Is the Bible True E-Book

8/9/2019 Is the Bible True E-Book

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There have been hundreds of books written on the subject of the evidences of thedivine inspiration of the Bible, and these evidences are many and varied. Most peopletoday, unfortunately, have not read any of these books. In fact, few have even read theBible itself! Thus, many people tend to go along with the popular delusion that the Bibleis full of mistakes and is no longer relevant to our modern world.

Nevertheless the Bible writers claimed repeatedly that they were transmitting the veryWord of God, infallible and authoritative in the highest degree. This is an amazing thingfor any writer to say, and if the forty or so men who wrote the Scriptures were wrong inthese claims, then they must have been lying, or insane, or both.But, on the other hand, if the greatest and most influential book of the ages, containingthe most beautiful literature and the most perfect moral code ever devised, was writtenby deceiving fanatics, then what hope is there for ever finding meaning and purpose inthis world?

If one will seriously investigate these Biblical evidences, he will find that their claims ofdivine inspiration (stated over 3,000 times, in various ways) were amply justified.

Fulfilled PropheciesThe remarkable evidence of fulfilled prophecy is just one case in point. Hundreds ofBible prophecies have been fulfilled, specifically and meticulously, often long after theprophetic writer had passed away.For example, Daniel the prophet predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christwould come as Israel's promisedSavior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperorwould give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This wasclearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.There are extensive prophecies dealing with individual nations and cities and with thecourse of history in general, all of which have been literally fulfilled. More than 300

prophecies were fulfilled by Christ Himself at His first coming. Other prophecies dealwith the spread of Christianity, as well as various false religions, and many othersubjects.

There is no other book, ancient or modern, like this. The vague, and usually erroneous,prophecies of people like Jeanne Dixon, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and others likethem are not in the same category at all, and neither are other religious books such asthe Koran, the Confucian Analects, and similar religious writings. Only the Biblemanifests this remarkable prophetic evidence, and it does so on such a tremendousscale as to render completely absurd any explanation other than divine revelation.

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Unique Historical AccuracyThe historical accuracy of the Scriptures is likewise in a class by itself, far superior tothe written records of Egypt, Assyria, and other early nations. Archeologicalconfirmations of the Biblical record have been almost innumerable 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 ofarcheological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detailhistorical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblicaldescriptions has often led to amazing discoveries."

Scientific AccuracyAnother striking evidence of divine inspiration is found in the fact that many of theprinciples of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long beforescientist confirmed them experimentally. A sampling of these would include:Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)

Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)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)and many others.These are not stated in the technical jargon of modern science, of course, but in termsof the basic world of man's everyday experience; nevertheless, they are completely in

accord with the most modern scientific facts.It is significant also that no real mistake has ever been demonstrated in the Bibleinscience, in history, or in any other subject. Many have been claimed, of course, butconservative Bible scholars have always been able to work out reasonable solutions toall such problems.

Unique StructureThe remarkable structure of the Bible should also be stressed. Although it is a collectionof 66 books, written by 40 or more different men over a period of 2,000 years, it isclearly one Book, with perfect unity and consistency throughout.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 intoplace and serves its own unique purpose as a component of the whole. Anyone whodiligently studies the Bible will continually find remarkable structural and mathematicalpatterns woven throughout its fabric, with an intricacy and symmetry incapable ofexplanation by chance or collusion.The one consistent theme of the Bible, developing in grandeur from Genesis toRevelation, is God's great work in the creation and redemption of all things, through Hisonly Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Bible's Unique EffectThe Bible is unique also in terms of its effect on individual men and on the history ofnations. It is the all-time best seller, appealing both to hearts and minds, beloved by atleast some in every race or nation or tribe to which it has gone, rich or poor, scholar or

simple, king or commoner, men of literally every background and walk of life. No otherbook 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 havebelieved it. Multitudes of people, past and present, have found from personalexperience that its promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands andrestrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for bothtime and eternity.

Fromwww.christiananswers.net

Starting the FoundationProving whether something is true or not is called apologetics. This word is derived fromthe Greek word apologia, which means to defend. The entire Clarifying Christianitysite is filled with apologeticsproofs and explanations for many Christian-relatedissues. The focus of this page is the proof supporting the accuracy of the Bible. After all,if the Bible is not true or if it is filled with errors, Christianity would only be a blindfaithsomething people believe without any evidence to support it.However, Christianity is not a blind faith. It is the only religion that can prove itself, and amain source of that proof is the Bible. Although it is becoming less common, there arestill people who tell others that they follow Christianity because it feels right (or usewording like that). This is unfortunate, since there is a lot of evidence supporting

Christianity. The existence of all that evidence is one reason we started this site. Wewant people to learn about the solid evidence that supports their faith, and have a placethat collected that evidence so they can show it to others.By the way, if you would like some reference materials that are a little more portablethan a computer with an Internet connection, a book we recommend is Know Why YouBelieve by Paul Little. This book is available in larger bookstores and most Christianbookstores. Also, the Tucson Community Church recorded a seminar called KnowingThe Facts Behind The Faith. It is available on DVD and VHS video (NTSC format). Ifyou are interested in purchasing a copy, you can get one directly from the church thatproduces them at the Tucson Community Church website. They also handleinternational orders.

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each is unique and different from all others.[1] (*Note: We understand that peoplecan perceive some slight difference in color and apparent brightness when looking atstars with the naked eye, but we would not expect a person living in the first centuryA.D. to claim they differ from one another.)The Bible describes the precision of movement in the universe.

Jeremiah 31:35,36Thus says the LORD,Who gives the sun for a light by day,The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,Who disturbs the sea,And its waves roar(The LORD of hosts is His name):If those ordinances departFrom before Me, says the LORD,Then the seed of Israel shall also cease

From being a nation before Me forever.

The Bible describes the suspension of the Earth in space.

Job 26:7He stretches out the north over empty space;He hangs the earth on nothing.

MeteorologyThe Bible describes the circulation of the atmosphere.

Ecclesiastes 1:6The wind goes toward the south,And turns around to the north;The wind whirls about continually,And comes again on its circuit.

The Bible includes some principles of fluid dynamics.

Job 28:25To establish a weight for the wind,And apportion the waters by measure.

The fact that air has weight was proven scientifically only about 300 years ago. Therelative weights of air and water are needed for the efficient functioning of theworlds hydrologic cycle, which in turn sustains life on the earth.[1] (If you are aphysics enthusiast, please ignore our omission of the terms mass, gravity, anddensity from this comment.)

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BiologyThe book of Leviticus (written prior to 1400 BC) describes the value of blood.

Leviticus 17:11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to

make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for thesoul.The blood carries water and nourishment to every cell, maintains the body stemperature, and removes the waste material of the bodys cells. The blood alsocarries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. In 1616, William Harveydiscovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical lifeconfirming whatthe Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.[1]The Bible describes biogenesis (the development of living organisms from otherliving organisms) and the stability of each kind of living organism.

Genesis 1:11,12

Then God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and thefruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth;and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed accordingto its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind.And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:21So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with whichthe waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to itskind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to itskind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw thatit was good.The phrase according to its kind occurs repeatedly, stressing the reproductiveintegrity of each kind of animal and plant. Today we know this occurs because all ofthese reproductive systems are programmed by their genetic codes.[1]The Bible describes the chemical nature of flesh.Genesis 2:7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into hisnostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 3:19In the sweat of your face you shall eat breadTill you return to the ground,For out of it you were taken;For dust you are,And to dust you shall return.

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It is a proven fact that a persons mental and spiritual health is strongly correlatedwith physical health.[1] The Bible revealed this to us with these statements (andothers) written by King Solomon about 950 BC.

Proverbs 12:4

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 14:30A sound heart is life to the body,But envy is rottenness to the bones.

Proverbs 15:30The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,And a good report makes the bones healthy.

Proverbs 16:24Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Proverbs 17:22A merry heart does good, like medicine,But a broken spirit dries the bones.Statements Consistent With AnthropologyWe have cave paintings and other evidence that people inhabited caves. The Biblealso describes cave men.

Job 30:5,6They were driven out from among men,They shouted at them as at a thief.They had to live in the clefts of the valleys,In caves of the earth and the rocks.Note that these were not ape-men, but descendants of those who scattered fromBabel. They were driven from the community by those tribes who competedsuccessfully for the more desirable regions of the earth. Then for some reason theydeteriorated mentally, physically, and spiritually.[1] (Go into a bad part of your townand you will see this concept in action today.)

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HydrologyThe bible includes reasonably complete descriptions of the hydrologic cycle.[3]

Psalm 135:7He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;

He makes lightning for the rain;He brings the wind out of His treasuries.

Jeremiah 10:13When He utters His voice,There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.He makes lightning for the rain,He brings the wind out of His treasuries.In these verses you can see several phases of the hydrologic cyclethe worldwideprocesses of evaporation, translation aloft by atmospheric circulation, condensation

with electrical discharges, and precipitation.[1]Job 36:27-29For He draws up drops of water,Which distill as rain from the mist,Which the clouds drop downAnd pour abundantly on man.Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,The thunder from His canopy?This simple verse has remarkable scientific insight. The drops of water whicheventually pour down as rain first become vapor and then condense to tiny liquidwater droplets in the clouds. These finally coalesce into drops large enough to

overcome the updrafts that suspend them in the air.[1]The Bible describes the recirculation of water.

Ecclesiastes 1:7All the rivers run into the sea,Yet the sea is not full;To the place from which the rivers come,There they return again.

Isaiah 55:10For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,But water the earth,And make it bring forth and bud,That it may give seed to the sowerAnd bread to the eater,

The Bible refers to the surprising amount of water that can be held as condensationin clouds.

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On the Heavens.This brings up an important historical note related to this topic. Many people areaware of the conflict between Galileo and the Roman Catholic Pope, Paul V. Afterpublishing A Dialogue on the Two Principal Systems of the World, Galileo wassummoned to Rome, where he was forced to renounce his findings. (At that time,

theologians of the Roman Catholic Church maintained that the Earth was thecenter of the universe, and to assert otherwise was deemed heretical.)We could not find any place in the Bible that claims that the Earth is flat, or that it isthe center of the universe. History shows that this conflict, which took place at thetime of the Inquisition, was part of a power struggle. As a result, scientific and biblicalknowledge became casualtiesan effect we still feel to this day.

PhysicsThe Bible suggests the presence of nuclear processes like those we associate withnuclear weaponry. This is certainly not something that could have been explained in67 AD using known scientific principles (when Peter wrote the following verse).

2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens willpass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both theearth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

The television is a practical (if not always worthwhile ) device that useselectromagnetic waves (which transmit its video signal). The Bible containspassages that describe something like televisionsomething that allows everyoneon earth see a single event. (Note: such passages typically refer to the end of time.It may not be long before all of us learn for sure whether the Bible is true or not.)

Matthew 24:30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of theearth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heavenwith power and great glory.

Revelation 11:9-11Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodiesthree-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. Andthose who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts toone another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and

they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.Things In The Bible That Science Can Not ExplainThe purpose of this page is not to explain what a great science text the Bible is, butto show that it is consistent with scientific facts. Still, the Bible mentions some thingsthat we can not explain. Yet, if God is really God, He should have the ability to dosome things we can not explain.In the last 100 years (and especially in the last ten) scientists discovered manyproofs that confirm the Bibles accuracy. Since these proofs support the accuracy of

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the text we can understand scientifically, it makes sense to trust the Bibles text thatwe can not yet understand. (For example, how many people knew whathydrothermal vents were 30 years ago?) If you would like to see the proof we havefor the accuracy of the Bible, click on the link below.

The Proof of ProphecyOne of the strongest arguments for the accuracy of the Bible is its 100% accuracy inpredicting the future. These future predictions are called prophecies. The OldTestament was written between approximately 1450 BC and 430 BC. During that time,many predictions of the future were recorded in the Bible by God s prophets. Of theevents that were to have taken place by now, every one happened just the way theypredicted it would. No other sacred writing has such perfectly accurate predictions ofthe future.

One TypeThe Messianic PropheciesOf these prophecies, the most striking examples are the predictions about an anointed

one (Messiah in Hebrew) who was to arrive in the future. About 4 BC, a miraculousevent occurreda boy named Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary. You can readHis story in the book of Luke. Starting at age 30, Jesus fulfilled more and more of theseprophecies written about the Messiah. His fulfillment of these prophecies was veryspectacular: Jesus gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, cured those who hadleprosy, gave the deaf hearing, and raised people from the dead! These miracles andothers were done many times in front of thousands of witnesses for three years. About30 AD, Jesus was crucified (a prophecy) and died (a prophecy). Three days later herose from the dead (another prophecy), after which He was seen by over 500witnesses. Since these prophecies were written down at least 400 years before theyhappened, there is no doubt that the Bibles writers were inspired supernaturallyby

God. To examine these prophecies yourself, click on the link below.The Messianic Prophecies

A Second TypeFulfilled Prophecy Dealing With NationsThere are many prophecies that can be proven through archaeology, especiallyprophecy dealing with entire nations. Typically, when God declared judgment on anation, He would send a prophet to announce to the citizens why He was judging themand what He was going to do to them if they continued their evil behavior. On occasion,God would also tell the citizens how He would reward them if they started doing whatwas right. The book of Jonah records a case where the Assyrians stopped doing whatwas evil as a result of Jonahs short prophecy. This is what God wanted, and God did

not punish them as a result of their change of heart. However, most often the peoplewould jeer at Gods prophet and continue their bad behaviorlater becoming recipientsof the exact punishment that God threatened.Like other prophecy recorded in the Bible, these predictions support the supernaturalinspiration of the Bible. The prophecies recorded in the Bible came true in such adetailed way that they could not have been predicted by chance. Further, archaeologistshave evidence that these prophecies were written down many years before they werefulfilled, proving that they were not falsified documents claiming to be prophecies that

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came true. (The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls stopped the majority of that talk.)Although an entire web site could be filled with this information, we will provide oneexamplethe foretelling of the destruction of Edom and its capital city of Petra.Click here for an example of fulfilled prophecy dealing with nations

The Proof of Textual EvidenceBoth the Old and New Testaments are strongly supported by manuscript evidence (theevidence of early hand written copies). The famous Dead Sea Scrolls are one exampleof the Old Testament evidence. These documents came from the library of asettlement founded at Qumran before 150 B.C. and abandoned about 68 A.D. Some ofthe manuscript copies were made during that period, and some were written earlier(third century BC) and brought to the settlement. Ignoring spelling-oriented(orthographic) changes and similar small differences, the Dead Sea Scrolls match theHebrew text behind todays Old Testament, in spite of the passage of over 2,000 years(where one would expect errors to creep in).Over 20,000 known manuscripts document the New Testament text. This makes the

New Testament the most reliable document of antiquity (a document written before theprinting press). These manuscripts vary in size from a part of a page to an entire Bible(Old and New Testaments). The earliest New Testament manuscripts date from thesecond century (100-199) AD These manuscript copies were written in differentlanguages by people of different nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds. In spite of allthose differences between them, the New Testament texts all agree. (That is, thosedifferences that we do observe between these hand written documents are occasionalchanges in the spelling of names or isolated cases of missing or changed words. Still,since we have so many copies, it is obvious to anyone but the hardened skeptic canthat they all represent the same text.)Note: Those minor differences that do exist between the Old and New Testament

manuscripts are interesting for academic reasons. They are the topic of a future indepth Clarifying Christianity page. (It is currently about 10,000 words long and stillunder constructionstay tuned.)

The Proof of People Living at the Time of ChristSpecial proof exists for the New Testament, since Christians were strongly persecutedby both the Jews and the Roman government. If the New Testament writings were false,these two groups would have produced a great deal of evidence to stop the growth ofthis sect. None exists. Further, the New Testament writings (before they wereassembled into the book we call the New Testament) circulated during the lifetimes ofthousands of people who had actually seen Jesus miracles and other historic events.

No one ever refuted the New Testament writings as fairy tales.

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How Do I know the Bible is REALLY from God?

Your question is a good one. Many times people will raise an objection to a Christian'sbelief in the Bible as being the infallible word of God. They claim that using the Bible tosupport the Bible is "circular reasoning" ( testing the validity of an idea by its own

pronouncements). This is not so.

We must first remember in discussing the claims of the Bible with anyone, that the Bibleis not a single, autonomous work. Rather, it is a collection of 66 different books writtenover a vast time span in three languages on three continents with authors from everystation in life. These ancient works cover every major topic dealing with the humancondition including: love, hate, death, sin, marriage, civil laws, and relationships witheach other as well as with God. Although these works were written independently, theyshow an amazing congruency and they never contradict each other!When Paul writes "All scriptures is inspired by God (II Tim 3:16)", his primary referenceis the Old Testament, which was completed 400 years previously. This is not to say that

the verse doesn't apply to the New Testament as well, but Paul's subject matter was theScriptures Timothy was taught as a child. Paul believes the Scriptures are "God-breathed"; that is they hold the same authority as if God were to come down and speakto you directly. Every word recorded in the original documents is considered to bechosen by God.

So, our first point is that the testimony of Paul establishes a point of view that holds theScriptures very highly. We know that the early church believed the Scriptures wereinspired, we must now find out how to demonstrate that fact. Before going too far, Iwould ask your friend what type of evidence is he willing to accept to demonstrate theBible as the Word of God? We obviously cannot go into a laboratory and test for "God

residue" on the text, so to ask for scientific proof is impossible. (Likewise, asking forscientific proof that one loves his spouse is absurd. True science is limited to makingclaims on that which it can disprove through experimentation. Since science does nothave any objective standards for measuring "God-ness", it cannot be asked to make adetermination on His existence.) This doesn't mean we cannot reach a satisfactoryconclusion based on the evidence before us, though.What we are really interested in, then, is to determine if the Bible is a book that is thetrue words of God given to men, or is it merely the words of men written about God? If itis the latter, then it should display characteristics like those of other books written bymen about God. It really shouldn't be all that different from many other works wepossess. However, if it did come from God... well it should be astoundingly different. It

should be a very one of a kind collection. It should be unique.

Let's examine what we do know about the Bible and see if it aligns with what we'dexpect from a message whose source is God. We'll accept the premises that God existsand He created humanity with a desire to know Him. Anyone questioning these ideas isarguing another point; one which must be addressed separately. In his landmarkEvidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh Mc Dowell notes that if God created man with

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a desire to know Him, we would expect His message to have some unique properties:(1)

It would be widely distributed so man could attain it easilyIt would be preserved through time without corruption

It would be completely accurate historically.It would not be prone to scientific error or false beliefs held by the people of that time.It would present true, unified answers to the difficult questions of life.

The Bible stands alone as the only religious text that can claim it meets all the abovecriteria. I think it would be helpful if we compare the Bible with some of the other ancienttexts and see just how unique the Bible is.

External evidence for the validity of the documentsThe first qualification listed above is any message from the Creator would have todistribute His message to a wide audience. The Bible is next to none in this test.(2) It is

the most published book in history, with the widest distribution of any published work. Ithas been translated into more languages than any other book. It is the most sold bookin history. It was the first book published with moveable type. It is still the #1 best sellerof any book. Now, none of these feats prove that the Bible was inspired. They are,however, consistent with what we would expect of God's message if He were trying tolet us know about Himself and His plan for us. In other words, one cannot disqualify theBible on this point. Many other ancient writings fall short, but it behaves as we wouldexpect.We also agreed that the message would be able to last through time. If God's messageto you got lost, then of what use is it to you? If the message is corrupted in some way,how do you know which parts are from God and which are not? This is a tricky point to

understand. This does not mean that no one will ever be able to mis-translate the Bibleor add things to it, for I can write down a verse in this letter and copy it incorrectly. Itdoes mean that we should be able to somehow discern where the errors in the copiesare and also know the original intent of the message.Because ancient writing surfaces were natural in their origin, they could decay easily.Papyrus, clay, and animal skins of the Old World did not have an incredibly long "shelflife". Therefore, we do not have any of the original documents (called autographs) thatthe Biblical authors wrote. However, we do have copies of the originals (calledmanuscripts) and can compare them to discern what were in the originals, and whatwasn't. The more copies you have from different places, and the closer they are in ageto the original, makes the process more assured. It's like the old game "telephone";

those who are closer to the originator of the message got more of it right than those atthe end of the line. Also, by giving the same message to five or six telephone lines, withsome effort you could probably reconstruct the original message by what theparticipants recall.

Now, this entire exercise is nothing restricted to the Bible alone. Every ancientdocument is tested as to its reliability in this same way. Historians look for copies of thetext, from where they originated, their age and proximity to the autographs, and if the

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documents were quoted in other works to help them in determining the closestrendering of the text to its original form.

The Bible has an incredible amount of manuscript evidence to authenticate its messageas it was originally written. Of every ancient literary or historical work, none can come

remotely close to the huge amount of manuscript evidence for the New Testament.(3)There are over 5,300 manuscripts or parts of manuscripts we can examine today. If youcount all the early copies of translations of the New Testament, the number skyrocketsto over 24,000. This is such an astounding amount, it's about 43 times as much as thesecond most prevalent writing, The Iliad, with only 643. Both The Iliad and the Biblewere works venerated as sacred writings, and viewed as having the answers toquestions of the supernatural and the afterlife. Both fought attempts at additions, textualchanges and corruption. The Iliad has over 400 lines in doubt out of 15,600. The NewTestament with 20,000 lines has 40 lines in doubt, none of which substantially changeits message.Further, if we look at the time gap between the originals and the earliest copies of these

cherished texts, we again see that the New Testament is far more reliable. The Iliad hasa gap of about 500 years before the first manuscripts appear, where the Bible's bookshave pieces ranging from as close as 35 years after the original composition.The Old Testament, unfortunately, does not share the wealth of manuscript evidencethat the New Testament possesses. However, because of the Dead Sea Scrolls andother discoveries, along with ancient Hebrew sources that quote from the OldTestament, we are assured that it is in the same form as it was in Jesus' day. The DeadSea Scrolls themselves included almost all of the Old Testament canon and they datefrom 250B.C. to 100A.D. Also, the copies of the Septuagint, which was a Greek versionof the Old Testament written about 250B.C., show the text we have today has beennearly perfectly preserved.

Next, we must look at the facts of history and see whether the Bible reports theseaccurately. If this truly is a book written by God, then the facts must be presentedunerringly. We have many written sources outside the Bible that corroborate itsdocumentation. Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived in the first century.He not only preserves many traditions about events that are mentioned in the OldTestament, but also corroborates the existence of John the Baptist(Ant. XVIII.5.2),where it also mentions that Herod had him imprisoned and put to death. He alsomentions James as the brother of Jesus along with his death by the high priest Annas(Ant. XX 9:1). Lastly, he mentions Jesus himself, who he characterizes as "a wise man".He further reports that people viewed Him as the Christ and that Jesus appeared to Hisdisciples three days after Pilate put Him to death(Ant. XVIII.33). Remember, Josephus

is a Jew, and would be adverse to Christianity and its message.Other early documents authenticate the Bible accounts. The Jewish Talmud mentionsJesus and records His death on the eve of Passover. The early church quotes from theNew Testament and authenticates it. Thallus, a Samaritan historian who wrote in 52A.D. mentions the crucifixion, as did Phlegon, the Roman historian.

There's also a letter sent by a Syrian man sent to his son. It was written sometime nearthe end of the first century, or possibly the beginning of the second. The man's name

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was Mara Bar-Serapion and he was serving a prison sentence. He wrote to encouragehis son and charge him to seek wisdom. In the letter it says,"What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine andplague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What advantage did the men ofSamos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand.

What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King? It was just after thatthat their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men."Note the reference to Jesus being put to death is in a historical context. The letter alsoshows that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews and that He taught wisely.Archaeology has also borne out the reliability of the Bible. Everywhere the archaeologistsearches, he uncovers discoveries that bolster, not refute support of the Bible as beinga true account of history. Archaeological digs have uncovered a stele dedicated toPontius Pilate and even found the remains of a crucified man, with the nail still in thebones of the hand. The Hittites were a group considered in the last century to be amythical people only mentioned in the Bible. It wasn't until A.J. Sayce brought forthevidence of their existence in 1876 that the Hittites were generally accepted as

historically true. In fact, the archaeological evidence for the validity of the Bible is sooverwhelming that Donald J. Wiseman stated over 25,000 sites mentioned in the Biblehave been found. Millar Burrows writes, "The more we find that items in the picture ofthe past presented by the Bible, even though not directly attested, are compatible withwhat we know from archaeology, the stronger is our impression of general authenticity.Mere legend or fiction would inevitably betray itself by anachronisms and incongruities."Further, there is no valid reason to believe that the men who wrote the Bible were lyingor trying to deceive. The New Testament particularly shows that the character of thewriters was beyond reproach. Each of them suffered and were executed because theywould not recant their position that the teachings of the Bible are true and accurate. Iftheir testimony was made up for gain or folly, surely someone would have renounced

his stand to save his life, but it did not happen. All the apostles and the writers believedunwaveringly that the Bible was absolute fact.

A set of documents having their origin in the All-knowing God of the universe would notbe prone to scientific inaccuracies. If we are to believe that the Bible came from thesame source that created the world, then is logical to assume it would not mis-representthe mechanics of the world. Only the Bible contains none of the scientific absurditiesthat are found in all other ancient religious writings.In the Hindu Scriptures it is taught that the earth is set atop the backs of four elephants,who in turn stood on a giant sea-turtle that was swimming through a milky sea.However, Job states, "He stretches out the North over empty space, and hangs the

earth on nothing.(26:7)" Also, Isaiah mentions that God sits "above the circle of theearth.(40:22)" The New Testament also records a snatching away of believers. In Luke17 Jesus talks of a singular event stating that "two men in one bed; and one will betaken, and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding in the same place;one will be taken, and the other will be left." These are events that happen at differenttimes of the day, yet Jesus speaks of them as a single instance. Only someone whounderstands the revolution of a round earth could understand how day and night arerelative and one act may affect people in both time frames.

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When Genesis was written, The Greeks were beginning to tell of Apollos' flight acrossthe sky in a flaming chariot. The Egyptians were worshipping the sun as Ra, deifying it.The Mesopotamians referred to the sun as "Shamosh" and called it the god of justice.Genesis, however, calls the sun "a light in the expanse of the heavens" and views it asa thing, one created by God. That the Bible does not follow the naivet of those ancient

religions is often overlooked, since modern man is much more knowledgeable in themechanics of nature. We take for granted that someone touching an infectious personor a corpse should practice good hygiene and wash thoroughly in running water beforeproceeding to anything else, but this "discovery" has only been a medical reality for 150years. The book of Leviticus, though, requires this same procedure. One cannot findideas as arcane as blood-letting or consuming ram's horn for fertility, or all the othermythical cures for ills that were thought to be science in those days. The Bible is not ascience book. It does not focus on scientific facts about the creation, but where itmentions those things, it is accurate in its representation. This is exactly what we'dexpect if the Bible had its origin in the One who created the universe and its scientificlaws.

Internal Evidence for Reliability of the BibleThus far we have examined several evidences of the accuracy and the reliability of theBible by comparing it to outside sources and what we know is true. Now, I'd like to turnour attention to the text of the Bible itself to show how it validates itself as the word ofGod. Again, I remind you that we have a collection of different documents that werewritten over one and a half millennium, that are devoted to discussing the mostcontroversial and emotionally charged topics man has known. The incredible thing isthat they all agree. Taken together, the Bible presents a single, unified message ofactions and attitudes by which man can live. This is an unprecedented feat.To have sixty six books written by about forty authors, from kings and nobles to

fishermen and soldiers, in three languages and on three continents, be of the samemind is just not humanly possible. Why, the editorial writers in our newspapers can'teven agree when they come from the same culture and similar educationalbackgrounds.To demonstrate the remarkability of this accomplishment, we can propose anexperiment. Imagine a classroom of thirty students at the high-school level. The teacherhas decided on the class writing a novel for a class project. Each student will beassigned one chapter and they will then gather the papers together to assemble thefinished work. The topic chosen is "Why God is important in man's life," but there is nooutline and there are no rules as to what that statement means. Because the studentsare all the same age and live in the same area at the same point in time, they have a

tremendous advantage over the Biblical writers, but to expect a congruent work isridiculous. The fact that the Bible is a unified message shows that its origin comes frombeyond man.Because the Bible claims it is the word of God, it requires of itself a stricter assessment.The Old Testament is filled with the authoritative phrase "Thus sayeth the LORD" . Thefact that men recognized it from the time it was first penned as authoritative gives it ameasure of strength. The laws that were required of the Jews were very arduous.Because they chose to accept them as commandments from God before any significant

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length of time had elapsed to mythicalize them shows that the people believed with theirlives that these documents were from God. Jesus Himself validates the Old Testamentby regarding it as the word of God and authoritative in all things.

The Biblical Test for Inspiration

The last point in demonstrating the inspiration of the Bible is one we have not yetmentioned. The Bible itself gives a test to all messages claiming to be from God, andyou are to judge the merits of the message by that test. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states:"But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have notcommanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, thatprophet shall die. And you may say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word whichthe LORD has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if thething does not come about or come true, that is the thing the LORD has not spoken.The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him."

This passage shows the yardstick by which all revelation is measured: prophecy. The

Bible stands alone as a book stuffed with prophecy. It is the very heart of Scripture. Withprophecy, God gives the faithful hope by promising better things in the future. Likewise,the wicked are warned of impending judgment if they don't change their ways. The Bibleis unique from all other religious texts because it gives specific, detailed prophecies thatwere fulfilled just as written. Let's look at a few prophecies to demonstrate theirprecision.

The coming of the Jewish Messiah is the focus of the Old Testament. There are over300 separate prophecies about the "Holy One of Israel" found there. They are sospecific as to predict the city of Jesus' birth (Micah 5:2), His nature (Isaiah 7:14), Hisworks of healing and miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6), His betrayal for thirty pieces of silver

(Zechariah 11:12-13), His suffering (Isaiah 53), His style of execution (Psalm 22) andHis resurrection (Psalm 16:10, Acts 13:35) amongst other things. These prophecieswere written anywhere from 400 to 1000 years before Jesus' birth, yet they describe Hislife with the accuracy of an eyewitness. The odds against a living person meeting evena few of these predictions is so astronomical it is considered an impossibility.Another prophecy given in the book of Isaiah was to the man who would conquer thecity of Babylon. In Isaiah 44:27 and following the Lord says,"It is I who says to the depths of the sea, 'Be dried up!' and I who will make your riversdry. It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd!' and he will perform all My desire.Thus says the LORD to Cyrus, His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, tosubdue nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him

so that the gates will not be shut. I have also called you by your name; I have given youa title of honor though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;besides Me there is no God"This prophecy was written around 690 BC. History tells us that in 538 BC a Persiangeneral named Cyrus had devised a plan to overtake the impregnable city of Babylon.He dammed up the river running through the city and sent soldiers under the gates.When he got to the front gates, however, he found them unlocked and took the entirecity without a problem. In one night the most secure empire in the world of that time was

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overthrown. It was described by God to Cyrus, and addressed to him by name, 150years before he had even been born!

One other prophecy we can examine is one that has been fulfilled in modern times.Israel is an amazement sociologically. Never in the history of mankind has a nation

been overthrown and obliterated for 1900 years and then come back into existence. Yet,this is exactly what has happened to the nation of Israel, and they reside in the samegeographic area as they previously possessed. We turn again to Isaiah, chapter 11which states,"In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that isleft of His people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, fromElam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise abanner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scatteredpeople of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (vss.11-12)Notice, that the passage in Isaiah was written before the Babylonian captivity, so itrefers to a second regathering. That implies that there would be two dispersals. Yet,

after the second exile, it also promises that the nation of Israel would be put backtogether from "the four corners of the earth", which is an unequalled feat. Just think ofhow many Hittites or Philistines we find today. People who are exiled for an extendedperiod of time generally assimilate into the culture in which they're placed. In no otherinstance has this ever happened.In Jeremiah 16:15, God promises that the Israelites will dwell "in the land I gave theirforefathers", and Ezekiel chapter 36 describes the incredible transformation of the landitself into a major agricultural center. We still have documentary footage of how the landof Palestine was transformed from a mosquito-infested swampland to the breadbasketof Europe. It is now the sixth largest producer of fruits in the world!

When all the evidence is studied, it leads to an inescapable conclusion: the Bible mustcome from a source other than that of natural man. It is a reliable document thatfaithfully records history and in that record it documents God intervening in the lives ofmen. The New Testament verifies that the Old Testament is the word of God, and Peterverifies that the writings of Paul are Scriptural; that is from God(2 Peter 3:16). Peter alsostates, "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by theHoly Spirit spoke from God.(2 Peter 1:21)" This is a consistent message throughout theBible.

In any field of study, when people examine the objects of their study, they classify themby their attributes. A bird fits the definition of an animal with feathers that lays eggs.

Every animal that has those attributes is considered a bird. A mammal must be warm-blooded, have hair, and suckle its young. In examining all the religious texts of theworld, only the Bible exhibits all the attributes of a God-inspired message. I hope youwill appreciate the Bible more from our discussion, and let me know if I've assumedsomething that doesn't make sense to you. May you be greatly blessed in your pursuitof Him.

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Fromwww.comereason.org

To many, the origin of the Bible can be summed-up as follows: "A mere translation of atranslation of an interpretation of an oral tradition" - and therefore, a book with nocredibility or connection to the original texts. Actually, the foregoing statement is a

common misunderstanding of both Christians and non-christians alike. Translationssuch as the King James Version are derived from existing copies of ancient manuscriptssuch as the Hebrew Masoretic Text (Old Testament) and the Greek Textus Receptus(New Testament), and are not translations of texts translated from other interpretations.The primary differences between today's Bible translations are merely related to howtranslators interpret a word or sentence from the original language of the text source(Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek).

Origin of the Bible - The Reliability of Ancient ManuscriptsAnother challenge against the origin of the Bible is the reliability of the manuscripts fromwhich today's Bibles are translated. Remarkably, there is widespread evidence for

absolute reliability. There are more than 14,000 existing Old Testament manuscripts andfragments copied throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean and European regions thatagree dramatically with each other. In addition, these texts agree with the Septuagintversion of the Old Testament, which was translated from Hebrew to Greek some timeduring the 3rd century BC. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the 1940's and50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the ancient transmission ofthe Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival of Jesus Christ. The Hebrewscribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated their lives to preserving theaccuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to phenomenal lengths to insuremanuscript reliability. They were highly trained and meticulously observed, countingevery letter, word and paragraph against master scrolls. A single error would require the

immediate destruction of the entire text.

The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is also dramatic, with over 5,300known copies and fragments in the original Greek, nearly 800 of which were copiedbefore 1000 AD. Some manuscript texts date to the early second and third centuries,with the time between the original autographs and our earliest existing copies being aremarkably short 60 years. Interestingly, this manuscript evidence far surpasses themanuscript reliability of other ancient writings that we trust as authentic every day. Lookat these comparisons: Julius Caesar's "The Gallic Wars" (10 manuscripts remain, withthe earliest one dating to 1,000 years after the original autograph); Pliny the Younger's"History" (7 manuscripts; 750 years elapsed); Thucydides' "History" (8 manuscripts;

1,300 years elapsed); Herodotus' "History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed);Sophocles (193 manuscripts; 1,400 years); Euripides (9 manuscripts; 1,500 years); andAristotle (49 manuscripts; 1,400 years).

Homer's "Iliad", the most renowned book of ancient Greece, has 643 copies ofmanuscript support. In those copies, there are 764 disputed lines of text, as comparedto 40 lines in all the New Testament manuscripts (Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix,A General Introduction to the Bible, Moody, Chicago, Revised and Expanded 1986, p.

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367). In fact, many people are unaware that each of William Shakespeare's 37 plays(written in the 1600's) have gaps in the surviving manuscripts, forcing scholars to "fill inthe blanks." This pales in textual comparison with the over 5,300 copies and fragmentsof the New Testament that, together, assure us that nothing's been lost. In fact, all of theNew Testament except eleven verses can be reconstructed from the writings of the

early church fathers in the second and third centuries. (A General Introduction to theBible, Ch. 24.)

Origin of the Bible - The Power of ProphecyThe origin of the Bible is God. It is a historical book that is backed by archeology, and aprophetic book that has lived up to all of its claims thus far. The Bible is God's letter tohumanity collected into 66 books written by 40 divinely inspired writers over a period ofover 1,600 years. The claim of divine inspiration may seem dramatic (or unrealistic tosome), but a careful and honest study of the biblical scriptures will show them to betrue. Powerfully, the Bible validates its divine authorship through fulfilled prophecies. Anastonishing 668 prophecies have been fulfilled and none have ever been proven false

(three are unconfirmed). God decided to use prophecy as His primary test of divineauthorship, and an honest study of biblical prophecy will compellingly show thesupernatural origin of the Bible. Skeptics must ask themselves, "Would the gamblingindustry even exist if people could really tell the future?" Again, no other holy bookcomes even close to the Bible in the amount of evidence supporting its credibility,authenticity and divine authorship.

Fromhttp://www.allabouttruth.org/Origin-Of-The-Bible.htm

Who Wrote the Bible - A Letter from GodWho wrote the Bible is a question that is undoubtedly asked by many who are familiar

with the impact this book has made on people around the world. The Bible givesguidance in our journey through life to eternity, as well as leads us to a relationship withthe God of the universe. It is a historical book that is backed by archeology, and aprophetic book that has lived up to all of its claims thus far. In light of all these facts,asking, who wrote the bible, is a vital question that deserves serious investigation anda serious response. The Bible is Gods letter to humanity collected into 66 books writtenby 40 divinely inspired writers. These writers come from all walks of life (i.e., kings tofishermen) and spans over a period of 1,500 years or more. These claims may seemdramatic (or unrealistic to some), but a careful and honest study of the biblical scriptureswill show them to be true.

Who Wrote the Bible - Evidence of Divine InspirationWho wrote the Bible is a question that can be definitively answered by examining thebiblical texts in light of the external evidences that supports its claims. 2 Timothy 3:16states that All scripture is inspired by God. In 2 Peter 1:20-21, Peter reminds thereader to know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one s owninterpretation, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. The Bible itselftells us that it is God who is the author of His book.

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God does not leave us with just claims of His divine handiwork in the Bible, but alsosupports it with compelling evidence. The design of the Bible itself is a miracle. Writtenover more than 1,500 years by vastly different writers, yet every book in the Bible isconsistent in its message. These 66 books talk about history, prophecy, poetry, andtheology. Despite their complexity, differences in writing styles and vast time periods,

the books of the Bible agree miraculously well in theme, facts and cross-referencing. Nohuman beings could have planned such an intricate combination of books over a 1,500-year time span. Bible manuscripts (remember, there were no printing presses until1455) have survived despite weather, persecution and time. Most ancient writingswritten on weak materials like papyrus have vanished all together. Yet many copies ofthe Old Testament scriptures survived. For instance, the Dead Sea Scrolls contain allbooks of the Old Testament, except Esther, and have been dated to before the time ofChrist. Consider Julius Caesars Gallic Wars. Only ten copies written about 1,000 yearsafter the event are in existence. In comparison, there are over 24,000+ New Testamentmanuscripts, the earliest one dating to within 24 years after Christ.

The Bible also validates its divine authorship through fulfilled prophecies. An astonishing668 prophecies have been fulfilled and none have ever been proven false (three areunconfirmed). An honest study of biblical prophecy will compellingly show the divineauthorship of the Bible. Further, archeology confirms (or in some cases supports)accounts in the biblical record. No other holy book comes close to the Bible in theamount of evidence supporting its divine authorship.Who Wrote the Bible - A Question of Eternal SignificanceWho Wrote the Bible is indeed a question that everyone must ask. If indeed it is theWord of the living God, then no other book gives us more insight into our lives, morehope for our future, and a true path to a relationship with God. Search the Bible withopenness and honesty and see for yourself what the Creator of the universe wants to

tell you!

Fromhttp://www.AllAboutTruth.org/who-wrote-the-bible.htm

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