Bible passage: Genesis 15:5
Prophet: Abraham
Written: As early as 1400 BC
In Genesis 15:5, the Bible said that Abraham would have many descendants and that counting them would be like counting the stars. The fulfillment of this prophecy is obvious. In fact it is so obvious that it can be easily overlooked:
Abraham is the only person revered by large numbers of people throughout world as being their ancestor.
He is the father of the Jewish people, as explained in the book of Genesis, through his son Isaac, and through Isaac's son Israel.
Christians become descendants of Abraham through faith (Galatians 3:29), just as Abraham became the father of many nations through faith (Genesis chapters 12-17; Romans 4:18).
And many other peoples count themselves as descendants of Abraham, through his son Ishmael.
It also should be noted that the first part of his name, "Ab," means "father," and that his name was changed by God. The reason for the change is explained in Genesis 17:5, for which the NIV translation is: No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
- Research and commentary is based on the book 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies. © Ray Konig and AboutBibleProphecy.com.
Here is Genesis 15:5:
He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
(New International Version translation)