<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is the Bible historically authentic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible claims to be the complete, perfect and inerrant revelation from God, who created heaven and earth (Psalm 115:15, Isaiah 37:16, Acts 14:15) and made all things visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16) , but how sure can we be that the Bible is historically accurate? What are the chances that it has been added or removed over the centuries? And if we can trust the Bible, shouldn't we know what God says about where we will spend eternity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible is unique among all the books in the world and its message is united in 66 books. It was written by over 40 different authors, including shepherds, kings, priests, scientists, fishermen and prophets, over a period of over 1,500 years, who, however, speak of a single divine plan and who point to One, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God's A Son who was born of a woman in human flesh, lived a life of perfect obedience and gave Himself as an offering for sin, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:16, Galatians 4:4-7, 2 Corinthians 5 :21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer is already given in the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deuteronomy 18: 20-22:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201e20. But a prophet who dares to speak on my behalf, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks on behalf of other gods, let this prophet die.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the words which the LORD hath not spoken?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 22. When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, and the word is not fulfilled or fulfilled, it is a word which the LORD hath not spoken. the prophet spoke it arrogantly; don't be afraid of him. "<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many religions have books that claim to be from God, but only the Bible contains fulfilled prophecies. Fulfilled prophecy is solid proof that God is the divine Author. Prophecy is found in both the Old and New Testaments, where it is stated that "Thus saith the Lord" over 3,800 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately and in detail predicts specific events, many years, sometimes centuries, before they occurred. Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which have already been fulfilled to the smallest detail without a single mistake. The remaining 500 are for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mathematicians have calculated that the probability of all these prophecies being fulfilled without error to the smallest detail by chance is less than 10 to the power of 2,000 (10 with 2000 zeros written after it). This can only mean one thing - God is the Author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. The Bible is also a history book whose claims are proven to be true with every archaeological find.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Example 1: The Hittites<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Critics claim that the Hittites (Genesis 15:20, Exodus 3: 8, Joshua 1: 4) were mythical people, but in the late 19th century, monuments were discovered by William Wright to prove that these people did exist. . The Bible is right again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example 2: Pontius Pilate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many scholars doubt the existence of Pontius Pilate throughout history. Everything changed in 1961, when a piece of limestone with the name "Pontius Pilate" was discovered. An Italian archaeologist, Dr. Antonio Frova, came across this discovery during excavations of an ancient Roman theater in Caesarea, Israel. In 2018, archaeologists also identified a 2,000-year-old copper alloy ring bearing his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example 3: Isaiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the greatest discoveries of our time. Prior to this discovery in 1947, many skeptics questioned Isaiah's copies of the Old Testament. Skeptics say the book has been altered and reworked by humans over the centuries. It was only when scientists dated the Great Scroll of Isaiah (one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls found in the Qumran Caves in 1947) that they discovered the book with the astonishing accuracy of Isaiah. The copy of the Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah dates back to 1000 years before the copy held before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. How did God deliver His word?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n God did not write the Bible as we write the letter. He uses two authors - the man led by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Peter 1:21<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201e. . . for prophecy has never come by the will of man, but God's people have spoken, moved by the Holy Spirit. "<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This verse tells us that God, the Holy Spirit, "moved" human authors to write the Bible. The Greek word for "jivi" comes from the root word phero, which means "to carry," or "to bring." This means that the Holy Spirit has "moved" people. He makes people write what He wants them to write. Different books of the Bible had different authors who used their own style, language, and grammar, but the Holy Spirit "carried" them in their writing. What they wrote is what the Holy Spirit wanted it to be written. Here is an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acts 4:25<\/p>\n\n\n\n "Thou hast spoken by the Holy Ghost, and by the mouth of our father David, Thy servant, Thou hast said, 'Why did the Gentiles be angry, and the nations thought vain things?'<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. The scriptures are inspired by God.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Timothy 3:16<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201e16. The whole of Scripture is inspired and useful for instruction, for rebuke, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. \u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The word "inspired" comes from a Greek word meaning "breathed out." This means that God "breathes out" the words to be written. He wrote all 66 books, all 1,189 chapters, and all 31,173 verses of the Bible. This is an easy task for an all-powerful, all-knowing God. He is not like us - he does not tire (Isaiah 40:28) and does not sleep (Psalm 121:4). He does not lie (Numbers 23:19)! That is why we can believe what He wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New Testament was written by the apostles, who are equal to the Old Testament prophets (Ephesians 3: 5; 2 Peter 3: 2). Both the Old Testament and New Testament prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit to write what God wanted to be written. The Apostle John was the last living apostle to write the lesser epistles and Revelation (the last book in the Bible).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Man makes mistakes. God never makes mistakes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Islam claims that the Qur'an is inspired by God. However, it is clear that this is not the case, as we have many examples of inaccuracies and deviations. For example, the Qur'an suggests that the human fetus is the result of "semen" (not to mention an egg), which turns into "clots of hardened blood", which then turns into bones, later covered with flesh (Surah 23: 14). This description of the development of the fetus is far from the truth, as we already know today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Qur'an also has an insurmountable problem in accusing Christians of believing in things they do not believe. For example, the Qur'an teaches that Christians believe that the Trinity is the Father, the Mother (Mary) and the Son (Sura 5: 73-75, 116). The Qur'an also says that Christians believe that God had sex with Mary to create a son (Suri 2: 116; 6: 100-101; 10:68; 16:57; 19:35; 23:91; 37: 149-151; 43: 16-19). If the Qur'an is truly from God, then at least it should be able to communicate exactly what Christians believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, the Book of Mormon is revered by millions of Mormons around the world. It is said to be an infallible revelation from God given to Joseph Smith by an angel of the Lord. However, whoever composed the story makes many mistakes (one is tempted to say that he has fallen into a coma). For example, Alma 7:10 says that Jesus Christ was born in Jerusalem. But, as every child in school knows, the Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem \u201d(Micah 5: 2; Matthew 2: 1). The Spirit of God does not make such mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, according to the Book of Mormon, a man named Nephi used a "compass" to find his way in the sixth century BC. (1 Nephi 16:10; 2 Nephi 5:12). It is well known, of course, that the compass was not used for at least a thousand years after the birth of Christ. This is a critical anachronism in the "holy" book of Mormon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joseph Smith Jr. also teaches that humans live on the moon. According to Smith, they were six feet tall, dressed as Quakers, and had a life of a thousand years (Huntington 1892, 263). Brigham Young, Smith's successor, agreed when asked about this, suggesting that such beings also lived in the sun (Young 1854-75, 271).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Biblical accuracy is impeccable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike any other book claiming to be from God, the holy authors of biblical records have never made a single mistake. Their works are characterized by razor-sharp accuracy and complete harmony with science, which cannot be explained in any other way than by being guided by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first two chapters of the Bible contain divine records of the beginning of the universe, including the earth and its inhabitants. Although written 3,500 years ago, there is not a single syllable in this story that contradicts any proven fact of science. Every book on astronomy or earth science written fifty years ago is obsolete, but the Bible is virtually flawless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story of Moses states that the universe had a "beginning" (1: 1), which is fully consistent with the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Compare this with the Babylonian record of creation, known as the Enuma Elish, which affirms the eternity of matter (Pfeiffer 1966, 226).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Genesis record (the first book in the Bible) confirms that the creative activity ended at the end of the sixth day (Genesis 2: 1-3). Science says, according to the First Law of Thermodynamics, that nothing is created today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At least ten times Genesis confirms that biological organisms reproduce "according to their species." It should be noted that modern pseudo-science (ie the theory of evolution) depends on the notion that in the past organisms multiplied according to their non-species, mutating from stardust, fish, monkeys, humans. The biblical story, however, is in complete harmony with the known laws of genetics<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 3,500 years ago, the Bible stated that the earth hung "on nothing" (Job 26:7). This differed greatly from myths that described the earth as floating on water or carried by a giant tortoise. About 1,100 years after the book of Job was written, people still believed that the earth could not just hang in the air; there must be something to lie on. Just three hundred years ago, in 1687, Isaac Newton published his work on gravitation and explained that the Earth was held in orbit by an invisible force. This scientific milestone confirms what the Bible said over 3,000 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. How reliable are the manuscripts?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Critics are always looking for new ways to attack the New Testament and its credibility. Many say it is not reliable as a historical document, although today we have more than 25,000 manuscripts in Latin, Ethiopian, Slavic, Armenian, of which more than 5,600 Greek manuscripts, more than the work of Homer, Plato, Lucretius and Aristotle. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, the amount of New Testament material embarrasses other works of antiquity - after the New Testament, the largest number of manuscripts is Homer's Iliad, of which today there are less than 650 Greek manuscripts, some of which are quite fragmentary . They have come down to us from the second and third centuries after Christ and from the following centuries. This speaks of an interval of about a thousand years, given that Homer composed his epic poem about 800 BC. In other words, the testimony of manuscripts in favor of the New Testament is stunning when compared to other revered works of antiquity (The Case of Christ, 2003).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the Bible has what is called "free distribution." What does this mean? This means that there is very little chance, even impossible, of being forged. Why? Because we have different people copying from the scriptures, from different geographical locations, which means that if someone goes to add something or accidentally makes a mistake, they will understand when compared to thousands of other manuscripts. For example, if someone in the city of Ephesus decides to add or remove something from the Word, comparing it with other manuscripts from other cities, it will become clear that there has been an attempt to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no other religious book where "free distribution" can be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the New Testament is about 99.5% textually pure. This means that the variants are grammatical and secondary, which have appeared in the transcripts over time, but there has been no change in doctrine or doctrine. This should give us confidence that we are following the true teachings of Jesus and the apostles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion: You can trust the Bible! And here is an important point: if the Bible is reliable in hundreds of verifiable matters, why should we not trust it in spiritual matters such as man's redemption from sin through faith in Christ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible (the Canon) ends with the following words in Revelation 22: 18-21:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n