| Science | Historical Accuracy | Prophecies | Preservation | Effects | Supposed Contradictions | Dead Sea Scrolls | Manuscript Evidence |
Can we really take the Bible seriously today? In this modern era of technological advances and scientific progress, can the Bible still be a guide to mankind on vital issues such as moral values, the true God, and the way of Salvation? With the advancements in knowledge that modern man possesses it should be easy to test whether the Bible is really inspired by a perfect God or just a collection of fairytales, as many sceptics suggest. So does the Bible stand the test of time?
Bible faith is not a blind leap into the dark. It is confidence in a believable Record that God has given, for "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). The writers of the Bible explain to us that they were not delivering cunningly devised fables but an inspired record based on "many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3; 2 Pet. 1:16).
Keep an open mind and consider the evidence…
27% of the Bible is made up of prophecy, in fact God says in Isaiah 46:9-10 that He proves that He is the only God by telling mankind things that will happen before they come to pass. To try and compare the pitiful attempts at prophecy contained in a few other religious books with the bible is a class act in stupidity! Thousands of clear Biblical prophecies have already been comprehensively and verifiably fulfilled, and many are being fulfilled in our time right before our eyes, and this will be shown easily.
PROPHECIES PERTAINING TO JESUS CHRIST.
Jesus' entire life was prophesied before he came: His
birthplace (Micah 5:2), virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), sinless life (Isa. 53:9),
miracles (Isa. 35:5), wonderful speech (Isa. 50:4), rejection by the Jewish
nation (Isaiah 53:2), crucifixion (Ps. 22:16), burial in a rich man's tomb (Is.
53:9), resurrection the third day (Ps. 16). See
a complete list of the impossible
prophecies about this one man named Jesus Christ!!! Click
here for a summary of why the
Bible's prophecies should cause great concern for everyone!
PROPHECIES OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL.
“Shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children”- Isaiah 66:8
For thousands of years the Jews had been without a homeland scattered among many nations, they became the most despised, persecuted and ridiculed people in the history of mankind. Then came the dramatic rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, it is important to realise that this was an amazing event, never in the history of mankind has a nation ceased to exist for nearly 2000 years and literally overnight become an independent state once more. Never in the history of mankind has a nation lost its language for millennia and then regained it, but the Jews all speak Hebrew today in Israel (nobody is speaking Chaldee or Ancient Egyptian today). This was all fulfilment of Biblical prophecy,
Hosea 9:17 “My God will cast them (the Jews) away, because they did not hearken unto him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.”
Deuteronomy 4:27 “the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen” (holocaust, pogroms)
Deuteronomy 28:37 “thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee” (Israel will be hated and oppressed).
God says that he will gather all the Jews again back to their homeland in countless biblical verses for example, Isaiah 43:5-6 “I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west: I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, keep not back: bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth;”
He says He will restore their language, Zephaniah 3:9 “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon me with one consent”
God also says that He will make the city of Jerusalem the centre of the world’s attention, Zechariah 12:2 “Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about” and Zechariah 12:3 “in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people” This prophecy has plainly been fulfilled in our time. There is no other modern day city that can be described in those words. Think about it, who could imagine a small middle eastern city becoming the focus of the whole world’s attention when this prophecy was made, over two and a half thousand years ago?
The Bible makes many more predictions, which didn’t make sense outside of today’s context; Zechariah 14:12 describes the ultimate end of those who fight against Jerusalem, “Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” no weapon up until the 20th century could do this damage, this verse seems to accurately describe the effect of a nuclear or biological weapon on human flesh.
Jesus also speaks much about the days just preceding his 2nd coming, in Matthew 24:22 He says, “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:” In other words He will come back just before mankind wipes himself out! One could not conceive of this idea 2000 years ago when men fought with swords and spears, and the at least the winning army would always remain standing.
Jesus also says in Luke 21:11 that just prior to his 2nd coming “great earthquakes shall be in divers (various) places, and famines and pestilences;” According to the UN, Despite advances in food production and food storage techniques more people are starving today than at any other time in history. 1billion people are in danger of starvation and 1billion lack proper nutrition. As for the dramatic increase in “great earthquakes”, during the years 1900 to 1949 major earthquakes (7.2 on the Richter Scale) averaged at 3 per decade. There were 9 during the fifties, 13 during the sixties, 56 during the seventies, 74 during the eighties and around 125 in the nineties, all culminating in the massive earthquake and tsunami of South East Asia in December 2004 (Jesus also predicted “the sea and waves roaring;” in Luke 21:25). Clearly Jesus knew mankind’s future.
In the book of Revelation the apostle John receives a vision in which he sees into the future, and the time of tribulation on earth during the ‘last days’. Revelation 13:16 says, “he (antichrist) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark” this prophecy made almost 2000 years ago would have seemed highly unlikely to occur up until our modern era. It is only now possible to mark “all” people “in” their skin and for one man to control the entire world’s economy using this microchip/barcode system.
Revelation chapter 11 speaks about two great prophets in the last days that are killed by antichrist, Revelation11:9 “they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer (allow) their dead bodies to be put in graves.” Again this prophecy could not have been fulfilled before this modern age of remarkable technology. How else could entire nations, kindreds and tongues see dead bodies lying in a city street within three and a half days other then through television communications? The next verse says “because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth” indicating they affected the entire world.
How could John have known so many details of 21st century life? Undoubtedly John’s vision was from Heaven.
PROPHECIES OF ANCIENT NATIONS.
The Bible also contains prophecies about many ancient
nations, including Babylon, Egypt, Medo-Persia, and Greece. Everything the Bible
said about these nations has come true in every detail. Consider, for example,
the prophecies about Tyre:
Tyre's doom is predicted in the twenty-sixth chapter of Ezekiel. A graphic
picture is drawn of its siege and capture by Nebuchadnezzar (vv. 7-11). The
powerful fleet of Tyre swept the sea, and prevented the complete investment of
the city; but, after a siege of thirteen years, it was at last taken by the
Chaldean army. With this part of the prophecy, however, we do not concern
ourselves. ...
More, however, was predicted. After describing the vengeance which the king of
Babylon will inflict, the prophecy proceeds: "And THEY shall lay thy stones, and
thy timber, and thy dust in the midst of the waters" (verse 12). Let the change
of person be noted. Having spoken of what Nebuchadnezzar will do, it is added,
"And they shall," etc., as if others were to be joined with him in the work of
destruction. Light is thrown upon this distinction in the third and fourth
verses. God will cause many nations to come up against Tyre, "as the sea causes
his waves to come up" (v. 3). Shock will succeed shock, till she is utterly
desolate; "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" (v.
4)
Previous to the fall of their ancient city, the Tyrians had removed the bulk of
their treasure to an island in their possession, half a mile from the shore.
Taught now by bitter experience, they resolved to trust themselves no more
within walls, which had not round them the defense of a watery girdle. Tyre was
mistress of the sea, and could defend herself there. The old city was therefore
deserted, and no attempt was made to rebuild it after the Babylonia army had
retired. So far the prophecy had been fulfilled, but only so far. Tyre was
overthrown and spoiled; the noise of her songs had ceased; the sound of her
harps was no more heard (v. 13); the great and joyous city was abased and
desolate. But the ruins still stood. The words which declared that the stones
and the timber should be cast into the sea, and the very dust be scraped from
the city's site, had not been fulfilled; and it seemed most improbable that they
ever would be. What could the words mean? Nebuchadnezzar had taken a full
vengeance, but he had never thought of this. Even in his case, furious though he
might be at the long-continued resistance, it would have been the very frenzy of
revenge. Who then would be found to wreak such unheard of vengeance upon the
unoffending ruins?
More than 240 years rolled on, and there was no answer. For two and a half
centuries those words of Scripture seemed a vain menace. Then the fame of
Alexander's swift and all-conquering career sent a thrill of alarm through the
East. The Tyrian ambassadors, who hastened to meet him, were favourably
received. It seemed as if this storm cloud were about to pass harmlessly over
them, but suddenly the conqueror expressed a desire to worship within their
city. They knew only too well what that request meant. Alexander would not enter
alone; and, once there, those who came as worshipers would remain as masters.
The Tyrians resolved to abide the issue of war, rather than tamely hand over
their city to the Macedonian king. Alexander's army marched to the seashore, and
there, with half a mile of blue waters between them and it, stood the city they
had come to attack. How could it be taken? Alexander's plan was speedily formed.
He determined to construct a solid causeway through the sea, over which his
forces might advance to the assault. And now this word, which had waited so
long, was at last LITERALLY FULFILLED.
The walls, and the towers, and the ruined houses, and palaces, and temples, of
the ancient city were pulled down, and the stones and the timber of Tyre were
laid "in the midst of the water." Her mounds of ruins were cleared away; and so
great was the demand for material in this vast undertaking, that the very dust
seems to have been scraped from the site and laid in the sea. Though centuries
had passed after the word was spoken, and had seen no fulfillment, it was not
forgotten; and the event declared that it was His word whose judgments, though
they may linger long, come surely, and fall at last with resistless might.
I have dwelt upon this instance simply as an example of the kind of evidence we
are able to bring forward. Indubitable though the prophecy is, I press for no
conclusion from its fulfillment. It is of the utmost importance, in this
inquiry, to place it beyond the possibility of doubt that we are dealing with
veritable prophecies, and that the prediction is separated from the event by
such an interval as must exclude the possibility of human foresight. It could be
proved satisfactorily to most minds that the book of Ezekiel was in existence
long before the time of Alexander; but still doubt might creep in. The
suggestion might be made that this particular prediction was added, or amended,
by a later hand.
We shall therefore limit the present inquiry to those prophecies, regarding
whose pre-existence to the events of which they speak, there can, in no mind, be
any doubt whatever. I enter into no argument as to the age of the Old Testament.
Scriptures. I ask no admission to be made in regard to the antiquity of any one
of the prophetical books.
We shall come down to a time later than any that has been named for their
origin, and our argument shall stand or fall by the prophecies which have been
fulfilled since then. Everyone is satisfied that all the Books of the Old
Testament were
in existence before the time of our Lord. It is also known, that since that
time, the Old Testament has been in a twofold custody.
It has been in the hands of both the Jews and Christians, between whom there
could be no collusion. There is therefore absolute certainty that the prophecies
are as old as the coming of Christ, and that, as they existed then, we possess
them now. If then we take only such predictions as have been fulfilled at, or
since, the beginning of the Christian era, every doubt will be removed and every
cavil prevented in regard to the interval between the prophecy and the event;
and within these limits we shall confine our present argument.
We have spoken of Tyre. There is one part of the prophecy which falls within the
limits we have now set ourselves. We read Eze. 26:13,14: "I will cause the noise
of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard . . .
Thou shalt be BUILT NO MORE."
This sentence of the divine judgment stands as a challenge to all time. It has
been unanswered, save by the silence of generations. It is unanswered still.
Palae-Tyrus, the continental Tyre, which was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, and the
ruins of which were cleared away by Alexander, has NEVER BEEN REBUILT. The site
remains today without even a mound to mark it, and has to be determined solely
by the notices in ancient writers which give its distance from the island Tyre
(John Urquhart, The Wonders of Prophecy).
The statistician Peter Stoner, using the principle of probability, assigns this
prophecy a one-in-seventy-five million chance of fulfillment. The modern city of
Sur is located near the ancient city of Tyre, but Tyre itself has indeed never
been rebuilt.
These are just a few samples from the many miraculous prophecies contained in scripture. See "The Prophetic Word" for more information on just what the Bible is all about!
Many sceptics make the claim that the Bible is filled with erroneous “bad science” and many people have the false impression that the Bible says things like ‘the earth is flat’ and that ‘our planet is the centre of the universe’, however the Bible never makes these primitive claims. Many of the greatest scientists you may be surprised to know were actually Bible believing Christians. Men like the chemist Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, lord Kelvin (creator of the science of thermodynamics) and Louis Pasteur all firmly believed in the Bible as the word of God and in creation. So it isn’t surprising that the Bible contains so much scientific accuracy well ahead of its time. This is undeniable proof that it is supernatural in origin. Here are just a handful of the many advanced scientific statements in the Scripture.
Many other remarkably advanced scientific statements appear in scripture such as the fact that wind blows in cyclonic or circular patterns (Ecclesiastes 1:6) and that diseased patients should be placed in quarantine away from others (Leviticus 13:46 and 14:1) long before people knew about germs and infectious diseases. No open minded person can conclude that these are all just lucky guesses, after all if any of these statements turned out to be wrong the Bible could be thrown away!
Everything the Bible says is true and factual. The Bible says man is a sinner, and that is not difficult to confirm. The Bible is not a scientific manual, but it is scientifically accurate, even from its earliest pages, which were written thousands of years ago. Following are some examples:
The Bible says plants and animals reproduce after their kind (Gen. 1). This is in perfect harmony with everything that can be observed and tested by modern science. There is great variety within kinds, all sorts of different roses and trees and frogs and dogs, but there is no reproduction between kinds, between roses and trees or frogs and dogs.
The Bible says the earth is hung upon nothing (Job 26:7). Modern science knows that the earth moves freely in space, but this fact is contrary to the teaching of most ancient religions. The Greeks, for example, taught that the world is upheld by Atlas. Others taught that the earth was supported by huge pillars on the back of a giant tortoise and other such fanciful notions.
The Bible says the earth is a circle (Isaiah 40:22). In past centuries many have believed that the earth is flat, but the Scriptures have always been scientifically accurate in this matter.
The Bible says there are paths in the sea (Is. 43:16). Since the 19th century the ocean currents or paths have been charted and ships travel these paths just as trucks travel across roads. Writing in the mid-1800s, Matthew Fontaine Maury, Superintendent of the U.S. Navy's Depot of Charts and Instruments in Washington, D.C., observed, "There is a river in the ocean: in the severest droughts it never fails, and in the mightiest floods it never overflows; its banks and its bottom are of cold water, while its current is of warm; the Gulf of Mexico is its fountain, and its mouth is in the Arctic Seas. It is the Gulf Stream" (Maury, The Physical Geography of the Sea, 6th ed., 1856, p. 25).
The Bible says there are trenches in the sea (Gen. 7:11; Job 38:16). "For many centuries, man considered the seashore as little more than a shallow, sandy extension that went from one continent to another. Then, in 1873 a group of British scientists carrying out research in the Pacific Ocean discovered a 'recess' (trench) 35,800 feet deep. A trench is a long, narrow depression in the ocean floor that looks like an enormous gash with extremely steep sides. The topography and depth of these trenches are used to distinguish them from other valleys and depressions in the oceans. Three major oceans have trenches in them, but the Pacific is most renowned for such. Extensive studies have been carried out on the Marianas Trench off the coast of Guam. In fact, several years ago a research team, using the bathyscaph Trieste, traveled almost seven miles down into one trench. The Bible, however, once again contained such knowledge long before mankind discovered it. Biblical scholars acknowledge that the use of the Hebrew word tehom ('abyssal depth' see Genesis 7:11) may well be a reference to such trenches. Job was asked by God, 'Hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?' (38:16). ... We now know -- thanks to years of intense, successful scientific investigations -- that such 'recesses' actually do occur in the oceans of our planet. Admittedly, our knowledge of these matters resulted from impressive technological achievements covering many generations. But where did the writer of the book of Job obtain his information? And how did the psalmist know to use a word that depicted oceanic depths? ('Scientific Foreknowledge and Biblical Accuracy,' Bert Thompson, Ph.D, Reason and Revelation, October 1993).
The Bible says the air has weight (Job 28:25). It was not until the 17th century that Galileo discovered that atmosphere has weight.
The Bible says there are springs in the sea (Job 38:16). Modern science has discovered that there are thousands of underwater springs that add millions of metric tons of water into the oceans each year.
The Bible says the sea has great depth (Job 38:16). We now know that the deepest part of the sea, the Marianas Trench in Southeast Asia, is 35,810 feet. Man cannot walk there today any more than Job could in his day.
The Bible describes the way of light and the place of darkness (Job 38:19). This is scientifically accurate. "Light is not located in a certain place or situation. Neither does it simply appear, or disappear, instantaneously. Light is traveling! It dwells in a 'way,' always on the way to someplace else. When light stops traveling, there is darkness. Thus, darkness is static, staying in place; but light is dynamic, dwelling in a way. Bound up in these energies of light, the electromagnetic spectrum, and the relation between matter and energy are all the phenomena of the physical cosmos" (Dr. Henry Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job).
The Bible describes the parting of light (Job 38:24). It was not until the 17th century that it was discovered that light passing through a prism is separated into seven colors. Further, "This may refer not only to the visible light spectrum (red to violet) but also to all the physical systems developed around the basic entity of light" (Henry Morris).
The Bible says that the light creates wind (Job 38:24), but it is only in recent times that modern weather science has discovered that wind is created as the sun heats up the surface of the earth, causing the hot air to rise and cooler air to fall, creating weather systems.
The Bible describes the amazing hydrological cycle (evaporation, atmospheric circulation, condensation, precipitation, run-off) (Job 38:25-30; Ecc. 1:7). This was created on the second and third days of creation (Gen. 1:6-10) and is one of the amazing and important systems that allow life to thrive on the earth. Yet the process of evaporation and condensation was not discovered until the 17th century and not fully understood until the 20th.
The Bible says the heavens cannot be measured and the stars are without number (Gen. 22:17; Jer. 31:37). Before the invention of the telescope, man could see only a few hundred stars at the most. Yet today we know that the stars are innumerable and that space is seemingly infinite. There are 300 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone. In 1999, observations by NASA astronomers, using the Hubble Space Telescope, suggested that there are 125 billion galaxies in the universe. The most up-to-date star count was announced in July 2003 as 70 sextillion observable stars (70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). The team of scientists that produced this figure included Simon Driver of the Australian National University, Dr. Jochen Liske from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Dr. Nicholas Cross of Johns Hopkins University, Professor Warrick Couch from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, and Dr. David Lemon from St. Andrews University. The study, which is considered 10 times more accurate than previous ones, was a part of the world's largest galaxy survey, the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey. The team did not physically count the stars. Instead they used some of the world's most powerful telescopes to count all of the galaxies in one region of the universe and then to estimate how many stars each galaxy contained by measuring its brightness. They then extrapolated these figures out to the whole universe visible through telescopes. This massive figure, of course, probably covers only a tiny percentage of the actual stars.
The Bible describes the circuit of the winds in Ecc. 1:6, but this was not discovered until modern times. "As the land in the equator heats up, it causes the hot air to rise. In the upper atmosphere, the air flows away from the equator. Cooler air will move along to replace it. This produces six major wind belts around the world" (Y.T. Wee, The Soul-Winner's Handy Guide).
The Bible says the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). This was not understood until very recent times. Even in the 19th century, doctors were using "blood letting" as a healing method, to expurgate the alleged "bad blood." George Washington, America's first president, died because of this bogus practice. Modern medicine has learned what the Bible has taught all along, that the life of the flesh is in the blood.
The Bible says the stars differ in glory (1 Cor. 15:41). "J. Bayer, in 1603, devised a method or system to indicate their brightness or magnitude. No astronomer today will deny this fact. Stars are now known to differ in size, color, light emitted, density, and heat. Our sun, which is a star, is over 1,000,000 times the size of our earth, yet there are some stars at least a million times as large as our sun, and some smaller than the planet Mercury" (World's Bible Handbook).
Many make the claim that the real Bible has passed away through numerous copies and translations over the centuries and that we can never be sure what God or Biblical men and women actually did or say, however this is not a justifiable doubt. The ancient Hebrew scribes took extreme care in copying manuscripts and making sure that the word of God was preserved from generation to generation. This can be easily verified.
As regards the Old Testament, in 1947 among the Dead Sea Scrolls were found manuscripts of every book of the Old Testament (except the book of Esther) all dating from before 68AD, multiple complete copies of Isaiah, Deuteronomy and Genesis (dating from before 125 BC) were found. All the scrolls identically correspond with today’s King James Version of the Bible apart from a tiny number of spelling and conjunction variations.
In 1979 Archaeologists in the Hinnom valley of Jerusalem found 2 silver charms of pure silver with Biblical inscriptions of Numbers 6:24-26 etched upon them which again correspond exactly with the verses in today’s KJV Bible. Archaeologists date the inscriptions as over 2600 years old.
As regards the New Testament, historians have discovered nearly 100,000 manuscripts and letters written in the first few centuries after Christ by Christians who quoted extensively from the New Testament. If all the New Testaments of modern history were destroyed we would be able to reconstruct 98% again just from the quotes from these early Christian writings.
In fact the Bible has more manuscript evidence supporting its reliability and accuracy of translation than any 10 pieces of ancient literature combined.
So the Bible has been well preserved, but of course it’s still possible that all it could contain are ridiculous fables. However you may be surprised to see that the evidence suggests otherwise.
Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible.
For many years great historians doubted the existence of Biblical kings such as King Sargon, Nebuchadnezzar, David and Belshazzar, however all these kings have now been verified as real historical personalities thus proving that we must sometimes be sceptical of the sceptics!
Regarding proof, Ancient records, seals, obelisks and inscriptions confirm countless Biblical kings and other personalities as real people belonging to the right time. Archaeology has confirmed the existence of Kings of Israel such as Hoshea, Ahab, Jehu, Jehoiachin, Ahaz the list goes on and on, not to mention foreign rulers, ancient kingdoms, cities, nations and other constructions.
The archaeological record provides overwhelming confirmation on thousands of Old Testament detailed statements of facts. Here are just a few examples,
There are many more examples, however it is more important to examine the archaeological evidence for God’s ‘supernatural interventions’ spoken of throughout the Old Testament.
On the Biblical Abraham, Dr Miller Burrows of Yale University states “everything indicates that here we have a historical individual.” And “his name appears in babylonia as a personal name in the very period to which he belongs.”
In the words of Dr. Nelson Glueck (one of the leading Palestinian archaeologists of the last century) “it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted (contradicted) a Biblical reference”.
CHRIST'S RESURRECTION PROVES THAT THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD.
His resurrection was witnessed by hundreds of people (1 Cor. 15:5-7). Were they
all lying? At times, the resurrected Christ was seen by many people at one time.
They talked with him, touched him, walked with him, and ate with him. Before the
resurrection, the apostles were fearful and were hiding from the authorities.
After they saw the resurrected Christ with their own eyes, they became bold and
fearless and were willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel. It took a
powerful event to cause such a change in their lives.
THE CONFIDENCE AND SINCERITY OF THE BIBLE'S AUTHORS PROVE THAT IT IS THE WORD OF
GOD.
The Bible testifies that "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost" (2 Pe. 1:21), and an examination of the lives of the Bible's writers
rings true to this testimony. These were serious men. They came from all walks
of life. They were men of good reputation and sound mind. Many of them were
viciously persecuted and killed for the testimony they held. They were not
enriched by the prophecies they gave. Far from it; many were impoverished. The
author of the first five books of the Bible chose to live a life of terrific
hardship and struggle in the service of God as opposed to the millionaire's life
he could have lived as the son of Pharaoh. Many Bible writers made similar
choices. Their motivation certainly was not covetousness and worldly advantage.
These were not perfect men, but they were holy men. They all claimed that God
had put His hand upon them to speak His Word. The lives they lived, and the
testimonies they held, and the deaths they died gave mighty evidence that they
were telling the truth.
THE BIBLE'S CANDOR PROVES THAT IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.
When men write biographies of their heroes, they commonly whitewash their
faults; but the Bible exhibits its divine quality by showing man as it is. Not
only is the Bible true; it is blunt and candid. Even the best of men described
in the Bible are described with all their faults. We are told plainly of Adam's
rebellion, Noah's drunkenness, David's adultery, Solomon's apostasy, Jonah's
pity party, Peter's disavowal of his Master, Paul and Barnabas' strive. And
consider the disciples' unbelief in the face of Christ's resurrection. The
following is from The Berean Call, January 2005: "Scripture honestly reveals the
flaws and sins of the best saints--even when such facts could have been avoided.
Such honesty gives the ring of truth to Scripture. One of the strangest accounts
concerns the disciples' unbelief in the face of Christ's resurrection. In fact,
their skepticism and apparent unwillingness to believe, even when Christ met
them face to face, seems so unlikely that no fiction writer would have dared to
portray it. Christ indicts His disciples with 'hardness of heart' (Mk. 16:14).
They did not believe, even when Christ appeared to them (Lk. 24:36-38). Yet one
of the thieves crucified with Christ believed in His resurrection, or he would
not have asked, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom' (Lk.
23:42). The disciples' doubts were without excuse in view of the many Messianic
prophecies. That they could be so blind to the Scripture, even after being
taught personally by Christ over several years, should cause us to re-examine
ourselves lest we be guilty of the same."
THE BIBLE'S INDESTRUCTIBILITY PROVES THAT IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.
The following is from the Christian Home Bible Course:
The Greek writer, Porphyry, tried to destroy the credibility of the BIBLE back
in 304 A.D. In the process he wrote fifteen books against the BIBLE and
Christianity in general. Did he succeed? Apparently not. The BIBLE is still
around (even stronger than before). And as for Porphyry, well, let's put it this
way; can you name his fifteen books? Can anybody name just one? Can anyone even
pronounce his name? Porphyry is just one of the many people who, throughout
history, have tried to ban, burn, destroy, outlaw, restrict, ridicule or
discredit the BIBLE. Another example is a Greek writer of satire, by the name of
Lucian, who wrote two books in the second century to ridicule the BIBLE. These
books were named The Dialogue of the Gods and The Dialogue of the Dead. There's
an extremely good chance that you don't have a copy of either of these two books
in your personal library. Yet you probably have a BIBLE somewhere around the
house; a testimony to the BIBLE'S ability to "out survive" its attackers. If
Porphyry and Lucian would have just read the BIBLE instead of attacking it they
could have saved a lot of time, because the BIBLE says: "The words of the LORD
are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for
ever" (Psalm 12:6-7).
In A.D. 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict to stop Christians
from worshipping and to destroy their scriptures. Twenty-five years later his
successor, Constantine, issued another edict ordering 50 Bibles to be published
at government expense. Too bad Diocletian didn't realize the promise from the
Bible. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall
stand for ever" (Isaiah 40:8).
Atheist Robert Ingersoll once boasted, "within 15 years I'll have the Bible
lodged in a morgue." Well, within 15 years, Robert Ingersoll was lodged within a
morgue, but the Bible lives on!
In the 1700"s the atheist French writer Voltaire said, "within 100 years, the
Bible and Christianity will be swept out of existence, and pass into history."
Well, within 50 years, Voltaire was swept out of existence and passed into
history, and the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire's house and printing press
to print and distribute thousands of Bibles. This ironic twist of events should
not have surprised anyone, because God had promised that "Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). The very year that
Voltaire said "50 years from now, the world will hear no more of the BIBLE," the
British Museum paid $500,000 for an old manuscript of the BIBLE, while at the
same time in Paris, one of Voltaire's books sold for eight cents.
Down through the centuries many attacks against the Bible have come through
bitter persecution along with outright attempts to destroy it. Many attacks
against the Bible have come from scoffers. But there have been some, who after
examining the facts have changed their opinion. Here are two examples:
General Lew Wallace was a Territorial Governor following the days of the U.S.
Civil War. He had been a Senator in Indiana at the age of 29 and was considered
a very scholarly man. He had no confidence in Christianity or the BIBLE, so he
set out to write a skeptical book to disprove both. In his study he instead
found the BIBLE and Christ to be true, and became himself a devout Christian.
General Wallace never wrote his book against the Bible. He wrote instead the
classic Christian novel Ben Hur.
William Ramsey, the English scholar went to Asia Minor with the expressed
purpose of proving the BIBLE was historically inaccurate. As he painstakingly
poured over the ancient artifacts and details, to his amazement he found that
the BIBLE was accurate down to the tiniest detail. The evidence was so
convincing that Sir Ramsey himself became a Christian and a great Biblical
scholar.
Down through the years, the BIBLE has been a mighty anvil that has worn out many
of the puny hammers of the scoffers. (This section is from the Christian Home
Bible Course; used by permission.)
THE BIBLE'S INVITATIONS PROVE IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.
The Bible invites the hearer to partake of its spiritual realities and thus
prove for oneself its genuineness: "O taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps.
34:8); "come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden" (Mt. 11:28);
"whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Re. 22:17); "ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters ... come ye, buy and eat" (Is. 55:1);
"look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and
there is none else" (Is. 45:22).
The Bible promises that "he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in
himself..." (1 Jn. 5:10). God will prove Himself to the sincere seeker.
THE BIBLE'S EFFECTS PROVE IT IS THE WORD OF GOD