Why Believe The Bible?
2 Peter 1:16-21
Recently I had a ninth-grader in Georgia call the church after watching one of our YouTube videos, and she was searching for answers from the Bible. And she wants to believe the Bible, and she wants to know God, but it sounds like she has other voices in her life causing her to question the Bible. And that’s what our culture wants her to do, and that’s what the enemy wants her to do. That was the sin that caused the Fall of Man in the Garden. It began with the serpent, Satan, getting Eve to question God’s Word. “Has God really said…”
It’s so easy for people in our culture to criticize the Bible, but seldom are they willing to dig into the rock-solid proofs of why we believe the Bible. Over the years, this has been one of my favorite messages, but I haven’t taught it in some time, so I’d like to go through it again with you today. But I am not here to defend the Bible today.
Charles Spurgeon said I would no more defend the Bible than I would defend a lion - you don’t defend a lion, you just let him loose - and he’ll defend himself.
The Bible is the Living Word of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and it will defend itself – we just have to let it out of its cage.
Voddie Baucham is a big pastor and teacher, and he taught a similar message to this some years ago. So, I let him inspire me in this message – so this one can kind of “go with” my previous messages on this subject. So, let me start with a statement here that is a mix of Voddie Baucham quote (about the New Testament) and my own heart.
The Bible (specifically the New Testament) is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Documenting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, with clear evidence of a divine origin.
So, we start with the reliability of the Bible because there is no higher authority than the Bible. Turn over to 2 Peter Chapter 1 and remember, The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses…
2 Peter 1:16–18 (NLT)
16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes
17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
Peter is on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he is writing his eyewitness account during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses.
Then continuing in 2 Peter 1 verse 19,
2 Peter 1:19 (NLT)
19 Because of that experience, (what Peter, James, and John witnessed) we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.
Peter says to pay close attention to the words of the prophets, which were written many hundreds of years before Christ because those words of the Prophets are like a lamp shining in a dark place – until the day dawns and until Christ, the Morning Star shines in your heart. THAT is the purpose of the supernatural, miraculous POWER of God’s Word to draw you out of the darkness and to allow Christ the Morning Star to shine new life into your heart.
And then, finally,
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT)
20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,
21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
The Bible claims and proves and has proven in every area of the sciences for two thousand years that it is of “divine origin,” not “human origin.”
The Word of God is not written from “human origin” but instead from “Divine origin.” Those are powerful words direct from scripture about the supernatural assurance we have from the eyewitnesses and from the Old Testament Prophets.
The Bible is unlike any other religious book on the planet. People compare the Bible to hundreds of other religious writings, but there is absolutely no comparison, and there cannot be – and here’s why.
The Bible is a miraculous collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors, from every possible walk of life – from kings and lawyers to fishermen and tax collectors.
And these 66 books were written by those 40 authors, over a span of 1500 years, on 3 different continents, in 3 different languages –
And it ALL tells ONE concise story – from beginning to end.
We call it “The Scarlet Thread,” which runs through all of scripture. It’s one concise story of Jesus Christ and God’s redemptive work on the earth.
There is absolutely no other document on earth (religious or otherwise) that has been written in the supernatural way the Bible has been written. Almost all other religious books come primarily from the ideas of one person. Just because someone says something does not give it the same religious validity as the Bible.
But one way God has proven that he, himself, wrote the Bible is by God using these forty authors to write sixty-six books on three continents, in three languages, over fifteen hundred years to tell one concise story from beginning to end. This gives the Bible a level of divine credibility that absolutely no other document on earth has.
Turn over to 1 John.
1 John 1:1–4 (NLT)
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.
3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Documenting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, with clear evidence of a divine origin.
This is not some guy who had a vision or a dream and came up with some approach to spirituality on their own. These are eyewitnesses who wrote during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses and who documented supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies with clear evidence that their writings are of divine origin and each of them ultimately dying to proclaim the message.
Let’s go over to 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 15:3–6 (NLT) (Paul writing)
3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Nothing compares with the historically documented Resurrection to place the Bible higher than any other religious writing. And the Resurrected Christ was seen by five hundred of his followers, most of which were still alive when 1 Corinthians was circulated, and none of which raised an objection to the obvious fact of the Resurrection.
Let’s talk about ancient manuscripts.
There are over 5,500 ancient manuscripts and portions of the New Testament – five thousand five hundred. And we have ancient manuscripts of the New Testament dated within one hundred years of the originals – maybe earlier. And if that doesn’t sound impressive to you, it’s probably because you haven’t studied ancient manuscripts much.
So, let’s compare. For example, one of Aristotle’s great works – Aristotle’s Poetics – we have less than twelve ancient manuscripts (compared to 5,500 for the New Testament), and the closest manuscript we have of this Aristotle’s work is over one thousand years after the original (compared to one hundred years for the New Testament). But nobody is questioning the validity of Aristotle.
Possibly the most famous ancient manuscript outside the Bible is Homer’s Iliad – we have a few hundred ancient manuscripts of it, but the earliest one that exists was written over 1,500 years after the original. The Bible – we have 5,500 manuscripts in three languages, pieces from all around the globe (almost – at least the known world at that time), none of which contradict each other, some as early as one hundred years after the original, and “everyone” scoffs. Again, no comparison to the 5,500 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, created as early as one hundred years after the original. But nobody is questioning the validity of Homer’s Iliad.
The ancient manuscripts of the Bible are 5,000 times more reliable than any ancient manuscript on earth, and that is super easy to verify but seldom discussed by critics of the Bible.
And I don’t even have time to go into the unbelievably miraculous PROOF of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran in 1947. It’s one of the places we go when we go to Israel; we started going – not to Qumran (on the southeast side of the mountain) – but on the other side of the mountain. In a little cave that nobody really knows is there is Cave Number 1. This is where the very first clay jar was found by the boy throwing rocks to try to get his goats out of the cave.
And we go to Cave 1, and we talk about the phenomenal, miraculous proof of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Found pre AD70, pre destruction of the Temple, and Rome destroying Jerusalem. The Book of Isaiah, the great Isaiah scroll, matches (they say ninety-five percent exact to your Isaiah that you read today). The five percent that doesn’t match are punctuation, spelling, and minor words that don’t affect anything. That scroll, that they believe was probably written 100 – 200 BC, matches your Isaiah today. And you can go to the shrine of the book in Jerusalem and see it, and look at it. It’s there! Two Thousand years later. And not one substantive word is different in it. You can’t do that with any other book.
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Documenting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, with clear evidence of a divine origin.
Miraculously written in sixty-six books, by forty different authors, over 1,500 years, on three different continents, and in three different languages – and it tells ONE concise story from beginning to end.
Here’s what I’d really like you to leave with. We actually can’t compare the Bible to anything else. You can believe it. You can not believe it – God gives you the choice. But you can’t compare it because there is no comparison. There’s just not!
It’s not just a bunch of rules to live by, like so many religions. The Bible is a collection of supernatural events that the writers personally witnessed.
They witnessed Jesus heal the sick
They witnessed Jesus walk on the water
There was no question that Jesus was crucified on Friday
And it is a historical fact that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday
Let’s talk about science.
Genesis 2:7 (NLT)
7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life (Ruach) into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
That is not an analogy – it is a scientific statement – it is a fact. But, only recently have scientists acknowledged that every single element in the human body is also in the dust of the ground – every single one.
Job 26:7 (NLT)
7 God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.
Only since the 1980s have astronomers found huge holes of nothing in space, the largest of which (250,000,000 light-years across) is in our northern sky. But God said in the oldest book of the Bible that he stretches the northern sky over empty space. AND Job 26:7 also says, God hangs the earth on nothing.
But the scientists of Job’s day knew that the earth rested on the back of an elephant that was standing on the back of a turtle. And just one hundred years ago, scientists knew without a doubt the earth had to be suspended in ether gas in order to stay up in space. But God said in the oldest book of the Bible that he hangs the earth on nothing.
Dennis Lindsay - “Harmony of Science and Scripture”
“No verse in the Bible has ever been found to violate any known law of science . . . There has never been found one scientifically established law denying any biblical passage, verse, or precept.”
Let’s talk about archeology.
Dr. Henry Morris – a noted creation scientist – has said,
“No one has ever found any fossils showing incipient or transitional structures leading to the evolution of more complex species.”
But today, there are over 25,000 documented archeological discoveries that support the Bible. In fact, archeology has proven the Bible when others said that the Bible was wrong – the Pontius Pilate stone, the Luke 3:1 stone – some of you have seen it with me in Caesarea. 1961 – People said there’s no such thing as Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea. And then, a bulldozer hit a stone from the first century that says Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea. And the scoffers just move on to something else. Not one archeological find supports the THEORY of Evolution, but 25,000 archeological finds support the Bible, and none disprove the Bible.
And when we drive down the road in Israel (and it’s not that long of a road), the guide says, “That hill (they call it a “tell”) hasn’t been dug up yet. That one hasn’t been dug up yet.” You see these undug archeological sites about every half a mile. And there are already twenty-five thousand documented discoveries! Whew!
Finally, let’s talk about prophecy.
The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was written and finished in about 270BC, and there are still four original copies of the Septuagint in the world today. In the Septuagint, there are three hundred prophecies written about the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ.
So, two hundred and seventy years before the birth of Christ, there were three hundred prophecies written about him, and every single one of those prophecies was fulfilled in his life – not one was missed!
What are the chances of that? Well, our brain can’t handle numbers that big, so let’s take just eight of those prophecies.
1). The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
2). The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey
3). He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver
4). The betrayal would occur in the Temple but the money will end up in a potter’s field
5). He would be charged with a capital crime and plead no defense
6). His hands and feet would be pierced
7). He would die with criminals but be buried with the rich
8). And Psalm 22 describes the Crucifixion in exact detail 400 years before crucifixion was invented
So, Chuck Missler, who was a brilliant engineer and Bible teacher, helps us with the math because we have to use composite probability here. These eight events all have to occur one on top of another – all in one person. And so the chance of one person meeting just these eight prophecies together in one in 10 to the 17th power – that’s 10 with 17 zeros behind it.
How big a number is that?
Well, if we took the state of Texas and covered it two feet deep in silver dollars and marked just one of those silver dollars, that would be one in 10 to the 17th power of silver dollars. Then, we’d just have a person fly over the entire state of Texas and randomly reach down and grab one silver dollar. The chances of that person grabbing the marked silver dollar is the same chance of one person meeting just eight of the three hundred prophecies written about Jesus – two hundred and seventy years before he was born.
Isaiah was written seven hundred years before Jesus was born. In Isaiah Chapter 53 is written exactly how Jesus would die for our sins. In fact, Isaiah 53 is so clearly written about Jesus that the Jewish synagogue reading order (that they follow each year) often skips this chapter of Isaiah.
And before the Bible we have was written, Psalm 22 would have been known by its first line – its title. And the title line of Psalm 22 is Eloi Eloi lama Sabacthani which means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. And Jesus quotes the title of that Psalm from the Cross, and then Psalm 22 goes on to say about Jesus –
Psalm 22:12 (NLT)
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! (that happened)
Psalm 22:13 (NLT)
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. (that happened)
Psalm 22:16–18 (NLT)
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. (that did not always happen to those who were crucified – but it DID happen to Jesus)
17 I can count all my bones. (they came to break Jesus’ legs, but Jesus had already given up His spirit – so this prophecy would be true) My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. (this is exactly what happened to Jesus)
Psalm 22 was written by King David, who had never witnessed crucifixion because crucifixion wasn’t invented for another four hundred years after this Psalm was written. Crucifixion wasn’t invented until 600 BC by the Persians. This is 1,000 BC – King David is writing like he is watching the Crucifixion. And this is in print in 270 BC, a hundred years before Christ died.
I pray you would hear the Holy Spirit speak to you about the truth of the Bible – today. You don’t have to understand it – in fact, you can’t. But we need to stop looking at it like just another book. It is a miraculous, supernatural living document. And I pray you would hear the Holy Spirit reveal to you who Jesus Christ is – today – through the revelation of the Word.
But at the very least – Please
See the words of the Prophets
See the words of the Eyewitnesses
See the supernatural Proof of the Bible
See it all as a lamp shining in the darkness and watch for that bright light moving closer and closer to you until day dawns and Jesus Christ the Morning Star shines new life into your heart. I pray you would allow God to reveal himself to you BY him revealing to you the validity and the supernatural power of the Bible.
Please consider reading these additional articles at qotquestions.org
Is the Bible Truly God’s Word?
Is there Proof for the Inspiration of the Bible?
What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?
How does Archeology Support the Bible?
Does the Bible Contain Errors, Contradictions, or discrepancies?
Does the Inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?
Why are there so many different Christian interpretations?
It’s so easy for people in our culture to criticize the Bible, but seldom are they willing to dig into the rock-solid proofs of why we believe the Bible. Over the years, this has been one of my favorite messages, but I haven’t taught it in some time, so I’d like to go through it again with you today. But I am not here to defend the Bible today.
Charles Spurgeon said I would no more defend the Bible than I would defend a lion - you don’t defend a lion, you just let him loose - and he’ll defend himself.
The Bible is the Living Word of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and it will defend itself – we just have to let it out of its cage.
Voddie Baucham is a big pastor and teacher, and he taught a similar message to this some years ago. So, I let him inspire me in this message – so this one can kind of “go with” my previous messages on this subject. So, let me start with a statement here that is a mix of Voddie Baucham quote (about the New Testament) and my own heart.
The Bible (specifically the New Testament) is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Documenting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, with clear evidence of a divine origin.
So, we start with the reliability of the Bible because there is no higher authority than the Bible. Turn over to 2 Peter Chapter 1 and remember, The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses…
2 Peter 1:16–18 (NLT)
16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes
17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
Peter is on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he is writing his eyewitness account during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses.
Then continuing in 2 Peter 1 verse 19,
2 Peter 1:19 (NLT)
19 Because of that experience, (what Peter, James, and John witnessed) we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.
Peter says to pay close attention to the words of the prophets, which were written many hundreds of years before Christ because those words of the Prophets are like a lamp shining in a dark place – until the day dawns and until Christ, the Morning Star shines in your heart. THAT is the purpose of the supernatural, miraculous POWER of God’s Word to draw you out of the darkness and to allow Christ the Morning Star to shine new life into your heart.
And then, finally,
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT)
20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,
21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
The Bible claims and proves and has proven in every area of the sciences for two thousand years that it is of “divine origin,” not “human origin.”
The Word of God is not written from “human origin” but instead from “Divine origin.” Those are powerful words direct from scripture about the supernatural assurance we have from the eyewitnesses and from the Old Testament Prophets.
The Bible is unlike any other religious book on the planet. People compare the Bible to hundreds of other religious writings, but there is absolutely no comparison, and there cannot be – and here’s why.
The Bible is a miraculous collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors, from every possible walk of life – from kings and lawyers to fishermen and tax collectors.
And these 66 books were written by those 40 authors, over a span of 1500 years, on 3 different continents, in 3 different languages –
And it ALL tells ONE concise story – from beginning to end.
We call it “The Scarlet Thread,” which runs through all of scripture. It’s one concise story of Jesus Christ and God’s redemptive work on the earth.
There is absolutely no other document on earth (religious or otherwise) that has been written in the supernatural way the Bible has been written. Almost all other religious books come primarily from the ideas of one person. Just because someone says something does not give it the same religious validity as the Bible.
But one way God has proven that he, himself, wrote the Bible is by God using these forty authors to write sixty-six books on three continents, in three languages, over fifteen hundred years to tell one concise story from beginning to end. This gives the Bible a level of divine credibility that absolutely no other document on earth has.
Turn over to 1 John.
1 John 1:1–4 (NLT)
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.
3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Documenting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, with clear evidence of a divine origin.
This is not some guy who had a vision or a dream and came up with some approach to spirituality on their own. These are eyewitnesses who wrote during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses and who documented supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies with clear evidence that their writings are of divine origin and each of them ultimately dying to proclaim the message.
Let’s go over to 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 15:3–6 (NLT) (Paul writing)
3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Nothing compares with the historically documented Resurrection to place the Bible higher than any other religious writing. And the Resurrected Christ was seen by five hundred of his followers, most of which were still alive when 1 Corinthians was circulated, and none of which raised an objection to the obvious fact of the Resurrection.
Let’s talk about ancient manuscripts.
There are over 5,500 ancient manuscripts and portions of the New Testament – five thousand five hundred. And we have ancient manuscripts of the New Testament dated within one hundred years of the originals – maybe earlier. And if that doesn’t sound impressive to you, it’s probably because you haven’t studied ancient manuscripts much.
So, let’s compare. For example, one of Aristotle’s great works – Aristotle’s Poetics – we have less than twelve ancient manuscripts (compared to 5,500 for the New Testament), and the closest manuscript we have of this Aristotle’s work is over one thousand years after the original (compared to one hundred years for the New Testament). But nobody is questioning the validity of Aristotle.
Possibly the most famous ancient manuscript outside the Bible is Homer’s Iliad – we have a few hundred ancient manuscripts of it, but the earliest one that exists was written over 1,500 years after the original. The Bible – we have 5,500 manuscripts in three languages, pieces from all around the globe (almost – at least the known world at that time), none of which contradict each other, some as early as one hundred years after the original, and “everyone” scoffs. Again, no comparison to the 5,500 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, created as early as one hundred years after the original. But nobody is questioning the validity of Homer’s Iliad.
The ancient manuscripts of the Bible are 5,000 times more reliable than any ancient manuscript on earth, and that is super easy to verify but seldom discussed by critics of the Bible.
And I don’t even have time to go into the unbelievably miraculous PROOF of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran in 1947. It’s one of the places we go when we go to Israel; we started going – not to Qumran (on the southeast side of the mountain) – but on the other side of the mountain. In a little cave that nobody really knows is there is Cave Number 1. This is where the very first clay jar was found by the boy throwing rocks to try to get his goats out of the cave.
And we go to Cave 1, and we talk about the phenomenal, miraculous proof of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Found pre AD70, pre destruction of the Temple, and Rome destroying Jerusalem. The Book of Isaiah, the great Isaiah scroll, matches (they say ninety-five percent exact to your Isaiah that you read today). The five percent that doesn’t match are punctuation, spelling, and minor words that don’t affect anything. That scroll, that they believe was probably written 100 – 200 BC, matches your Isaiah today. And you can go to the shrine of the book in Jerusalem and see it, and look at it. It’s there! Two Thousand years later. And not one substantive word is different in it. You can’t do that with any other book.
The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. Documenting supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, with clear evidence of a divine origin.
Miraculously written in sixty-six books, by forty different authors, over 1,500 years, on three different continents, and in three different languages – and it tells ONE concise story from beginning to end.
Here’s what I’d really like you to leave with. We actually can’t compare the Bible to anything else. You can believe it. You can not believe it – God gives you the choice. But you can’t compare it because there is no comparison. There’s just not!
It’s not just a bunch of rules to live by, like so many religions. The Bible is a collection of supernatural events that the writers personally witnessed.
They witnessed Jesus heal the sick
They witnessed Jesus walk on the water
There was no question that Jesus was crucified on Friday
And it is a historical fact that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday
Let’s talk about science.
Genesis 2:7 (NLT)
7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life (Ruach) into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
That is not an analogy – it is a scientific statement – it is a fact. But, only recently have scientists acknowledged that every single element in the human body is also in the dust of the ground – every single one.
Job 26:7 (NLT)
7 God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.
Only since the 1980s have astronomers found huge holes of nothing in space, the largest of which (250,000,000 light-years across) is in our northern sky. But God said in the oldest book of the Bible that he stretches the northern sky over empty space. AND Job 26:7 also says, God hangs the earth on nothing.
But the scientists of Job’s day knew that the earth rested on the back of an elephant that was standing on the back of a turtle. And just one hundred years ago, scientists knew without a doubt the earth had to be suspended in ether gas in order to stay up in space. But God said in the oldest book of the Bible that he hangs the earth on nothing.
Dennis Lindsay - “Harmony of Science and Scripture”
“No verse in the Bible has ever been found to violate any known law of science . . . There has never been found one scientifically established law denying any biblical passage, verse, or precept.”
Let’s talk about archeology.
Dr. Henry Morris – a noted creation scientist – has said,
“No one has ever found any fossils showing incipient or transitional structures leading to the evolution of more complex species.”
But today, there are over 25,000 documented archeological discoveries that support the Bible. In fact, archeology has proven the Bible when others said that the Bible was wrong – the Pontius Pilate stone, the Luke 3:1 stone – some of you have seen it with me in Caesarea. 1961 – People said there’s no such thing as Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea. And then, a bulldozer hit a stone from the first century that says Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea. And the scoffers just move on to something else. Not one archeological find supports the THEORY of Evolution, but 25,000 archeological finds support the Bible, and none disprove the Bible.
And when we drive down the road in Israel (and it’s not that long of a road), the guide says, “That hill (they call it a “tell”) hasn’t been dug up yet. That one hasn’t been dug up yet.” You see these undug archeological sites about every half a mile. And there are already twenty-five thousand documented discoveries! Whew!
Finally, let’s talk about prophecy.
The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was written and finished in about 270BC, and there are still four original copies of the Septuagint in the world today. In the Septuagint, there are three hundred prophecies written about the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ.
So, two hundred and seventy years before the birth of Christ, there were three hundred prophecies written about him, and every single one of those prophecies was fulfilled in his life – not one was missed!
What are the chances of that? Well, our brain can’t handle numbers that big, so let’s take just eight of those prophecies.
1). The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
2). The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey
3). He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver
4). The betrayal would occur in the Temple but the money will end up in a potter’s field
5). He would be charged with a capital crime and plead no defense
6). His hands and feet would be pierced
7). He would die with criminals but be buried with the rich
8). And Psalm 22 describes the Crucifixion in exact detail 400 years before crucifixion was invented
So, Chuck Missler, who was a brilliant engineer and Bible teacher, helps us with the math because we have to use composite probability here. These eight events all have to occur one on top of another – all in one person. And so the chance of one person meeting just these eight prophecies together in one in 10 to the 17th power – that’s 10 with 17 zeros behind it.
How big a number is that?
Well, if we took the state of Texas and covered it two feet deep in silver dollars and marked just one of those silver dollars, that would be one in 10 to the 17th power of silver dollars. Then, we’d just have a person fly over the entire state of Texas and randomly reach down and grab one silver dollar. The chances of that person grabbing the marked silver dollar is the same chance of one person meeting just eight of the three hundred prophecies written about Jesus – two hundred and seventy years before he was born.
Isaiah was written seven hundred years before Jesus was born. In Isaiah Chapter 53 is written exactly how Jesus would die for our sins. In fact, Isaiah 53 is so clearly written about Jesus that the Jewish synagogue reading order (that they follow each year) often skips this chapter of Isaiah.
And before the Bible we have was written, Psalm 22 would have been known by its first line – its title. And the title line of Psalm 22 is Eloi Eloi lama Sabacthani which means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. And Jesus quotes the title of that Psalm from the Cross, and then Psalm 22 goes on to say about Jesus –
Psalm 22:12 (NLT)
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! (that happened)
Psalm 22:13 (NLT)
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. (that happened)
Psalm 22:16–18 (NLT)
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. (that did not always happen to those who were crucified – but it DID happen to Jesus)
17 I can count all my bones. (they came to break Jesus’ legs, but Jesus had already given up His spirit – so this prophecy would be true) My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. (this is exactly what happened to Jesus)
Psalm 22 was written by King David, who had never witnessed crucifixion because crucifixion wasn’t invented for another four hundred years after this Psalm was written. Crucifixion wasn’t invented until 600 BC by the Persians. This is 1,000 BC – King David is writing like he is watching the Crucifixion. And this is in print in 270 BC, a hundred years before Christ died.
I pray you would hear the Holy Spirit speak to you about the truth of the Bible – today. You don’t have to understand it – in fact, you can’t. But we need to stop looking at it like just another book. It is a miraculous, supernatural living document. And I pray you would hear the Holy Spirit reveal to you who Jesus Christ is – today – through the revelation of the Word.
But at the very least – Please
See the words of the Prophets
See the words of the Eyewitnesses
See the supernatural Proof of the Bible
See it all as a lamp shining in the darkness and watch for that bright light moving closer and closer to you until day dawns and Jesus Christ the Morning Star shines new life into your heart. I pray you would allow God to reveal himself to you BY him revealing to you the validity and the supernatural power of the Bible.
Please consider reading these additional articles at qotquestions.org
Is the Bible Truly God’s Word?
Is there Proof for the Inspiration of the Bible?
What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?
How does Archeology Support the Bible?
Does the Bible Contain Errors, Contradictions, or discrepancies?
Does the Inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?
Why are there so many different Christian interpretations?