WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
The Bible was written by men inspired by God, and contains many evidences of its truth.
Harmony
The short survey of the Bible that we did on page 2a shows us something very remarkable.
The Bible is made up of 66 books.
These books were written over a period of more than a thousand years, by all sorts of people, in different countries and in three languages, and yet as we saw they tell one consistent story.
They reveal a God who made everything and has a plan to make it all perfect.
These Bible books describe how God gave freewill to one of His creatures – mankind - and how mankind misused that freedom, but they also show how God is working through that human freewill to achieve His purpose.
The harmony and consistency of these messages proves to me that the writers were being guided by Someone who knew the whole Plan from beginning to end. No other book or person does that.
History
Then we can apply practical tests.
There is the test of history. Did the events that the Bible describes really happen?
When the Bible records are compared with the writings of the ancient historians such as Herodotus, they usually fit together.
In some places there are gaps, but as the archaeologists find more facts, the gaps get filled in.
For instance, the accepted history of ancient Assyria and Babylon confirms the Bible.
But there were problems in seeing how Egyptian history fitted with the Bible.
But then at the end of the 20th Century younger Egyptologists worked out a different chronology.
They argue that the usual view of Egyptian history has been `stretched out`, and that once that is corrected the match with the Bible is perfect, and other problems are solved at the same time.
This move from doubt to agreement has happened repeatedly over the past 200 years, but the doubters shout louder than the believers !
Prophecy
Of course, proving that the Bible is true historically does not prove that it comes from God.
But the next argument does, I suggest. The Bible foretells the future. Unaided humans cannot do that.
The `Credit Crunch` of 2008 proves that. Bankers, Regulators and Governments alike did not see it coming and blundered into it.
By contrast, the Bible told us about the history – especially - of the Jewish people and the Middle East for thousands of years in advance.
Isaiah chapters 40-44 are a good example.
The chapters say that Israel would be scattered because of their sins but they would be rescued and returned to their land (43:5-6).
Over a period of 2000 years that has happened. Then comes the challenge to other religions and ways of life – “Can you do that ? – if you can we will believe you !” (41:20-24; 43:9-10).
They can`t, of course, but the Bible writers did. So isn`t it reasonable to believe the other things that they say ? There are many other examples.
The life and resurrection of Jesus
Another wonderful example of Bible prophecy is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
They were all described in detail hundreds of years before they happened. All these promises were fulfilled, so it is reasonable to believe that he will return, as he said (John 14:3,28; Rev 22:20).
But more than that – Jesus` whole life was a miracle. He lived for about 33 years and never sinned (never fell below the perfect behavior that God sets before us all as the ideal).
And then when wicked men executed him, God raised him to life again.
Although the grave was sealed and guarded, three days later it was empty, and his enemies could not produce his body!!
His apostles, who had panicked when Jesus was arrested, spoke out boldly in the city “God has made Jesus, whom you crucified, Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
“You killed the Prince of Life whom God has raised from the dead” (Acts 3:15). No-one disproved them.
This gives Jesus unique authority, and he said “the Scripture cannot be broken”.
Peter, who was the most outspoken of Jesus` apostles, described the Bible this way - “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2Peter 1:21). I believe that he was right.
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What The Bible Says
