Babylonian Prophesies

Bible prophecy: Jeremiah 25:8 - 12 (back up to verse 1)
Prophecy written: Sometime between 626-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: About 609 BC to 539 BC

In 609 BC, about 2600 years ago, Babylon captured the last Assyrian king to which the land of Israel previously had been subjugated. Babylon later asserted its dominance by taking many Jews as captives to Babylon, and by destroying Jerusalem and the Temple. The domination ended in 539 BC (exactly seventy years later) when Cyrus, a leader of Persians and Medes, conquered Babylon and brought an end to its empire. 

Bible prophecy: Jeremiah 25:12 & Isaiah 44:27-45:1 
Prophecy written: Between 701-681 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 539 BC

In Isaiah 45:1, the prophet said God would open the gates of Babylon for Cyrus and his attacking army. Despite Babylon's remarkable defenses, which included moats, and walls that were more than 70-feet thick and 300-feet high, and 250 watchtowers, Cyrus was able to enter the city and conquer it. Cyrus and his troops diverted the flow of the Euphrates River into a large lake basin. Cyrus then was able to march his army across the riverbed and into the city.   Cyrus later offered the captive Jews the freedom to return to their homeland.  (During which time they rebuilt the city)

Bible prophecy: Isaiah 13:19 - 20
Prophecy written: Between 701-681 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 539 BC

In Isaiah 13:19, the prophet said Babylon would be overthrown permanently. History confirms that when Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, it never again rose to power as an empire. Before the time of Cyrus, however, Babylon had been defeated by the Assyrian Empire but was able to recover and later conquer the Assyrian Empire. However, like Isaiah prophesied, the Babylonian Empire never recovered from Cyrus' conquest

Bible prophecy: Isaiah 14:23
Prophecy written: Between 701-681 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 539 BC

In Isaiah 14:23, the prophet said that Babylon, which had been a world power at two different times in history, would be brought to a humble and final end. It would be reduced to swampland. After Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, the kingdom never again rose to power. The buildings of Babylon fell into a gradual state of ruin during the next several centuries. Archaeologists excavated Babylon during the 1800s. Some parts of the city could not be dug up because they were under a water table (swamp) that had risen over the years.

Nineveh Prophecies 

Bible prophecy: Nahum 1:10	&	Nahum 3:10 (start at verse 1)
Prophecy written: About 614 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 612 BC

In Nahum 1:10 and 3:11, the prophet said that during the final hours of the attack on Nineveh, the Ninevites would be drunk. There is evidence that this prophecy was fulfilled. According to the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus: "The Assyrian king gave much wine to his soldiers. Deserters told this to the enemy, who attacked that night." 

Bible prophecy: Nahum 3:15
Prophecy written: About 614 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 612 BC

In Nahum 3:15, the prophet said that Nineveh would be damaged by fire. Archaeologists unearthed the site during the 1800s and found a layer of ash covering the ruins. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica: "…Nineveh suffered a defeat from which it never recovered. Extensive traces of ash, representing the sack of the city by Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes in 612 BC, have been found in many parts of the Acropolis. After 612 BC the city ceased to be important…"

Bible prophecy: Nahum 3:19
Prophecy written: About 614 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 612 BC

In Nahum 3:19 (and 1:9), the prophet said that Nineveh, which was the Assyrian Empire's capital and perhaps the most powerful city of the ancient world, would suffer a wound that would never heal.

In 612 BC (about 2600 years ago), a coalition of Babylonians, Scythians and Medes conquered the heavily fortified city. According to the Bible, Nineveh was to be punished for the empire's inhumane treatment of Israel.

It is unknown as to when exactly Nahum delivered this prophecy. Some scholars speculate that it was delivered about two years before the conquest. But, it is known that Nahum was correct: the city of Nineveh, as well as the Assyrian empire as a whole, never recovered from the defeat.

It is worth noting that recovery would not have been unprecedented. The Assyrian empire had conquered Babylon many years beforehand, but Babylon was able to recover from that defeat, regain its power, and defeat Assyria. But, as Nahum had accurately prophesied, Nineveh never recovered.

Tyre Prophesies

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:21 (start at verse 15)
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: After 332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:21, the prophet said that the Phoenician city of Tyre would be brought to an end and would never again be found. When Alexander the Great destroyed the city in 332 BC, he brought an end to the Phoenician Empire. The Empire was never revived or "found" again. As for the city itself, it has been torn down and built upon by a succession of foreign powers. Today, finding artifacts from the original Phoenician Tyre is difficult. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition: "The principal ruins of the city today are those of buildings erected by the Crusaders. There are some Greco-Roman remains, but any left by the Phoenicians lie underneath the present town."

Bible prophecy: Ezekiel 26:12		(The NIV shows this one best)
Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: 333-332 BC

In Ezekiel 26:12, the prophet said that Tyre's stones, timber and soil would be thrown into the sea. Ezekiel's prophecy accurately describes how Alexander the Great built a land bridge from the mainland to the island of Tyre, when he attacked in 333-332 BC. Alexander's forces took rubble from Tyre's mainland and tossed it - stones, timber and soil - into the sea, to build the land bridge (which is still there).