I.  What Is the Bible?

    A. Its Make-Up: The Bible is actually 66 books written by 40 authors over a 1600 year period. These men wrote in 3 different languages and came from 3 continents with varying cultures and backgrounds and wrote with varying moods and styles.

    B. It’s What They Wrote: Some say the Bible may, at one time, have been the word of God but it has been in the hands of men for so long that it has been corrupted and we cannot be confident that we have today what they wrote so many years ago. This is just not a true statement.

         1. There are far more manuscripts of the Bible than any other book of antiquity. There are around 24,000 manuscripts of the New testament compared to the next closest of 643 for Iliad by Homer (900 B.C.)

         2. The copies of the New Testament are far closer to the source than with any other book of antiquity. The earliest copy of the New Testament is 25 yrs from the source compared to 750 yrs for History by Pliny the Younger (A.D. 61-113) and 500 yrs for Iliad by Homer.

         3. We can be overwhelmingly confident that we have what the original writers wrote to greater than a 99.9% certainty.

    C. Its Content: The Bible covers several topics that are both controversial and complex: the history of man, genealogies, who God is, what sin is, salvation, redemption, etc.

    D. Its Claim

         1. Moses claimed his words were from God Himself (Exodus 3:13; 19:7); The prophets also (Isaiah 6:9; Jeremiah 32:6; Ezekiel 1:3; Amos 1:3...); As did Jesus (John 8:40); and the apostles (2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13)

         2. These claims leave us with but TWO choices

              a. The claims are false - These 40 men intentionally fooled an entire nation (the Jews) and the world as their teachings spread to other nations and with deception, luck, and skill pulled off an incredible hoax. OR

              b. The claims of the Bible are true. In which case, it is God’s word and we must accept it as such.

              c.  We CANNOT say, however, that the Bible is a good book with some fanciful stories intertwined. It ceases to be a “good book” if it claims to have the words of God Himself with commands for action and faith if these claims are, in fact, false. If the claims are false then the Bible becomes a cruel hoax, meant to deceive. There is no middle ground. The Bible is either made up and it must be rejected or it is true and it must be accepted as God’s word.

II. Why I Believe the Bible Is God’s Word

    A. It Is Consistently True

         1. True Historically

              a. The Egyptian cities of Pithon and Raamses were excavated and it was discovered that the bricks in the lower section of the structures contained average amounts of straw, however, in the upper portions of the structures the bricks contained lower amounts of straw. This discovery coincides with the description given in Exodus 1,5.

              b. For many years it was thought that the Bible was in error in speaking of the Babylonian king Belshazzar (mentioned in the book of Daniel), there were no records of him ever ruling over Babylonia. However, recent discoveries indicate that he did in fact rule over Babylon under Nobonidus, who was often away from home.

              c.  The Hittite nation mentioned often in the first few books of the Bible were not found in any other discoveries until recently. We now know much about these people coinciding exactly with Biblical descriptions.

              d. Many examples can be cited which prove over and over again that the Bible, when it speaks of historical events, is completely accurate.

         2. True Scientifically

              a. The Bible describes the earth as being round (Isaiah 40:22; Job 26:7; Proverbs 8:27), a truth we have come to discover over time.

              b. Matthew Fontaine Maury discovered the “paths in the ocean” after reading of them in Psalm 8.

              c.  Life being in the blood is mentioned in Leviticus 17:10-16.

              d. There are many sanitary precautions given in the Law of Moses that show incredible wisdom medically (Leviticus 13-14).

              e. The water cycle is described in Job 36:27-28.

              f.  Although the Bible is not a science book, it is shown to be accurate when speaking of matters of science even in areas we have only recently discovered.

         3. True, Even in Times of Error

              a. Moses, who penned the first five books of the Bible, was brought up in the Egyptian culture yet his writings do not contain Egyptian influences and errors. For instance, the Egyptians believed the universe originated from a flying egg and that man came from white worms of the Nile. These, and other, teachings are not found in Moses’ writings.

              b. Daniel was taken as a young man and taught the ways of the Babylonians yet we do not find in his writings the myths and legends of these people.

         4. True Internally: Although the Bible is written by 40 men over a period of 1600 years covering several controversial subjects, it contains no contradictions. Many have attempted to find contradictions in the Bible and some have made claims that it is full of contradictions, however, honest evaluation consistently reveals the unity of the Bible.

    B. Its Prophecies Have Been Fulfilled: The Bible is unique in that it contains numerous prophecies. The Bible itself

         1. General

              a. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies concerning nations, people, cities, and events which have all come to pass.

              b. Archaeology has shown the accuracy of these prophecies.

              c.  Some say the prophecies were made AFTER the event occurred and made to look like they were made prior to the event. The dating of writings and events is certainly an important factor in this regard but the prophecies concerning Jesus (of which there are more than 300) were, without a doubt penned hundreds of years before His birth. These prophecies were concerning His birth, ancestors, early journeys, ministry, miraculous works, betrayal, death (events out of his control), and His resurrection. All of which came to pass.

         2. The destruction of the city of Tyre is foretold in Ezekiel 26 and is fulfilled when the city is destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar exactly as described by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 26:3-5,12-14).

         3. The destruction of the city of Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, is foretold in Zephaniah 2:13-15 and Nahum 3:19. It was said the city would be desolate, beasts would lie down in it, and it would be destroyed. It was destroyed, exactly as prophesied, by the Medes in 614 B.C. just 50 years after they reached their zenith.

         4. The destruction of the city of Babylon is foretold in Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 51. Again, it comes to pass exactly as prophesied.

         5. The destruction and rebuilding of Jerusalem is foretold in the Old Testament being fulfilled through the Babylonians and Persians respectively. Again the destruction of Jerusalem is foretold by Jesus and fulfilled in 70 A.D.

    C. It Is Different in What It Teaches and Produces in Us

         1. The Bible is honest. It presents to us real people, encountering real struggles and issues of faith. Their failures, even of the “heroes”, are not hidden from us, it is an accurate account of their lives. The Bible does not glamorize men, but simply presents events and people as they really are to help bring us back into a relationship with God as we learn from people with similar struggles as our own.

              a. Noah, after the flood, became drunk to the point he didn’t know what was going on.

              b. David committed adultery with another man’s wife and then murdered him to cover up his sin.

              c.  Peter denied Jesus three times.

         2. It guides my life in a good direction. It says in Psalm 119:105 - “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” The Bible leads to a life of peace and hope.

         3. The Bible gives MEANING to life.

              a. We all see the EMPTINESS of life. We recognize that the answer to life is not in money or power of relationships. We understand that ultimately we will leave this life with nothing. There has got to be more!

              b. The Bible gives us the COMPLETE picture. It transcends this life to eternity. It guides us to an understanding of what will happen after this life and how we can prepare for it. It gives us hope.

         4. The Bible PROMOTES unity, love, and care for others. It contains wisdom in relationships in life. By following its direction we display the qualities respected by others that lead to an overall positive effect in the world.

         5. Do these positive effects seem consistent with forty scoundrels who contrived this hoax to make people believe something that is just not true?

III.     Conclusion: I believe the Bible is God’s word because:

    A. In all aspects it speaks the TRUTH

    B. It contains prophecies, all of which have been fulfilled exactly as foretold and none have failed

    C. It is not like any other book in the impact it has on my life and on this world