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Question: "Who were the authors of the books of the Bible?"

Answer: Ultimately, above the human authors, the Bible was written by God. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Bible was “breathed out” by God. God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that, while using their own writing styles and personalities, they still recorded exactly what God intended. The Bible was not dictated by God, but it was perfectly guided and entirely inspired by Him.

Humanly speaking, the Bible was written by approximately 40 men of diverse backgrounds over the course of 1500 years. Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra was a priest, Matthew was a tax-collector, John was a fisherman, Paul was a tentmaker, Moses was a shepherd, Luke was a physician. Despite being penned by different authors over 15 centuries, the Bible does not contradict itself and does not contain any errors. The authors all present different perspectives, but they all proclaim the same one true God, and the same one way of salvation—Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Few of the books of the Bible specifically name their author. Here are the books of the Bible along with the name of who is most assumed by biblical scholars to be the author, along with the approximate date of authorship:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90
=============================

Question: "What is the Bible?"

Answer: The word “Bible” comes from the Latin and Greek words meaning “book,” a fitting name, since the Bible is the book for all people, for all time. It’s a book like no other, in a class by itself.

Sixty-six different books comprise the Bible. They include books of law, such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy; historical books, such as Ezra and Acts; books of poetry, such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes; books of prophecy, such as Isaiah and Revelation; biographies, such as Matthew and John; and epistles (formal letters) such as Titus and Hebrews.

What is the Bible? - The Authors
About 40 different human authors contributed to the Bible, which was written over a period of about 1500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, and doctors. From all this diversity comes an incredible unity, with common themes woven throughout.

The Bible’s unity is due to the fact that, ultimately, it has one Author—God Himself. The Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, and the result was the perfect and holy Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:21).

What is the Bible? - The Divisions
The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In short, the Old Testament is the story of a nation, and the New Testament is the story of a Man. The nation was God’s way of bringing the Man—Jesus Christ—into the world.

The Old Testament describes the founding and preservation of the nation of Israel. God promised to use Israel to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3). Once Israel was established as a nation, God raised up a family within that nation through whom the blessing would come: the family of David (Psalm 89:3-4). Then, from the family of David was promised one Man who would bring the promised blessing (Isaiah 11:1-10).

The New Testament details the coming of that promised Man. His name was Jesus, and He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament as He lived a perfect life, died to become the Savior, and rose from the dead.

What is the Bible? - The Central Character
Jesus is the central character in the Bible—the whole book is really about Him. The Old Testament predicts His coming and sets the stage for His entrance into the world. The New Testament describes His coming and His work to bring salvation to our sinful world.

Jesus is more than a historical figure; in fact, He is more than a man. He is God in the flesh, and His coming was the most important event in the history of the world. God Himself became a man in order to give us a clear, understandable picture of who He is. What is God like? He is like Jesus; Jesus is God in human form (John 1:14; 14:9).

What is the Bible? - A Brief Summary
God created man and placed him in a perfect environment; however, man rebelled against God and fell from what God intended him to be. God placed the world under a curse because of sin but immediately set in motion a plan to restore humanity and all creation to its original glory.

As part of His plan of redemption, God called Abraham out of Babylonia into Canaan (about 2000 B.C.). God promised Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob (also called Israel) that He would bless the world through a descendant of theirs. Israel’s family emigrated from Canaan to Egypt, where they grew to be a nation.

About 1400 B.C., God led Israel’s descendants out of Egypt under the direction of Moses and gave them the Promised Land, Canaan, as their own. Through Moses, God gave the people of Israel the Law and made a covenant (testament) with them. If they would remain faithful to God and not follow the idolatry of the surrounding nations, then they would prosper. If they forsook God and followed idols, then God would destroy their nation.

About 400 years later, during the reigns of David and his son Solomon, Israel was solidified into a great and powerful kingdom. God promised David and Solomon that a descendant of theirs would rule as an everlasting king.

After Solomon’s reign, the nation of Israel was divided. The ten tribes to the north were called “Israel,” and they lasted about 200 years before God judged them for their idolatry. Assyria took Israel captive about 721 B.C. The two tribes in the south were called “Judah,” and they lasted a little longer, but eventually they, too, turned from God. Babylon took them captive about 600 B.C.

About 70 years later, God graciously brought a remnant of the captives back into their own land. Jerusalem, the capital, was rebuilt about 444 B.C., and Israel once again established a national identity. Thus, the Old Testament closes.

The New Testament opens about 400 years later with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus was the descendant promised to Abraham and David, the One to fulfill God’s plan to redeem mankind and restore creation. Jesus faithfully completed His work—He died for sin and rose from the dead. The death of Christ is the basis for a new covenant (testament) with the world. All who have faith in Jesus will be saved from sin and live eternally.

After His resurrection, Jesus sent His disciples to spread the news everywhere of His life and His power to save. Jesus’ disciples went in every direction spreading the good news of Jesus and salvation. They traveled through Asia Minor, Greece, and all the Roman Empire. The New Testament closes with a prediction of Jesus’ return to judge the unbelieving world and free creation from the curse.

Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible.

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What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?

What is the sword of the Spirit?

Why is the Bible called the Holy Bible?

What are the different names and titles of the Bible?

Is the Bible truly God's Word?

Related Topics:

Question: "When were the Gospels written?"

Answer: It is important to understand that the dating of the Gospels and other New Testament books is at best an educated guess and at worst foolish speculation. For example, suggested dates for the writing of the Gospel of Matthew range from as early as A.D. 40 to as late as A.D. 140. This wide range of dates from scholars indicates the subjective nature of the dating process. Generally, one will find that the presuppositions of the scholars greatly influence their dating of the Gospels.

For example, in the past many liberal theologians have argued for a later dating of many of the New Testament books than is probably warranted or valid, in an attempt to discredit or cast doubts upon the content and authenticity of the Gospel accounts. On the other hand, there are many scholars who look to a much earlier dating of the New Testament books. There are some that believe there is good evidence to support the view that the whole New Testament, including Revelation, was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It is our contention that the evidence supports the earlier dating more than it does the later dating.

There are scholars who believe the Gospel of Matthew was written as early as ten to twelve years after the death of Christ. Those who hold to this earlier dating of Matthew believe he first wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, and then it was later translated into Greek. One of the evidences of this earlier dating of Matthew’s Gospel is that early church leaders such as Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius recorded that Matthew first wrote his gospel for Jewish believers while he was still in Palestine. In fact Eusebius, (a bishop of Caesarea and known as the father of church history), reported that Matthew wrote his Gospel before he left Palestine to preach in other lands, which Eusebius says happened about 12 years after the death of Christ. Some scholars believe that this would place the writing of Matthew as early as A.D. 40-45 and as late as A.D. 55.

Even if the Gospels were not written until 30 years after Christ’s death, that would still place the writing of them prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This presents no major problem with their authority or accuracy. Passing on oral traditions and teachings was commonplace in the Jewish culture of that day, and memorization was highly cultivated and practiced. Also, the fact that even at that time there would have been a considerable number of eyewitnesses around to dispute and discredit any false claims, and the fact that none of the “hard sayings” of Jesus were taken from the Gospel accounts, further supports their accuracy. Had the Gospels been edited before being written down, as some liberal scholars contend, then it was a very poor job. The writers left far too many “hard sayings,” and culturally unacceptable and politically incorrect accounts that would need explaining. An example of this is that the first witnesses of the resurrection were women, who were not considered reliable witnesses in the culture of that day.

The bottom line for Christians is this—whether the Gospels were written soon after the death of Christ, or not until 30 years after his death, does not really matter, because their accuracy and authority does not rest on when they were written but on what they are: the divinely inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). We should also remember that one of the promises Jesus gave His disciples was that He would send them “another helper,” the Holy Spirit, who would teach them all things and ‘bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). So, whether it was few years or many after Jesus' death that the Gospels were written, we can have total confidence and faith in their completeness and accuracy, knowing that they were written by “men moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21), who accurately recorded the very words of God.

Recommended Resource: The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce..

Related Topics:

What is the Synoptic Problem?

Why do the four Gospels seem to present a different message of salvation than the rest of the New Testament?

How do we know when the books of the Bible were written?

What are the Gnostic gospels?

Who were the authors of the books of the Bible?

Return to:

Questions about the Bible

Questions about the Bible

What is the Bible?

Is the Bible truly God's Word?

What is Bibliology?

Why are there so many Bible translations, and which is the best?

What are the different English Bible versions?

How and when was the canon of the Bible put together?

What is the canon of Scripture?

Can / Should we interpret the Bible literally?

Why should we study the Old Testament?

What does it mean that the Bible is inspired?

What are some interesting facts & stats about the Bible?

Why should we read the Bible?

Does the Bible contain errors, contradictions, or discrepancies?

What are the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical books? Do the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical books belong in the Bible?

KJV Only? Is the King James Version the only Bible we should use?

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and why are they important?

What is Biblical numerology?

What do you think about the Bible codes? Is there any validity to them?

Who were the authors of the books of the Bible?

Where is a good place to start reading the Bible?

What are the lost books of the Bible?

Is it possible that more books could be added to the Bible?

What is the Synoptic Problem?

What is the Q Gospel? Is there any evidence for the Gospel of Q?

Should Mark 16:9-20 be in the Bible?

How did people know about God before the Bible?

What is the JEDP Theory?

What is the documentary hypothesis?

What is the difference between the Old and New Testaments?

What is the proper way to study the Bible?

Do I have to believe the Bible is inerrant to be saved?

What is the book of Enoch and should it be in the Bible?

What is the Septuagint?

Is the Bible relevant for today?

Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?

Is there proof for the inspiration of the Bible?

What is Biblical hermeneutics?

What are the beatitudes?

What is sola scriptura?

What are redaction criticism and higher criticism?

What is Biblical typology?

What is the Latin Vulgate Bible?

Why are the newer translations of the Bible missing verses?

Why isn't the Bible in chronological order?

Why is it important to know Greek and Hebrew when studying the Bible?

Has the Bible been corrupted, altered, edited, revised, or tampered with?

Textual criticism - what is it?

Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses? Why and when was it done?

Should I use a paraphrase of the Bible?

What are the Gnostic gospels?

Why did God give us four Gospels?

What is the Skeptics' Annotated Bible?

When were the Gospels written?

What is the gospel of Judas?

What is the gospel of Thomas?

What is the gospel of Philip?

What is the gospel of Mary (Magdalene)?

What is the gospel of Barnabas?

Did the Bible copy some of its stories from other religious myths and legends?

How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God, and not the Apocrypha, the Qur’an, the Book of Mormon, etc.?

Why do the four Gospels seem to present a different message of salvation than the rest of the New Testament?

Why is it important to believe in biblical inerrancy?

What is the Apocalypse of Peter?

How does the translation process impact the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Bible?

What is good Biblical exegesis?

How do we know when the books of the Bible were written?

What are some different methods of Bible study?

What is the Masoretic Text?

What is the Textus Receptus?

How do we decide which books belong in the Bible since the Bible does not say which books belong in the Bible?

What is Verbal Plenary Preservation?

What is the Majority Text?

What is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis?

Why is it so hard to understand the Bible?

Why is understanding the Bible important?

What is bibliolatry?

Why is the Bible called the Holy Bible?

Is the doctrine of preservation biblical?

Go to:

Questions about the Bible (page 2)

Return to:

Frequently Asked Bible Questions

Return to:GotQuestions.org Home

Question: "Can you give me a basic timeline of the Bible?"

Answer: In the most basic sense, the Bible timeline is endless and eternal, as it chronicles creation (date unknown; Genesis 1:1-31) and the end of ages (Matthew 28:20). From a more practical viewpoint, the Bible timeline on which most scholars agree begins with Abram’s birth, renamed Abraham by God (Genesis 17:4-6) in the year 2,166 (B.C.) and ends with the writing of the book of Revelation in approximately 95 A.D. Prior to Abraham’s birth, the Bible timeline beginning in Genesis contains a rich history of creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man, extensive genealogies, stories of human travails leading up to Noah and the Great Flood (date also unknown), and much more.

Of course, this raises the question of how literally to interpret dates and other statements in the Bible. Genesis says that God created the world and everything in it in six days (Genesis 1:31). Yet the Bible also says that with God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day (2 Peter 3:8). And as Jesus told His disciples to forgive people not only seven times but seventy times seven times (490), the context seems clear that Jesus exhorts us to offer limitless forgiveness to those who trespass against us (Matthew 6:9-13). So, the most accurate and practical way to regard biblical time is that only God knows the true beginning and end of His universe (Mark 13:32).

Yet, within the period between Abraham’s birth and the Apostle John’s writing of the book of Revelation in A.D. 95 from his exile on the island of Patmos shortly before his death, history clearly documents and verifies many of the events and people addressed in the Old and New Testaments. For example, Moses was estimated to be born in 1526 B.C., Joshua entered the Promised Land approximately 1,400 B.C., and the period of Israel’s 10 judges lasted until 1,050 B.C, or until the onset of King Saul’s reign, when most scholars agree concrete historically-verifiable dating was possible.

From there, Israel’s first king, Saul, the famous King David—from whose family Jesus Christ would be born—and David’s son, wise King Solomon, presided over a united kingdom until 930 B.C. After King Solomon’s reign, Israel experienced a divided kingdom. Kings ruled the north (kings of Israel) and the south (kings of Judah) until the fall of the northern kingdom in 722 B.C. and the fall of Jerusalem (southern kingdom), which resulted in the Jews being exiled to Babylonia in 586 B.C.

This exile lasted until 538 B.C. when Persian King Cyrus directed Ezra to return to Israel and build a temple for God at Jerusalem in Judah (Ezra 1). The Jews restored Israel between this time and approximately 432 B.C., when the last book of the Old Testament (Malachi) was written. What followed next was a period of approximately 430 years, often referred to as “the time between the testaments.”

In approximately 6 B.C., Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, was born in Bethlehem and left soon thereafter for Egypt. After the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C., Jesus and His parents left Egypt and returned to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-23). Nothing is recorded for the next 10 years, until we see Jesus astounding the teachers in the Temple at age twelve (Luke 2:40-52). This was followed by approximately 19 years of silence until Jesus began His public ministry in circa 27 A.D., which included His baptism (Matthew 3:13-17), temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), first miracle in Cana (John 2:1-12), the first cleansing of the Temple (John 2:13-25) and early Judean ministry (John 3:1–4:43). The following year in Galilee, He called His disciples (Luke 6:13-16), preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–8:1), spoke in parables, did many miracles, including healings (Matthew 8:23–9:34), and sent forth the twelve (Matthew 9:35–11:1).

In the period 29-30 A.D., Jesus spent most of His time in Judea, preaching, teaching, performing miracles—including the raising of Lazarus from the dead—and further equipping the disciples to continue on after His death. Early in the year 30 A.D., He set His face toward Jerusalem. During the last week of His life, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His friends, where He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14-20) and gave His farewell discourse, including His High Priestly prayer (John 17:1-26). Finally, He was betrayed, arrested, tried, crucified and resurrected (Matthew 26:36–28:8). After that, the risen Christ began a 40-day ministry, was seen by many, and finally ascended to heaven (Acts 1:3-11; 1 Corinthians 15:6-7).

Shortly after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, His apostles and followers wrote what we now call the New Testament, a collection of books composed comparatively soon after His earthly ministry. Many scholars proficient in studying ancient texts believe that the concurrency of accounts plus the enormous number of copies produced and replicated over subsequent years makes the New Testament the most historically reliable document of all ancient texts. The first book of the New Testament (either Galatians or James) could have been written as early as A.D. 49, or within two decades of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This meant that the original texts were written by eyewitnesses providing first-hand accounts of what took place. The final book of the New Testament, Revelation, was written in approximately 95 A.D.

Recommended Resource: Chronological Bibles.

Related Topics:

What is the proper way to study the Bible?

Does the Bible contain errors, contradictions, or discrepancies?

Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?

Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses? Why and when was it done?

Old Testament vs. New Testament - What are the differences?

Return to:

Questions about the Bible

Return to:GotQuestions.org Home

Question: "Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses? Why and when was it done?"

Answer: When the books of the Bible were originally written, they did not contain chapter or verse references. The Bible was divided into chapters and verses to help us find Scriptures more quickly and easily. It is much easier to find "John chapter 3, verse 16" than it is to find "for God so loved the world..." In a few places, chapter breaks are poorly placed and as a result divide content that should flow together. Overall, though, the chapter and verse divisions are very helpful.

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.

Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible.

Chapter 3

THE BIBLE … THE WORD OF GOD

In the previous two chapters we found that the Bible is unique and accurate. To refresh our memories, let us review some of the more pertinent points that we discovered.

The Bible was written over a 1536 year time span by 40 different writers from various walks of life; yet it reveals the single coherent theme of God's redemption of man.

It has been read by more people than any other book and has been published in more languages and dialects than any other piece of literature.

Even though many kings, nations and governments have tried to destroy it, there still exists more ancient manuscript evidence of the Bible than any other ten pieces of ancient literature combined.

Its accuracy has been and continues to be verified from the historical, scientific and prophetic viewpoints. In fact, its prophetic accuracy is unprecedented. Within its pages prophecies that were predicted to occur in the near term, that is one year or less, to prophecies predicted to occur within tens, hundreds and even thousands of years have been and continue to be fulfilled.

Why? Why is the Bible so unique? Why is it so different from all the other known pieces of literature? What we will find is that the reason for this is because It is the Word of God.

To see this we will,

Conduct a brief survey of the books of the Bible.

Review the history and origin of the Bible.

Search the Scriptures to fine that the true Author of the Bible is God Almighty.

Before we begin our study, let us now come before our God and Father and ask Him for His guiding hand,

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come before You in Jesus Christ’s Holy Name. Father please provide me true spiritual wisdom and understanding so that I will be able to recognize Your Word. Lord please do not allow me to go to the left or right but lead me directly to the knowledge of You and Your Word.

Amen

THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

There are two major divisions of the Bible, the Old Testament (the books written before Jesus Christ’s life upon this earth) and the New Testament (the books written after Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension into heaven). The reason for this division goes back to the belief that the Old Testament, which documents God's covenant or promise given through Moses, was superceded by a new covenant provided by Jesus Christ. However as we progress through the remaining chapters of "Spiritual Foundations" we will find that the New Testament is not really new. Actually, the New Testament records the fulfillment of what God foretold and promised during the Old Testament days of what was to come. Specifically, He, the Messiah, would come to save mankind from their sin.

The Old Testament

The Old Testament is the collection of thirty nine books that were considered by the Jewish elders and priests as being divinely written or inspired. The Old Testament begins with the book of Genesis and ends with the book of Malachi. As we will see later in this chapter Jesus separates these books into three partitions: the Law of Moses, the Psalms and the Prophets.

The Law Of Moses

In this partition we read about God’s creation of the universe and His establishment of the nation of Israel. We also find within this partition the description of the various moral and ceremonial laws that God gave through Moses. This partition contains the following books,

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

The Psalms

These are the books that are often called the books of wisdom and poetry. In this partition of the Old Testament we find good examples for prayer, worship and proverbs to live by. This partition also contains some prophecies and is composed of the following books,

Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song Of Solomon

The Prophets

This partition, the last major partition of the Old Testament and the largest by far of the three, is normally divided by the English Bible scholars into three sections: the Historical books, the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets.

HISTORICAL BOOKS

These are the books that record the history of the nation of Israel. This history starts after Israel's exodus from Egypt and enters into the land of Canaan. These books also contain, as good object lessons for us, many accounts of God’s dealings with various individuals and the nation of Israel as a whole. This section contains the following books,

Joshua
Judges
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Ester
Ruth

In addition to the historical books there are the major and minor prophets. The distinction between major and minor prophets is only a reference to the length of their writings not to their quality. These books record various prophecies with respect to individuals, the nation of Israel and various Gentile (that is non Jewish) nations.

THE MAJOR PROPHETS

This section contain the writings of,

Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel

THE MINOR PROPHETS

Here we find the writings of,

Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

The New Testament

The New Testament is the collection of twenty seven books written after the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament begins with the Gospel according to Matthew and ends with the book of Revelation, that is The Apocalypse. These books are normally partitioned into four categories: the Gospels, History, the Epistles and the Prophecy.

The Gospels
In this partition we find the Gospel’s according to,

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

History

In this category there is only one book, the book of the Acts of the Apostles which commonly called the book of Acts. This book provides us an historical account of the early development of the Christian Church.

The Epistles

The epistles, which are letters of instruction and/or correction, written to churches, or individuals have been partitioned into the following two sections,

PAULINE EPISTLES

As the title suggests, this section contain the letters written by the Apostle Paul. These are:

Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews

GENERAL EPISTLES

Here we find the following letters written by James, Peter, John and Jude:

James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude

The Prophecy

In this partition of the New Testament there is only one book and that is the book of The Apocalypse, which means the revelation. This book was written by the Apostle John.

THE HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE

The Old Testament

For us to better understand why we can be sure that the thirty nine books of the Old Testament are Holy Scripture, we will,

Review the history and origin of today's Old Testament.

Find that in the first century writings the present Old Testament was identified as Holy Scripture.

See that our Lord and His Apostles bore witness to the divine inspiration of the Old Testament.

The History And Origin Of The Old Testament

According to the, "Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament" by John W. Walton in approximately 200BC there were in use four Old Testament texts that were considered to be Holy Scripture. The development of these four texts are briefly described in the following paragraphs.

After Cyrus set the Jewish people free, in approximately 538BC, from their Babylonian captivity there were some who elected to remain in Babylon and not return to Jerusalem. Using the Old Testament that was brought from Jerusalem when the Jewish nation was initially captured, these Jewish people, who remained in Babylon, ultimately developed and used by 400BC a version of the Old Testament that is called the "Proto-Masoretic" text.

Using the Scriptures that was originally carried to Babylon, Ezra, in the fifth century BC, after returning to Jerusalem, formulated an Old Testament called the "Old Palestinian" recension. Over the years this text was refined and a second version of the Scriptures emerged in approximately 400BC known as the "Proto-Samaritan" text.

The third version of the Old Testament in use from around 300BC is called the Greek Septuagint, also known as LXX. This version of the Scriptures is a Greek translation of the Hebrew "Proto-Septuagint. The "Proto-Septuagint" was a development by the Jews living in Egypt using Ezra’s "Old Palestinian" text. It is this Greek Septuagint version of the Scriptures that Jesus and His disciples most often used for the Greek speaking culture of that day.

In approximately 200BC, even though the above three versions remained in use, a fourth text or version of the Scriptures was developed and put into use. This version is known as the "Samaritan recension" and was the initial effort to consolidate the previous three texts of Holy Scripture.

At approximately 100AD in the council of Jamnia under Rabbi Akiba this consolidation was finalized and produced what is called the "Masoretic Text". It is this version of Hebrew Scripture that is used as the basis for the majority of today’s Old Testament Bible translations.¹

First Century Writings

The second piece of key evidence to support the fact that our present Old Testament is Holy Scripture comes from the first century writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. In his book, "Antiquities of the Jews", Josephus refers to the same books as our present Old Testament as accepted Scripture by the Jewish community at that time^.2

Finally, in the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible we read where the Talmudic Treatise Baba Bathra (200AD) identifies the list of books, that is virtually the same as our present Old Testament, as Holy Scripture.³

The Witness Of Jesus Christ And His Apostles

The most authoritative witness to the divine inspiration of the Old Testament are the Apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. To see this, let us begin with the Apostles.

The Apostles

As one reads the letters of Paul one can not help but marvel on how often the Holy Spirit, through Paul, uses the Old Testament Scriptures to teach us about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. An example of this can be seen in,

Romans 1:16-17

"[16] I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. [17] For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.""

It is pointed out that the phrase, "the righteous will live by faith" comes from the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk 2:4.

The Apostle Peter also bears witness to the authority of the Old Testament. One example of this is in,

1 Peter 1:22-25

"[22] Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. [23] For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. [24] For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, [25] but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you."

It is noted that verses 24-25 is a direct quote from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah 40:6-8. Let us also note how in verse 23 and 25 the Scripture is referred to as the Word of God.

Even though there are many examples in the letters penned by James, John and Jude that also bear witness to the authority of the Old Testament, let us move on to the most authoritative witness to the divine inspiration of the Old Testament namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. To do this, we will review some examples from the many teachings of Jesus Christ that encompass the three major divisions of the Old Testament; namely, the Law of Moses, the Psalms and the Prophets.

The Witness Of Jesus Christ

For an example of the many times that Jesus bore witness to the authority of the Law of Moses, let us read how He treated the incident of God's appearance to Moses from the burning bush. As we see in the following passage of Scripture Jesus uses this incident to teach the Sadducees, a Jewish sect who did not believe in the resurrection, that they were in error.

Mark 12:26-27

"[26] Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? [27] He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!""

Notice that Jesus does not treat this appearance of God in the burning bush as fable. No, Jesus considered this event as an actual encounter that God had with Moses.

For a representative book from the division of the Psalms, let us use the book of Psalms. As we read the New Testament we find that in His teaching, the Lord Jesus Christ often used the Psalms. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount we read,

Matthew 5:5

(taken from Psalm 37:11)

"[5] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

Matthew 5:7

(taken from Psalm 41:1)

"[7] Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

And,

Matthew 5:8

(a paraphrase from Psalm 24:3-5)

"[8] Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

In addition to teaching us about the kingdom of God, Jesus also used the Psalms to reveal to us that He was the fulfillment of them. To see this, let us see how Jesus used the Parable of the Tenants to teach the chief priests and elders of the people of what was soon going to happen to Him. As we read this parable let us keep in mind that:

The landowner represents God the Father.
The vineyard represents the people.
The farmers or tenants represent the elders of Israel.
The servants represent God’s prophets.
The son represents Jesus, the Son of God.
The other servants represent the soon to be Christians.

With this in mind let us now read from,

Matthew 21:33-41

""[33] Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. [34] When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. [35] "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. [36] Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. [37] Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. [38] "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' [39] So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. [40] "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" [41] "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.""

As Jesus completes this parable He tells the chief priests and elders that they should not be surprised at this. He does this by asking them the following question,

Matthew 21:42

"[42] Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone ; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

In other words, Jesus is telling them that if they had read and understood the Scriptures, they would know that His rejection and death were foretold in them. The significant point to made for this study is that the above passage that Jesus used to reveal what will happen to Himself is from Psalm 118:22-23. In addition, let us also note that He identifies the passage as Scripture, that is sacred writing or canon.

For our representative from the book of the Prophets, let us explore how Jesus utilized the book of Jonah to teach the people and us about the significance of His death and resurrection.

Matthew 12:38-41

"[38] Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." [39] He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here."

Notice that Jesus did not treat the account of Jonah and the huge fish as a mythical story. No, Jesus considered it to be an actual fact. Also notice that in verse 39 Jesus declared Jonah to be a prophet.

The Witness Of Jesus Christ Summary

Thus we find that Jesus Christ Himself bore witness to the fact that the Old Testament, that is the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms were Holy Scripture. Jesus beautifully summarizes this when He appeared to His disciples, after His resurrection, and instructs them about how everything written about Him must be fulfilled. We find His instruction recorded in,

Luke 24:44-45

"[44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." [45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."

Let us notice the following verses,

44 … Jesus bears witness to the authority of the Old Testament. Also notice that He partitioned the Old Testament into (1) The Law Of Moses, (2) The Prophets and (3) The Psalms.

45 … It was Jesus Christ who opened their minds to understand the scripture. This is why it is so important for us to ask Him to do this for us when we read or study the Bible.

The New Testament

As we did for the Old Testament, let us now review some of the reasons why we can be sure that the twenty seven books of our New Testament are Holy Scripture. In Josh McDowell’s book, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" we find that it is not exactly known what all the criteria the early church used to determine whether or not a New Testament writing was Scripture, that is canon.⁴ However, according to Geisler and Nix in their book entitled, "A General Introduction To The Bible" there were possibly five guiding principles, that is characteristics of Holy Scripture, used to make this determination: (1) Is it dynamic?, (2) Is it prophetic?, (3) Is it authentic?, (4) Is it used by the people of God? And (5) Is it Authoritative? ⁵

The Bible Is Dynamic

In deciding whether or not a New Testament piece of writing was dynamic or not, the early church had to determine whether or not the book or letter contained the life transforming power of God. Obviously time was required for the early churches to observe and discern the effects that a piece of writing had upon its membership.

The Bible Is Prophetic

The guiding principle to determine if a piece of literature was prophetic was to determine whether or not it was written by an apostle or a person carrying the apostolic authority. Although many qualifications are needed to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ, two key ones are: to have actually seen the resurrected Christ and to have the attesting signs, wonders and miracles.

The qualification for an Apostle of Jesus Christ to have actually seen the resurrected Christ is given to us by the original eleven apostles when they were deciding who was to replace Judas after Judas committed suicide. To see this, let us read from,

Acts 1:21-22

"[21] Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, [22] beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.""

Let us notice the last part of verse,

22 … must become a witness with us of His resurrection.

The second key qualification of attesting signs, wonders and miracles is given to us when Paul was defending his apostleship to the church in Corinth. To see this, let us read from,

2 Corinthians 12:12

"[12] The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance."

The Bible Is Authentic

Whenever the early church had a doubt with respect to the authority or origin of a New Testament book or letter, it was either discarded as spurious or held in dispute until more evidence surfaced to make a more final determination. This activity is called by Geisler and Nix as acting on the guiding principle to determine whether or not a book or letter is authentic.

This now brings us to the guiding principle of usage.

The Bible Is Used By The People Of God

Here the authority or witness given to a New Testament work to be Scripture was actually provided by its acceptance and usage by the people of God. As an example, we find that within the Bible itself we read that the apostle Peter acknowledged Paul’s letters as Scripture. We find this given to us in,

2 Peter 3:15-16

"[15] Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. [16] He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."

Notice in the above passage that Peter equates Paul’s writings to the other Scriptures thereby also acknowledging them as Scripture. Unfortunately this is the only passage within the Bible that one New Testament author bears witness to the authority of another person’s writings. Consequently, one must look outside of the Scripture to the early church to see how over time they considered and used the various pieces of New Testament writings.

As we read early church history we find that it was not until mid to late 300AD that all the books of the present New testament were considered to be Holy Scripture. For example we find that men, such as Eusebius, who died in 340AD, considered all but Jude, 2 & 3 John, 2 Peter and James to be Holy Scripture. At that time these five books were still held in dispute. Eusebius is the author of, "Ecclesiastical History." His book is considered by many to be the most important work from the early church fathers. However, Jerome, who died approximately 80 years later, considered all twenty seven books as the work of God.⁶Jerome was the person who first translated the Scriptures into the Latin language. His work is commonly referred to as the Latin Vulgate Bible.

In addition to individuals such as the above, several councils were convened to not only refute various heresies that were infiltrating the churches but to also acknowledge as a group the New Testament writings that were to be considered as Holy Scripture. These councils were composed of all the bishops from as many Christian communities, that is churches, as possible. The council of Nicea in 325AD that convened under the direction of the Emperor Constantine considered all but five of the twenty seven books as Holy Scripture. The books Jude, 2 and 3 John, 2 Peter and James remained in dispute.⁷ However, by the time that the council at Hippo convened in 393AD all twenty seven books were considered to be Holy Scripture by the Christian community at large.⁸ The council at Carthage in 397AD also considered all twenty seven books as the work of God.⁹ Since this time they have not changed, that is the twenty seven books of the New Testament are the same today as they were then. There has been no questioning of them by the Protestant or Roman Catholic Church.

The final and most critical principle is one of authority. Here the issue before the early church was to decide whether or not the words within a book or letter came from God. Since this is the most critical issue of all, let us explore in a bit more depth about who the author of the Bible really is. To do this, we will look to the Bible itself and find out what it has to say about its own authorship. Because of its extreme importance our study will encompass both the Old and New Testaments. In doing so we will find that,

THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD

Since the Old Testament is composed of thirty nine books, our study of their authorship will be limited to a representative book from each of the major categories. In other words, instead of examining the authorship of each and every book of the Old Testament, this portion of our study will focus on just a representative book from the Law of Moses, The Psalms and the Prophets. However, since there are also three partitions within the Prophets, that is the historical books, the major prophets and the minor prophets, representative books from each of these partitions will also be examined for their authorship.

With this introduction, let us begin our examination by first determining who the true author is for,

The Law Of Moses

Our representative book from the Law Of Moses is the book of Exodus. To find where and how Moses received the information that he wrote in the book of Exodus, let us first read from the time when God told Moses to bring the priests and elders of Israel up to Him on top of Mount Sinai.

Exodus 24:1-4

"[1] Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, [2] but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him." [3] When Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." [4] Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel."

Let us notice the following verses,

3 … Moses told the people all the Lord’s words and laws.

4 … Moses wrote down everything the Lord said to him.

Let us now read about what happened when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments to bring them to the camp of Israel.

Exodus 32:15-16

"[15] Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. [16] The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets."

Let us notice the following verse,

16 … the tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God.

However, as we read further we find that as Moses came down from Mount Sinai to return to the camp of Israel, he found the people steeped in the sin of idolatry. Unfortunately, Moses became so angry at them that he threw the tablets down on the ground and broke them. Consequently, Moses had to return to Mount Sinai and receive a new set. What is interesting to note here is that Moses himself could have just as easily made another set of tablets. However, this was not to be the case because God tells Moses to bring Him (God) two more tablets to write on. To see this, let us read from,

Exodus 34:1-2

"[1] The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. [2] Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain."

It is pretty clear that when we read the Law of Moses that we are really reading God’s Word … isn’t it?

The Psalms

For us to understand who is the true author of the Psalms, let us read from the New Testament where Jesus quotes from Psalm 110. Jesus uses this Psalm to teach the people and us that He (Jesus) is the Son of God and only from a human perspective does He come from the lineage of David. We find this teaching in,

Mark 12:35-37

"[35] While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? [36] David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' [37] David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with delight."

In verse 36 the passage: "The Lord said to my Lord …" is a quote from Psalm 110. Thus, Jesus is telling us that it was not David, but God the Holy Spirit speaking through David who provided us this Psalm.

The Historical Books

Our representative from the Old Testament historical books is 1 Kings. As mentioned earlier, the historical books not only provide us with the history of the nation of Israel but also provide us with various accounts of God’s dealing with many individuals. As an example, let us read the account of what God said to King Solomon when Solomon was building the Temple. To do this, let us read from,

1 Kings 6:11-13

"[11] The word of the LORD came to Solomon: [12] "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. [13] And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.""

Let us notice the following verses,

11 - the word of the Lord came to Solomon

12-13 - the Bible now tells us what God said to Solomon.

Given the above, the question to be asked is, "Whose words are we really reading? Are we reading what Solomon or some other human being had to say or are we reading what God said to King Solomon?" I believe one can only conclude that it is God’s word that we have just read.

The Major Prophets

For our next example, let us examine the book of Isaiah as our representative from the major prophets. To more fully understand whose words we are really reading in the book of Isaiah, let us read how Isaiah was commissioned to be a prophet of God. The account of his commission or ordination is provided to us in,

Isaiah 6:1-9

"[1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. [2] Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. [3] And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." [4] At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. [5] "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." [6] Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. [7] With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." [8] Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" [9] He said, "Go and tell this people: "'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'"

Let us notice the following verses,

5 … he saw the King, the Lord Almighty.

8 … he heard the voice of the Lord.

9 … God now tells Isaiah what to say to the people.

Let us read just one more example from the book of Isaiah,

Isaiah 8:1

"[1] The Lord said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz." (God now continues with the message.)

Notice it was God who told Isaiah of what to write. Thus, as we read the book of Isaiah we are reading what God told Isaiah to say and write. In other words we are reading God's Word.

The Minor Prophets

For our last Old Testament example let us examine the book of Zechariah as a representative from the minor prophets. To see whose words we are really reading in the book of Zechariah, let us read from,

Zechariah 1:1-4

"[1] In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: [2] "The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. [3] Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty. [4] Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD."

It is pretty clear that what we are reading here is what God told Zechariah, isn’t it? What is also interesting to note is that in verse four we read that God tells us that the earlier prophets were also sent by Him (God) and they too spoke His words.

Let us now move on to determine who is the true author of the New Testament.

The Gospels

We begin our examination by determining whose words and activities we are really reading about in the Gospels. To do this, let use the Gospel according to Luke as our representative. To determine whose words we are reading in Luke’s account of the Gospel we must read what Luke wrote in,

Acts 1:1-3

"[1] In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach [2] until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. [3] After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

Let us notice the following verse,

1 … Luke, the writer of Acts as identified in, "Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts", is telling Theophilus and us that what he wrote in his Gospel is what Jesus taught and did. Thus, when we read the Gospel according to Luke we are not only reading about the various activities of Jesus but also the very words that He spoke. This same conclusion can also be reached for the three remaining Gospels of Mark, Matthew and John.

What about the epistles? Whose words are they? Well, to find out let us first investigate,

The Pauline Epistles

To find where Paul received the information that he spoke and wrote about, let us read the following excerpt from where Paul defends his apostleship to the church in Galatia:

Galatians 1:11-12

"[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."

As one reflects upon the above it is very clear that Paul is conveying to us that what he preached and wrote in his epistles is what he received from the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself.

The General Epistles

Let us examine the first letter of John as our representative from the General Epistles. In the introduction to his first letter John tells us exactly where he got his information.

1 John 1:1-4

"[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. [4] We write this to make our joy complete."

In other words what John is telling us is that what he wrote was what he heard Jesus Christ say and what he saw Him do. In fact, he also tells us that this was not a dream or some ecstatic vision for he also tells us that they even touched Him with their own hands!

The Prophecy

For our final example, let us determine from whom the Apostle John received the information that he wrote in the book of Revelation. Perhaps the best way to make this determination is for us to read from,

Revelation 1:9-2:1

"[9] I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. [10] On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, [11] which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."[12] I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, [13] and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. [14] His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [15] His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. [16] In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. [17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. [19] "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. [20] The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

(Revelation 2:1) ""To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:"

In other words it was the resurrected Christ Himself that told John exactly what to write and obediently John did exactly that.

CONCLUSION

What is the point of this study? What is the message of it all? Well, the answer to these questions is provided to us very clearly in Peter’s second letter. In this letter the Apostle Peter tells us exactly what he wrote about.

2 Peter 1:16-21

"[16] We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17] For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." [18] We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. [19] And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [20] Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. [21] For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Let us notice the following verses,

16 … They did not follow invented stories, but were eyewitnesses to the things they preached and wrote about.

18 … they actually heard God the Father speak about His only begotten Son.

20-21 … prophecy did not originate in the thoughts or intellect of men but came from God.

Thus we find that the Bible is not only a set of very unique books, as we saw in the first two chapters, but it is in fact the Word of God. Given this, what shall we do? What is the point of it all?

Well, if God and His servants took all the time and effort to have it written, published and distributed for us, then it must be important and hence we should prayerfully read it. To see this, let us consider the following Psalm.

Psalm 1:1-6

"[1] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. [4] Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. [6] For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

Chapter 2

THE BIBLE’S AUTHENTICITY

In Chapter 1 we found that from a publishing viewpoint the Bible is certainly unique. Its uniqueness surfaces as we come to realize the significance of,

Even though the Bible was written over a 1536 year time span by 40 different writers from various walks of life, it provides us with a single unfolding account of God’s redemption of man.

The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book.

Even though many kings, nations and governments tried to destroy it, the Bible has survived with more manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of literature combined.

However, one of the most compelling reason that sets the Bible apart from all other works of literature is the subject of this chapter; namely its authenticity.

Now before we begin to examine the Bible’s authenticity let us pause for a minute or two and ask the Lord to bless us in our study.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come before You in Jesus’ Name to ask You to please quiet my heart and mind and help me to really hear what You are saying. Please grant me the spiritual wisdom so I can begin to comprehend the significance of the Holy Bible and the faith to know and believe that it is truly Your word. Lord God please help me to really come to know You and the things of Your Kingdom.

Amen.

In order for us to see the authenticity of the Bible we will examine it from the following three viewpoints:

Historical Viewpoint

In this section we will see that the places, events and people that the Bible talks about really existed and are historical facts.

Scientific Viewpoint

Here we will examine the issue of creation and see how the fundamental principles of science bear witness to the Bible’s testimony that God created the universe.

Prophetic Viewpoint

In this last section we will examine the Bible’s accuracy in which it foretold and foretells various future events.

HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT

To set the stage for this portion of our study, let us begin by reading the following excerpt from Josh McDowell’s book, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict":

"Earl Radmacher, president of Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, quoting from Nelson Glueck, former president of the Jewish Theological Seminary in the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati and one of the three greatest archaeologists, says: "I listened to him (Glueck) when he was at Temple Emmanuel in Dallas, and he got rather red in the face and said, "I’ve been accused of teaching the verbal, plenary, that is full, inspiration of the Scripture. I want it to be understood that I have never taught this. All I have ever said is that in all my archaeological investigation I have never found one artifact of antiquity that contradicts any statement of the Word of God.""¹

As one reviews the archaeological record we find that the artifacts of antiquity not only do not contradict the statements of the Bible but they actually support the Bible’s historical authenticity. To see this, we will review some examples of where the historical record supports the Bible's account of various historical places, people and events.

For the Old Testament we will,

Find that there is strong archaeological evidence to support the Bible's account of the Great Flood.

See that the excavations around the ruins of Jericho support the Biblical account that the walls of Jericho did indeed fall down flat.

Review evidence that supports the Bible's record that the city of Samaria was built during the days of King Omri.

With respect to the New Testament, we will,

Find that Jesus' trial by Pilate is part of the historical record of those days.

See that the cities identified in the New Testament are historical facts.

The Great Flood

In the Bible we read that in the days of Noah (approximately 2285BC), because of the sin of mankind, God flooded the entire earth. In fact let us read an excerpt of this in,

Genesis 7:11-12

"[11] In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month--on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. [12] And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights."

Let us now move on to,

Genesis 7:18-24

"[18] The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. [19] They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. [20] The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. [21] Every living thing that moved on the earth perished--birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. [22] Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. [23] Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. [24] The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days."

Let us now continue our reading in,

Genesis 8:1-4

"[1] But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. [2] Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. [3] The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, [4] and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat."

From this point we read in the Bible how Noah, his family and all the animals left the ark to go and again replenish the earth.

As one sits back and reflects upon what we just read one can not help but be struck by the awesomeness of it all. But, did this event actually occur or is this just a myth?

From the archaeological record we find strong evidence that this flood was not a myth or moral story but an historical fact. To see this, let us review some examples from the archaeological record. For example, in Halley’s Bible Handbook it states that other non-Israelite cultures also have recorded descriptions of a mammoth flood that covered the earth in the same time frame identified in the Bible. For example,

George Smith, of the British Museum, found in 1872, in tablets from the Library of Assur-banipal at Nineveh, accounts of the Flood that parallel the Bible account. These tablets had been copied from the Assyrian tablets that date back to the First Dynasty of Ur, a period about midway between the Flood and Abraham.²

The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic gives a story of his (Gilgamesh) adventures, one of which was a visit to the island abode of Utnapishtim, the Babylonian Noah. This visit is depicted on a seal found recently at Tell Billa near Nineveh. In his reply to Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim (Noah) relates the story of the Flood and his escape from it. The account that is given closely parallels the Biblical account.³

In addition to corroborating accounts from other cultures, we also find in Halley’s Bible Handbook more objective evidence. For example,

The Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Langdon found in 1928-29 a bed of clean water-laid clay, in the lower strata of the ruins of Kish, five feet thick, indicating a flood of vast proportions. Underneath this clean clay, relics of an entirely different culture were found. Some of these relics include a four wheeled chariot, wheels made from wood and copper nails and skeletons of the animals that drew it.⁴

In Fara, Iraq, Dr. Eric Schmidt, of the University Museum of Pennsylvania found the remains of three cities. He also discovered a flood layer between the middle and lower city. Underneath the flood layer was found various relics such as painted pottery, skeletons, pots and pans.⁵

In the annuals of Archaeology and Anthropology, M.E.L. Mallowan, director of the British Museum Excavations at Nineveh in 1932-33 describes what he believed to be flood deposits approximately sixty feet from the surface.⁶

Finally, in the book, "In Search of Noah’s Ark", by Dave Balsiger and Charles E. Sellier, Jr. We find,

In 1876, British statesman Sir James Bryce climbed Mt. Ararat alone and returned with a five foot piece of hand hewn timber.

In 1887, Prince John Joseph Nouri ascended Mt. Ararat and found a vessel with stalls and cages on board.

In 1955, French engineer Fernand Navarra brought back the first photographs of the mysterious ship.

In 1972, an earth resources satellite was launched 450 miles above Earth. As it passed over the Turkish-Russian border it recorded a mysterious boat like object on Mt. Ararat.⁷

The Fall Of Jericho

At the completion of Israel’s exodus from Egypt the Bible tells us that their entry into Canaan, the land that God promised to give them, began with the overthrow of Jericho (approximately 1234BC). This overthrow was enabled by the miraculous collapse of the city walls. To see this let us read from,

Joshua 6:1-5

"[1] Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. [2] Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [3] March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. [4] Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. [5] When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.""

Let us stop for a moment and consider the above situation. Here we find the army of Israel poised and ready to attack the city of Jericho. As they listen to the commander-in-chief they find that the battle plan is not to set up a siege, it is not to utilize battering rams, it is not to hurl large stones but it is to march around the city and shout! What would you do? What would be your reaction if you were one of those listening to Joshua spell out the battle plan on how they were to over run Jericho?

As we read further on in the book of Joshua, we find that Israel did exactly as they were told. As a consequence the walls fell flat and they took Jericho. Was this event concerning Jericho fact or fiction?

In Halley’s Bible Handbook we read that Dr. John Garstand, director of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem and the Department of Antiquities of the Palestine Government, excavated the ruins of Jericho in 1929-36. During these excavations he found pottery and other artifacts that gave evidence that the city was destroyed during the time of Joshua. He also found that the outer wall of the city fell outward, down the hillside, dragging the inner wall and houses with it. Thus, indicating that not only was the city destroyed but the walls did indeed fall flat.⁸

The Building Of Samaria

For our last Old Testament example, let us examine the Biblical account of Omri, a king of Israel (882-871BC). After God divided Israel into two kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north; the Bible tells us that it was Omri, king of Israel who built Samaria to be the capital city of the newly established kingdom of Israel. This is provided in,

1 Kings 16:23-24

"[23] In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. [24] He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill."

Archaeological evidence to support the above statements can be found in Halley’s Bible Handbook. First of all, this handbook records the fact that in addition to the Bible, the Moabite Stone (850BC), an archaeological artifact from the Moabites also mentions that Omri, was king of Israel.⁹ Secondly, we find that an expedition sponsored by Harvard University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, British School of Archaeology and Palestine Exploration Fund in 1908-10 found in the ruins of Samaria the foundations of Omri’s palace. What is extremely interesting is that they did not find anything older than Omri’s time; thus indicating that he was the founder of the city.¹⁰

Jesus' Trial By Pilate

For us to better understand the historical authenticity of the New Testament, let us first examine the incident of Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate (33AD). The Bible tells us that at the close of Jesus’ earthly ministry He was taken to Pilate for execution. In fact let us read an excerpt of this event in,

Luke 23:1-4

"[1] Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. [2] And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king." [3] So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. [4] Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man.""

As we read further in the Bible, we find that even though Pilate could not find any basis by which to charge Jesus with a crime he succumbs to the wishes of the people and orders Jesus to be crucified.

A historical confirmation to the authenticity of this event is provided in the historical writings of Flavius Josephus, a non Christian historian. According to the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, Josephus was the son of Mattathias, a priest in Jerusalem. Josephus was a general of the Jewish army who initially fought against the Roman invasion of Judah in the early to mid 60AD. He ultimately surrendered and became an ambassador for the Romans to the Jewish people during the remainder of the Roman/Jewish war. He was not only a distinguished man among his own countrymen, the Jews, but among the Romans as well. In fact, the Romans honored him with a statue that was erected in Rome. Under the direction of emperor Titus, Josephus’s historical books were published and given a place in the public library.¹¹

In Josephus’s eighth historical book relative to the antiquities of the Jews, we find the following account of Pilate’s judgment of Jesus,

"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works - a teacher of such men as receive truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews and many Gentiles. He was (the) Christ; and when Pilate at the suggestion of the principle men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, …"¹²

The New Testament Cities

For our final example of the historical authenticity of the Bible let us consider the cities of the New Testament. The authenticity of the cities mentioned in the New Testament such as Ephesus, Capernaum, Corinth, Caesarea and Symra are verified by the fact that their archaeological ruins still stand today. In fact one can actually visit and tour these ruins. Other cities mentioned in the New Testament, such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Rome still exist today. In other words one can actually visit, tour, vacation or even live in them.

Historical Viewpoint Summary

As can be seen from the above small set of examples, much archaeological evidence exists, with more continually being found, that supports the fact that the events, places and people recorded in the Bible are historically correct. As Nelson Glueck said, "not one archaeological artifact has been found that contradicts any statement written in the Bible."¹³

With this in mind, let us now move our study to the, SCIENTIFIC VIEWPOINT

Since the origin of our Universe is a much debated issue of our day, this portion of the Bible’s authenticity will focus upon this subject. Namely, we will limit our examination of the Bible's authenticity from a scientific viewpoint to the creation of the Universe.

We begin by reading the Biblical account of how God created the universe in,

Genesis 1:1-31

"[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. [3] And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. [4] God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. [6] And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." [7] So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. [8] God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. [9] And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. [10] God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. [11] Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. [12] The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. [13] And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day. [14] And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, [15] and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. [16] God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. [17] God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, [18] to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19] And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day. [20] And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." [21] So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22] God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." [23] And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. [24] And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. [25] God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. [26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." [29] Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. [30] And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. [31] God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day."

It is recognized that we do not have the capacity to understand how God was and is able to perform such creative works as described above. However, our lack of understanding does not invalidate the truth of it. As a matter of fact there are many examples in our everyday life that illustrates this point. Consider the situation of a person who was born blind. Does that person's blindness or inability to comprehend light invalidate the truth of the beautiful colors of the rainbow, of the flowers or of the whole world around them? No. What if we were born deaf? Would our inability to hear invalidate the truth of the beautiful songs of the birds, the music of the orchestra, or the communication of speech? Obviously not.

However, even though we may have been born blind or deaf there are other avenues that would testify to us the truth of the light and sound we could not directly understand. For example, through speech and touch the truths of color, shape and form are communicated to the blind. Whereas mediums such as the written word, the truths of sound are conveyed to the deaf.

In a similar manner, even though we do not have the capacity to fully understand how God created the Universe, there are many "fundamental systems of science" that convey to us the truth of it. Four examples of these systems or principles are:

Cause and Effect
Classification and Order
Laws of Thermodynamics
Principle of Well Ordering

Cause And Effect

The scientific principle of cause and effect, which is universally accepted by all fields of science, states that every phenomenon is an effect from a cause. More specifically, things just do not happen. For example, let us consider the case of a gold ring. A gold ring, by itself, just does not mysteriously come into being. We know that to have a gold ring it first takes people and machines to mine the gold ore from the earth, then a furnace to purify the gold and finally a goldsmith to shape and mold the gold into the design of the desired ring. In this case the phenomenon or effect is the gold ring and the cause is all the effort that was expended to bring the ring into being.

Applying this principle to the case of creation we find the "cause" to be God and the "effect" is the universe, that is the world and mankind. In other words, just as with the gold ring, this principle states that the universe did not create or come into being by itself. Thus, we find that the principle of cause and effect gives testimony to the authenticity of the Biblical account that God created the universe.

In reflecting upon this principle, the following Scripture comes to mind,

Psalm 100:3

"[3] Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."

Classification And Order

This fundamental principle (made famous by John Ray who was the first to classify living things according to species¹⁴) states that categories can be found of natural phenomena or items and can be arranged in discrete orderly classifications or systems. Examples of this principle is to note that within the scientific community there are classifications of animals, classifications of plant life, classifications of minerals, classifications of chemicals and classifications of the very elements themselves (the Periodic table). In fact it is hard if not impossible to think of anything that the scientific community has not placed in a discrete classification or system.

As it turns out this is not an accident for as we read in Genesis, God created His world in precisely this way, that is in discrete and orderly classifications. Remember, as we read in Genesis 1:1-31, there was the dry land and the sea. Then there was the grass, herbs and trees each bearing seed or fruit of their own kind. We then read about the sea creatures and birds according to their kind and the creeping things and beasts according to their kind. Finally, there was man according to the likeness of God Himself. Hence, as the principle of cause and effect, the principle of classification and order also stands up bearing witness to the Biblical account of the creation of our universe.

Laws Of Thermodynamics

For our third example, let us explore the two scientific Laws of Thermodynamics. The first law states that energy can be converted from one form to another, but can be neither created or destroyed. An example of this law is that one can convert via the light bulb electrical energy into light and/or heat. However, we also know that one could not make light from nothing nor could one destroy light into nothing. Thus, confirming the fact that God created everything from the beginning and we are just changing it or transforming it into different forms of utilization. An interesting side note is the fact that James Joule, the discoverer of this law was a committed Christian.¹⁵

The second law of thermodynamics states that energy continually proceeds to lower levels of utility, that is energy decays. In order for us to see the applicability of this law relative to the creation and our existence, let us first take note of what would happen to a peach, or any other fruit for that matter, when it is removed from its energy source, the tree, and left by itself over a period of time. Right, it decays. Let us now move up a level and consider what would happen to the tree if it is removed from the ground, its energy source. Again, we would conclude that it would wither up, decay and ultimately die. Let us now consider what would happen to the entire earth and all it’s inhabitants if the sun went out and no longer supplied its light and energy to the earth. Finally, let us take the next step and ask ourselves what would happen if there was no God and no energy being supplied by Him to support the existence of the universe. Another interesting point to be made is that William Thomson Kelvin, who was the first scientist to clearly state this law was also known for his opposition to the doctrines of Darwinian evolution.¹⁶

Principle Of Well Ordering

For our last example it is noted that the basis for all scientific exploration is the underlying assumption that the universe and all within it is a well ordered system. This principle was first promoted by Johannes Kepler who was the discoverer of the laws of planetary motion¹⁷. To illustrate the principle of well ordering let us consider our solar system. First of all, we know that it is the earth’s gravity that keeps you and I upon this earth. In addition, the earth’s gravitational pull together with the gravitational pulls of the other planets, moons and sun along with all the associated rotations and motions enable the planets, moons and sun to be a well defined orbital solar system. It is this ordering of things that have enabled and strengthened many scientists in their belief in God. For example, in Fred Heeren’s book, "Show Me God" we read that Isaac Newton, the discoverer of the universal law of gravitation, at the end of his "Principia" that reveals this law stated that, "this most beautiful System of the Sun, Planets and Comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being."¹⁸

Scientific Viewpoint Summary

As one reflects upon the above scientific principles one can not help but notice how strong they stand and bear witness to the trustworthiness of the Bible. As we ponder these things, let us also prayerfully consider the following Scriptures with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ,

Colossians 1:16-17

"[16] For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Let us now move on to a brief survey of the third and last viewpoint relative to the Bible’s authenticity, namely the, PROPHETIC VIEWPOINT

In this section we will examine the Bible as a book in which can be found a multitude of prophecies that relate to nations, Israel, all peoples of the earth, cities and to the coming of the Messiah. To see the Bible’s authenticity from this viewpoint we will examine the following examples from the many prophecies that have already been fulfilled.

Israel's Egyptian captivity and release.

The Babylonian destruction of the Temple.

Jesus' death and resurrection.

The New Testament fall of Jerusalem.

Israel's Egyptian Captivity And Release

To better appreciate the significance of this prophecy we must realize that just before it was given, God promised Abram (later renamed Abraham) that Canaan, the land in which he was now dwelling, would be given to him (Abram) as a possession. However, God also conveyed to Abram that before his descendants will possess Canaan they will be enslaved for four hundred years. This is recorded in,

Genesis 15:12-16

"[12] As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. [13] Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. [14] But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. [15] You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. [16] In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.""

We find that these incredible prophecies begin to unfold approximately 106 years after they were given. In the Old Testament we read that God uses the jealousy of Jacob’s (whose name God changed to be Israel) sons to sell their brother Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son, to some Midianites. Upon their arrival in Egypt, these Midianites sell Joseph to one of the officials of Egypt. Many years later the time had come for God to bring Abraham's descendents to Egypt. Through a mysterious dream, God reveals His plan for a famine to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. Since God gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, Pharaoh calls upon Joseph to explain the mystery of his (Pharaoh's) dream. Joseph reveals God's plan for seven years of plenty to proceed a very severe seven year famine. Joseph also recommends that to prepare for the famine, grain be stored during the seven years of plenty. Impressed by the wisdom God gave Joseph, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to be second in command over Egypt and in charge of the food supply. Just as God revealed in the dream, at the completion of the seven years of plenty the famine arrives. Upon hearing about the available food in Egypt, Abraham's descendents, that is Israel, under the protection of Joseph, migrate to Egypt for survival (Genesis Chapters 37-47).

To establish a historical timeline, a brief overview of events, taken from, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson, from the time that the prophecy was given to Abram to when Israel entered into Egypt is as follows:

1911BC - Prophecy given to Abram.
1895BC - Isaac is born, Abraham’s son.
1835BC - Jacob (later named Israel) and Esau born to Isaac.
1744BC - Joseph born to Jacob and his wife Rachel.
1727BC - Joseph sold into Egyptian slavery.
1714-1707BC - Joseph stores grain in cities throughout Egypt.1705BC - Jacob (Israel) migrates to Egypt.¹⁹

With this background, let us now read about Israel’s Egyptian captivity.

Exodus 1:1-14

"[1] These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: [2] Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; [3] Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; [4] Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. [5] The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. [6] Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, [7] but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. [8] Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. [9] "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. [10] Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." [11] So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. [12] But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites [13] and worked them ruthlessly. [14] They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly."

After a period of time, Israel cries out to the Lord for deliverance. God hears their cry and raises up Moses to lead them out of their captivity. To convince Pharaoh to release Israel and to reveal Himself to the Egyptians, God executes many miraculous plagues upon Egypt. However, not until the last plague, the death of the first born, does Pharaoh consent to release Israel. It is at this point in time that we now read about their release from bondage.

Exodus 12:29-36

"[29] At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. [30] Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. [31] During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. [32] Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me." [33] The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!" [34] So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. [35] The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. [36] The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians."

Now let us skip a couple of verses and read,

Exodus 12:40-41

"[40] Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. [41] At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt."

As we read the above verse and relate to the prophecy that Israel would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years, there appears to be a contradiction with the 430 years spent in Egypt. However, let us remember that there was a period of time, prior to their 400 years of slavery, that Israel lived in peace among the Egyptians.

Hence we find the prophecy given to Abram approximately 636 years earlier fulfilled right down to the coming out with great possessions!

This account of Israel’s bondage to and deliverance from Egypt can also be verified by various archaeological findings. For example, in Halley’s Bible Handbook we find that,

Fisher of the University Museum of Pennsylvania in 1922 found a pillar of Rameses II, eight feet high, two and a half feet wide, on which he says he "built Rameses with Asiatic Semitic (Hebrew) slaves.²⁰ This find verifies that Israel was enslaved by the Egyptians and in fact were the forced labor used in the building of the city named after one of the Pharaohs of that time in history, Rameses.

Inscriptions have also been found stating that Merneptah’s (another Pharaoh of Egypt during this time period) first born met death in peculiar circumstances and his successor was not his first born or heir apparent.²¹ This find supports the Bible’s account of the death of the Egyptian’s first born, including Pharaoh’s first born son.

The Babylonian Destruction Of Jerusalem

At the time of this prophecy Israel had dwelt in the promised land of Canaan for around 600 years. However, because of their sin, idolatry and rebellion, God through His prophets told Israel that there will come a time when He will destroy Jerusalem, the temple and then lead them into captivity. However, this time their slave masters will be the Babylonians.

To establish a historical timeline for this event the following overview of events taken from, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson is offered:

1234BC - The Israelites under the leadership of Joshua invade Canaan.

1228BC - Joshua divides the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel.

1025-1004BC - Saul anointed as the first king of Israel.

999BC - David captures Jerusalem and makes it the new capital of Israel.

965BC - David dies and Solomon becomes king.
954BC - The temple in Jerusalem is completed.

926BC - Solomon dies and his eldest son, Rehoboam, becomes king. In addition the nation divides into two kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north.

882-871 - Omri is king of Israel and builds Samaria, the capital.

701BC - Assyrian king Sennacherib surrounds Jerusalem, but king Hezekiah refuses to surrender. God inflicts a mysterious plague upon the Assyrian army and they retreat, sparing Jerusalem.

600BC - Jeremiah foretells that Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed.²²

With this background let us now read an excerpt of Jeremiah's prophecy in,

Jeremiah 25:8-12

"[8] Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, [9] I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. [10] I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. [11] This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. [12] "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever."

Let us reflect a bit on this situation. For around 600 years the nation Israel has been living in the land promised to them by God. During these years there were times of peace and also numerous times when Jerusalem was threatened by enemy attack. However, God always protected them. For example as was indicated in the above chronology of events, under king Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem to conquer it. However, God mysteriously inflicted a plague upon the Assyrian army and spared Jerusalem. Now they, the Jews, are hearing Jeremiah tell them that they crossed over the line and they will be enslaved to the Babylonians for 70 years….incredible! In fact, if you were living in Israel at this time it would be hard to seriously receive these prophecies, wouldn’t it? Maybe to bring it a bit closer to home, let us suppose for example God raised up a prophet and sent him to the United States and said the same thing to us. Except instead of being enslaved to the Babylonians, he foretells that we will become enslaved to the power and authority of a World Federation of Nations.

To see the fulfillment of this prophecy given through Jeremiah, let us begin by reading about the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar,

2 Chronicles 36:11-19

"[11] Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. [12] He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD. [13] He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. [14] Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. [15] The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. [16] But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. [17] He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. [18] He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. [19] They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.

According to, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson, Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in 586BC, 22 years after Jeremiah’s prophecy.²³

For archaeological evidence of this event, we find in "Halley’s Bible Handbook" that there was found in the cities of Lachish, Bethel, Kiriathsepher and Beth-shemesh (which are in the vicinity of Jerusalem), layers from destructive fires that date back to around 600BC. These fires swept these cities so suddenly that underneath the great layers of debris were found temple treasures, an altar, censer, bowels and bones of sacrifice.²⁴

But this was only part of the prophecy. Remember, it was also stated that they, the Jews, would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. Then, when the seventy years are fulfilled, the king of Babylon and his nation would be punished.

With this in mind let us now read what happened after Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. To do this let us return to 2 Chronicles and read,

2 Chronicles 36:20-23

"[20] He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. [21] The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah. [22] In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: [23] "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'""

To verify the authenticity of these last events, let us read the following excerpt from, "Universal History of the World", Volume 1 by John Bowman,

"Cyrus was a brave warrior who led his troops into battle, but he was no Assyrian tyrant, slaughtering and boasting. Instead, he was kind to the defeated enemy, and word of his generous ways soon spread.

When he decided to take Babylon, many of its citizens, angry at their king’s actions, welcomed him as a liberator. Rather than risk a battle against the great walls, Cyrus went to the side bounded by the Euphrates River. He had the water drained off into a ditch, so that his troops could walk across the riverbed and into the city.

Cyrus lived up to his reputation; he did not allow his solders to loot Babylon. His finest act was to free the Jews in Babylon from their long captivity and see that they were safely conducted back to Jerusalem."²³

Amazing isn’t it? The prophecy given through Jeremiah is fulfilled including the fall of the mighty kingdom of the Babylonians to the Persians. What is also amazing is that the Bible tells us that Cyrus, king of Persia, knew that it was all ordained by God, including his own rise to power.

This now brings us to the following question, "What about us? Are we beginning to see that God has His hands on all things and that there is something very, very special about the Bible?"

Let us move on to some New Testament examples of the authenticity of the Bible’s prophetic word.

Jesus' Predicts His Own Death And Resurrection

To put this prophecy into its proper perspective, the following timeline excerpts are taken from, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson,

Fall 27AD - Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist.
Winter 27AD - Jesus turns water into wine.

Spring 28AD - Jesus casts out an unclean spirit and heals Peter’s mother in law.

Fall 28AD - Jesus stops a funeral procession and raises a widow’s son from the dead.

Winter 28AD - Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead.

Spring 29AD - Jesus walks on water.

Summer 29AD - Jesus prophecies His upcoming death and resurrection.²⁶

Before we read what Jesus said to His disciples, let us stop a moment and reflect upon the situation. For close to two years now Jesus has taught the Word of God all around the nation of Israel. He has also performed miracle after miracle. In fact, the Bible tells us that He had healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, calmed the storm and even walked on water! However, now He gives His disciples the following incredible prophecy,

Mark 8:31-32

"[31] He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. [32] He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him."

As it turns out these prophecies were fulfilled within one year. To see the fulfillment of these prophecies let us first read about Jesus’ death. To do this, let us go to the time when Jesus is already on the cross and about to expire,

John 19:25-35

"[25] Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," [27] and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. [28] Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." [29] A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. [30] When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. [31] Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. [32] The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. [33] But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. [34] Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. [35] The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe."

Now let us read about His burial in,

Mark 15:42-47

"[42] It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. [44] Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. [45] When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. [46] So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. [47] Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid."

Finally, let us read about His resurrection in,

Matthew 28:1-7

"[1] After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. [2] There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3] His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. [4] The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. [5] The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. [6] He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. [7] Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.""

Jesus’ death and resurrection is also independently corroborated by Flavius Josephus, a non Christian Jewish historian. In fact let us return to his eighth historical book relative to the antiquities of the Jews and read what he recorded and finish the paragraph we read earlier,

"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works-a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was (the) Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."²⁷

Amazing isn’t it? And again we find the trust worthiness of the Bible.

The New Testament Fall Of Jerusalem

To understand the setting under which this prophecy was given, let us first read from,

Luke 21:5-6

"[5] Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, [6] "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.""

Notice in verse 5 that Jesus’ disciples were admiring the magnificence of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, Jesus takes this opportunity to tell them that there will be a time when it will be leveled. Can you just imagine how foreign those words must have seemed to the ears of His disciples?

In fact let us read further about what our Lord Jesus Christ foretold in,

Luke 21:20-24

""[20] When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. [21] Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. [22] For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. [23] How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. [24] They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

Even though there does not appear to be a direct reference in the scriptures as to the fulfillment of this prophecy, we know from the historical record that Jerusalem was over run and destroyed by General Titus of the Roman Empire approximately 37 years after Jesus foretold of its destruction in the month of August, 70AD.

The historical record of this event can be found in just about every major encyclopedia. However, one of the better detailed accounts of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans is given in Volume I of "The Works of Flavius Josephus", entitled, "The Wars of the Jews". In reading the above book one of the most amazing points that is brought to light is that the Temple, during the Roman invasion of Jerusalem, was set on fire on the exact day and month that King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army had set fire to the Temple back in 586BC.²⁸Coincidence?

Another interesting fact to note is that it was not until 1948 that again Israel, by the decree of the United Nations, became a sovereign nation. In addition, Jerusalem, from the time of the Roman invasion, had remained under Gentile, that is non-Jewish, rule/authority until the 1967 six day war. In order to see significance of these events consider very carefully the second half of what we read above in Luke 20:24. Thus, we find that even in our day the prophecies given in the Bible are being fulfilled!

Prophetic Viewpoint Summary

Now with all this background, let us prayerfully reflect upon what God said through the prophet Isaiah in,

Isaiah 46:9-11

"[9] Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. [10] I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. [11] From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do."

Pretty sobering isn’t it?

CONCLUSION

As we sit back and reflect upon all the things that we have just covered, namely the Bible’s,

Multiple authorship and yet its single theme.

Circulation that is greater than any other know piece of literature.

Manuscript evidence that exceeds any ten pieces of ancient literature combined.

Authenticity not only from the historical and scientific viewpoints but also from the fulfillment and continual of fulfillment of its prophetic utterances.

one can not help but conclude that the Bible is certainly unique. That there is certainly something about the Scripture that separates it from all the other works of literature.

Lord willing what we shall find in Chapter 3 is that the reason the Bible is so unique is because it was written under the hand of God Almighty. Namely, the Bible is the Word of God!

Blessed be the Lord forever!

AMEN and AMEN

Chapter 2
THE BIBLE’S AUTHENTICITY

In Chapter 1 we found that from a publishing viewpoint the Bible is certainly unique. Its uniqueness surfaces as we come to realize the significance of,

Even though the Bible was written over a 1536 year time span by 40 different writers from various walks of life, it provides us with a single unfolding account of God’s redemption of man.

The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book.

Even though many kings, nations and governments tried to destroy it, the Bible has survived with more manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of literature combined.

However, one of the most compelling reason that sets the Bible apart from all other works of literature is the subject of this chapter; namely its authenticity.

Now before we begin to examine the Bible’s authenticity let us pause for a minute or two and ask the Lord to bless us in our study.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Amen.

In order for us to see the authenticity of the Bible we will examine it from the following three viewpoints:

Historical Viewpoint

In this section we will see that the places, events and people that the Bible talks about really existed and are historical facts.

Scientific Viewpoint

Here we will examine the issue of creation and see how the fundamental principles of science bear witness to the Bible’s testimony that God created the universe.

Prophetic Viewpoint

In this last section we will examine the Bible’s accuracy in which it foretold and foretells various future events.

HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT

To set the stage for this portion of our study, let us begin by reading the following excerpt from Josh McDowell’s book, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict":

For the Old Testament we will,

Find that there is strong archaeological evidence to support the Bible's account of the Great Flood.

See that the excavations around the ruins of Jericho support the Biblical account that the walls of Jericho did indeed fall down flat.

Review evidence that supports the Bible's record that the city of Samaria was built during the days of King Omri.

With respect to the New Testament, we will,

Find that Jesus' trial by Pilate is part of the historical record of those days.

See that the cities identified in the New Testament are historical facts.

The Great Flood

In the Bible we read that in the days of Noah (approximately 2285BC), because of the sin of mankind, God flooded the entire earth. In fact let us read an excerpt of this in,

Genesis 7:11-12

Let us now move on to,

Genesis 7:18-24

Let us now continue our reading in,

Genesis 8:1-4

From this point we read in the Bible how Noah, his family and all the animals left the ark to go and again replenish the earth.

As one sits back and reflects upon what we just read one can not help but be struck by the awesomeness of it all. But, did this event actually occur or is this just a myth?

George Smith, of the British Museum, found in 1872, in tablets from the Library of Assur-banipal at Nineveh, accounts of the Flood that parallel the Bible account. These tablets had been copied from the Assyrian tablets that date back to the First Dynasty of Ur, a period about midway between the Flood and Abraham.²

The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic gives a story of his (Gilgamesh) adventures, one of which was a visit to the island abode of Utnapishtim, the Babylonian Noah. This visit is depicted on a seal found recently at Tell Billa near Nineveh. In his reply to Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim (Noah) relates the story of the Flood and his escape from it. The account that is given closely parallels the Biblical account.³

In addition to corroborating accounts from other cultures, we also find in Halley’s Bible Handbook more objective evidence. For example,

The Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Langdon found in 1928-29 a bed of clean water-laid clay, in the lower strata of the ruins of Kish, five feet thick, indicating a flood of vast proportions. Underneath this clean clay, relics of an entirely different culture were found. Some of these relics include a four wheeled chariot, wheels made from wood and copper nails and skeletons of the animals that drew it.⁴

In Fara, Iraq, Dr. Eric Schmidt, of the University Museum of Pennsylvania found the remains of three cities. He also discovered a flood layer between the middle and lower city. Underneath the flood layer was found various relics such as painted pottery, skeletons, pots and pans.⁵

In the annuals of Archaeology and Anthropology, M.E.L. Mallowan, director of the British Museum Excavations at Nineveh in 1932-33 describes what he believed to be flood deposits approximately sixty feet from the surface.⁶

Finally, in the book, "In Search of Noah’s Ark", by Dave Balsiger and Charles E. Sellier, Jr. We find,

In 1876, British statesman Sir James Bryce climbed Mt. Ararat alone and returned with a five foot piece of hand hewn timber.

In 1887, Prince John Joseph Nouri ascended Mt. Ararat and found a vessel with stalls and cages on board.

In 1955, French engineer Fernand Navarra brought back the first photographs of the mysterious ship.

In 1972, an earth resources satellite was launched 450 miles above Earth. As it passed over the Turkish-Russian border it recorded a mysterious boat like object on Mt. Ararat.⁷

The Fall Of Jericho

Joshua 6:1-5

The Building Of Samaria

1 Kings 16:23-24

Jesus' Trial By Pilate

Luke 23:1-4

In Josephus’s eighth historical book relative to the antiquities of the Jews, we find the following account of Pilate’s judgment of Jesus,

The New Testament Cities

Historical Viewpoint Summary

With this in mind, let us now move our study to the, SCIENTIFIC VIEWPOINT

We begin by reading the Biblical account of how God created the universe in,

Genesis 1:1-31

Cause and Effect
Classification and Order
Laws of Thermodynamics
Principle of Well Ordering

Cause And Effect

In reflecting upon this principle, the following Scripture comes to mind,

Psalm 100:3

"[3] Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."

Classification And Order

Laws Of Thermodynamics

Principle Of Well Ordering

Scientific Viewpoint Summary

Colossians 1:16-17

Let us now move on to a brief survey of the third and last viewpoint relative to the Bible’s authenticity, namely the, PROPHETIC VIEWPOINT

Israel's Egyptian captivity and release.

The Babylonian destruction of the Temple.

Jesus' death and resurrection.

The New Testament fall of Jerusalem.

Israel's Egyptian Captivity And Release

Genesis 15:12-16

With this background, let us now read about Israel’s Egyptian captivity.

Exodus 1:1-14

Exodus 12:29-36

Now let us skip a couple of verses and read,

Exodus 12:40-41

"[40] Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. [41] At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt."

Hence we find the prophecy given to Abram approximately 636 years earlier fulfilled right down to the coming out with great possessions!

This account of Israel’s bondage to and deliverance from Egypt can also be verified by various archaeological findings. For example, in Halley’s Bible Handbook we find that,

Fisher of the University Museum of Pennsylvania in 1922 found a pillar of Rameses II, eight feet high, two and a half feet wide, on which he says he "built Rameses with Asiatic Semitic (Hebrew) slaves.²⁰ This find verifies that Israel was enslaved by the Egyptians and in fact were the forced labor used in the building of the city named after one of the Pharaohs of that time in history, Rameses.

Inscriptions have also been found stating that Merneptah’s (another Pharaoh of Egypt during this time period) first born met death in peculiar circumstances and his successor was not his first born or heir apparent.²¹ This find supports the Bible’s account of the death of the Egyptian’s first born, including Pharaoh’s first born son.

The Babylonian Destruction Of Jerusalem

To establish a historical timeline for this event the following overview of events taken from, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson is offered:

1234BC - The Israelites under the leadership of Joshua invade Canaan.

1228BC - Joshua divides the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel.

1025-1004BC - Saul anointed as the first king of Israel.

999BC - David captures Jerusalem and makes it the new capital of Israel.

965BC - David dies and Solomon becomes king.
954BC - The temple in Jerusalem is completed.

926BC - Solomon dies and his eldest son, Rehoboam, becomes king. In addition the nation divides into two kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north.

882-871 - Omri is king of Israel and builds Samaria, the capital.

701BC - Assyrian king Sennacherib surrounds Jerusalem, but king Hezekiah refuses to surrender. God inflicts a mysterious plague upon the Assyrian army and they retreat, sparing Jerusalem.

600BC - Jeremiah foretells that Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed.²²

With this background let us now read an excerpt of Jeremiah's prophecy in,

Jeremiah 25:8-12

To see the fulfillment of this prophecy given through Jeremiah, let us begin by reading about the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar,

2 Chronicles 36:11-19

According to, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson, Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in 586BC, 22 years after Jeremiah’s prophecy.²³

With this in mind let us now read what happened after Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. To do this let us return to 2 Chronicles and read,

2 Chronicles 36:20-23

To verify the authenticity of these last events, let us read the following excerpt from, "Universal History of the World", Volume 1 by John Bowman,

This now brings us to the following question, "What about us? Are we beginning to see that God has His hands on all things and that there is something very, very special about the Bible?"

Let us move on to some New Testament examples of the authenticity of the Bible’s prophetic word.

Jesus' Predicts His Own Death And Resurrection

To put this prophecy into its proper perspective, the following timeline excerpts are taken from, "The Bible Timeline", by Thomas Robinson,

Fall 27AD - Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist.
Winter 27AD - Jesus turns water into wine.

Spring 28AD - Jesus casts out an unclean spirit and heals Peter’s mother in law.

Fall 28AD - Jesus stops a funeral procession and raises a widow’s son from the dead.

Winter 28AD - Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead.

Spring 29AD - Jesus walks on water.

Summer 29AD - Jesus prophecies His upcoming death and resurrection.²⁶

Mark 8:31-32

John 19:25-35

Now let us read about His burial in,

Mark 15:42-47

Finally, let us read about His resurrection in,

Matthew 28:1-7

Amazing isn’t it? And again we find the trust worthiness of the Bible.

The New Testament Fall Of Jerusalem

To understand the setting under which this prophecy was given, let us first read from,

Luke 21:5-6

In fact let us read further about what our Lord Jesus Christ foretold in,

Luke 21:20-24

Prophetic Viewpoint Summary

Now with all this background, let us prayerfully reflect upon what God said through the prophet Isaiah in,

Isaiah 46:9-11

Pretty sobering isn’t it?

CONCLUSION

As we sit back and reflect upon all the things that we have just covered, namely the Bible’s,

Multiple authorship and yet its single theme.

Circulation that is greater than any other know piece of literature.

Manuscript evidence that exceeds any ten pieces of ancient literature combined.

Authenticity not only from the historical and scientific viewpoints but also from the fulfillment and continual of fulfillment of its prophetic utterances.

one can not help but conclude that the Bible is certainly unique. That there is certainly something about the Scripture that separates it from all the other works of literature.

Lord willing what we shall find in Chapter 3 is that the reason the Bible is so unique is because it was written under the hand of God Almighty. Namely, the Bible is the Word of God!

Blessed be the Lord forever!

AMEN and AMEN

Chapter I
THE BIBLE IS UNIQUE

In this chapter of "Spiritual Foundations" we will find that the Bible is a very unique book. Specifically, we will find that the Bible was written and has flourished like no other book known to man.

Before we proceed with this chapter let us pause for a moment and pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I now come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to ask You to please give me ears so that I can clearly hear what you are saying. Please give me eyes so that I can see things the way that You do. Finally, Lord, please give me a heart and the faith to understand and accept You and the things that You are telling me.

Amen

HISTORICAL TIMELINES

Before we begin our study of the Bible's uniqueness it will be very beneficial for us to become familiar with how historians and Bible scholars determine timelines, that is fix historical dates for the various Biblical events. This understanding is not only important for our review of Bible history but will be extremely important for our study, in upcoming chapters, of Biblical prophecy.

To begin, it is helpful for us to recognize that historians divide human history into two major divisions of time. The first division is labeled BC. The label BC is an abbreviation of the phrase, "Before Christ", that is before the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus, when one reads 433BC, it is to be read as 433 years Before Christ. The second division of time is labeled AD, which is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, "Anno Domin", meaning in the year of our Lord, that is after the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus, the term 90AD is to be read as 90 years after the birth of Christ.

This method of dating was also used by the Old and New Testament writers. In other words these writers did not use fixed dates to pin point the time of the events that they describe. Instead these authors only provide us with relative reference points. To illustrate this point, let us read how the time was recorded for the start of construction of the first Temple in Jerusalem. It is given in,

1 Kings 6:1

"[1] In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD."

Thus, in order to develop a fixed chronology of Biblical events, one must correlate the Biblical account to external sources. These sources include the records kept by the Babylonians, Assyrians and various astronomical observations.

According to the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible the years of the Babylonian rulers from 747BC up to 200AD were accurately recorded in the Canon of Ptolemy. Ptolemy was an Egyptian geographer and astronomer. In a similar manner the neighboring Assyrians also maintained records dating back to 2000BC for their important officials. Other astronomical data along with the records compiled in Egypt have been cross checked with the Assyrian records. This cross check produced dates of 2133-1990BC for Dynasty XI, of 1990-1786BC for XII (Middle Kingdom) and of 1570-1085BC for XVIII (New Empire) with only a negligible margin of error. As a result, the compilation of the above historical records together with our modern day historical data, provides us with a good historical timeline of human history from around 2000BC to our present day.

The correlation of the relative dating of Biblical accounts to the above historical timeline yields a fixed chronology of Biblical events starting with the birth of Abraham, 1995BC, with an approximate 10% margin of error, that is with an accuracy of around 200 years. This margin of error becomes progressively less until it becomes negligible or less than 1% at the time of the fall of Samaria in 722BC.¹

With the above background in mind, let us now begin our study of the Bible's uniqueness. To do this we will,

Perform a quick survey of the Bible's authorship and the circumstances under which it was written.

Review the Bible's survivability, that is we will find that there is more manuscript evidence for the Bible than any other ancient piece of literature known to man.

THE WRITERS OF THE BIBLE

The, "Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament and New Testament"; by John H. Walton show that the Bible was written over a 1536 year time span. During this time period we find that the universally accepted books of the Old Testament were written in the interval from around 1446BC to about 433BC. The New Testament books were penned from around 40AD to approximately 90AD.^2&3

Over this 1536 year time span we find that the Bible was written by 40 authors from various walks of life. To illustrate this point, the following partial list of Bible authors along with their occupations is provided.

Moses was an adopted son of Pharaoh and then became leader over the nation of Israel.

Amos was a shepherd.

Solomon was a king of Israel.

Peter was a fisherman.

Daniel was ruler over the province of Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Luke was a physician.

Matthew was a tax collector.

Paul was a Jewish Rabbi and tent maker.

CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN

In addition to the fact that there were 40 different writers of the Bible from various walks of life, we also find that the books of the Bible were written in different places. For example, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible while in the wilderness during Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The prophecies of Daniel were penned during his captivity in the city of Babylon. The majority of the letters by the Apostle Paul were written while in prison in Rome. Luke wrote while traveling on various missionary journeys. Finally, as you would expect, the majority of the Old Testament was written in and around Israel⁴.

In addition to being penned by 40 different writers in various geographical places, the Bible was written in different times, that is in times of war and in times of peace. For example the majority of the book of Jeremiah was written during the Babylonian invasion, siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Whereas the proverbs penned by King Solomon were written during the time when Israel was at peace with all its surrounding nations and experiencing great prosperity.

The Bible was written during periods of different moods. For example as one reads the book of Psalms one finds Psalms that express great and exuberant joy and praise to God. Whereas some Psalms express bewilderment on why the wicked seem to prosper while the just or righteous suffer. First Peter was written during the time of intense persecution and written to encourage those that were suffering for their faith. First Corinthians was written by Paul as a letter of correction and rebuke for the spiritual and carnal excesses that its membership were participating in.

Finally, we find that the Bible was originally written in three languages. As expected, the majority of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. However, according to, "The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible" portions of Ezra, Daniel and Jeremiah were written in Aramaic. Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew and was adopted by the Jews during their exile into Babylon. The New Testament was originally written in common Greek.⁵

With all these various authors, moods, places, languages and periods of human history the remarkable fact is, that the Bible is written about a single unfolding account of God’s redemption of man. More specifically the Bible begins from the book of Genesis where man, because of his sin, lost paradise and continues to the book of Revelation where because of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, man is able to return to paradise that he lost.

To put all what we have just read in perspective, let us just stop for a moment and consider what the probability is of having a book written, with a single coherent theme, under the circumstances described above without someone being in charge to plan, organize and direct the output of the various writers.

THE BIBLE'S SURIVABILITY

Another interesting characteristic of the Bible is its survivability. History tells us that many kings, nations and religions tried to burn it, ban it and outlaw it. For example, we read in Josh McDowel’s book, "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" that,

The Roman emperor Diocletian in 303AD issued an edict to destroy the scriptures and to stop Christians from worshipping the Lord.

Voltaire, a Frenchman, who died in 1778, was an advocate for having the Bible confiscated.⁶

In our modern day history we still find intense persecution towards Christianity and the Bible. For an example, today read in the newspapers or see over television how in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Albania, Vietnam and Sudan, just to name a few, it is illegal to possess a Bible or conduct a Christian assembly. The punishment for violating this law is prison, torture and possibly death. For our last example, we find that, in our very own country, the United States of America, it is against the law to read the Bible or pray in public classrooms.

In spite of severe and intense persecution we also find that God had and still has His servants to not only preserve His Word but even make it accessible to those who are under these oppressions. For example in the publication of, "Christian History" that was devoted to William Tyndale we find that in the 1500’s the English Catholic Church had in effect a law that made it punishable by death to translate the Bible into English.⁷ However, William Tyndale believed that the Bible should be made available and readable to all people. Thus, he translated and published, in 1526, the first printed English language New Testament. At the age of 42, he was strangled and then burned at the stake for the heresy of translating the Bible into English. As we all know the English Bible was not only not eradicated but is flourishing.

Another example is Reverend Richard Wurmbrand. In his book, "Tortured For Christ" we read how, in 1945, when the communists seized Rumania and attempted to control the church, that Richard Wurmbrand began an underground ministry and church for those who remained faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was eventually arrested and suffered much physical and mental torture for his faith.⁸However, it is through people like him that the Bible and Christianity has survived in countries that had experienced some of the darkest moments of the communist reign.

Even today, 1996, in countries such as Afghanistan, Albania, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan and Vietnam there is intense oppression and persecution of Christianity. In the midst of this, we also find missionaries from organizations such as the New International Bible Society that continue to enter into these countries to bring Bibles, comfort and help to those who remain faithful to our Lord.

In addition to surviving physical persecution we also find that the Bible has and continues to survive slander and criticism. Many men, learned or otherwise, attacked and still attack it with skepticism and mockery. For example, some scientists, such as the late astronomer and philosopher Carl Sagan, declared that the Bible is just a book about religious myths and fables. Many psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, whose writings and theories form the basis of our modern day psychological counseling approach and techniques, also have a dim view of the Bible and state that It is only a book of irrelevant tales and myths.

However, with all the slander and mockery, we find that there are many distinguished personalities that promote the reading of the Bible. In Fred Heeren’s book, "Show Me God" we can read about the religious convictions of many respected scientists. For example, there is Robert Boyle, the chief founder of modern chemistry. He was the first scientist to make a distinction between a mixture and a compound. Basically, he turned alchemy into chemistry, and is the originator of what is now known as "Boyle’s Law." This law, a fundamental principle of gases, states that the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure. Mr. Boyle gave large portions of his income for Bible translation work so that God’s Word would be available in the native language for those who did not have it.⁹

Another example is Francis Bacon, the father of the "scientific method" of reasoning. In order to find truth, he advised two steps: first, the elimination of common prejudices (which he called idols) and second, the application of his famous "scientific method." This method of induction involves observation, hypothesis and experimentation. Being a student of the Scriptures, Francis Bacon once wrote: "No one should maintain that a man can search too far, or be too well studied in the book of God’s Word or in the book of God’s works; divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficiency in both."¹⁰

Given the above discussions relative to the various organizations and individuals that have and are persecuting and criticizing the Bible versus those in support of the Bible, the question to be asked is, "What is the purpose of reviewing all this?" Perhaps put another way, "What is the point?" Actually, there are two points to be made.

The first is that in spite of all the attempts to ban it, burn it and stamp it out, the Bible, as compared to other ancient writings, has more surviving manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of ancient literature combined. According to Charles Leache’s book, "Our Bible. How We Got It.", we read that there are now more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament or portions of the New Testament. Similarly, there is over 10,000 manuscripts in the Latin Vulgate. Thus, in existence today, there are more than 15,300 manuscript copies of the Bible. In comparison, the Iliad by Homer is second with only 643 manuscripts that still remain.¹¹

The second point to be made is that with all the attempts to ridicule, discredit and persecute those that read or promote the reading of the Bible, we still find that the Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book. Encyclopedia Britannica says that by 1966 the whole Bible had appeared in 240 languages and dialects and one or more whole books of the Bible has appeared in 739 additional languages/dialects.¹²

CONCLUSION

In reflecting upon all that we have just covered, that is: (1) the Bible’s authorship, (2) the circumstances under which it was written and (3) that through all the persecution and mocking, the Bible has not been destroyed but in fact is still read by more people and appears in more languages than any other book, one can not help but conclude that there is something different about the Bible, that is it is certainly unique.

With this in mind, let us now close our study by reflecting upon the truth of what Jesus once said to His disciples as He was preparing them for the tribulation and destruction that was to come upon Israel. We find it in,

Matthew 24:35

"[35]Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Blessed be the Lord forever!

AMEN and AMEN

dr imam hussainn -- spread morality unity humanity (wa-GP +91-7022103963)

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