As with the case of Babylon, the ancient city of Tyre proves yet again the divine source of prophetic words. This time the prophetic words were spoken by the prophet Ezekiel and once again point to a supernatural power that operates outside the normal confines of time. 

When compared to some other prophecies, the prophecy of Tyre can appear insignificant. However, when assessed for accuracy and long-term fulfillment, as with more obvious prophecies, it shines as a bright light that beckons all people everywhere to honestly consider what is being proved, not so much the fulfillment of a prophecy as it is the absolute proof of the reality of God, specifically, the God of the Bible.

In the year of 587 BC Ezekiel the prophet spoke (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) of the demise of the city of Tyre, which at that time was a place of enormous importance, overseeing what was widely considered the greatest sea empire.  This made Tyre the centre of the commerce world. As a result of its fortuitous prospering, the city was going from strength to strength and was definitely showing no signs of slowing down.

Only one year after the prophecy of Ezekiel, the beginning of the complete destruction of the city and its people began. It was in the year of 586 BC that the King of Babylon—Nebuchadnezzar, whom Ezekiel had literally named, came against Tyre and because of what he perceived as insolence, besieged the (mainland) city for 13 years.  In this time he destroyed the mainland metropolis (called Ushu). During the siege the majority of the people of Tyre moved by ship to the island that was approximately one kilometre off the coast of the city. An agreement was finally made between Babylon and Tyre, but that was only the beginning of what was spoken by the prophet Ezekiel, and as is always the case, nothing was going to prevent ALL of what was spoken from becoming reality.

It was actually just over 150 years later that further fulfillment of the prophecy came to pass.  At this time Alexander (Alexander The Great) came to Tyre after defeating the Persians. He asked them to deny the use of the port of Tyre to the remains of the once very strong Persian fleet.  Unwisely, and for reasons we do not know, the Tyranians refused to do this. History records that this greatly angered Alexander (because others may have been emboldened by the refusal to bow to Grecian dominance).  As a result, he decided to teach those who lived on the fortified island a lesson. He did not possess a fleet, however, so he did what was necessary to get to the Tyranians and built a causeway out to the island. 

And that is the amazing thing, because Alexander basically had to scrape the land-based city flat, utilising virtually everything above ground-level to build the 65 metre wide causeway all the way to the island. The mainland city was therefore literally thrown into the sea, exactly as had been prophesied.  The prophecies came to pass with even more scary accuracy when the island fortress was burnt to the ground and virtually every Tyranian was put to death.

If you want absolute confirmation you can visit the same area TODAY and witness for yourself the actual stones and pillars in the water, which is very sobering to any inquiring mind. So the destruction of Tyre came to pass as it was written, firstly by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, then by Alexander (with supporting nations) and his men, who threw the city into the sea. The causeway became a place for fishermen to dry their nets and the ancient city of Tyre (and its people) has never reappeared. 

Worthy of mention too, is the fact that both Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul visited this place.  Both would have witnessed first-hand the inspirational proof that if God has spoken (through a person) it will come to pass, no matter how unlikely or extreme the chance.  Nobody can be certain what they would have thought.  Both could have been saddened by the terrible outcome the Tyranians were warned of, but I also think both would have been emboldened as they witnessed, before their very eyes, the reliability and also the infallibility of God’s Word.