HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

[DavidHawthorne]

Christ is Among Us!
I am sorry I couldn't write earlier- had Vespers this evening.
There are several sites online that deal with this prophecy both from the skeptic and Christian viewpoints. I particularly like the way this site and the article link at the end of it dealt with the issue: http://www.tektonics.org/uz/zeketyre.html
As for patristic quotes, I have very little on Ezekiel but there are some quotes from St. Hippolytus of Rome that deal specifically with these passages saying they had a past fulfillment and a future one. I will type this out for you after dinner since my wife is insisting I come to the table immediately and I don't want to personally suffer the fate of Tyre and "be found no more."
In Christ,
Rd. David

[DavidHawthorne]

St. Hippolytus of Rome who lived in the third century interpreted the prophecy against the ruler of Tyre as referring to the future AntiChrist as well as to the historical king(s) of Tyre. In his "Treatise on Christ and AntiChrist" he refers vv. 1,2 of the 28th chapter to the AntiChrist's activity in the last days thus: "When AntiChrist has overmastered three horns out of the ten in the array of war and has rooted these out, namely Egypt, and Libya, and Ethiopia, and has gotten their spoils and trappings, and has brought the remaining horns which suffer into subjection [all this refers to a prophecy of the end times in Daniel]
he will begin to be lifted up in heart, and to exalt himself against God as master of the whole world. And his first expedition will be against Tyre and Berytus, and the circumjacent territory. For by storming these cities first, he will strike terror into the others, as Isaiah says, 'Be ashamed, O Sidon....Moreover, when it shall be heard in Egypt, sorrow shall sieze them for Tyre [Is. 23:4-5] These things shall be in the future, beloved; and when the three horns are cut off, he will begin to show himself as God, as Ezekiel has said aforetime: 'Because thine heart has been exalted, and thou hast said 'I am God' [Ez. 28:2]

So, for believers, there are two ways to see the fulfillment of the prophecy against Tyre:
Historically, it WAS utterly destroyed by the "nations" beginning with Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians, then by the Persians, and finally being finished by Alexander. The original mainland Tyre was never rebuilt and became a place for "spreading nets" The island Tyre was rebuilt after its utter destruction and the mainland city was rebuilt in an adjacent location to the mainland original. Skeptics can scoff and say this is splitting hairs for the permanent destruction of the city but the way the ancients viewed apocalyptic and prophecy is satisfied. At least the original Tyrians would have felt the prophecy had come true. As was pointed out in the apologetics articles, some room may be left for the type of hyperbole that is characteristic of this style of writing. If modern skeptics demand every jot and tittle of apocalyptic writing to be fulfilled to the "t" when the genre itself by definition contains hyperbole and symbolic imagery then they are doing violence to the text. Don't let them argue away from this point- It is not their Book, it is the Church's and she decides the rules of interpretation.
Prophetically, so what if it has been rebuilt to some extent? Its judgement is not yet finished. When the Antichrist is subduing those who resist his authority it will be attacked again near the end of time. And then it will fall for the last time.
Even to the extent the prophecies against Tyre have been fulfilled, the stastical improbability of it happening by chance is beyond comprehension. I believe the site I referenced gave that statistic. What HAS happened to Tyre according to prophecy should be enough to silence an open-hearted skeptic.
Let me know if this helps.........
In Christ,
Rd. David

[DavidHawthorne]

Here is a very concise easy to remember overview of a traditional interpretation of the Tyre prophecy. It is valuable also if your friends insist the city is rebuilt on the exact same site (skeptics and Christians on various sites both take both views on this detail)......
http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/tyre.htm