Baffling
bestseller
The Bible, unarguably one of the greatest, most famous Books ever
written. Billions have read it over thousands of years. Countless
research and studies have been done on every aspect of it. It
has been a bestseller since its completion. People all over the
globe live their lives according to its words, and those billions
would gladly die for it, if necessary. Countless leaders and entire
societies have banned, burned, and blasphemed its message for
years and years, only for it and those who believe in it to triumphantly
succeed in spreading this Holy Book to every corner of the world.
So what's the big deal? What sort of a book could possibly contain
such a life-changing, irrefutable message that could possibly
mean so much to so many from every walk of life?
Since when has there been a book that both a poor man and a rich
man would be able to sit down and read? That spoke to women as
well as men? That gave hope and understanding to every audience?
A book with a message for everyone.
And certainly, it has quite the fan base. From kings to peasants,
from intellectuals to the common man, there are very few who haven't
at least heard of this phenomenal bestseller.
"But
it's so different, it's so strange. It's so old, outdated...it
can't be counted on, not in this day and age," say those who are
baffled by God's will. Where the secular minds are stopped dead
in their tracks, a humble, even uneducated Christian sees God's
word clearly. Where the most worldly-wise philosopher cannot grasp
it's importance, any regular Christian person can see the Bible's
revelance to daily life.
This
is because the Bible is not just your run-of-the-mill religious
literature, it is inspired by God Himself.
The Bible says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God."
2 Timothy 3:16. "Prophecy came not in old time by the will
of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21. "The scripture cannot be broken."
John 10:35. And throughout all time, it has withstood.
Hold
up a second here!!! How can you claim any of the Bible is true
in the first place?
Controversy has been made over the subject of divine inspiration
in the Bible by professing Christians and non-Christians alike.
But it is baffling to me why anyone could argue, because the evidence
supporting it is abundant and varied. Most people today have unfortunately
decided to judge the Bible without reading these passages. In
fact, almost none of them have even read the Bible itself! And
because of that, many non-Christians and even "liberal" Christians
tend to blindly accept the popular lie that the Bible is full
of mistakes and is too outdated for our modern lives.
Nevertheless, the Bible writers claim repeatedly that they were
transmitting the real word of God from God Himself, which has
the highest possible authority and cannot be disproven. This is
a very astounding thing for a writer to claim. If ALL the over
40 men who contributed to the Bible over several centuries were
wrong about God speaking to them, they must have been lying, insane,
or both.
But on the other hand, they wrote the greatest and most influential
book of the ages. It contains some of the most beautiful literature
ever composed, and the most perfect moral code ever devised. Those
don't sound like the workings of a crazy liar, do they? If the
beauty of the Bible was written by lying fanatics, then what hope
is there for ever finding meaning or purpose in life?
If people will seriously investigate the abundant Biblical evidence,
they will find that the writers' claims of divine inspiration
(stated over 3,000 times, in many ways) were amazingly justified.
So,
in that case, what evidence is there?
Case
# 1 - Fufilled Prophecies
The remarkable evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case
in point. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically
and meticulously, often hundreds of years after the prophetic
writer had died.
For example, Daniel the prophet predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel
9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and
Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews
authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This
was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
There are extensive prophecies dealing with individual nations
and cities and with the course of history in general, all of which
have been literally fulfilled. Other prophecies deal with the
spread of Christianity, as well as many different false religions,
and countless other subjects.
**More than 300 prophecies were fulfilled by Christ Himself at
His first coming. (That is one of the ways that proves Jesus is
the long-awaited Savior of the Old Testament.)
**Dr. Peter Stoner, former chairman of the departments of mathematics,
astronomy, and engineering at Pasadena College (California), worked
with 600 students for several years applying the "principle of
probability" to the prophecies of the Messiah's coming. They chose
just eight from the many available and finally decided the chances
of all eight being fulfilled in one man in a lifetime is one in
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. What would the
odds be on the more than 125 prophecies of the Messiah?
Notice the following examples of other fulfilled Bible prophecies:
A. Four world empires to arise: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,
and Rome (Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8).
B. Cyrus to be the warrior to capture Babylon (Isaiah 45:1-3).
C. After Babylon's destruction, it would never be inhabited again
(Isaiah 13:19, 20; Jeremiah 51:37).
D. Egypt would never again have a commanding position among the
nations (Ezekiel 29:14, 15; 30:12, 13).
E. Earth-shaking calamities and fear toward the end of time (Luke
21:25, 26).
F. Moral degeneracy and decline of spirituality in the last days
(2 Timothy 3:1-5).
There is no other book, ancient or modern, like this. The vague,
and usually incorrect, prophecies of people like Jeanne Dixon,
Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and others like them are not in the
same category at all, and neither are other religious books such
as the Koran, the Confucian Analects, and similar religious writings.
Only the Bible has been able to manifest this remarkable ability,
and it does so on such a tremendous scale as to make it ridiculous
for anyone to believe in any explanation other than divine revelation.
Case
# 2 - Historical Accuracy
The historical accuracy of the Scriptures is also in a class by
itself, far superior to the written records of Egypt, Assyria,
and other early nations. Archeological confirmations of the Biblical
record have abounded in the last century. Dr. Nelson Glueck, probably
the greatest modern authority on Israeli archeology, has said:
"No
archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference.
Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm
in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the
Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions
has often led to amazing discoveries."
Take a look at some of the examples:*
A. For years skeptics said the Bible was unreliable because it
mentions the Hittite nation (Deuteronomy 7:1) and cities like
Nineveh (Jonah 1:1, 2) and Sodom (Genesis 19:1), which they denied
ever existed. But now modern archaeology has confirmed that all
three did, indeed, exist.
B. Critics also said that Bible-mentioned kings Belshazzar (Daniel
5:1) and Sargon (Isaiah 20:1) never existed. Once again, it has
now been confirmed that they did exist.
C. Skeptics also said the Bible record of Moses was not reliable
because it mentions writing (Exodus 24:4) and wheeled vehicles
(Exodus 14:25), neither of which they said existed at the time.
They, of course, know better today.
D. At one time the 39 kings of ancient Israel and Judah who reigned
during the divided kingdom were authenticated only from the Bible
record, so critics charged fabrication. But then archaeologists
found cuneiform records that mentioned many of these kings; and
once again, the Bible record was proved accurate. Critics have
repeatedly been proved wrong as new discoveries confirm biblical
people, places, and events. It will always be so.
*
Source: The Revised Standard Version of the Bible © 1946, 1952,
1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the USA.
Case
# 3 - Scientific Accuracy
Another striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the
fact that many of the principles of modern science were recorded
as facts of nature in the Bible long before scientists
stumbled upon them, and then proved them experimentally. The wonderous
things we could have known in advance had we simply listened to
the Bible! *A sampling of these would include:
- Roundness
of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
- Almost
infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
- Wind
has weight (Job 28:25)
- Law
of conservation of mass and energy (II Peter 3:7)
- Hydrologic
cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
- Vast
number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22)
- Law
of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
- Paramount
importance of blood in life processes (Leviticus 17:11)
- Atmospheric
circulation (Ecclesiastes 1:6)
- Gravitational
field (Job 26:7)
"By
Him [Jesus] all things consist." (Colossians 1:17.)
The word "consist" here literally means "hold together" or "cohere."
Many Bible translations put it "hold together." This is the answer
to the nuclear physicists' worrisome question about the atom.
The real mystery of the atom does not involve its benumbing mega-power
but rather, "Why doesn't the atom fly apart?" Scientific knowledge
says it should, but it doesn't. Some scientists are wondering
what puzzling power, completely unknown to them, is holding it
together. The Bible says that mysterious power is the Creator,
God Himself.
This information is not revealed using the technical jargon of
today's scientists of course, but in terms of the basic world
of man's everyday experience; either way, they are completely
in accord with all modern scientific facts. (Facts - not shaky
theories such as the Big Bang and evolution...which were built
off of minimal evidence to cater to those who close their minds
to believing in the existence of a higher power.)
Case
# 4 - Structure of the Bible
The harmony and structure in the Bible should also be stressed.
Although it is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 or more
different men over a period of 2,000 years, it is clearly one
Book, with perfect unity and consistency throughout.
**The
66 books of the Bible were written:
1. On three continents.
2. In three languages.
3. By about 40 different people (kings, shepherds, scientists,
attorneys, an army general, fishermen, priests, and a physician).
4. Over a period of about 1,500 years.
5. On the most controversial subjects.
6. By people who, in most cases, had never met.
7. By authors whose education and backgrounds varied greatly.
The individual writers, at the time of writing, had no idea that
their message was eventually to be incorporated into such a Book,
but each nevertheless fits perfectly into place and serves its
own unique purpose as a component of the whole. Anyone who diligently
studies the Bible will continually find remarkable structural
and mathematical patterns woven throughout its fabric, with an
intricacy and symmetry incapable of explanation by chance or collusion.
If
you ask several different people to describe in their own words
their account of the same event, they will all most likely leave
out important details or contradict each other in some way. Not
so with the Bible, and it's writers were not even planning on
making a book together!
The one consistent theme of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation,
is God's great work in the creation and redemption of all things,
through His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Case
# 5 - Timeless Relevance to Everyday Life
The following Biblical laws would have completely eliminated these
major problems that humanity now faces if people had not written
off the Bible as "outdated":
A.
Cover body waste with dirt (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13).
The Bible provision of Moses' day that body waste should be buried
was 3,500 years ahead of its time and saved countless thousands
of Jewish lives. Major problems still arise when sanitation is
not properly handled.
B.
"Neither let us commit fornication." 1 Corinthians 10:8.
The word "fornication" denotes all kinds of immoral sexual conduct.
There would be no AIDS epidemic if this up-to-date Bible counsel
were obeyed, nor would abortion be the international scandal that
it now is.
C.
Leave alcoholic beverages alone (Proverbs 23:29-32).
If this extremely effective Bible solution were implemented, just
think what it would mean:
1. Millions of alcoholics becoming sober, respectable citizens.
2. Millions of families reunited.
3. Millions of broken homes mended.
4. Multiplied thousands of lives saved by sober driving.
5. Thousands of government, business, and professional leaders
making clear-minded decisions.
6. Billions of dollars available for humanitarian use.
7. Overall health would increase.
Case
# 6 - The Lasting Effects
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians
5:17.
No other book has ever held such universal appeal nor produced
such lasting effects.
One final evidence that the Bible is true is found in the testimony
of those who have believed it. Multitudes of people, past and
present, have found from personal experience that its promises
are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions
are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need
for both today and eternity.
~God
bless you,
Kathleen Walker
Coming
next time: The radical religion: comparing Christianity
to other belief systems
Supplemental
information thanks to: *Christian
Answers and **Amazing
Facts.
