I. DEFINITIONS<\/p>\n
The prosecution\u2019s strategy is not to condemn the Bible, but first to cast doubt about it \u2026 and then to shatter confidence that it is the reliable, revealed Word of God. The ultimate goal? Relegate it to rest among the relics of ancient history \u2026 to reside among the oldest religious and poetic books penned over the centuries \u2026 to have the concept of \u201choly\u201d removed from the Bible\u2019s reputation.
\n\u201cLike other books, the Bible has been a positive influence in some people\u2019s lives,\u201d the lead attorney begins. \u201cIt has given us adages like, \u2018God helps those who help themselves\u2019 and \u2018Cleanliness is next to godliness.\u2019 \u201d
\n\u201cObjection!\u201d a defense attorney interrupts. \u201cThose 2 adages are nowhere to be found in the Bible.\u201d
\n\u201cSustained,\u201d says the judge.
\nSlightly unnerved, the prosecutor continues \u2026 tossing around words like canon, questioning the validity of the proceedings of a council in Jamnia in AD 90. Most of the jury members look puzzled, as if seminary terms had just been used to communicate with 2nd grade students. But the prosecution pauses \u2026 \u201cThat\u2019s all, your honor.\u201d
\nTo secure a strong foundation for its case and to clear away some of the confusion, the defense begins with a course in \u201cBible basics.\u201d Everyone on the jury no doubt has heard of the Bible, but how many have actually read it? Are they aware that the Bible is one large Book containing 66 smaller books? What do they know of its authors or the history of God\u2019s recorded Word to mankind?
\nThe fundamentals need to be covered in order for the light of truth to begin to break through. And so the defense proceeds \u2026
\n\u201cLadies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to \u2026 the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n
A. What Is the Bible?<\/p>\n
The defense continues, \u201cThe Bible is read by more people, translated into more languages, published in more countries, than is any other book in history. No book has been more bought or more banned, more loved or more loathed, more memorized or more maligned than the Bible. Regardless of the heightened controversies throughout history, and even in this courtroom, we the defenders stand with the apostle Paul.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.\u201d
\n(Romans 1:16)<\/p>\n
BIBLE BASICS 101<\/p>\n
In order to better understand what it is, we need to know the following overview of the Bible.<\/p>\n
\u2022 TITLE \u2026 The Bible is referred to as the \u201cBook of Books.\u201d The English word Bible is from the Latin word biblia, which means \u201cbooks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 PURPOSE \u2026 The Bible is the record that God has given us \u2026 of Creation, of His work in the lives of people, and of the final destination\u2014heaven or hell\u2014for every person ever born.<\/p>\n
\u2022 STRUCTURE \u2026 The Bible is one book consisting of 66 smaller books containing a continuous, coordinated, congruent story of God\u2019s plan of salvation. The arrangement of the books follows the order found in the Latin Vulgate translation in the Old Testament\u2019s historic, poetic, and prophetic books and the New Testament\u2019s gospels, history books, letters, and prophetic book of Revelation.<\/p>\n
\u2022 REVELATION \u2026 The Bible is God\u2019s revealed truth in written form to all people. It is God\u2019s written self-disclosure of His will, His works, and His ways.<\/p>\n
\u2022 AUTHOR \u2026 The Bible is authored by God Himself.<\/p>\n
\u2022 WRITERS \u2026 The Bible was written by more than 40 men who were inspired by God\u2019s Spirit to write. They came from all walks of life. Witness the following:
\n\u2014 Moses, political leader
\n\u2014 Joshua, military general
\n\u2014 David, musician, poet\/king
\n\u2014 Solomon, philosopher\/king
\n\u2014 Amos, herdsman\/farmer
\n\u2014 Daniel, prime minister
\n\u2014 Ezra, historian\/scribe
\n\u2014 Nehemiah, king\u2019s cupbearer
\n\u2014 Paul, scholar\/tentmaker
\n\u2014 Matthew, tax collector
\n\u2014 Luke, physician
\n\u2014 Peter, fisherman<\/p>\n
\u2022 LANGUAGES \u2026 The Bible was written in 3 different languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.<\/p>\n
\u2022 LOCATION \u2026 The Bible was written on 3 continents\u2014Asia, Africa, and Europe\u2014and written in different places, such as these:
\n\u2014 Moses in the wilderness
\n\u2014 Jeremiah in a dungeon
\n\u2014 Daniel in a palace
\n\u2014 Luke in transit
\n\u2014 Paul in prison
\n\u2014 John in exile on an island<\/p>\n
\u2022 DATE \u2026 The Bible was written over a span of approximately 1,500\u20131,600 years.<\/p>\n
\u2022 TOPICS \u2026 The Bible addresses theology, history, and science, as well as many difficult subjects: the origin of the universe and life, the nature of God, the nature of sin and the plan for human redemption, and the future\u2014including heaven, hell, and eternity.<\/p>\n
\u2022 THEME \u2026 The Bible contains one central theme: salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cGod did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u2026 From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.\u201d
\n(1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)<\/p>\n
BACKGROUND
\nMost people have never asked, \u201cWhy was the Bible written?\u201d It began with God\u2019s command to Moses to write the 1st official written record depicting God\u2019s powerful work among His people. The Israelites had left Egypt in a massive \u201cexodus,\u201d and at the end of the 2nd month, they experienced an enemy attack\u2014a rear assault, striking first the stragglers.
\nBoth Moses and his assistant, Joshua, would be involved in battle, but in entirely different ways. Moses instructed Joshua to choose the men who would fight the Amalekites, and then he indicated he would stand on top of a nearby hill with the staff of God in his hands.
\nAaron, the high priest, and Hur, who tradition says was Moses\u2019 brother-in-law, accompanied Moses up the hill to support him in his call to battle. As fighting ensued, as long as Moses held his hands up, the battle swung in favor of the Israelites. But when he lowered his hands, the pendulum swung in the Amalekites\u2019 direction.
\nSoon, Moses\u2019 hands grew yoo tired \u2026 and heavy. Thus, Aaron and Hur found a stone for Moses to sit on and then each man stood on either side of Moses holding his hands up \u201cso that his hands remained steady till sunset\u201d (Exodus 17:12).
\nUpon the enemy\u2019s defeat, \u201cThe LORD said to Moses, \u2018Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered\u2019 \u201d (Exodus 17:14) God wanted His faithful intervention and protection of His people to be written down.
\nThis record is merely one of the thousands of accounts revealling God\u2019s profound faithfulness to His people extended through the ages and written in the Word of God, the Bible.<\/p>\n
B. What Is Scripture?<\/p>\n
The defense decides to explain that the word \u201cscripture\u201d is more than the mere writings of men.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Scripture means sacred or holy writings. A Greek word often translated \u201cscripture\u201d in the New Testament is graphe. The Greek word for \u201choly\u201d is hagios, which means \u201cset apart, like no other.\u201d These biblical Scriptures are indeed like no other because they are authored by God.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Scripture can refer to one verse, one passage, one chapter, one book (of the Bible), or to the entire Bible.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Scripture is God\u2019s Word; therefore, to quote Scripture is to quote God.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Scripture in the New Testament has equal authority with Scripture in the Old Testament.<\/p>\n
The apostle Peter says \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.\u2026 His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.\u201d
\n(2 Peter 3:15\u201316)<\/p>\n
BACKGROUND
\nGod had called Moses to meet Him on Mount Sinai to receive His laws and covenant on behalf of the Israelites. After Moses told the people all God had said, \u201cThey responded with one voice, \u2018Everything the LORD has said we will do\u2019 \u201d (Exodus 24:3).
\nFollowing this public ratification, \u201cMoses then wrote down everything the LORD had said\u201d (Exodus 24:4). This portion of Scripture is identified by several names\u2014the Book of the Covenant, Book of the Law, the Mosaic Law, and the Mosaic Covenant. Moses recorded literally hundreds of laws\u2014including the Ten Commandments\u2014to instruct God\u2019s people in obedience. And this scriptural covenant specified the Israelites\u2019 unique relationship with the sovereign God: \u201cYou yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles\u2019 wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession\u201d (Exodus 19:4\u20135).<\/p>\n
C. What Is the Canon?<\/p>\n
Now the defense presents a description detailing how the Bible came into being. What makes this \u201cBook of Books\u201d authoritative? What makes the Bible different from any other book of antiquity? Just what is \u201cthe canon of Scripture\u201d?<\/p>\n
\u2022 The canon of Scripture refers to the collection of 66 officially accepted books of the Bible that set the standard for correct Christian belief and practice and that also meet rigid guidelines for determining authority and validity.
\n\u2014 The 39 books of the Old Testament, the 27 books of the New Testament
\n\u2014 \u201cCanon,\u201d from the Greek word kanon, means \u201ca rule or a measuring rod,\u201d which also serves as the root for the English word cane, which means \u201creed\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 The canon of the Bible meets the following tests for divine inspiration and authority.<\/p>\n
#1. Was the book written by a prophet of God or an apostle of Christ?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.\u201d (2 Peter 1:19)<\/p>\n
#2. Was the writing confirmed by an act of God or an affirmation from God?<\/p>\n
\u201cGod also testified to it [the Gospel of salvation] by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.\u201d (Hebrews 2:4)<\/p>\n
#3. Does the message reveal truth from or about God?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth\u2014the LORD God Almighty is his name.\u201d (Amos 4:13)<\/p>\n
#4. Did the writing arise from the Lord\u2019s divine initiative with edifying power?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.\u201d (Hebrews 4:12)<\/p>\n
#5. Was it accepted as Scripture by the people of God\u2014particularly the contemporaries of the writing?<\/p>\n
\u201cOur gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.\u201d (1 Thessalonians 1:5\u20136)<\/p>\n
#6. Does it pass the test of \u201cthe history of theology\u201d\u2014presenting a contiguous and even progressive revelation?<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.\u201d (Hebrews 1:1\u20132)<\/p>\n
#7. Did Jesus Christ endorse the writing as Scripture?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me [Jesus].\u201d (John 5:39)<\/p>\n
\u2022 The canon of the Old Testament today possesses the same content as the early Hebrew canon, but it is divided into 39 books, rather than the 24 books of the Hebrew Tanakh.
\n\u2014 The term \u201cTanakh\u201d is the name for the Hebrew Scriptures or what Christians call the Old Testament. The name Tanakh is an acronym derived from the three divisions of these sacred writings: Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). While the content of the Hebrew Scriptures coincide with the Christian Old Testament, the book divisions and order are distinct:<\/p>\n
\u25e6 Torah consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
\n\u25e6 Neviim consists of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and The Twelve (corresponds to the writings of 12 prophets).
\n\u25e6 Ketuvim consists of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The last books of the Old Testament canon were completed 300 to 400 years before Jesus\u2019 birth, and the entire canon was recognized and in use at least 200 years prior to His birth. In fact, in the synagogue Jesus read from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the Sabbath day he [Jesus] went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.\u201d (Luke 4:16\u201317)<\/p>\n
\u2014 The historian Josephus, writing around AD 90, commented that the Hebrew canon was established, and \u201c\u2026 no one of us has ever ventured to take anything away from them or to add anything to them or to make even the slightest alteration. From his very birth, it is inbred in every Jew to consider them as writings given by God, to adhere to them, and if need be, gladly to die for them.\u201d
\n\u2014 The canon of the Old Testament was further confirmed at Jamnia in AD 90, where a group of Jewish rabbis and Jewish leaders reaffirmed what was already known in their Jewish heritage, that these are the books recognized as the Jewish Scriptures\u2014the same books now known as the Old Testament.
\n\u2014 Jesus accepted and endorsed the books of the Old Testament canon by the fact that He quoted and referred to them often. He said \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cBeginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.\u201d (Luke 24:27)<\/p>\n
\u2022 The canon of the New Testament was established and confirmed by the early church.
\n\u2014 By the close of the 2nd century and into the 3rd and 4th centuries, multiple lists of the canonical books of the New Testament were compiled by church leaders and believers in various parts of the Roman world, with most of the questions surrounding the letters of James, Jude, 2 Peter, Hebrews, 2 John and 3 John, and Revelation.
\n\u2014 The books of the New Testament first gained regional acceptance (AD 50\u2013AD 350) and were later recognized by the entire church (AD 350\u2013AD 420). A few other books, such as Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Barnabas, 1 Clement and 2 Clement, and the Didache, sometimes gained canonical or near canonical status in certain regions but never achieved widespread acceptance and were not included in the canon.<\/p>\n
\u25e6 The Roman Catholic Church did not add the extra Apocryphal books to their canon until the Council of Trent in 1546.
\n\u25e6 During the 4th and 5th centuries, church councils all affirmed this list of 27 books.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The 27 books of the New Testament canon were appropriately written by apostles of Christ with the exception of only 6 books: the Gospel of Mark (written by a disciple and close companion of the apostle Peter and cousin to Barnabas), the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts (written by a disciple and close companion of the apostle Paul), Hebrews (written anonymously by a Jewish Christian), James and Jude (written by 2 brothers of Jesus). All 9 New Testament writers were Jewish contemporaries of Jesus, with the exception of Luke, a Greek physician.
\n\u2014 Apostolic tradition was a major determining factor in what books made up the canon of the New Testament.<\/p>\n
\u25e6 The apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus\u2019 ministry, and their testimonies regarding Him were both oral (preaching) and written (New Testament writings). Jesus told the apostles \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cYou also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.\u201d (John 15:27)<\/p>\n
\u25e6 The apostles were Christ\u2019s representatives, and He entrusted them with His words. Jesus said \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.\u201d (John 14:26)<\/p>\n
\u25e6 The apostles were commissioned by Jesus to transmit His revelation accurately.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.\u201d (John 16:15)<\/p>\n
\u2014 The writers of the 27 books of the New Testament knew they were writing Scripture. The apostle Paul said \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cMy message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit\u2019s power, so that your faith might not rest on men\u2019s wisdom, but on God\u2019s power.\u201d (1 Corinthians 2:4\u20135)<\/p>\n
In his book The Canonicity of the Bible, Dr. Norman Geisler states, \u201cCanonicity is determined or established authoritatively by God; it is merely discovered by man.\u201d<\/p>\n
II. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIBLE<\/p>\n
The prosecution next pounces on what it describes as \u201cthe presumptive factor.\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cIt takes a lot of audacity,\u201d the lead attorney challenges, \u201cto say that in a world filled with religious books, as well as thousands of different religions, more than 6 billion people on the globe are to follow one book. That\u2019s not only presumptuous\u2014that\u2019s ludicrous.\u201d
\nHe continues \u2026 \u201cFurthermore, it has been established that the Old Testament is a derivative of Babylonian and Assyrian law codes and myths. It is simply that\u2014nothing more, nothing less; certainly nothing supernatural. Certainly nothing that could meet the needs of every person on the planet! No book wields, or should claim to wield, that kind of authority.
\n\u201cAnd the contradictions \u2026!\u201d He then proceeds to call to the stand a scholar who maintains there are conflicting creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 and that the Bible states that the earth is flat and is the center of the universe.
\n\u201cObjection!\u201d a defense attorney blurts. \u201cEach of those statements is rooted in misconception and misinterpretation.\u201d
\n\u201cObjection sustained.\u201d
\nThe prosecution turns the proceedings over to the defense, which now turns attention to the totality of truth contained in the Bible. The attorneys know they are preparing to swim against a tide of \u201ccultural relativism\u201d\u2014a robust teaching that there is no absolute truth\u2014that truth changes, based on different cultures, perspectives, and points in time. And surely the jurists in front of them represent the beliefs of the people all around them.
\nThe lead defender is ready to present the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, the only Word of God, knowing that some will feel angst at his position. \u201cNarrow-minded, bigoted\u201d \u2026 the words flash across his memory as he recalls the labels that had only moments earlier been thrown at him. However, strong internal evidences validating the Bible\u2019s authority will soon be joined with powerful testimonies.
\nBut first, to describe the term \u201cbiblical authority,\u201d the defense asks expert defenders of the faith one question after another. Questions about the Bible flow quickly.<\/p>\n
A. How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?<\/p>\n
The all-powerful God, the Creator of everything, has the power to communicate whatever message He chooses and to control the writing of that message so that it is infallible, inerrant, inclusive, and inspired\u2014exactly what He intended. The Bible has authority because God, who is perfect, used imperfect human authors to write down His very words, which He perfectly protected. In fact, God Himself gives a graphic illustration describing His power to protect His Word.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.\u201d
\n(Isaiah 55:10\u201311)<\/p>\n
THE BIBLE HAS AUTHORITY BECAUSE IT IS \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 INSPIRED: The Bible is supernaturally inspired.\u2026 It comes from God Himself. The English word \u201cinspired\u201d comes from the Greek word theopneustos, which means \u201cGod-breathed.\u201d In fact, the Bible is the precise message God wanted recorded.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.\u201d (2 Timothy 3:16)<\/p>\n
\u2022 INFALLIBLE: The Bible is incapable of deception.\u2026 It is totally trustworthy. In fact, the Bible is totally truthful.\u2026 It will not mislead because \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.\u201d (Psalm 19:7)<\/p>\n
\u2022 INERRANT: The Bible tells the truth and does so without error.\u2026 It is absolutely accurate. In fact, the Bible contains no mistake, falsehood, or flaw.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.\u201d (Psalm 12:6)<\/p>\n
(Upon cross-examination, the prosecution will seek to destroy this assertion.)<\/p>\n
\u2022 INCLUSIVE: The Bible is all inclusive.\u2026 It encompasses all truth necessary for life. In fact, the Bible contains everything we need for \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 Salvation
\n\u201cBy this gospel you are saved.\u201d (1 Corinthians 15:2)
\n\u2014 Instruction
\n\u201cPreach the Word \u2026 correct, rebuke and encourage\u2014with great patience and careful instruction.\u201d (2 Timothy 4:2).
\n\u2014 Hope
\n\u201cEverything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.\u201d (Romans 15:4)
\n\u2014 Blessing
\n\u201cThe man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it\u2014he will be blessed in what he does.\u201d (James 1:25)<\/p>\n
B. What Is the Internal Evidence of Biblical Authority?<\/p>\n
More strategic questions are asked and answered by the defense in order to educate the jury. The defense knows that the issue of \u201cinternal evidence\u201d must be addressed.
\nThe Bible\u2019s being the \u201cWord of God\u201d is the foundation of Christianity, and Christian faith is based on biblical authority of accuracy. But does the Bible have intrinsic authority or ascribed authority? Does it have the right to be the authority for living to everyone, everywhere, every day, or is it simply an accepted source of \u201cgood advice\u201d and \u201chelpful information\u201d? Is it, in fact, the Word of God? The answer to this question is critical and warrants close examination of what the Bible actually declares about itself and the validity of its assertions. The Bible presents itself as the Word of God \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 Declaring it actually is the Word of God and is working in the lives of all who profess faith in Jesus: \u201cYou received the word of God \u2026 not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe\u201d (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
\n\u2014 Avowing it is from God and came through His prophets: \u201cThe gospel he [God] promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son.\u2026\u201d (Romans 1:2\u20133).<\/p>\n
#1. The Bible asserts authority above any other book \u2026
\n\u2014 Professing that it is precious, perfect, right, trustworthy, sufficient, beneficial, and to be applied to life: \u201cThe law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart\u201d (Psalm 19:7\u20138).
\n\u2014 Maintaining that it is the commanded writings of the eternal God and is to be obeyed: \u201cNow to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him\u201d (Romans 16:25\u201326).<\/p>\n
#2. The Bible possesses an eternal quality \u2026
\n\u2014 Proclaiming that it is eternally established in the heavens: \u201cYour word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens\u201d (Psalm 119:89).
\n\u2014 Pronouncing that it is going to last forever: \u201cAll men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you\u201d (1 Peter 1:24\u201325).<\/p>\n
#3. The Bible accomplishes God\u2019s purposes \u2026
\n\u2014 Exposing the incriminating effects of sin: \u201cThrough the law we become conscious of sin\u201d (Romans 3:20).
\n\u2014 Explaining the messianic office of Jesus: \u201cThese [words] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name\u201d (John 20:31).
\n\u2014 Extolling the power of the gospel to save: \u201cBy this gospel you are saved\u201d (1 Corinthians 15:2).
\n\u2014 Extending eternal life through faith in Jesus: \u201cI write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life\u201d (1 John 5:13).<\/p>\n
III. CAUSES OF UNBELIEF<\/p>\n
The prosecution proceeds to call witness after witness \u2026 firing off question after question \u2026 their interrogations continuing endlessly. First, the credibility of the Bible as a whole is disputed as the validity of its ancient manuscripts is called into account. Next, specific situations are cited, such as allegations that Moses actually led the Israelites through the ankle-high water of the Reed Sea, not through the walled-up, deep waters of the Red Sea. But the primary miracle the prosecution hopes to disprove is the one that would crumble Christianity, as well as brand the Bible as unreliable once and for all\u2014that being, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
\nDown through the centuries, the \u201caccused\u201d (the Bible) has received a barrage of \u201cbad press,\u201d finding itself the target of sloppy, unfounded reports of inaccuracies and falsehoods. The defense attorneys know their work is cut out for them, so they slowly and systematically present proofs from inside as well as outside the Bible to refute the false claims and restore trust in the most trustworthy Book ever written.
\nThey are confident they will disprove the prosecution\u2019s premise that biblical manuscripts are unreliable. So much so, in fact, that when the Bible is vindicated, as they firmly believe it will be, an expunction\u2014a deletion\u2014may be in order to erase erroneous information that has damaged the reputation of the Bible. But before they get their turn at bat, the prosecutors question whether a death really occurred at all.\u2026 \u201cJesus didn\u2019t actually \u2018die\u2019 on the cross\u2014He \u2018swooned\u2019 on the cross.\u2026 Jesus only appeared to be dead when removed from the cross.\u2026 Later He was resuscitated by cool air in His tomb.\u201d
\nThe defense team shares a collective thought: There\u2019s one big problem with this theory\u2014it takes more faith than the resurrection itself!
\nThe defense argues: \u201cJesus experienced numerous times of excruciating torture\u2014the beatings, the scourging, the Crucifixion, and the spear thrust into His side. If He had only \u2018swooned,\u2019 that would mean the professional executioners were wrong. And despite a tremendous loss of blood as a result of being speared and beaten with the infamous cat-o\u2019-nine-tails\u2014the metal pieces on the leather straps designed to rip flesh\u2014and despite many hours in a cold tomb without food, water, or help, He somehow was revived.
\n\u201cThen He Himself unwrapped the linen\u2014from inside out\u2014and removed the 100 pounds of spices encasing His body, placed the burial clothes neatly where He had lain, and proceeded with His escape. And finally, Jesus would have had to roll the huge stone sealing His tomb uphill, overcome the guards, who were armed, and then find a place to hide for three days\u2014during which time His wounds healed completely.\u201d However, the defense presents Peter, as an eyewitness.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are witnesses of everything he [Jesus] did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen\u2014by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.\u201d
\n(Acts 10:39\u201341)<\/p>\n
A. What are Surface Causes of Disbelief?<\/p>\n
The defending attorneys are not surprised at the caustic attacks in the courtroom.\u2026 Throughout the centuries, skeptics from all nations have rejected the truths of Scripture and ridiculed those who believed otherwise. The communist dictionary issued by Soviet State Publishing printed this declaration for all to see: \u201cThe Bible is a collection of fantastic legends without scientific support.\u201d
\nThe lawyers for the defense know to expect these kinds of assertions because \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned\u201d (1 Corinthians 2:14).<\/p>\n
The defense attorneys also assume that certain people on this jury have various reasons to discount the Bible and its authority over them. These reasons generally include \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ignorance\u2014originating from little knowledge of Scripture. Jesus said, \u201cYou are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God\u201d (Matthew 22:29).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Insolence\u2014stemming from intellectual pride. Paul the Apostle explained \u2026
\n\u201cAlthough they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools\u201d (Romans 1:21\u201322).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Impurity\u2014emanating from living in sin. The beloved apostle John made this pronouncement \u2026 \u201cThis is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed\u201d (John 3:19\u201320).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Indifference\u2014derived from no fear [reverential awe] of God. Wise King Solomon declared \u2026
\n\u201cThe fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline\u201d (Proverbs 1:7).<\/p>\n
B. What are Some Key Arguments and Answers?<\/p>\n
Skeptics!\u2026 They never cease to surface. In the schoolroom, in the boardroom, in the courtroom \u2026 they\u2019ve appeared throughout the centuries. Some are sitting in this court.
\nSome are sidelined from the faith by simple misconceptions. Others are swayed by sophisticated arguments. But the Bible has time and again proven itself \u2026 to change both the seeker as well as the skeptic whose hearts are not sealed shut.
\nJesus encountered His fair share of skeptics during His ministry \u2026 questions about how a carpenter could be the Christ \u2026 how the son of Mary could be the Son of God. Although the religious leaders of the day witnessed miracle after miracle by Jesus, such verification did not lead to their repentance \u2026 but led only to further rejection. Jesus said \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.\u201d
\n(John 10:38)<\/p>\n
But the miracles only motivated them to murder Jesus\u2014an act even prophesied in the Scriptures!<\/p>\n
#1. THE BIBLE\u2014NO ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: Since no original books of the Bible exist, the Bible can\u2019t be trusted.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: For those who are unfamiliar with determining the trustworthiness of ancient texts, the lack of having the \u201coriginal writing\u201d seems a valid roadblock to viability. However, rarely do any writings of antiquity exist today (unless engraved in stone!), yet multiple copies from the originals can provide the proof texts needed to authenticate the existing manuscripts.
\nIn the case of the Bible, the vast number of copies available today\u2014more than enough to determine their reliability\u2014are far more than any other writing of antiquity. For example:<\/p>\n
\u2022 The oldest surviving New Testament manuscript fragments date to the 2nd century and the oldest complete New Testaments to the 4th century.<\/p>\n
\u2022 More than 5,700 Greek New Testament manuscripts, 20,000 early translations (Latin, Aramaic, Syriac, etc.).<\/p>\n
\u2022 More than 1,000,000 biblical quotations from early church fathers.<\/p>\n
\u2022 To illustrate this wealth of material, if the existing copies of the works of any one ancient Greek author were placed in a stack, that stack would be about 4 feet high. If all the New Testament manuscripts and versions were collected, the stack would be more than one mile high.<\/p>\n
\u2022 When compared to other works of antiquity, the Bible, because of these facts, is in a category all by itself. Yet, not only are thousands more copies of Holy Scripture available than those of any other book of antiquity, these copies were made hundreds of years closer to the date the original manuscripts were written\u2014closer than that of any other ancient book. This fact alone gives total credibility to the recorded words of Jesus \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cHeaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.\u201d
\n(Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33)<\/p>\n
#2. COPYING THE BIBLE\u2014ERRORS?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: Since scribes who copied the Bible made mistakes, how can anyone consider the Bible to be without error?<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: Copying manuscripts is tedious work and next to impossible to do perfectly, free of even the slightest error. That is why people are trained to perform this focused task and why documents are carefully screened for errors. Copying what the copyist considers to be sacred holy writ is especially stressful and must be thoroughly precise. Certainly it is more than just a \u201cjob.\u201d It is a high calling of God and is to be approached with the significant realization that handling the Word of God has eternal implications.<\/p>\n
This was indeed the mindset of those who copied the Bible. However, in spite of their dedication and desire to copy the Word of God accurately, some errors did occur that have resulted in occasional minor variations between copies. The same is true of even \u201cmodern\u201d works like those of Shakespeare. When you are assessing the impact of such errors, these facts can be helpful:<\/p>\n
\u2022 No book in human history has been copied more times than the Bible. But these were not copies of just \u201cany book.\u201d The carefully chosen scribes responsible for copying the Jewish Bible were required to adhere to strict instructions as stated in the Talmud, including \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 Each column must have no less than 48 or no more than 60 lines.
\n\u2014 No word or letter could be written from memory. The scribe must have an authentic copy before him, and he had to read and pronounce aloud each word before writing it.
\n\u2014 He had to reverently wipe his pen each time before writing the Word of God. And he had to wash his whole body before writing the sacred name Jehovah.
\n\u2014 If 3 mistakes were found on any page, the entire manuscript was condemned for use in the synagogue.
\n\u2014 Every word and every letter was counted to ensure accuracy.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The presence of variant writings in the Bible does not affect any central biblical doctrine. Therefore, the integrity of the Bible is not damaged.
\n\u2014 By carefully comparing thousands of the existing ancient manuscripts, the original wording is normally self-evident.
\n\u2014 Only 1% of all textual variants could influence the meaning of a text, yet not one of these variants affect any significant belief or central doctrine. First Timothy 3:16 contains a variation referring to Christ with the pronoun, \u201cHe\u201d or the title \u201cGod.\u201d However, the deity of Christ remains unquestioned because of the multitude of other passages\u2014in fact the entire narrative of the New Testament is built on the premise that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Almost all these differences between copies are minor and easily explained. For instance:
\n\u2014 There are multiple spellings for people, places, and various terms.
\n\u2014 Letters in particular words were added, omitted, or transposed without fundamentally changing the word in the copying process.
\n\u2014 A scribe who had memorized a parallel passage could have inadvertently added a phrase or word to the verse copied.
\n\u2014 A tired or distracted scribe could have inserted a word from a line above or below. These variants are obvious.<\/p>\n
Although some have tried to use these variants to discredit the Bible we have today, they do not use this argument to discredit other nonreligious writings of antiquity. In actuality, there are far too many ancient copies of the Scriptures in existence today to leave credible doubt as to the message of the original text. And the disputed wording in isolated verses does not diminish the overwhelming body of truth found in the Bible. We read \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.\u201d
\n(Psalm 18:30)<\/p>\n
#3. CAIN\u2014WHERE DID HIS WIFE COME FROM?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: There must have been people on the earth other than those the Bible claims God created because there would have been no one for them to marry.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL:<\/p>\n
\u2022 All humanity shares a common pair of ancestors in Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:20; Romans 5:12).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Adam and Eve lived long lives and gave birth to Cain, Abel, Seth, and many more children than those named in Genesis (Genesis 5:4).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Cain, as well as his other brothers, would have married their sisters in order to continue the human race.<\/p>\n
\u2022 This practice did not violate the law of God (for example, Abraham and Sarah\u2014Genesis 20:12) because God did not forbid marrying close relatives until 2,500 years later when the Law was given by God to Moses (Leviticus 18:6\u201319).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Adam and Eve were created with perfect genetic code; this allowed their children to marry with no risk to their descendants. Following Adam and Eve\u2019s fall into sin, and with the passing of time, genetic flaws made the risk of genetic abnormality high in marriage among close relatives, creating a need for the Mosaic injunctions against marriage within families. The time from Adam and Eve to Moses was at least 2,500 years.<\/p>\n
#4. THE RACES\u2014WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: The Bible can\u2019t be true, for it says that we all descended from Noah. But humanity comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Only Noah and his family survived the judgment of the Great Flood (Genesis 7:23), and the entire human family is descended from his family (Genesis 9:18\u201319).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Although today society has a variety of races with individual characteristics, all humanity is related through a common ancestor.<\/p>\n
\u2022 A solitary individual possesses unique physical characteristics but has the genetic coding that makes an incredible variety of characteristics possible.<\/p>\n
An example of the wide range of characteristics possible in genetic coding can be seen in dog breeding. Today, there are over 200 dog breeds with a wide range of characteristics, sizes, and features, but all these dogs descended from a limited number of wild European dogs. Thus, you can see how humanity could have a common ancestor and also exhibit great diversity.<\/p>\n
#5. DINOSAURS\u2014WHY AREN\u2019T THEY MENTIONED?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: The dinosaurs are not mentioned in the Bible, yet we find their remains all over the world. So, the Bible must not be true.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Dinosaurs are not mentioned by name in the Bible because the term \u201cdinosaur\u201d is a modern term. However, great beasts that fit the description of dinosaurs are discussed in Job 40:15\u201324.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The remains of dinosaurs discovered today appear to have been fossilized during the Great Flood about 4,500 years ago. There is no conclusive evidence that these fossils are millions of years old.<\/p>\n
Many scientists conclude the dinosaurs that survived in the ark during the flood were unable to survive in the altered ecosystem of the earth\u2014and thus became extinct, as did many other animals since then.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit.\u201d
\n(Job 40:15\u201317)<\/p>\n
#6. CROSSING OF THE RED SEA\u2014OR THE REED SEA?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: Moses did not lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage by crossing the Red Sea, but by crossing the Reed Sea. The myth of God\u2019s parting the water was neither a miracle nor was it necessary because the Sea of Reeds was only a few inches deep.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: Since miracles are far beyond the norm of natural experience\u2014especially those of the magnitude of parting a huge body of water, they are subject to being dismissed as myth. Yet, to change the name of the sea over which approximately 2,000,000 Israelites crossed from the Red Sea to the Reed Sea does not eliminate the reality that a miracle occurred, but merely switches one miracle for another. The biblical account is that God miraculously parts the water so that the Israelites could cross to the other side. The Red Sea then closes over the Egyptians, swallowing them up in tons of water.<\/p>\n
However, if the crossing took place through the shallow Reed Sea, God would have to perform a very different miracle: The entire Egyptian army in hot pursuit of the Israelites now drowns in just a few inches of water. That could be an even greater miracle!<\/p>\n
To sidestep, nullify, or ignore the miracles of an all-powerful God, is to deny ourselves the awesome joy and privilege of knowing that He can also work miracles in our lives when the need presents itself. It also would rob us of the calm assurance that our God is able to meet all of our needs, no matter their size or the improbability of their being met. Nothing is impossible for Him.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Egyptians pursued them [the Israelites], and all Pharaoh\u2019s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.\u2026 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen\u2014the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.\u201d
\n(Exodus 14:23\u201328)<\/p>\n
#7. THE FEEDING OF THE 5,000\u2014or 4,000?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: The Bible contains obvious mistakes: Matthew states that Jesus miraculously fed 5,000, while Mark says he fed 4,000.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: One of the most astonishing stories in the Bible\u2014one of the most memorable miracles is the beloved \u201cFeeding of the Five Thousand.\u201d In fact, the event was so impressive that this miracle is recounted in all 4 gospels by all 4 Gospel writers\u2014a rarity within itself.<\/p>\n
Jesus has been teaching on a hillside. When it is time to eat, a boy hands Jesus his lunch\u20142 loaves of bread (2 dinner-like rolls) and 5 little fish (like sardines)\u2014Jesus multiplies this food before their very eyes to feed the thousands of hungry people. But \u2026 how are we to view this apparent contradiction in number?<\/p>\n
The bigger question is why do we assume that there was only one miracle mega feast? Actually, no mistake or contradiction exists. Both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark detail the account of the feeding of the 4,000, as well as the 5,000. Matthew chapters 14 and 15 inspire us with these 2 miracles back-to-back, while Mark chapters 6 and 8 record the same 2 separate miracles. (Notice also, since these large masses counted only the \u201cmen,\u201d when the women and children are added to the final count, these miracles are actually even greater than they are at first glance.)<\/p>\n
Never underestimate the miracle worker, Jesus \u2026 \u201cwho is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine\u201d (Ephesians 3:20).<\/p>\n
#8. THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS\u2014UNSUBSTANTIATED?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: Jesus never lived.\u2026 The Bible refers to Jesus, but there is no proof that He ever lived here on earth.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: Establishing the evidence for the historic existence of Jesus is essential\u2014the person who does not believe in the existence of Jesus cannot believe in the reliability of the Bible. However, the evidence from both Christian and non-Christian sources proves to be conclusive.<\/p>\n
\u2022 According to history, nearly every one of Jesus\u2019 1st disciples died as Christian martyrs because of their faith in Him. Certainly, those followers would not have died for someone created in their own minds\u2014people don\u2019t knowingly \u201cdie for a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
ANCIENT NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES<\/p>\n
\u2022 Josephus\u2014a prominent Jewish historian in the 1st century recorded the existence of Jesus.
\n\u2014 \u201cNow there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Tacitus\u2014considered \u201cthe greatest historian\u201d of ancient Rome, recorded the existence of Jesus (AD 55\u2013120).
\n\u2014 \u201cNero [the Roman emperor] created scapegoats and subjected to the most refined tortures those whom the common people called \u2018Christians\u2019 \u2026 the author of this name, Christ, during the reign of Tiberius, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Pliny the Younger\u2014a Roman governor, wrote in AD 96 to Trajan, the Roman emperor, about his 1st encounter with Christians, who worshipped Christ.
\n\u2014 \u201cThey were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up.\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
With the existence of Jesus being verified by both the early Christians and non-Christian historians, the only viable question remaining for each person is \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?\u201d
\n(Matthew 27:22)<\/p>\n
#9. THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2014QUESTIONED?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: The words of Jesus are not literally what Jesus said, but what the early church generally believed about Jesus.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: One of the reasons courts of law gather testimony from eyewitnesses is to accurately establish the truth about a situation. The objective is to leave no doubt in anyone\u2019s mind so that a verdict based on absolute truth can be delivered.<\/p>\n
The 4 writers of Jesus\u2019 4 biographies, called \u201cGospels,\u201d did not give mere general information, but rather gave specific details. These specifics mean their accounts were easily verifiable\u2014the veracity of their writings was clearly evident to all. They did this by \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 Specifically naming people and places\u2014names that have been historically verified.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Specifically detailing political conditions and social customs\u2014descriptions that have been historically verified.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Specifically retelling Jesus\u2019 exact message, which, when spoken in public, was heard by thousands of people. If Jesus had not said what the Gospels reported Him to say, the early Christians would have severely objected and would not have died for a deceiver\u2014some so-called savior.<\/p>\n
\u2022 This attention to detail is particularly evident in the Gospel of Luke, written by a medical doctor\u2014a disciple (a follower of Jesus who accepted His teaching as truth) and close companion to the apostle Paul. Luke carefully investigated everything and took great care to present an orderly account of what Jesus specifically said and did. Luke\u2019s Gospel, written during the lifetime of Jesus\u2019 contemporaries, begins with these words \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cMany have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us.\u2026 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you \u2026 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.\u201d
\n(Luke 1:1\u20134)<\/p>\n
#10. THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS\u2014EXCLUDED?<\/p>\n
ARGUMENT: A group of men arbitrarily determining what constitutes the biblical canon\u2014which books should be \u201cin\u201d and which books should be \u201cout\u201d\u2014proves that the Bible cannot be trusted. Many recently discovered documents, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, and the Gospel of Mary were excluded.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: In 1945 a collection of texts was discovered by a farmer in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. More recently in 2006, the Gospel of Judas was discovered and revealed. Although no copies of these ancient sources were available until recently, their content was never \u201clost\u201d or a \u201csecret.\u201d We knew from the writings of the church fathers about these \u201cgospels\u201d and their contents because these men actually wrote letters describing the documents\u2019 inconsistencies with sound doctrine and warning believers against their teaching.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Gnostic writings did not begin until the 2nd century at the earliest, while the New Testament was complete by the end of the 1st century. The Gnostic writings were not consistent with Old Testament revelation in any way, nor do they agree with each other. They combine pagan philosophy and religion with Christianity, thus presenting a far different view of God, the Creation, Jesus, humanity, and redemption.<\/p>\n
\u2022 God is depicted as an unknowable being who births other lesser \u201cgods\u201d called \u201caeons\u201d or \u201clights.\u201d
\n\u2014 One of these \u201cgods\u201d creates the earth and humanity, but the creation is flawed through the error of this \u201cgod.\u201d All the physical material of creation (bodies, animals, plants, etc.) is corrupt, and only the spiritual is good. (This removes human responsibility for sin and restricts salvation to the Gnostics only.)
\n\u2014 Since all physical matter is considered evil, Jesus is presented in no way as being human but as being only divine. He is not crucified nor does he rise from the dead because he is only spirit.
\n\u2014 Redemption is possible for only a select few who have a spiritual aspect that is connected to the heavenly aeons. Redemption is achieved by understanding these \u201csecrets\u201d and releasing the spirit from the tomb of the body at death to be reunited with the heavenly realm.
\n\u2014 These writings are not included in Scripture because of their errant teaching, their inferior quality, and the late date of their writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.\u201d
\n(2 Timothy 3:16)<\/p>\n
C. What Is the Root Cause of Doubt?<\/p>\n
Seeing isn\u2019t always believing. People had seen the dead resurrected \u2026 the blind given sight \u2026 the demon-possessed freed \u2026 the diseased healed \u2026 and still they picked up stones to kill Jesus. Then \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus said to them, \u2018I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?\u2019 \u201d
\n(John 10:32)<\/p>\n
Those who want to forgo \u201cfaith\u201d for \u201cjust the facts\u201d can be found in all generations of people throughout the centuries. They assert that if Jesus would stand in front of them and perform a miracle, then they would believe. But it didn\u2019t happen that way back then, and it\u2019s doubtful it will happen that way today because \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.\u201d
\n(John 12:37)<\/p>\n
WRONG BELIEF:<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing is believing. It is not reasonable to trust in a book that I cannot intellectually prove to be flawless.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Bible says \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.\u201d (Ephesians 4:18)<\/p>\n
RIGHT BELIEF:<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though I cannot understand all the ways and words of God, I can rely on the biblical prophecies fulfilled in secular history to verify the accuracy of the Holy Scriptures. As I give myself to Christ, His Spirit of Truth within me will confirm the truth of Scripture to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bible says \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAs it is written: \u2018No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him\u2019\u2014but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man\u2019s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.\u201d (1 Corinthians 2:9\u201313)<\/p>\n
IV. STEPS TO KNOWING THE RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE<\/p>\n
Now is the time for closing arguments. The prosecuting attorneys appear beleaguered, almost battered \u2026 the initial spring in their step now subdued. They proceed to summarize their case, having exhausted all admissible evidence to attempt to prove the unreliability of the Bible. Their briefcases no longer bulge, as paper after paper has been tossed into the trash can.
\nBut the defense still has far more to say \u2026 solidifying its case with an exhaustive exposition. The stakes are high. Since the reliability of the Bible is on the line, by operating with the acronym TRUTH, the defense attorneys begin to pile up proof upon proof upon proof to establish the absolute accuracy of the Word of God\u2014to prove that its claims are unquestionably true.
\nThe preponderance of proof presented by the defense sends the prosecution\u2019s case plummeting. The furrowed brows on a few faces hint that perhaps a formal objection or demurrer should have been filed\u2014a motion to dismiss the case because legal claims about the Bible\u2019s unreliability are insufficient.
\nArguments, however, will be exhausted on both sides, and the jury will have the last word.
\nAs they proceed, the prosecution looks increasingly bewildered and befuddled. Could this \u201cordinary\u201d book \u2026 be extraordinary? According to the moving account presented by the defense, in 2 Kings chapter 22 King Josiah was confidently sure. King Josiah understood everything Moses had written down\u2014and became distraught. \u201cTruth\u201d penetrated to the core of his being, and the king\u2019s realization that the people of Judah had wandered far from the commands of God filled him with anguish.
\n\u201cWhen the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.\u201d And he solemnly pronounced to those in his inner circle, \u201cGreat is the LORD\u2019s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us\u201d (2 Kings 22:11, 13).
\nThe Book of the Law had been found by Hilkiah, the high priest, in the temple of the Lord, a place that should have been teeming with copies of all that God had spoken through Moses. But these were dark times in Judah, and even God\u2019s house had been desecrated by vile, pagan images and practices. Josiah\u2019s father and grandfather were much to blame. The latter had tried to destroy every copy of Mosaic Law he could get his hands on.
\nBut the torch of \u201cTruth,\u201d as it turns out, would not be extinguished.\u2026<\/p>\n
A. Key Verse to Memorize<\/p>\n
To know God, one must know His Word\u2014and to know the Word of God is to have wisdom of God\u2014wisdom for life.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.\u201d
\n(2 Timothy 3:16)<\/p>\n
B. Key Passage to Read and Reread<\/p>\n
In all of literature, Psalm 119 is the most beautiful tribute to Scripture. This, the longest chapter in the Bible, showers praise on that which has no equal \u2026 that which alone can fully equip a person for this life, as well as the next\u2014the Word of God itself.
\nPsalm 119 contains 176 verses, only 3 of which do not mention the Word of God in terms of its statutes, laws, ways, precepts, decrees, commands, or promises.
\nThis chapter is an acrostic poem with 22 sections that correspond to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each line within a section begins with the corresponding letter in the alphabet. Verses 1\u20138 begin with Aleph, the first letter of the alphabet; verses 9\u201316 begin with Beth, the second letter in the alphabet, and so on until the end of the alphabet, and therefore the Psalm.<\/p>\n
PSALM 119<\/p>\n
#1. ALEPH
\n\u201cOh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!\u201d (v. 5)<\/p>\n
#2. BETH
\n\u201cI have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.\u201d (v. 11)<\/p>\n
#3. GIMEL
\n\u201cYour statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.\u201d (v. 24)<\/p>\n
#4. DALETH
\n\u201cMy soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.\u201d (v. 28)<\/p>\n
#5. HE
\n\u201cTurn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.\u201d (v. 37)<\/p>\n
#6. WAW
\n\u201cI will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.\u201d (vv. 44\u201345)<\/p>\n
#7. ZAYIN
\n\u201cMy comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.\u201d (v. 50)<\/p>\n
#8. HETH
\n\u201cThe earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.\u201d (v. 64)<\/p>\n
#9. TETH
\n\u201cBefore I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.\u201d (v. 67)<\/p>\n
#10. YODH
\n\u201cYour hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.\u201d (v. 73)<\/p>\n
#11. KAPH
\n\u201cMy soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.\u201d (v. 81)<\/p>\n
#12. LAMEDH
\n\u201cYour word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.\u2026 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.\u201d (vv. 89, 93)<\/p>\n
#13. MEM
\n\u201cOh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.\u2026 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.\u201d (vv. 97, 102)<\/p>\n
#14. NUN
\n\u201cYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.\u201d (v. 105)<\/p>\n
#15. SAMEKH
\n\u201cYou are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.\u201d (v. 114)<\/p>\n
#16. AYIN
\n\u201cI am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.\u201d (v. 125)<\/p>\n
#17. PE
\n\u201cDirect my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.\u201d (v. 133)<\/p>\n
#18. TSADHE
\n\u201cYour promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.\u201d (v. 140)<\/p>\n
#19. QUOPH
\n\u201cI call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees.\u201d (v. 145)<\/p>\n
#20. RESH
\n\u201cAll your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.\u201d (v. 160)<\/p>\n
#21. SIN
\n\u201cGreat peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.\u201d (v. 165)<\/p>\n
#22. TAW
\n\u201cMay my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.\u201d (v. 172)<\/p>\n
C. How to Prove the Bible Is Based on Truth<\/p>\n
As the defense continues presenting proof upon proof, a number of witnesses are called to solidify the case for the truth and reliability of the Bible. Prominent people from the past are called to testify\u2014first a trio of lawyers, not those representing either the prosecution or the defense \u2026 followed by 6 past American presidents\u2014all affirming in open court the soundness, the sanctity, and the superiority of the Bible. They speak passionately and persuasively, their convictions weighing heavily in the courtroom.
\nSomething amazingly mysterious marks their message\u2014it is unified and consistent, as if they had all met together to \u201cget on the same page.\u201d But \u2026 most of these men have never met. Nevertheless, their hearts and minds are united together as one.
\nAnother witness is called to the stand\u2014one whose very presence seems to pervade the courtroom. He attracts attention, but not with picture-perfect looks. He emanates power \u2026 yet also a palpable peace. His eyes are gentle \u2026 but they burn with conviction when He speaks \u2026
\n\u201cFor this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me\u201d (John 18:37), Jesus says from the stand\u2014Jesus the Christ, formerly of Nazareth! His final few words about the Bible seem directed to Someone else\u2014Someone not seated in the room. Looking upward, He proclaims \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cYour word is truth.\u201d
\n(John 17:17)<\/p>\n
In systematic fashion, the testimonies and exhibits flow one after another to prove\u2014beyond a reasonable doubt\u2014that the Bible is, indeed, reliable. The defense presents detailed evidence in 5 core areas\u2014each area testifying to the truth.<\/p>\n
TRUTHS IN SCIENCE<\/p>\n
REALITY OF PROPHECY<\/p>\n
UNIVERSAL INFLUENCE<\/p>\n
TEXTUAL PRESERVATION AND UNITY<\/p>\n
HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY THROUGH ARCHAEOLOGY<\/p>\n
T\u2014TRUTHS IN SCIENCE<\/p>\n
The defense calls 3 prominent scientists to the stand: Galileo, Sir Francis Bacon, and Sir Isaac Newton. One at a time, each scientist gives amazing testimony about the Bible\u2019s accuracy. Though not a science text, the Bible reveals many scientific facts and never contradicts science. The Bible bore witness to the following truths before scientists ever acknowledged them.<\/p>\n
#1. GEOPHYSICS: The earth is round\u2014a circular sphere.<\/p>\n
For many thousands of years, common people believed the earth was flat. Until 16th century astronomers Copernicus and Kepler postulated otherwise, only a few Greek philosophers opposed the prevalent belief that a ship could sail off the edge of the earth!<\/p>\n
\u2022 This scientific theory held fast until the invention of the compass and Magellan\u2019s voyage in 1521.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The 1st person to circle the globe, Magellan, demonstrated that a ship could continually travel west (or east) around the world and return to its original point of departure \u2026 without falling off the edge!<\/p>\n
However, this scientific truth had been revealed in the Bible more than 3,100 years before Magellan by the 8th century BC prophet Isaiah. Obviously, Isaiah did not get his wisdom from the science of his day, which taught that the earth was flat, for he proclaimed \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [God] sits enthroned above the circle [chug] of the earth.\u201d
\n(Isaiah 40:22)<\/p>\n
The Hebrew word chug means \u201ccircle, sphere, circuit.\u201d Isaiah\u2019s earth was indeed a circular sphere.<\/p>\n
#2. PLANETOLOGY: The earth is suspended in space.<\/p>\n
Many ancient people believed \u201cplanet earth\u201d was flat.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Earth was believed to be carried on the back of a gigantic turtle swimming through some cosmic sea.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Other later theories presented the earth as carried on the back of a tiger or an elephant. (The shaking of the elephant accounted for earthquakes.)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Only in the 17th century AD did the scientific community, with Newton\u2019s gravitational theory, discover the force that propels celestial bodies through space.<\/p>\n
However, this scientific truth had been revealed in the Bible much earlier in the Book of Job, written around the 15th century BC.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [God] spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.\u201d
\n(Job 26:7)<\/p>\n
#3. ASTRONOMY: The stars cannot be counted.<\/p>\n
For thousands of years during Old Testament times, the number of stars in the skies was considered to be between 1,200 and 4,000 as seen by the naked eye. In AD 150 the world-renowned astronomer Ptolemy emphatically stated the exact number of stars to be 1,056.<\/p>\n
Yet earlier, around 2000 BC, God had told Abraham, \u201c \u2018Look up at the heavens and count the stars\u2014if indeed you can count them.\u2019 Then he said to him, \u2018So shall your offspring be\u2019 \u201d (Genesis 15:5). Within a short time, Abraham had more than 4,000 descendants, later numbering in the millions. Was the Bible wrong? No.<\/p>\n
With the scientific invention of the telescope in 1609, followed by the Hubble telescope in the 1990s, scientists today declare the stars to be as numerous as the sands of the sea.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Astronomers estimate that there are at least 10 to the 26th power, that is a hundred\u2014million\u2014billion\u2014billion stars.<\/p>\n
\u2022 If you could count 10 numbers per second, it would take you at least a thousand million billion years to count to that number.<\/p>\n
However, this scientific truth had been revealed in the Bible from God to Abraham some 3,700 years before the telescope was invented.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.\u201d
\n(Genesis 22:17)<\/p>\n
#4. EARTH SCIENCE: Mountains and canyons exist in the sea.<\/p>\n
For thousands of years, until the 20th century, the scientific assumption was that the ocean was bowl-shaped\u2014shallow around the edges and deepest in the middle. Yet today researchers have discovered that some of the highest mountains and deepest valleys exist in the middle of oceans, seen in the Atlantic range. In the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench near the Philippines is over 7 miles deep.<\/p>\n
However, this scientific truth had been revealed in the Bible several thousand years earlier.<\/p>\n
\u2022 In the 10th century BC, David spoke of \u201cthe valleys of the sea\u201d (2 Samuel 22:16).<\/p>\n
\u2022 In the 8th century BC, rebellious Jonah, described sinking to the bottom of a submerged mountain after being thrown overboard \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the roots of the mountains I sank down.\u201d
\n(Jonah 2:6)<\/p>\n
#5. OCEANOGRAPHY: Water paths\/ocean currents exist in the sea.<\/p>\n
For thousands of years scientists knew nothing about sea lanes and ocean currents. Therefore, they drew no water charts for sailing lanes.<\/p>\n
Then in 1839, when Dr. Matthew Maury, the father of modern oceanography, became ill, his son began reading the Bible to him. Astonished at hearing Psalm 8:8, he asked to hear it again.<\/p>\n
\u2022 As a result, he spent several years charting the paths of the seas\u2014the currents of the ocean\u2014which became the basis for the first textbook of modern oceanography, Physical Geography of the Sea.<\/p>\n
However, this scientific truth had been revealed in the Bible much earlier by David in the 10th century BC.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAll that swim the paths of the seas.\u201d
\n(Psalm 8:8)<\/p>\n
#6. OCEANOGRAPHY: Springs and fountains exist in the sea.<\/p>\n
For thousands of years, people were unaware of the \u201chidden\u201d springs and fountains on the sea floor. Then, after World War II, research ships discovered underwater volcanoes, and today more than 10,000 have been catalogued.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Researcher Dr. William Rubey of the U.S. Geological Survey reports that each year 430 tons of water are released from underwater volcanic outlets.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The heat from the volcanic activity forces the entrapped water out through one of these natural openings.<\/p>\n
However, this scientific truth had been revealed much earlier in several books of the Bible.<\/p>\n
In the 15th century BC, the 1st book of the Bible described Noah as having entered the ark when \u201call the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.\u201d Then after 40 days and nights, \u201cthe springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed\u201d (Genesis 7:11; 8:2).<\/p>\n
\u2022 In the 10th century BC, the Bible describes the Creator God \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep.\u201d
\n(Proverbs 8:28)<\/p>\n
#7. HYDROLOGY: Precipitation and evaporation cycles exist.<\/p>\n
For thousands of years, scientists understood the reality of rain clouds that resulted in rain. Yet hydrology\u2014the science of water and the water cycle\u2014was not understood. Unknown was the \u201chydrologic cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Then, in the 1st century BC, Marcus Vitruvius described a philosophical theory\u2014though limited\u2014in which rain falling in the mountains infiltrated the earth\u2019s surface, which led to streams and springs in the lowlands.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Yet it wasn\u2019t until the 15th century that Leonardo da Vinci presented an accurate picture of the hydrologic cycle. In essence, water on earth moves in a cycle through different pathways and at different rates. For example, the evaporation of ocean water produces clouds \u2026 clouds drifting over land produce rain \u2026 rainwater flows into lakes and rivers \u2026 water in lakes and rivers evaporates back into the atmosphere or eventually flows back into the ocean. And the cycle continues.<\/p>\n
However, this scientific cycle had been revealed in the Bible approximately 3,000 years prior. The Book of Job explains the work of God in this way \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.\u2026 He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.\u2026 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?\u201d
\n(Job 26:8; 36:27\u201328; 38:25\u201327)<\/p>\n
The \u201cWho\u201d in the last sentence is the One who invented the cycle in the first place\u2014the One who actually recorded the cycle in His Word.<\/p>\n
#8. GENETICS: All living things reproduce after their own kind.<\/p>\n
In 350 BC Aristotle presented the theory of \u201cspontaneous generation\u201d\u2014life appears out of nonlife\u2014a theory that the scientific world accepted for thousands of years.<\/p>\n
Scientists theorized that frogs originated out of slime pools and insects out of rot.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Then in 1862, with the invention of the microscope, Louis Pasteur totally disproved spontaneous generation.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Then 3 years later, Johann Mendel developed what is now the universal law of heredity.<\/p>\n
However, thousands of years earlier in the 15th century BC, the 1st book of the Bible presented the same law of heredity verifying that all living things were created according to their own kind.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cGod created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.\u201d
\n(Genesis 1:21)<\/p>\n
#9. HEMATOLOGY: Life is in the blood.<\/p>\n
For some 3,000 years, \u201cbloodletting\u201d was a widespread, medical procedure practiced among many ancient peoples up until the early 20th century.<\/p>\n
\u2022 By removing a sizeable amount of blood from a patient, the medical community believed that any disease could be treated.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Scientists and surgeons believed that bloodletting would remove stagnate blood building up in the extremities.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The more severe the problem, the more blood would be \u201clet\u201d\u2014whether by lances or leeches. But the truth is, bloodletting caused many illnesses to escalate in severity, even to the point of death.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Suffering with a throat infection in 1799, George Washington, the 1st president of the United States, had approximately 4 pints (1.7 liters) of blood removed from his body, a process that contributed to his death.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of years after Moses penned Leviticus, Herophilos, the celebrated Alexandrian physician of the 3rd century BC, identified blood as the carrier of disease.<\/p>\n
However, notice the irony. Centuries earlier, the Bible had presented blood as the carrier of life. And nowhere in the Bible is one mention of the weakening, sometimes deadly practice of bloodletting.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe life of every creature is its blood.\u201d
\n(Leviticus 17:14)<\/p>\n
#10. UROLOGY: Circumcision is to be performed on the 8th day.<\/p>\n
God gave circumcision as a sign of His covenant with Israel. Why was this circumcision to occur on the 8th day after birth?<\/p>\n
\u2022 In 1947 Martin Rosenthal wrote a letter to the editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association explaining the best time to perform a circumcision.
\n\u2014 Babies do not possess adequate clotting factors until 5\u20137 days after birth and therefore can be susceptible to hemorrhaging.
\n\u2014 Circumcision should not be performed until the end of the 1st week of life in order to prevent the danger of severe hemorrhage. (Today, a vitamin K injection is routinely administered after birth to alleviate this danger.)<\/p>\n
\u2022 In other words, the best day to perform a circumcision is on the 8th day after birth.<\/p>\n
Therefore, medical science has discovered that the 8th day is the perfect day.<\/p>\n
However, God had given Abraham, some 4,000 years previously, the exact day this medical procedure should be done.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised.\u201d
\n(Genesis 17:12)<\/p>\n
The Bible proves to be true even in this medical matter.<\/p>\n
#11. EPIDEMIOLOGY: Public sanitation is essential.<\/p>\n
Today, no civilized society would allow human dung to be dumped into our public streets, yet up until the end of the 18th century, body waste lined filthy, unpaved streets. As a result \u2026<\/p>\n
Putrefied stenches hovered over towns like dark, ominous clouds ready to rain their terror of death.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The doctors of their day continually faced deadly epidemics of cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and similar illnesses. The medical doctor who wrote the book None of These Diseases states, \u201cIt was a hey-day for flies as they bred in the filth and spread intestinal disease that killed millions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 However, if they had merely applied a short, biblical remedy given some 3,000 years earlier in the Book of Deuteronomy, most of the catastrophic diseases, epidemics, and plagues would have been eradicated.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cDesignate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.\u201d
\n(Deuteronomy 23:12\u201313)<\/p>\n
#12. PUBLIC HEALTH: Policies are needed.<\/p>\n
For 40 years, Moses grew up in Pharaoh\u2019s court during the writing of ancient Egypt\u2019s most significant medical book. In 1536 BC, The Papyrus Ebers became the \u201cbible\u201d of medical books\u2014the recognized world standard\u2014because of Egypt\u2019s position as world leader. This medical volume presents hundreds of medical remedies including drugs made of \u201clizard\u2019s blood, swine\u2019s teeth, putrid meat, stinking fat, moisture from pig\u2019s ears, milk goose grease, asses\u2019 hooves, animal fats from various sources, excreta from animals \u2026 human beings, donkeys, antelopes, dogs, cats, and even flies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moses knew all these accepted medical practices and potions\u2014actually \u201cquack cures.\u201d Yet as the one chosen by God to be the deliverer at the Exodus, the one through whom God gave the Law, the one who established hundreds of directives regarding health and sanitation, never did Moses recommend one of these so-called \u201cremedies,\u201d never did he mention even one of them. And today, the public health policies of Moses are totally compatible with public health policies of the modern, civilized world.<\/p>\n
Moses, under God\u2019s direction, established laws instructing the people \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 To never eat animals that died of natural causes
\nLeviticus 7:24
\n\u2022 To destroy contaminated objects
\nLeviticus 11:33; 15:12
\n\u2022 To isolate or quarantine those who are sick
\nLeviticus 13:4
\n\u2022 To burn used dressings, contaminated clothing
\nLeviticus 13:47\u201354
\n\u2022 To rid a house of any mold
\nLeviticus 14:34\u201347
\n\u2022 To wash clothes and bathe after touching someone with an infection or touching the bed of someone with an infection
\nLeviticus 15:11<\/p>\n
R\u2014REALITY OF PROPHECY<\/p>\n
PROPHECY ABOUT THE NATION OF ISRAEL
\nProphecy Fulfilled
\nNOTE: The prophetic dates listed are generally accepted by theological historians as approximate time frames.
\n\u2022 586 BC\u2014Israel would spend 70 years in Babylon.
\n605\u2013536 BC
\n\u201cThese nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.\u201d (Jeremiah 25:11)
\n\u2022 1450 BC\u2014Israel would spend 400 years in exile.
\n1800\u20131400 BC
\n\u201cThen the LORD said to him, \u2018Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.\u2019 \u201d (Genesis 15:13)
\n\u2022 1450 BC\u2014Israel to be scattered among the nations.
\n722 BC & 605\u2013586 BC
\n\u201cYou will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the LORD will drive you.\u201d (Deuteronomy 28:37)
\n\u2022 1450 BC\u2014Israel would be hounded and persecuted.
\nBeing scattered ever since
\n\u201cAmong those nations you [Israel] will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.\u201d (Deuteronomy 28:65)
\n\u2022 586 BC\u2014Israel would retain her identity.
\nStill true today
\n\u201cThough I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.\u201d (Jeremiah 46:28)
\n\u2022 710 BC\u2014Israel would reject her Messiah.
\nAD 33 and still true today
\n\u201cHas any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?\u201d (John 7:48)
\n\u2022 AD 60\u2014Israel\u2019s enemies would dwell in her land.
\nAD 70 and still true today
\n\u201cJerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.\u201d (Luke 21:24)
\n\u2022 586 BC\u2014Israel will endure forever.
\nTrue today and forever
\n\u201cHe who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar\u2014the LORD Almighty is his name: \u2018Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,\u2019 declares the LORD, \u2018will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.\u2019 \u201d (Jeremiah 31:35\u201336)<\/p>\n
PROPHECY ABOUT CITIES AND NATIONS
\nProphecy Fulfilled
\n\u2022 650 BC\u2014Destruction of wicked Nineveh\u2014the Book of Nahum
\n612 BC
\n\u2022 710 BC\u2014Destruction of the Babylonian Empire\u2014Isaiah 13:17\u201319
\n539 BC
\n\u2022 575 BC\u2014Destruction of the city of Tyre\u2014Ezekiel 26:3\u20134
\n332 BC
\n\u2022 550 BC\u2014Destruction of the Persian Empire\u2014Daniel 8:5\u20137, 20\u201321
\n331 BC
\n\u2022 550 BC\u2014Destruction of the Greek Empire\u2014Daniel 8:8, 21\u201322
\n301 BC
\n\u2022 550 BC\u2014Rise of Rome\u2014Daniel 2:40
\n148 BC
\n\u2022 AD 60\u2014Destruction of Jerusalem\u2014Luke 19:41\u201344
\nAD 70
\n\u2022 600 BC\u2014Destruction of the nation of Edom\u2014Jeremiah 49:17\u201318
\nAD 70
\n\u2022 570 BC\u2014Egypt never again a major world power\u2014Ezekiel 29:1\u201315
\nSince 30 BC<\/p>\n
18 PROPHECIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT \u2026 FULFILLED BY JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, 1ST CENTURY AD<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s lineage from Abraham<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 1450 BC\u2014\u201cThrough your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.\u201d (Genesis 22:18)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cThe promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say \u2018and to seeds,\u2019 meaning many people, but \u2018and to your seed,\u2019 meaning one person, who is Christ.\u201d (Galatians 3:16)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s lineage from Judah<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 1450 BC\u2014\u201cThe scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler\u2019s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.\u201d (Genesis 49:10)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cSee, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He [Jesus] is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.\u201d (Revelation 5:5)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s lineage from David<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cI have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, \u2018I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.\u2019 \u201d (Psalm 89:3\u20134)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cHe [God] testified concerning him: \u2018I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.\u2019 From this man\u2019s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior, Jesus, as he promised.\u201d (Acts 13:22\u201323)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s birthplace<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 730 BC\u2014\u201cYou, Bethlehem Ephrathah \u2026 out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.\u201d (Micah 5:2)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cAfter Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, \u2018Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 2:1\u20132)<\/p>\n
(Note: Two towns called Bethlehem existed in Micah\u2019s day\u2014one much larger than the other. The little town of Bethlehem is the one prophesied by Micah\u2014and the one in which Jesus was actually born.)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s messenger<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 440 BC\u2014\u201cSee, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.\u201d (Malachi 3:1)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: [Spoken about John the Baptist] \u201cThis is the one about whom it is written: \u2018I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.\u2019 \u201d (Luke 7:27)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s ministry in Galilee<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 730 BC\u2014\u201cIn the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan.\u201d (Isaiah 9:1)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cHe [Jesus] returned to Galilee.\u2026 To fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: \u2018Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles\u2014the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 4:12\u201316)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s role as prophet<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 1450 BC\u2014[Spoken by Moses] \u201cThe LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.\u201d (Deuteronomy 18:15)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: [Spoken by the Jewish disciple Peter about Jesus] \u201cMoses said, \u2018The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.\u2019 \u201d (Acts 3:22)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s entry into Jerusalem on a donkey<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 470 BC\u2014\u201cSee, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.\u201d (Zechariah 9:9)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cJesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, \u2018Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey\u2019s colt.\u2019 \u201d (John 12:14\u201315)<\/p>\n
Messiah mocked and scoffed<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cAll who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: \u2018He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.\u2019 \u201d (Psalm 22:7\u20138)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cThe people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, \u2018He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.\u2019 \u201d (Luke 23:35)<\/p>\n
Messiah sold for silver<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 470 BC\u2014\u201c \u2018If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.\u2019 So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.\u201d (Zechariah 11:12)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: [Judas asked] \u201c \u2018What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?\u2019 So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.\u201d (Matthew 26:15)<\/p>\n
Messiah betrayed by a friend<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cEven my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.\u201d (Psalm 41:9)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cWhile they were eating, he [Jesus] said, \u2018I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.\u2019 \u2026 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, \u2018Surely not I, Rabbi?\u2019 Jesus answered, \u2018Yes, it is you.\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 26:21, 25)<\/p>\n
Messiah offered vinegar and gall<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cThey put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.\u201d (Psalm 69:21)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cThey offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.\u201d (Matthew 27:34)<\/p>\n
Messiah prays for His persecutors<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 730 BC\u2014\u201c[He] made intercession for the transgressors.\u201d (Isaiah 53:12)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cJesus said, \u2018Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.\u2019 \u201d (Luke 23:34)<\/p>\n
Messiah commits His Spirit to God<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cInto your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.\u201d (Psalm 31:5)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cJesus called out with a loud voice, \u2018Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.\u2019 \u201d (Luke 23:46)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s clothing divided by casting lots<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cThey divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.\u201d (Psalm 22:18)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cWhen they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.\u201d (Matthew 27:35)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s bones not broken<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cHe protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.\u201d (Psalm 34:20)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cWhen they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.\u201d (John 19:33)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s body pierced<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 470 BC\u2014\u201cThey will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him.\u201d (Zechariah 12:10)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cOne of the soldiers pierced Jesus\u2019 side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.\u201d (John 19:34)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s raised body experienced no decay, no corruption<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: 990 BC\u2014\u201cYou will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.\u201d (Psalm 16:10)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cHe [David] spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.\u201d (Acts 2:31)<\/p>\n
MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY OF PROPHECY
\nAn expert in the area of mathematical probabilities, Peter Stoner wrote in Science Speaks that if only 8 of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ were fulfilled, the probability of their actually coming to pass would be 1 in 10 to the 17th degree.
\n\u201cSuppose that we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE PORTRAIT OF THE MESSIAH FROM ISAIAH CHAPTERS 52 AND 53<\/p>\n
Skeptics have often objected to the testimony of prophecy, asserting that the prophetic passages of Scripture were written after the times of Jesus and, therefore, are self-fulfilling. However, the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that these prophecies were written centuries before the birth of Christ. It is a fact accepted\u2014even by the most liberal scholars\u2014that the Old Testament canon was completed by 400 BC. The Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, was completed during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus in 250 BC. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1948 contained books of the Old Testament. Some prophetic scrolls containing Isaiah were dated by paleographers to 100 BC.
\nTherefore, we can readily accept that these prophecies were written centuries before Christ. No religious leader has ever fulfilled anything remotely close to the number of prophecies Jesus fulfilled. He said to them \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.\u201d
\n(Luke 24:44)<\/p>\n
Notice the time frame between Isaiah\u2019s prophecies and Jesus\u2019 fulfillment: approximately 700 years!<\/p>\n
ISAIAH\u2019S MESSIANIC PROPHECIES FROM 8TH CENTURY BC FINDS FULFILLMENT IN 1ST CENTURY AD<\/p>\n
Messiah exalted<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cSee, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.\u201d (Isaiah 52:13)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cThe crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, \u2018Hosanna to the Son of David!\u2019 \u2018Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!\u2019 \u2018Hosanna in the highest!\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 21:9)<\/p>\n
Messiah disfigured by suffering<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cJust as there were many who were appalled at him\u2014his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.\u201d (Isaiah 52:14)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cHe [Pilate] had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.\u2026 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.\u201d (Matthew 27:26, 30)<\/p>\n
Messiah amazed kings and nations<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cSo will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.\u201d (Isaiah 52:15)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cAfter Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, \u2018Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 2:1\u20132)<\/p>\n
Messiah not believed<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cWho has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.\u201d (Isaiah 53:1\u20132)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cEven after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: \u2018Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?\u2019 \u201d (John 12:37\u201338)<\/p>\n
Messiah despised<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.\u201d (Isaiah 53:3)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cThe chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. \u2018He saved others,\u2019 they said, \u2018but he can\u2019t save himself!\u2019 \u201d (Mark 15:31)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2014the Burden-Bearer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.\u201d (Isaiah 53:4)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cThis was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: \u2018He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 8:17)<\/p>\n
Messiah wounded<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.\u201d (Isaiah 53:5)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cOne of the soldiers pierced Jesus\u2019 side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.\u201d (John 19:34)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2014the Spiritual Healer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.\u201d (Isaiah 53:5)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cHe himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.\u201d (1 Peter 2:24)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2014the Sin-Taker<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cWe all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.\u201d (Isaiah 53:6)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cChrist died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.\u201d (1 Peter 3:18)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s silent suffering<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.\u201d (Isaiah 53:7)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cJesus made no reply, not even to a single charge\u2014to the great amazement of the governor.\u201d (Matthew 27:14)<\/p>\n
Messiah cut off<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cBy oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.\u201d (Isaiah 53:8)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201c \u2018In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.\u2019 The eunuch asked Philip, \u2018Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?\u2019 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.\u201d (Acts 8:33\u201335)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s burial in a rich man\u2019s tomb<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.\u201d (Isaiah 53:9)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cAs evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph.\u2026 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.\u201d (Matthew 27:57\u201360)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s sinless behavior<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cThough he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.\u201d (Isaiah 53:9)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cHe [Jesus] committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.\u201d (1 Peter 2:22)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2014the guilt offering for the people<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cIt was the LORD\u2019s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and \u2026 the LORD makes his life a guilt offering.\u201d (Isaiah 53:10)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cChrist loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.\u201d (Ephesians 5:2)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s resurrection from the dead<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.\u201d (Isaiah 53:10\u201311)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cSeeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.\u201d (Acts 2:31)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2014our Sin-Bearer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cBy his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.\u201d (Isaiah 53:11)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cChrist was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.\u201d (Hebrews 9:28)<\/p>\n
Messiah numbered with the sinners<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cI will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.\u201d (Isaiah 53:12)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: [Jesus said] \u201cIt is written: \u2018And he was numbered with the transgressors\u2019; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.\u201d (Luke 22:37)<\/p>\n
Messiah\u2019s prayer for those who crucified Him<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prediction: \u201cHe bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.\u201d (Isaiah 53:12)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fulfillment: \u201cJesus said, \u2018Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.\u2019 \u201d (Luke 23:34)<\/p>\n
U\u2014UNIVERSAL INFLUENCE<\/p>\n
The Bible\u2019s life-transforming power in personal lives \u2026 the Bible\u2019s amazing ability to change corrupt humanity\u2014this is the most profound proof of all.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.\u201d
\n(Psalm 119:130)<\/p>\n
No other book has influenced humanity as the Bible has.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Bible has impacted every culture it has touched.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The traditional BC\\AD date indicators reflect a biblical perspective.
\n\u2014 BC = Before Christ (sometimes altered to BCE, Before Common Era or Before Christian Era)
\n\u2014 AD = Anno Domini (Latin for in the year of our Lord, sometimes altered to CE, Common Era or Christian Era)<\/p>\n
\u2022 The fine arts have been heavily influenced by the Bible.
\n\u2014 Art: Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo
\n\u2014 Music: Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Beethoven (The lyrics of Handel\u2019s Messiah are taken directly from 15 different books of the Bible.)
\n\u2014 Literature: Milton, Shakespeare, Longfellow, Kipling, Hawthorne<\/p>\n
\u2022 Legal systems are rooted in biblical principles.<\/p>\n
\u2022 English common law
\n\u2014 Bill of Rights
\n\u2014 Magna Carta
\n\u2014 United States Constitution<\/p>\n
Read the words of famous people \u2026 about the Word.<\/p>\n
U.S. PRESIDENTS<\/p>\n
\u2022 George Washington \u2026 (1732\u20131799)\u2014The 1st president of the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is impossible to rightly govern the world without the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 John Adams \u2026 (1735\u20131826)\u2014A politician and one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. He served as both the nation\u2019s 1st vice president and its 2nd president.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible is the best book in the world. It contains more \u2026 than all the libraries I have seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Thomas Jefferson \u2026 (1743\u20131826)\u20143rd president of the United States, principal author of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible makes the best people in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Andrew Jackson \u2026 (1767\u20131845)\u20147th president of the United States and founder of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Book, sir, is the rock on which our Republic rests.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Abraham Lincoln \u2026 (1809\u20131865)\u201416th president of the United States. In 1863 he abolished slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut for this Book, we could not know right from wrong. I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Theodore Roosevelt \u2026 (1858\u20131919)\u201426th president of the United States, leader of the Republican Party and the Progressive movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo educated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Woodrow Wilson \u2026 (1856\u20131924)\u201429th president of the United States, a leader of the Progressive Era, served as president of Princeton University.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Dwight D. Eisenhower \u2026 (1890\u20131969)\u201434th president of the United States and the 1st commander of NATO during World War II.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the highest sense the Bible is to us the unique repository of eternal spiritual truths.\u201d<\/p>\n
WORLD LEADERS<\/p>\n
\u2022 Winston Churchill \u2026 (1874\u20131965)\u2014English statesman, author, and strategic prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rest with assurance upon the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Douglas MacArthur \u2026 (1880\u20131964)\u2014American General of the U.S. Army, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan, overseeing the occupation of Japan during World War II and credited for making democratic changes in that country.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Chiang Kai-shek \u2026 (1887\u20131975)\u2014Chinese military and political leader, served 5 terms as president of the Republic of China.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible is the voice of the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Napoleon \u2026 (1769\u20131821)\u2014A general during the French Revolution, the first consul of the French Republic and emperor of France.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible is no mere book but a living creature with a power that conquers all that oppose it.\u201d<\/p>\n
GENERALS<\/p>\n
\u2022 Robert E. Lee \u2026 (1807\u20131870)\u2014U.S. Army career officer and the most celebrated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Stonewall Jackson \u2026 (1824\u20131863)\u2014A Confederate general during the American Civil War, most famous for his audacious Valley Campaign of 1862.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod\u2019s promises change not \u2026 let us endeavor to adorn the doctrine of Christ in all things.\u201d<\/p>\n
LAWYERS<\/p>\n
\u2022 Patrick Henry \u2026 (1736\u20131799)\u2014Prominent figure in the American Revolution, known and remembered for his \u201cGive me liberty or give me death\u201d speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a Book worth more than all the others that were ever printed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Daniel Webster \u2026 (1782\u20131852)\u2014A leading American statesman and orator who compiled the widely-used Webster\u2019s Dictionary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the will and the Word of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Benjamin Franklin \u2026 (1706\u20131790)\u2014Scientist, inventor, famous diplomat, philosopher, author, publisher, politician, civic activist, and one of the founding fathers of the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung men, my advice to you is that you cultivate an acquaintance with, and a firm belief in, the Holy Scriptures.\u201d<\/p>\n
SCIENTISTS<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sir Francis Bacon \u2026 (1561\u20131626)\u2014An English philosopher, statesman, and essayist, best known as a philosophical advocate and defender of the scientific revolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe volume of Scriptures \u2026 reveal the will of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sir Isaac Newton \u2026 (1642\u20131727)\u2014English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and alchemist, regarded as the greatest figure in the history of science.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Galileo Galilei \u2026 (1564\u20131642)\u2014Italian physicist, astronomer, astrologer, and philosopher who is closely associated with the scientific revolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that the intention of Holy Writ was to persuade men of the truths necessary to salvation.\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
PHILOSOPHERS<\/p>\n
\u2022 John Locke \u2026 (1632\u20131704)\u2014English philosopher who founded the school of empiricism.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has God for its Author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter; it is all pure, sincere, nothing too much, nothing wanting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Immanuel Kant \u2026 (1724\u20131804)\u2014German philosopher, considered by many the most influential thinker of modern times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe existence of the Bible as a book for the people is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 T. H. Huxley \u2026 (1825\u20131895)\u2014English biologist, educator, and advocate of agnosticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible has been the Magna Carta of the poor and oppressed. The human race is not in a position to dispense with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
WRITERS<\/p>\n
\u2022 John Milton \u2026 (1608\u20131674)\u2014One of the greatest poets of the English language\u2014historian, scholar, and civil servant for the Parliamentarians and the Puritan Commonwealth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no songs like the songs of the Scriptures, no orations like the orations of the prophets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Charles Dickens \u2026 (1812\u20131870)\u2014One of the best known English novelists, who wrote such classics as A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, and, Oliver Twist.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the best Book that ever was or ever will be in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Henry Ward Beecher \u2026 (1813\u20131887)\u2014Orator, lecturer, and a leader in the antislavery movement, a proponent of women\u2019s suffrage, and early advocate of the theory of evolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible is God\u2019s chart for you to steer by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbor is, and how to reach it without running on rocks or bars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 H. G. Wells \u2026 (1866\u20131946)\u2014English historian, teacher, futurist, essayist, and author of The War of the Worlds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible has been the Book that held together the fabric of Western civilization. It has been the handbook of life to countless millions of men and women. The civilization we possess could not have come into existence and could not have been sustained without it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Mark Twain \u2026 (1835\u20131910)\u2014American humorist, journalist, and author who acquired international fame for his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Helen Keller \u2026 (1880\u20131968)\u2014American blind and deaf author, inspirational lecturer.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless we form the habit of going to the Bible in bright moments as well as in trouble, we cannot fully respond to its consolations because we lack equilibrium between light and darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n
T\u2014TEXTUAL PRESERVATION AND UNITY<\/p>\n
He once thought Christians were \u201cout of their minds.\u201d He ridiculed them, argued with them, and as a pre-law student, he loved to debate them. But later \u2026 he became one of them. After careful analysis, he recognized that his arguments couldn\u2019t stand against the truths of Scripture.
\nIn affirming Jesus\u2019 deity and resurrection, former skeptic Josh McDowell scrutinized the Bible through 3 comprehensive tests: the bibliographical test (which examines textual transmission), the internal evidence test (which analyzes the credibility of the written record), and the external evidence test (which measures how other historical documents affirm or cast doubt on the written record). McDowell concludes, \u201cAfter personally trying to shatter the historicity and validity of the Scriptures, I have come to the conclusion that they are historically trustworthy. If a person discards the Bible as unreliable in this sense, then he or she must discard almost all the literature of antiquity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 The text has been miraculously preserved with care and accuracy in approximately 6,000 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The amazing circulation of the Bible has virtually saturated the entire world (more copies than any other ancient or contemporary literature).<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Bible\u2019s supernatural indestructibility in spite of \u2026
\n\u2014 political persecution \u2026 Roman emperors
\n\u2014 philosophical persecution \u2026 Stalin and communism<\/p>\n
\u2022 The amazing unity of thought and detail in spite of \u2026
\n\u2014 the long period of time (1,600 years) it took to write it
\n\u2014 the 40 different human authors involved in writing it
\n\u2014 the 3 different languages in which it was written
\n\u2014 the 3 different continents on which it was written
\n\u2014 the 10 different styles of writing contained in it<\/p>\n
Sir Frederic Kenyon, once the director and librarian of the British Museum, speaks of the textual advantage of the New Testament documents over all other ancient manuscripts:<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cIn no other case is the interval of time between the composition of the book and the date of the earliest extant manuscripts so short as in that of the New Testament. The books of the New Testament were written in the latter part of the first century. The earliest extant manuscripts, trifling scraps accepted, are the fourth century, from 250 to 300 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cThis interval is nothing to that which parts most of the great classical authors from their earliest manuscripts. We believe that we have in all essentials an accurate text of the seven extant plays of Sophocles, yet the earliest substantial manuscript upon which it is based was written more than 1,400 years after the poet\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cThe interval between the dates of the original composition and the earliest extant evident become so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubts that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 ARGUMENT: The New Testament could not pass the bibliographical test for determining whether it is historically reliable.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: It can and it does. To determine the reliability of an ancient document, historians will examine the manuscripts, in part, through a process known as the bibliographic test.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Since the original manuscripts of the Bible no longer exist, the \u201cbibliographical test\u201d determines the reliability of the copies based on the number of manuscripts available and the time interval between the writing of the original and the current copies in existence.<\/p>\n
\u2022 There are more copies of the New Testament than of any other document of antiquity\u2014around 25,000 as compared to Homer\u2019s Iliad, which is 2nd with only 643 surviving manuscripts.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The reliability of the New Testament text rests on a multitude of manuscripts, making it possible to reconstruct the original with virtually complete accuracy.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The interval of time between the writing of the original New Testament and the date of the 2 earliest copies\u2014around 250 to 300 years\u2014is shorter than that of any other ancient book. And some virtually complete books of the New Testament and extensive fragments of other parts of the New Testament date back to 100 years from the original writings. By contrast, the earliest substantial copy of the 7 plays of Sophocles was written more than 1,400 years after the poet\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The interval between the dates of the original writing of the New Testament and the earliest copy is considered negligible.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Scholars accept as generally trustworthy the copies of the ancient classics even though they were written centuries after the original and the number of copies is so small. Thus it is clear that the reliability of the text of the New Testament is likewise assured.<\/p>\n
The evidence clearly supports the truth of Jesus\u2019 statement regarding Scripture.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.\u201d
\n(Matthew 5:18)<\/p>\n
\u2022 ARGUMENT: The Bible is not a \u201cunique\u201d book.<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: Many specific points distinguish the Bible from all other writings. The best way to validate this fact is to list some of the aspects that are true only of the Bible.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that opens with the creation of the universe by divine decree and contains a continuous, historical record of mankind and then closes with the future end of history. It is all-inclusive.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only major, ancient religious book whose complete textual preservation is established as virtually autographic. Many thousands of copies have been found.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that has unity and internal consistency despite being written over a 1,600 year period by more than 40 authors in 3 languages on 3 continents discussing a plethora of controversial topics yet agreeing on them all. It is without contradiction.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only religious book that offers eternal salvation as a free gift by God\u2019s grace alone.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book compiled of 66 person-centered books detailing the prophecy and life of a specific person\u2014it centers on Christ.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that is one-quarter prophetic, containing some 400 pages of predictive material.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that has been translated into some 1,700 languages\u2014it is universal in its message.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that has its accuracy confirmed in history by archaeology, textual criticism, science, and the like. It is accurate and without error.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book offering a realistic and permanent solution to the problem of human sin and evil \u2026 faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book with a thoroughly realistic view of human nature, with the power to convict people of their sins and with the ability to change human nature. It is living and active, powerful and persuasive.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that unquestionably exceeds the moral standards of all other books. It \u201craises the bar\u201d of righteous living far above other writings.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that proclaims a resurrected Savior proven in history. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and triumphed over death and the grave.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is the only book that provides historic proof that the one true God loves mankind. He so loved the world that He gave His only Son.<\/p>\n
Truly, like the God who authored it, the Bible is unique and has stood the test of time and scrutiny. Interestingly, the renowned victorious commander-in-chief King David describes the value and impact of the Bible in poetic language.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.\u2026 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.\u201d
\n(Psalm 19:8, 10\u201311)<\/p>\n
\u2022 ARGUMENT: The Bible could be called \u201cinspired,\u201d like an inspirational poem, but can never be classified as \u201cwithout error.\u201d<\/p>\n
REBUTTAL: Of all the considerations regarding the Bible, inerrancy is the most important\u2014the most critical\u2014because this feature is what distinguishes the Bible from all other books penned throughout the annals of history. If the Bible is the Word of God, it has innate authority and is therefore to be given top priority and heeded above all other writings.<\/p>\n
The historic Christian view is that God directed the human authors of Scripture in the process of composing the Old and New Testaments. He used their distinctive personalities and life experiences, their perspectives, their intended audience, their culture and background, and their own vocabulary and language. The Bible in its entirety and the Bible alone is the written Word of God and inerrant in its original manuscripts.<\/p>\n
For anyone seeking to understand \u201cinspirational inerrancy,\u201d an explanation of what it is not can be helpful.<\/p>\n
BIBLICAL INSPIRATION AND INERRANCY:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does NOT require sinless writers\u2014God did not choose people who were perfect.
\nRather, God did not let their sins and imperfections interfere with or contaminate what they wrote.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does NOT require mechanical dictation\u2014God did not dictate the Bible word for word, except in cases where it is stated that God is being quoted verbatim.
\nRather, God so superintended the writers and so prepared them through every experience of their lives that they wrote what He wanted written.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does NOT require verbatim scriptural quotes\u2014God did not put restrictions on quoting earlier Scripture.
\nRather, the writers quoted Scripture in a variety of ways\u2014such as verbatim, from memory, paraphrased, interpreted, and alluded to Scripture in a way that brought out its meaning.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does NOT require full genealogies and chronologies\u2014God did not present His message in a complete, point-by-point progression.
\nRather, genealogies and chronologies were often recorded in the Hebrew custom\u2014by including only pertinent individuals needed to make a point or presenting them in symmetry to make memorization easier.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does NOT require identical accounts of events\u2014God did not choose only 1 person to write the 4 Gospels nor did He use 4 writers with the same perspective and vocabulary.
\nRather, the writers of the Gospels recorded the events in the life of Jesus using their own vernacular, from their individual points of view, and in such a way as to accomplish their individual purpose for writing.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Does NOT require the original manuscripts or inerrant copies\u2014God did not supernaturally preserve the original inerrant Scriptures, nor did He supernaturally prevent any error from being made in the copying and translating of Scripture.
\nRather, God preserved enough copies (thousands more than any other book of antiquity) so that by a careful comparison of copies, any error could be identified and the original text reestablished.<\/p>\n
We can confidently conclude that \u201cinspirational inerrancy\u201d means that the Bible we have today is totally trustworthy. We can trust that it will not deceive us theologically, historically, geographically, or scientifically. The Bible as originally written and as now substantially confirmed is the inerrant Word of God.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.\u201d
\n(Isaiah 40:8)<\/p>\n
The evidence for the early existence of the New Testament canon is clear. The historical significance and reliability of the New Testament writings becomes even more significant when compared with other ancient documents that have been accepted without question.<\/p>\n
CONTRAST: NEW TESTAMENT WITH OTHER BOOKS OF ANTIQUITY<\/p>\n
Author
\nBook
\nDate Written
\nEarliest Copies in Existence
\nTime Gap From Original
\nNo. of Copies in Existence
\nHomer
\nIliad
\nc. 800 BC
\nc. 400 BC
\nc. 400 yrs.
\n643
\nHerodotus
\nHistory
\nc. 431 BC
\nc. AD 900
\nc. 1,300 yrs.
\n8
\nThucydides
\nHistory
\nc. 411 BC
\nc. AD 900
\nc. 1,300 yrs.
\n8
\nPlato
\nDialogues
\nc. 370 BC
\nc. AD 900
\nc. 1,300 yrs.
\n7
\nCaesar
\nThe Gallic War
\nc. 50 BC
\nc. AD 900
\nc. 1,000 yrs.
\n10
\nLivy
\nHistory of Rome
\nAD 17
\n4th cent. (partial)
\nc. AD 900
\nc. 400 yrs.
\nc. 1,000 yrs.
\n1
\n19
\nNew Testament
\nMatthew to Revelation
\nAD 50\u2013100
\nc. 150 (fragment)
\nc. 200 (books)
\nc. 250 (most of N.T.)
\nc. 350 (complete N.T.)
\n+50 yrs.
\n100 yrs.
\n150 yrs.
\n250 yrs.
\n5500
\nPliny the Elder
\nNatural History
\nAD 77
\nc. AD 850
\nc. 750 yrs.
\n7
\nJosephus
\nAntiquities
\nAD 94
\nc. AD 1050
\nc. 950 yrs.
\nover 300
\nPlutarch
\nLives
\nc. AD 100
\nc. A.D. 950
\nc. 850 yrs.
\nfragments
\nTacitus
\nAnnals
\nc. AD 109
\nc. AD 1100
\nc. 1,000 yrs.
\n20
\nJosephus
\nWar
\nAD 78
\nc. AD1050
\nc. 970 yrs.
\nover 300<\/p>\n
H\u2014HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY THROUGH ARCHAEOLOGY<\/p>\n
The trial is close to its end. The lawyer for the defense calls for testimony from an expert witness.<\/p>\n
LAWYER: \u201cMembers of the jury, I call to the stand Sir William Ramsay. \u2026 Sir Ramsay, you are the first professor of Classical Archaeology at Oxford University. What qualifies you to be an expert witness?\u201d
\nRAMSAY: \u201cI am an Oxford scholar and have pioneered the study of antiquity in what is today Western Turkey. I\u2019ve devoted 15 years of my life doing archaeological digs in Palestine and Asia Minor.\u201d
\nLAWYER: \u201cWhat was your initial desire and purpose?\u201d
\nRAMSAY: \u201cTruthfully, I was on a mission to denounce the biblical writings of the physician named Luke, who wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. My belief was that through archaeology, I could conclusively prove his account of the early Christian church as nothing but myth. I genuinely believed the New Testament was unreliable\u2014an invention of the second Christian church.\u201d
\nLAWYER: \u201cAnd what were your conclusions based on your archaeological research?\u201d
\nRAMSAY: \u201cWithout fail, dig after dig, the evidence supported Luke\u2019s detailed accounts. For example, governors mentioned by Luke\u2014many whom historians believed never existed\u2014have now been authenticated by our archaeological excavations. Without a single error, Luke wrote about 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands.\u201d
\nLAWYER: \u201cHow do these references in the Book of Acts line up with historical fact?\u201d
\nRAMSAY: \u201cThe Book of Acts is a minutely accurate historical work. I have now determined that Luke\u2019s history is unsurpassed in respect to its trustworthiness. Within the Book of Acts are over 300 references to people, places, events, cities, districts, and titles of various officials. Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements trustworthy \u2026 this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians.\u201d<\/p>\n
History is a story\u2014an accurate story about people, places, and events that framed their lives. The quality that sets history apart from fiction is that the people written about were actually alive, living in actual places, involved in actual events.
\nSkeptics consider the Bible, or portions of the Bible, to be mythology\u2014well-developed mythical stories that typically present a beneficial message\u2014but these critics claim those stories have no solid connection to actual events in human history. Meanwhile, believers read the Bible, confident they are reading about real events that occurred among real people in real places.
\nArchaeology is not concerned with simple fantasy, but with solid history. So, what has archaeology discovered about the biblical account of people, places, and events? Examine the following discoveries to determine whether the Bible is mythology or history.<\/p>\n
MYTHOLOGY OR HISTORY? WHAT SAYS ARCHAEOLOGY?<\/p>\n
#1. The Discovery of Early Monotheism\u2014establishes the belief in only one God at the dawn of history.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had argued that the Adam and Eve account was wrong \u2026 that all people were originally polytheistic and only later did the idea of monotheism develop.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 The archaeological evidence has revealed the Sumerians\u20141 of the 2 earliest civilizations\u2014held the belief in only one God.
\n\u2014 Professor of History Albert Hyma, teaching on ancient history said, \u201cAccording to many present authorities, the Sumerians were originally monotheistic in their belief, for the most ancient written records state clearly that they believed in only one God. This is a very important fact to note, because until very recently a large number of historians believed that mankind originally was polytheistic and that gradually, as human beings became civilized, they formed a higher conception of the deity.\u201d<\/p>\n
#2. The Discovery of Flood Tablets and Fossils\u2014establishes the credibility of the Genesis Flood account (Genesis chapters 6 and 7).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had asserted that the Bible could not be true because it contains myths like the story of Noah\u2019s flood\u2014a story found in the ancient literature of many pagan cultures. These stories, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet XI 2750\u20132500 BC), as well as the oral and written traditions of cultures from China to Greece to the Americas, record a catastrophic worldwide flood \u2026 surely not all of them could be true?<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 The presence of multiple flood narratives in ancient literature actually supports the fact that a worldwide flood did indeed occur.
\n\u2014 According to Genesis chapters 6 and 7, a worldwide flood covered the earth and destroyed all human and animal life\u2014excluding those in the ark and creatures that could survive in water. In corroboration, Babylonian flood tablets were unearthed at Nineveh by H. Rassam in 1853.
\n\u2014 The Great Flood had such a profound impact that it became part of various ancient cultures. The early aborigines of nearly every country of the world have preserved records of the universal flood. Anthropologist Dr. Richard Andree has collected 46 different flood accounts from North and South America, 20 from Asia, 5 from Europe, 7 from Africa, and 10 from the South Sea Islands and Australia.
\n\u2014 The billions of fossilized bones scattered across the globe and the presence of striking geological and topographical features like the Grand Canyon point to a global, cataclysmic event like the Great Flood described in Genesis. This overwhelming evidence from archaeology further demonstrates the amazing accuracy of the Bible.<\/p>\n
#3. The Discovery of the Hittite Culture\u2014establishes the existence of the Hittite people.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had sneered and jeered at the mention of a Hittite people through relegating the Hittite references in the Bible as \u201chistorical fables.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 In 1906 German archaeologist Hugo Winkler discovered the Hittite capital city. Over 10,000 written tablets describe Hittite life including the accurate location of the land of the Hittites as the entire western side of the Fertile Crescent.
\n\u2014 The Hittites are mentioned 61 times in 15 books of the Bible. (Esau married a Hittite woman, and Uriah, married to Bathsheba, was a Hittite man.) The Hittites are now known to be 1 of the 3 most influential empires in the ancient world.<\/p>\n
#4. The Discovery of the Early Presence of Camels\u2014establishes the references of camels in the Book of Genesis.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had scoffed at the historical inaccuracy of the mention of camels being both in Egypt and in Canaan, saying no camels were there until long after Abraham. (Camels were mentioned 24 times in Genesis.)<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 American archaeologist J. P. Free presented the evidence that camels were in the area\u2014even prior to the time of Abraham.
\n\u2014 Archaeological digs located not only drawings and rock carvings of camels, but also figurines, statues, and plaques \u2026 and more convincing than that, a camel skull, camel bones, and a camel rope dating as far back as 3000 BC.<\/p>\n
#5. The Discovery of Sodom and Gomorrah\u2014establishes the Genesis account of the burning judgment of God (Genesis chapter 19).<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had argued that the mention of a time when \u201cthe LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah\u201d (verse 24) was merely mythology used to teach a moral lesson. (God destroyed both cities because of their extreme sinfulness.)<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 In the late 1960s and early 70s, while excavating a site near the Dead Sea, archaeologists discovered a 23-inch-thick wall encircling the city, a temple, and numerous houses.
\n\u2014 Large gravesites were found outside the city where thousands of skeletons were unearthed, indicating a well-populated city during the time Abraham would have lived. Sodom and Gomorrah are known to have been at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
\n\u2014 Most intriguing and confirming of the biblical account is the discovery that the city lay buried under a layer of ash several feet thick. And, after excavating house after house, it was determined that fire began on the rooftops, collapsing them, and then spreading inside the structures. Indeed, the burning judgment came\u2014and it came from above.<\/p>\n
#6. The Discovery of Bricks with and without Straw\u2014establishes the accuracy of the facts in Exodus.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had belittled the Book of Exodus for the \u201cignorant\u201d error of saying the Hebrews used straw to make bricks. In fact, world-renowned Egyptologist Eric Peet spoke of Moses\u2019 apparent ignorance because the composition of the mud from the Nile River required no straw whatsoever.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 In the 1880s, archaeologist Edouard Naville of the Egypt Exploration Fund excavated one of Pharaoh\u2019s prized cities, Pithom, where the Israelites made bricks\u2014some with straw, some without.
\n\u2014 In an ancient Egyptian document\u2014\u201cPapyrus Anastasi\u201d\u2014an officer responsible for erecting buildings on the northern frontier wrote: \u201cI am without equipment. There are no people to make bricks and there is no straw in the district.\u201d<\/p>\n
#7. The Discovery of the Destruction of Jericho\u2014establishes the Joshua chapter 6 account of the fall of the walls.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had dismissed the story of Joshua and his small army of men repeatedly marching around the fortified city of Jericho, eventually causing the city wall to collapse when they shouted and blew trumpets. Joshua 6:20 recorded no swords, no spears, no battering ram\u2014just a shout.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 Dr. Bryant Wood, Director of Associates for Biblical Research and a leading expert on archaeology concerning Jericho, revealed archaeological evidence indicating that in the Late Bronze period, Jericho\u2019s city walls collapsed and the city was apparently destroyed by fire. Any siege must have been very brief indeed because the city\u2019s granaries were full at the time of the destruction. All of this information matches well with the biblical record in Joshua chapters 2\u20136.
\n\u2014 When British archaeologist John Garstang excavated Jericho in the 1940s, he found under the fallen walls, the ruins of the storehouse, which still contained an abundance of wheat, barley, dates, lentils, and the like. The logical question is: \u201cWhy didn\u2019t the conquerors (Joshua and the Hebrews) take the customary spoils of war?\u201d Joshua 6:18\u201319 provides the answer: The Lord ordered them to take nothing except the gold, silver, bronze, and iron for the treasury. And the archaeological evidence proved that Joshua faithfully followed the Lord\u2019s command.
\n\u2014 Although Jericho was protected by a double wall of brick, the outer wall being 6 feet thick and 30 feet high \u2026 still, as the old song says, \u201c\u2026 the walls came tumblin\u2019 down\u201d!<\/p>\n
#8. The Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls\u2014establishes the historical accuracy of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had been excited about the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls \u2026 assuming this new finding would discredit the historical accuracy of the Bible. They believed the Old Testament would have undergone drastic changes over the years as different scribes would have altered the text.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 The Dead Sea Scrolls became the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century. In 1947 a young boy searching for lost goats in a cave around the Dead Sea happened to discover jars containing ancient texts. His discovery began an exploration of the other caves from 1952 to 1956 that resulted in finding the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran desert.
\n\u2014 In the 11 excavated caves, they discovered: Old Testament manuscripts, commentaries, and other theological books, even a manual on Qumran life \u2026 more than 100,000 document fragments, mostly in Hebrew \u2026 fragments from every Old Testament book, except the books of Esther and Nehemiah. The most ancient Hebrew texts were dated 1,000 years earlier than the AD 800\u20131000 Masoretic texts (which had been used until that time).
\n\u2014 Dr. Paul Wegner, Ph.D., University of London, explained their unique contribution: \u201cThe Dead Sea Scrolls provided texts of the Old Testament approximately 1,000 years earlier [than the oldest complete Hebrew manuscripts], and their impact was explosive on the field of textual criticism. Careful study of these manuscripts has helped to confirm that the Hebrew text we possess is very accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
#9. The Discovery of Nazareth\u2014establishes the existence of the childhood home of Jesus referred to in the Gospels.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had claimed that the village of Nazareth did not exist until the 2nd century AD.\u2026 Had that been the case, Jesus could not have lived there, as the New Testament Scriptures state. Justification for their belief was that the Old Testament never mentioned Nazareth\u2014neither did other historical writings until later in the next century.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 Recent archaeological discoveries have validated the existence of Nazareth from the 2nd century BC through the 4th century AD, confirming that Jesus could easily have grown up in Nazareth. Luke 18:37 states, \u201cJesus of Nazareth is passing by.\u201d<\/p>\n
#10. The Discovery of the Pool of Siloam\u2014establishes an important biblical place in the life of Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had said, \u201cThe Pool of Siloam did not actually exist. The apostle John was merely using the imagery of water to illustrate a point in John chapter 9.\u201d Christ put clay on a man\u2019s eyes\u2014a man born blind\u2014and then told him to wash at the Pool of Siloam. Obeying Christ by washing in the pool completed the miracle (verse 11).<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 In 2005, while repairing a sewage pipe, workers discovered the remains of the Pool of Siloam. New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary said, \u201cNow, we have found the Pool of Siloam \u2026 exactly where John said it was. A Gospel that was thought to be \u2018only pure theology\u2019 is now shown to be grounded in history.\u201d<\/p>\n
#11. The Discovery of the Earliest Christian Church\u2014establishes an early faith in the deity of Christ.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had argued that biblical teaching of the deity of Christ did not occur until the 4th century.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 In November 2005, prisoners digging a foundation for prison expansion uncovered the remains of the earliest known Christian church in the Holy Land. The church dates to the 3rd century (the 200s AD) and contains Christian symbols as well as an inscription that references: \u201cthe God Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
#12. Hundreds of Excavated Cities\u2014establish the veracity of people, places, and events in the Bible.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Skeptics had stated there was no way to prove the cities or people mentioned in the Bible ever existed or that these events ever occurred.<\/p>\n
\u2022 However \u2026
\n\u2014 One undeniable means of validating the truthfulness of a historical \u201cclaim\u201d is to check for physical evidence. When verifying the content found in writings of antiquity, archaeology is the first evidence to examine.
\n\u2014 In a court of law, you would see \u2026
\n\u25e6 Exhibit A\u2014The Governor Gallio Inscription\u2014establishes the ministry of Paul in Greece where he appears in court before Gallio (Acts 18:12). Junius Annaeus Gallio, the son of Seneca the rhetorician and brother of Seneca the philosopher, was the Roman governor of Achaia\u2014in present-day Greece. An inscription at Delphi declares him to be a \u201cfriend of Caesar\u201d and dates his governorship to AD 51 or 52. Establishing Gallio through archaeology corroborates the reliability of the New Testament by demonstrating that Luke was writing about real people, real places, and real events in the Book of Acts.
\n\u25e6 Exhibit B\u2014The Ossuary of Caiaphas\u2014establishes the existence of the Jewish high priest in the Gospels and the Book of Acts (Luke 3:2, Acts 4:6). In 1990, in a park just south of the Old City of Jerusalem, construction workers accidentally discovered the Caiaphas family tomb, containing 12 ossuaries with the remains of 63 individuals. The most beautifully decorated of the ossuaries was inscribed with the name: \u201cJoseph son of (or, of the family of) Caiaphas,\u201d which was the full name of the high priest who arrested Jesus, as documented by Josephus (Antiquities 18:2, 2; 4, 3). Inside were the remains of a 60-year-old male, almost certainly those of the Caiaphas of the New Testament. This remarkable discovery has, for the first time, provided us with the physical remains of an individual named in the Bible.
\n\u2014 If no physical evidence is found to support the historic claim, then doubts about accuracy can arise. For example: The Book of Mormon was written in 1830 and refers to places, people, and events in North America dating from 600 BC to AD 421\u2014a time period of over 1,000 years. Yet not one piece of physical evidence has been unearthed by modern-day archeologists to lend credibility to any of the book\u2019s claims: no steel, iron, or brass \u2026 not even one coin \u2026 no swords, arrows, or axes \u2026 none of the shields, breastplates, or helmets mentioned when two million \u201cJaredites\u201d died in battle.
\nIn fact, the Smithsonian Institution has issued the following statement regarding archaeological evidence and the Book of Mormon:
\n\u201cThe Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archaeologists see no direct connection between the archaeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.\u201d
\n\u2014 By contrast, the people, places, and events described in the Bible have been verified by hundreds of thousands of archaeological findings, lending absolute credibility to the truthfulness of its claims. Many skeptics who once claimed that the Bible fabricated certain historical references have had to \u201ceat their words\u201d because these locations and events have been discovered and unearthed by modern-day archaeologists after lying buried for hundreds and even thousands of years.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION<\/p>\n
How can a science as presumably \u201cdry\u201d as archaeology have any bearing on the reliability of the Bible? Various criticisms have been aimed at the historic reliability of the Scriptures. Many historians and scholars take the position that the Bible is biased and cannot be trusted unless corroborated by evidence from extra-biblical sources\u2014sources other than the Bible.
\nIn many scientific circles, the Bible is \u201cguilty\u201d until proven innocent\u2014considered myth, allegory, or legend. Although it is not possible to display artifacts supporting every incident recorded in the Bible, every decade sheds light on new, significant, archaeological discoveries that further cement the historical reliability of the Bible.
\nConsider the statement of one of the world\u2019s greatest archeologists, Dr. William F. Albright, Professor of Johns Hopkins University:<\/p>\n
There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition \u2026 the excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the 18th and 19th century, certain phases of which still appear periodically, has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.<\/p>\n
While it seems logical to think that a lack of questions or controversies determines the reliability of our faith or position, nothing could be further from the truth. When the evidence is examined\u2014through questions, criticism, and even controversy\u2014and beliefs withstand close scrutiny, then they are vindicated and validated \u2026 and faith is strengthened.
\nBut the Bible also confers a blessing for those who believe beyond a reasonable doubt\u2014even in the absence of absolute \u201cproof.\u201d When the apostle Thomas dismissed the other disciples\u2019 reports of having witnessed the resurrected Savior Jesus, saying \u201cUnless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it\u201d (John 20:25). Jesus Himself appeared in order to appeal to Doubting Thomas \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he said to Thomas, \u2018Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.\u2019 Thomas said to him, \u2018My Lord and my God!\u2019 Then Jesus told him, \u2018Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.\u2019 \u201d
\n(John 20:27\u201329)<\/p>\n
D. What Is the Most Reliable Message in the Bible?<\/p>\n
Archaeologist Sir William Ramsay was determined to prove to the world that the Bible\u2019s New Testament Book of Acts as written by the Greek physician Luke was a fake\u2014and he was willing to \u201cget his hands dirty\u201d to prove it! His preconceived bias against the Bible was well known. However, this world-class expert shocked the world of scholars when he not only announced that his archaeological findings substantiated the accuracy of Luke\u2019s writings, but also that he himself had converted to Christianity.
\nWhat truths did this brilliant scholar learn that ultimately changed his life?<\/p>\n
4 POINTS OF GOD\u2019S PLAN<\/p>\n
#1. God\u2019s Purpose for You \u2026 is Salvation.
\n\u2014 What was God\u2019s motive in sending Christ to earth?
\nTo express His love for you by saving you! The Bible says \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cGod so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.\u201d (John 3:16\u201317)
\n\u2014 What was Jesus\u2019 purpose in coming to earth?
\nTo forgive your sins, empower you to have victory over sin, and enable you to live a fulfilled life! Jesus said \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.\u201d (John 10:10)<\/p>\n
#2. Your Problem \u2026 is Sin.
\n\u2014 What exactly is sin?<\/p>\n
Sin is living independently of God\u2019s standard\u2014knowing what is right, but choosing wrong. The Bible says \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn\u2019t do it, sins.\u201d (James 4:17)
\n\u2014 What is the major consequence of sin?<\/p>\n
Spiritual \u201cdeath\u201d \u2026 eternal separation from God. Scripture reads \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cYour iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God.\u2026 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23)<\/p>\n
#3. God\u2019s Provision for You \u2026 is the Savior.
\n\u2014 Can anything remove the penalty for sin?<\/p>\n
Yes! Jesus died on the cross to personally pay the penalty for your sins.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cGod demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.\u201d (Romans 5:8)
\n\u2014 What can keep you from being separated from God?<\/p>\n
Belief in (entrusting your life to) Jesus Christ as the only way to God the Father. Jesus says \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.\u201d (John 14:6)<\/p>\n
#4. Your Part \u2026 is Surrender.
\n\u2014 Give Christ control of your life\u2014entrusting yourself to Him.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus said to his disciples, \u2018If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross [die to your own self-rule] and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?\u2019 \u201d (Matthew 16:24\u201326)<\/p>\n
\u2014 Place your faith in (rely on) Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and reject your \u201cgood works\u201d as a means of earning God\u2019s approval.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is by grace you have been saved, through faith\u2014and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God\u2014not by works, so that no one can boast.\u201d (Ephesians 2:8\u20139)<\/p>\n
The moment you choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior\u2014entrusting your life to Him\u2014He comes to live inside you. Then He gives you His power to live the fulfilled life God has planned for you. If you want to be fully forgiven by God and become the person God created you to be, you can tell Him in a simple, heartfelt prayer like this:<\/p>\n
PRAYER OF SALVATION<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, I want a real relationship with You.
\nI admit that many times I\u2019ve chosen to go my own way instead of Your way.
\nPlease forgive me for my sins.
\nJesus, thank You for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.
\nCome into my life to be my Lord and my Savior.
\nChange me inside out and make me the person
\nYou created me to be.
\nIn Your holy name I pray. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT NOW?<\/p>\n
No matter what people say, what God says will stand the test of time \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.\u201d
\n(Isaiah 40:8 NKJV)<\/p>\n
E. What Is the Ultimate Ruling?<\/p>\n
THE VERDICT<\/p>\n
The courtroom\u2014once astir with caustic arguments\u2014is now hushed.
\nAs jury members slowly enter the courtroom, anticipation fills the air. The foreman hands the jury\u2019s verdict to the judge. He reads the ruling \u2026 pauses \u2026 returns the verdict to the foreman. \u201cAll rise,\u201d reverberates throughout the courtroom.
\nThe foreman delivers the declaration: \u201cWe, the members of the jury, find the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God. As to the charge of unreliability, we find the Bible NOT GUILTY!\u201d
\nThe verdict is in \u2026 the question answered. Yes, the client in question\u2014the Bible\u2014does measure up to its claims, and then some. The defense has soundly defeated the prosecution\u2019s case, and it is inconceivable that anyone present at the trial would ever again consider the Bible an \u201cordinary\u201d book. Instead, reverence for this extraordinary Book resonates throughout the room. Everyone exits the scene in silence.
\nThe prosecution has been pummeled, unable to disprove the 5 core areas of TRUTH, unable to wield weighty arguments against the wisdom of God. Its truths found in science \u2026 the reality of its prophecy \u2026 its universal influence \u2026 its textual preservation and unity \u2026 its historical authenticity through archaeology \u2026 together, as one, they tower over the prosecution\u2019s miscalculations.
\nThe trial has now come to a close, and yet for many present it doesn\u2019t seem like the end of the matter. For them, this new understanding of the Bible brings new respect \u2026 new admiration for the Bible \u2026 and a new incentive to share the Bible because its message has the supernatural power to set people free.\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.\u201d
\n(John 8:32)<\/p>\n
The more we know the Word of God, The more we will know the God of the Word.
\nThe more we yield to the Word of God, The more we will be changed by the God of the Word.
\n\u2014June Hunt<\/p>\n
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION\u00ae. NIV\u00ae.
\nCopyright \u00a9 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
Scripture quotations marked \u201cNKJVTM\u201d are taken from the New King James Version\u00ae.
\nCopyright \u00a9 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
We acknowledge that mistakes or omissions could occur in our many Scripture references, writings, and citations. Although the editors have sought to avoid all errors, some may have been overlooked, for which we take full responsibility. The considerate reader would render us a great service by calling our attention to any such error.<\/p>\n
To order CDs, tapes, resource books, and additional Biblical Counseling Keys on Evil & Suffering \u2026 Why? God: Who Is He? Jesus: Is He God? The Holy Spirit, Spiritual Abuse, Prosperity Gospel, Pride & Humility, Purpose in Life, Trials, and other related topics, contact HOPE FOR THE HEART P.O. Box 7 Dallas, TX 75221 or call toll-free 1-800-488-HOPE (4673). Please visit our website for License Agreement and Terms and Conditions. www.HopeForTheHeart.org<\/p>\n
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form without written permission from HOPE FOR THE HEART.
\n\u00a9 1991\u20132008 HOPE FOR THE HEART<\/p>\n
@book{Hunt_2008,
\nplace={Dallas, TX},
\ntitle={Biblical Counseling Keys on Bible: Is It Reliable?: Truth on Trial},
\npublisher={Hope For The Heart},
\nauthor={Hunt, June},
\nyear={2008}}<\/p>\n
Exportiert aus Verbum, 00:46 16. Februar 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I. DEFINITIONS The prosecution\u2019s strategy is not to condemn the Bible, but first to cast doubt about it \u2026 and then to shatter confidence that it is the reliable, revealed Word of God. The ultimate goal? Relegate it to rest among the relics of ancient history \u2026 to reside among the oldest religious and poetic … <\/p>\n