that is granted. But the verse before speaks of the Son of man coming to reward every man for his works. That is the judgment, not a vision on a mountain.
The Islamic perspective
The Bible holds prophecies that did not come true. By its own test those words were not the Lord's, and they are the mark of men writing in God's (﷾) name. The Qur'an's prophecies, given through the Prophet (ﷺ), came to pass.
The Law of Moses says a prophecy that does not come to pass was not spoken by the Lord.
God (﷾) promised that Israel would move no more. Yet Assyria and Babylon carried the people away, and Rome destroyed Jerusalem.
Isaiah says the uncircumcised will no more enter Jerusalem, yet the Romans and the Crusaders did.
Ezekiel says Tyre will be built no more, and admits Nebuchadnezzar gained nothing from it. Tyre is still a town today.
Jeremiah promised Zedekiah a peaceful death, but he was blinded and died in a Babylonian prison.
Everyone standing with Jesus in Matthew 16:28 died without seeing the coming described in the verse before it.
The Qur'an never promised Israel that it would never be moved. It records a warning that they would twice do mischief and twice be punished. Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed twice, by Babylon and by Rome.
Heraclius turned the war from 622 and defeated Persia by 627.
The Qur'an foretold this victory while the Romans were still beaten.
The Qur'an said Abu Lahab would burn in the Fire, and he died an enemy of Islam soon after Badr.
For years he could have challenged the verse by declaring himself a Muslim, and he never did.