First, we know the Old Testament scripture was written over 1,600
years before Christ. We have existing manuscripts actually written
centuries before Jesus.
Above: One of the Dead Sea Scrolls - some pages
from the Book of Psalms
RECORDED
BY MANY MEN - BUT INSPIRED BY ONE
Over thousands of years and forty different men from kings to fishermen
who lived in different times and different places wrote 66 books that
make up the Bible.
The Bible as a whole is consistent as each entry coincides with another;
similar words, visions, patterns and so on--no human being could have
put together such a masterful writing. The further you look into the
Bible, the more proof you will find that there is but one author that
inspired it all.
2Timothy 3:16 declares, "..all scripture is God breathed."
The authors of the Bible claimed that they were not writing of themselves
or to glorify themselves, but that they were writing the words of
God himself. One can see that they were all lead to write in a cohesive
and consistent pattern that shows that the Bible was recorded by man
but inspired by God himself.
PREVENTION
OF DISEASE AND GERMS
The Bible contains many scientific insights written thousands of years
before science discovered the facts.
Only in the last few centuries have scientific discoveries literally
proven the Bibles insights in physics, medicine and other fields.
For example, in the Old Testament, God instructed the Israelite people
on the importance of being clean. He told them they must wash and
the way they must wash. He told them that if they were dirty (unclean,
sick, diseased) that they had to tear their clothes and pronounce
to everyone around them that they are not clean so that no one would
come near them. (so as not to spread disease).
The Isrealites did not understand at all why they were to do this,
but they obeyed and followed God's instructions. We know now, that
germs and disease can be started and/or spread through uncleanness
and can be spread from one person to another. But in these times,
it had to have been true instruction by God himself for these things
to be outlined and directed to the people. They had no knowledge or
understanding of such things as germs or quarantining or spreading
of disease whatsoever.
The
entire chapter of Leviticus 13 in the Old Testament of the Bible discusses
diseases and illness, and means of diagnosis and cure:
"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes,
let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry
out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as he has the infection he remains
unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp."
This is what we have adapted even today: quarantine of one who is
sick, and even covering our mouths so as not to spread germs.
PROPHECY
& PREDICTIONS
The Bible contains over 600 specific, historical prophecies - all
precisely fulfilled and verified by a variety of historical records.
The list of prophecies includes exact description of amazing events.
Prophecies also foretell names of people in key roles and even predicts
exact years and days of some of the most important Biblical events...
hundreds of years in advance.
Example:
in sight of recent events in New York on September 11, 2001.
Look at this Scripture and it's wording:
"... in the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall." Isaiah 30:25
"A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced (protected) cities,
and against the high towers." Zephaniah 1:16; 3:6
Both of these Scriptures
are referring to the 'end days' and the events thereof. One can not
deny the events surrounding the terrorist attacks resulting in the
twin towers falling in New York were a major significant turning point
for the entire world--nor can one deny the exact mention of 'high
towers' or 'falling towers' in scripture itself.
NOSTRADAMIS
When
speaking of prophecy; your mind may drift you off for a moment to
one well known man in history that is not in the Bible - Nostradamis,
the famous predictor of events....but it is fact that Nostradamis
not only closely studied the Bible's prophecies, but he would seclude
himself in a dark basement lit by one candle to meditate. He would
spend hours staring into a mirror and send himself into purposeful
trances...then he would write out his predictions. This strange behavior
led him to add to Biblical prophecies and create many of his own predictions
to the ones already layed out in the Bible...and in turn, his predictions
were not accurate to 100 %. Some of his predictions have passed by
where the events never unfolded at all.
It is proven however, that the Bibles prophecies have been 100% accurate
with no errors.
Unless something is 100% accurate, it must be discluded and is a unreliable
resource for truth.
HISTORY
AND PHYSICAL PROOF
History and archaeology continue to confirm the Divine prophecies,
people, places and events in the Bible.
There
have been many studies, archeological digs and explorations that have
all yielded the same result--the Bible is accurate to the very core.
Dr. Nelson Gluek, a Palestinian Archeologist, said in his publication,
'Rivers in the Desert', "As a matter
of fact, however, it may be stated categorically that no archeological
discovery has ever contradicted a Bible reference. Scores of archeological
findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact
detail historical statements in the Bible."
