IS THE BIBLE TRUE?

The Bible is either the words of man or the Words of God. If it is the words of man then it is worthless, being a fraud. The Bible is the Word of God and has several writers but only one author, God the Holy Spirit. Peter says, in 2 Peter 1:21, Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Forty Holy men of God, moved by the Holy Ghost, wrote sixty six books, over a period of approximately 1600 years. These writers were from different backgrounds, from fishermen, to herdsmen, to kings, and we find the Bibletells one story.

It is important to note that if anyone was trying to begin a new religion they would glorify the leaders. Notice that the Bible doesn't do that. The leaders, such as Peter, the disciples, Thomas and others, are portrayed as being very weak. Nor would one be claiming that women were the first to believe, especially in those days. Yet, the Bible tells us that the women were the first to believe.

The Bible has 40 different authors that had about 19 different occupations and wrote over a period of 1,600 years. The Old Testament was written over a period of several hundred years and written in Hebrew. Therefore, the writers could not have gotten together to collaborate and yet there writings tell one story.

The New Testament was written over a period of about 50 years and was written in Greek. The writers of the Old Testament and the New Testament could not have collaborated with one another yet their writings all agree with one another. Thus the Bible comes together perfectly with no contradictions or errors. From beginning to end the Bible tells us about God's plan and tells us of Jesus Christ.

There are many educated people that believe science and today's scholarship has discredited the Bible. They believe this because they know very little about the Bible. They aware of the many discoveries that continue to prove the historical accuracy of the Bible. If they would examine the evidence that proves the Bible to be true for themselves it could change their life. They would find that the Bible is not based on myth or fiction stories but is really based on the facts of history.

Below are some things to consider when looking at the truth of the Bible. Many more items could be listed under each category so this list is only a small sample.

The Old Testament writers claimed to be writing the very Word of God. The writers indicated they were writing the Word of God and wrote as God spoke, 2 Peter 1:21.

All but 7 of the 27 chapters of Leviticus begin with the words, "And the Lord spake unto Moses."
More than 80 times Moses attributes the words of Leviticus to God
The book of Joshua begins with the words, "The Lord spake unto Joshua saying . . ."
"Thus saith the Lord" is used by Jeremiah about 100 times.
"saith the Lord" occurs 25 times in the book of Malachi.
The book of Hebrews has 88 quotations from 16 Old Testament books.
The book of Acts, Acts 1:16; 4:25, attributes David's writings to the Holy Spirit.
Paul, writing in 2 Timothy 3:16 states that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
In Isaiah we find - "For the Lord speaks", Isaiah 1:2, "The Lord said to Isaiah", Isaiah 7:3, "Thus says the Lord", Isaiah 43:1.
"The Word of the Lord came to Hosea", Hosea 1:1.
"The Word of the Lord that came to Joel", Joel 1:1.
"The Word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel", Ezekiel 1:3.
It has been said that these and similar statements appear more than 3,800 times in the Old Testament.

Christ Verified the Old Testament, many times contradicting modern critics. Here are just a few examples:

In Matthew 19:4-6 Jesus confirmed the Genesis account of creation and the institution of marriage in Genesis 2:24.
In Luke 17:26-27 Jesus confirmed the flood.
In Luke 17:28-29 Jesus confirmed the destruction of Sodom.
In John 8:56-58 Jesus confirmed Abraham as an historical figure.
Jesus recognized Moses as the author of passages attributed to him, Matthew 8:4; Mark 7:8-11; John 5:45-47.
In Matthew 12:3-4 Jesus confirms that David and his men ate consecrated Temple bread because of hunger.
In Luke 20:42 Jesus confirms the authorship of Psalms 110 by quoting Psalms 110:1.
In Matthew 12:39-41 Jesus confirmed the information in the Old Testament about Jonah and the whale.
In Matthew 24:15 Jesus confirmed that Daniel was a prophet and based His own teachings on Daniel's prophecy.
Jesus began His ministry by appealing to Scriptures, Matthew 4:4-10.
Jesus ended His ministry by appealing to Scriptures, John 19:28.
Jesus declared that the Scriptures could not be broken, referring to the Old Testament, John 10:35.
In Luke 24:44 Jesus confirms the Old Testament by referring to the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible, the law, the Prophets and the Psalms.
Jesus says that God created Adam and Eve and they are therefore real persons and not a myth as some have imagined, Mark 10:5-9.
Jesus indicates that Abel was a real person and not a myth, Luke 11:51.
Likewise, Jesus confirms that Lot and his wife were real people, Luke 17:28-32.
Did manna come down from heaven? Jesus confirms that it did, John 6:31, 49, 58.
Is the story of Jonah real? Jesus confirms that it is real and not a myth, Matthew 12:39-41.

The New Testament, with twenty seven books, was written by various writers and tell the same story and of the same doctrines from the Gospels to the Epistles, without contradiction. Their writings have many references to history and their references are not contracted by any creditable source.

How did the writers of the New Testament remember what to write since some wrote several years later? Jesus Himself confirmed that the apostles and prophets that wrote the New Testament did so with revelation from God.

In John 16:13 Jesus promised the apostles that God the Holy Spirit would guide them to all truth and show them things to come.
In John 14:26 Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit which would teach them all things and bring to their mind the things He had said to them.
In Luke 10:16 we are told that whoever hears the apostles hears Jesus and whoever rejects the apostles rejects Jesus and God the Father.
The apostle John tells us that Jesus did many other signs that were not written in his book but those that are written are so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and if we believe in Him we will have life in His name, John 20:30-31.
John also said that he witnessed what he and others saw with their eyes, 1 John 1:1-3.
Peter said that the apostles were eyewitnesses of His (Jesus') majesty and that they were not following fables, 2 Peter 1:16-18.
Luke writing in the book of Acts didn't claim to be an eyewitness but wrote as a historian to record things that were witnessed by the apostles and others. He wrote so that we could be sure the things recorded were not fables, Luke 1:1-4.
Paul said that he wrote the commandments of the Lord, 1 Corinthians 14:37.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul said the words he wrote was in truth, the word of God.
Peter also included Paul's letters in with the other scriptures, 2 Peter 3:15-16.

Many people that believe all religions are credible and, that all worship the same God, that the holy books of each religion are of equal value. These so called Scholars claim that no one can predict the future and only a fool would try. They have not looked into the claims of the Bible and all the prophecies it contains. These impossible prophecies have been proven true and separate the Bible from all other religious books and make it the most accurate book ever written.

There are a lot of prophecies mentioned in the Bible have not yet been fulfilled but they are being fulfilled today. If we would look at todays news headlines we could see these events prophesied in the Bible. No other holy book nor Scholar has done this and they cannot do this with the accuracy and details mentioned in the Holy Bible. Many claim to be the Word of God but only the Bible makes this claim and proves it by the accuracy of it's prophecies.

The Bible contains many predictions of future events written long before the events occurred so that no one could have anticipated them. There are hundreds of predictions concerning Israel, Babylon, Assyria, the land of Canaan, Egypt and many people that have been fulfilled accurately. There has never been a successful attack on the Bible and it's fulfilled prophecies.

We have to make a distinction between prophecies of false prophets and Biblical prophets. First, the prophecy has to be made know far enough in advance to preclude the prophet from influencing the event or having knowledge from which the prophet could make a prediction. Next, it should be detailed enough to eliminate all possibility of it being a coincidence, guessing or analogy from past events. There must also be an exact fulfillment of the prophecy. Fullfilled prophecy is evidence of the divine origin of the Bible. God alone is able to predict future events with one hundred percent accuracy.

The Prophecy	The Prophecy Fulfilled
Micah prophesied in about 710B.C. that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, Micah5:2	Around 740 years later we see that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7. Zionism
David prophesied between about 1015 BC that kings would bring gifts to the Lord, Psalm 72:10. This passage suggests that there would be 4 or more kings but Christianity has held the number at three since there were three gifts. In addition we have Isaiah who prophesied around 740 BC that men would come forth showing the praise of the Lord, Isaiah 60:6.	This prophecy was fulfilled about 2 BC. in Matthew 2:11. The wise men followed the star in the east and brought gifts to the baby Jesus because they perceived Jesus to be a king.
In the early days of the nation of Israel Jesus was prophesied to be called up out of Egypt, predicted by Hosea 790 - 710 BC, Hosea 11:1.	This was fulfilled shortly after the visit of the wise men. WE can see that Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus went into Egypt from Judea. Then they were called out of Egypt, Matthew 2:13-15.
In 740 BC we see the coming of the Messiah to Zion, Isaiah 62:11	In around 33 AD We find Matthew saying, "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee . . ." Matthew 21:5-6.
A prophecy of how God would offer one who would be a servant to all mankind and be salvation to everyone but wanted to avoid attention, Isaiah 42:1-2 around 712 BC	Fulfilled around 750 years later, Matthew 12:14-16
The Messiah, Jesus Christ, would reveal truths in parables, Psalm 78:1-2.	In 33 AD we see this prediction fulfilled in Matthew 13:34; Mark 4:33-34.
The leaders would conspire to kill the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Prophesied around 1,000 BC in Psalm 2:1-3.	Fulfilled around 33 AD, Matthew 26:2-4 and Luke 22:1-2.
People would heap scorn on the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Psalm 22:7-8	We see the fulfillment around 33 AD in Matthew 27:39-44.
Zechariah said the Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey, Zechariah 9:9. Zechariah wrote about 520-518 BC.	The fulfillment came in about 33 AD as can be seen in Matthew 21:2-11; Mark:11:2-11; Luke 19:34-37 and John 12:14-15.
Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would perform miracles such as healing. Prophesied around 713 BC in Isaiah 35:5-6	We see the fulfillment around 740 years later in Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 7:31-37 and Luke 7:20-22.
Around 740 BC Isaiah prophesied the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:6.	Around 2 BC this was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus. His mother was Mary, a virgin, and He was named Immanuel which means God with us. He was born a Son and not a daughter and that makes Him the Son of God which we can accurately say that he is God with us.
Around 1689 BC Moses said the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah, Genesis 49:10. The rod mentioned was common for any king or ruler. Shiloh refers to the Messiah.	This was fulfilled around 2 BC at the birth of Christ. Abraham was told the line of promise was through Isaac's son, Jacob. Jacob prophesied that his 12 sons would be the descendants of Judah and forever be the ones through whom the kingship would pass. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah as can be seen in Matthew 1 and for Mary in Luke 3, who was from the tribe of Judah. *
Around 740 BC Isaiah said the Messiah would be preceded by a messenger, Issaiah 40:3, 5. Then Maliachi prophesied the same around 450-400 BC in Malachi 3:1	This was fulfilled around 738 years later and the true messenger was John the Baptist. See Matthew 11:10-11; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76; and Luke 7:27.
In about 1000 BC David prophesied that there would be false witnesses against the Messiah, Psalm 27:12.	This prophecy came true near the end of the life of Jesus Christ as the Chief priests, elders, and the council sought false witnesses against Jesus in order to put Him to death, Matthew 26:59-61; Mark 14:55-57.
Jesus knew in advance that someone close to Him, a trusted friend, would betray Him, Pslam 41:9.	Matthew tells us about this in Matthew 26:21-23 and John in John 13:18-19
Around 712-587 BC Isaiah and Ezekiel said that people would draw near to the Messiah but ther hearts were far from Him, Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:31.	This was fulfilled around 33 AD when Christ explained that it was true, Matthew 15:7-9.
It was prophesied around 520 BC that the betrayal of the Messiah for 30 pieces of silver, Zechariah 11:12.	This was fulfilled around 33 AD when Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Matthew 26:14-15.
About 712 BC it was prophesied that the Messiah would not open His mouth before His accusers, Isaiah 53:7.	About 710 years later when Jesus, the Messiah, was asked whence art through, He gave no answer, John 19:9-10.
A prophecy by David about 1000 BC tells us that He would have His hands and feet pierced, Psalm 22:16.	About 1000 years later we see His hands and feet were pierced with nails and is mentioned in all four gospels, Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32; and John 19:18.
Isaiah (about 712 BC)said He would be numbered with the transgressors, Isaih 53:12	This was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was put to death with two thieves, one on his right and one on his left, Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27.
David, in about 1000 BC, said His garments would be parted and they would cast lots on His vesture, Psalm 22:18.	This was fulfilled about 33 AD as told by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34.
David prophesied about 1000 BC that the bones of the Messiah would not be broken, Psalm 34:20.	In about 33 AD we see the guard breaking the legs of the two thieves but not those of Jesus, John 19:32-33
It was prophesied in Psalm 69:21, around 1000, BC that He would be given vinegar to drink for His thirst.	John tells us of the fulfillment in 33 AD in John 19:28-29.
Isaiah prophesied about 712 BC that Jesus would be buried in a rich man's tomb, Isaiah 53:9	In about 33 AD we see the fulfillment in Matthew 27:57-60
It was prophesied in about 712 BC that Jesus would offer Himself as a ransom and die for mankind's sins, Isaiah 53:11.	We see this fulfilled in about 33 AD with Matthew telling us that Jesus came to minister and to give His life as a ransom for many, Matthew 20:28.
Zechariah tells us, about 730 years before it happened, that Jesus would be pierced, Zechariah 12:10	In John 19:34 we have John telling of this fulfillment.
The people sitting and staring was foretold in Psalm 22:17	We see this fulfilled in Matthew 27:36.

If the Bible is the Word of God, it would be historically accurate and that has proved to be the case. In addition to the above here are some examples of ancient cities mentioned in prophecies.

Babylon:

At the beginning of this prophecy Babylon was subject to the Assyrians. Babylon would not become a major power for another hundred years.

Isaiah 13:19-21 was written in 712 BC and Jeremiah 51:26,43 was written 600 BC. Some of the prophecies of these passages tell us that:

Prophesied	Fulfillment
Babylon shall be destroyed.	Babylon was conquered in 538 BC. It had walls 90 feet thick and 300 feet high with towers that were even higher. The walls were 14 miles on each side and yet, as prophesied the city was conquered.
Babylon will never be inhabited again.	Today Babylon remains uninhabited.
The Arabians shall never pitch their tents there	The Arabs will pitch their tents most anywhere but won't do so in Babylon because of their fear of the poisonous serpents and scorpions and because they are superstitious believing the place to be haunted. The city is uninhabited by humans.
Shepherds will not make their sheep fold in Babylon.	Today there are no sheepfolds around Babylon.
Babylon will be inhabited by wild beasts, Jeremiah 50:13.	Today the wild beasts of the desert live there.
The corner and foundation stones of Babylon will not be removed.	The bricks and building materials have been salvaged from Babylon over the years but till this day the corner and foundation stones have not been touched. These stones were imported to Babylon and still remain.

Today Babylon has few visitors. Almost all of the ancient cities are on tourist routes but not Babylon.

Edom:

Jeremiah 49:16-18 was written in 600 B.C.

It prophesied that:

PROPHECY	FULFILLMENT
Edom would be conquered.	Edom was conquered 1236 years later in 636 A.D. by the Muhammadans.
Edom would be desolate.	From the time Edom was conquered in 636 A.D. until today the city has remained desolate.
Edom shall not be inhabited again.	Even today no animals or people have been found in Edom.

The Golden Gate in Jerusalem:
Ezekiel wrote about the Golden Gate of Jerusalem in 574 B.C., Ezekiel 44:1-3. The gate would be shut and no man would enter by it.
Jesus fulfilled the first part of this prophecy, about 33 A.D., by riding into the city through this gate on His triumphal entry.
When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. the walls and the gate were torn down.
In 1543 A.D. the Sultan Suleiman restored the walls of Jerusalem and since the road to the Golden Gate was no longer used, the Sultan ordered it closed. He restored the gate with it's arches and ornaments and walled up the gate's openings.

The City of Tyre:

There are more than 1,500 detailed prophecies concerning the future of some cities, kings, and kingdoms. Ezekiel recorded His prophecies of Tyre around 585 B.C. in Ezekiel 26:3-5, 7, 12, 14, 16. This was one of the great cities of the ancient world. The following is a short list of the prophecies that were fulfilled.

PROPHECY	FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would take the city. Ezekiel 26:7-11 tells of Nebuchadnezzar's attack.	This attack occurred exactly as prophesied just a few years after the prophecy. However, Tyre was rebuilt on an island half a mile off shore and remained standing.
In Ezekiel 26:3-5, 12-14 it was prophesied that many nations, not just one, would attack the city.	In 322 B.C. many nations, under the leadership of Alexander the Great defeated Tyre.
Ezekiel prophesied that the city would become flat like a rock, the stones and timbers and dust would be laid "in the midst of the water".	When Alexander the Great took the city of Tyre, he built a causeway to the island using the stones, timbers, and even scraping the dust of the city. So all of this completely fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel in the smallest details.
Ezekiel also prophesied the old city of Tyre would never be rebuilt.	To this day it has not been rebuilt and is used by fishermen and is a flat place for spreading their nets, exactly as prophesied by Ezekiel.

The Hittite Empire

This empire is mentioned forty six times in the Bible. At one time scholars questioned the existence of the Hittite's because the Bible was the only source that mentioned them, 2 Kings 7:6; 1 Kings 10:29; Exodus 3:8. However, there is now proof of the Hittite Empire. The capital city of the Hittites, Hattusa, was found and excavated, proving their existence. Other proofs found were remnants, tablets and documents and other excavations all proving the existence of the Hittites and the accuracy of the Bible.

Parts of the Bible were written 4,000 years ago and even though the Bible is not, and was never meant to be, a scientific manual, it is scientifically accurate. Many things were explained in the Bible long before science became aware of them and in each incident the Bible has been proven accurate. At the time they were mentioned, only God could have known these things. The following shows some, certainly not all, things explained in the Bible prior to scientific knowledge of them.

PROPHECY	FULFILLMENT
The book of Job is probably one of the oldest books in the Bible. God tells us in Job 26:7, written in about 1520 BC, that the earth hangs on nothing, it is suspended in empty space	This is something that was not realized by science until a few hundred years ago.
The book of Job says, in Job 28:25, that air has weight.	Before the 17th century science said air was weightless. Today science says air has weight
Job says, in Job 36:27, that God makes drops of water, draws them up, and by the heat of the sun they arise from the earth into the atmosphere where they are condensed and return to earth as rain.	This hydrological cycle wasn't known until the 17th century and not well known by science until the 20th century. Yet, the Bible explained it in 1520 BC.
Around 1520 BC, in Job 38:16, we are told about the springs of the sea.	Mankind had no way to know about fresh water springs on the ocean floor until recently when science found thousands of underwater springs in the ocean.
In about 1490 BC the Bible tells us, in Leviticus 17:11, that the life of the flesh is in the blood.	Yet, science did not understand this until recently. Previously doctors used blood letting as a method of healing.
The Bible teaches us that the universe had a beginning.	For a little over two thousand years philosophers and scientists rejected the biblical view. Today these same people accept the fact that the universe had a beginning and formulated the big bang theory.
The Bible teaches that all human kind are of one blood, one race, and descended from one man and one woman, Acts 17:26; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Genesis 3:20.	Nineteenth century biology claimed that the different races descended from lower animals. Today, genetics has proven that there is only one human race.
The Bible teaches that there was a worldwide flood that covered the earth and destroyed all creatures on earth except those in Noah's Ark.	Nineteenth century geologists claimed that the rock layers and fossils found in them were formed as sediments and were deposited slowly over time. Today, geology has proven that many rock layers were deposited catastrophically and buried fossils within only minutes or hours.
Isaiah 40:22 told us the earth is a sphere	Back then science said the earth was flat. Today science says the earth is a sphere
Jeremiah 33:32 told us the stars can't be numbered	Back then science said there were 1000 stars. Today science says the stars can't be numbered
1 Corinthians 15:41 tells us that each star is different	Back then science said all stars are the same Today science says each star is different
Jeremiah 33:32 told us the stars can't be numbered	Back then science said there were 1000 stars. Today science says the stars can't be numbered
The wind blows in cyclones Ecclesiastes 6:1	Science said the winds blew straight Today science says winds blow in cyclones
The ocean floor has deep valleys and mountains 2 Samuel 22:16; Jonah 2:6	Science said the ocean floors were flat Today science says ocean floors have deep valleys and mountains

We find the Bible has been proven true and accurate in many different fields and can clearly be trusted as the actual Words of God. There are people who still reject the truth of the Bible and God says in Romans 1:21 that they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

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