THE ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE
From where did the Bible come? It did not come from man. The Devil would not write it either. If man had written the Bible, many of the facts would have been left out. If man had given us the Bible, we would not read of the weaknesses and sins of people. If the Devil had written the Bible, he would not be described as “the evil one.” The Bible came from God.
No Contradictions
The Bible was written by about forty different writers over a period of about 1600 years. The writers of the Bible were men who lived in different periods of time, having different occupations, living in different places. In many cases, the writers did not know each other. Yet, there are no contradictions in the Bible. No other book can make this claim. This could not have happened by accident.
Scientific Facts
We can also consider the scientific facts found in the Bible. The Bible is not a science book, but it has scientific facts in it. Columbus and Magellan proved the earth is round. That was just 500 years ago. The Bible told us the earth was round thousands of years before anybody ever heard of Columbus or Magellan. “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). “When He prepared the heavens, I was there: When He drew a circle on the face of the deep” (Proverbs 8:27).
The Bible also tells us we are not able to number the stars. In 1940, astronomers finally came to the conclusion they were not able to count all of the stars in the universe. Almost 2,500 years ago, Jeremiah recorded: “As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me” (Jeremiah 33:22). Almighty God cannot only count the stars, He can call them by name (Psalm 147:4).
Fulfilled Prophecies
There are more than 1,000 prophecies in the Bible. The fact that every prophecy is fulfilled is further proof that the Bible is from God. In addition to the prophecies concerning Christ, we note a few others. The prophecy and fulfillment concerning the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34). We could also mention the prophecy made by the prophet Isaiah concerning Cyrus, king of Persia (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; Ezra 1). There were also many prophecies about the church that were fulfilled (Isaiah 2:1-4; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Daniel 2:31-46; Acts 2:14-47).
Archaeology
Archaeology confirms the facts of the Bible. Archaeology is a young science. It wasn't until about AD 1840 that archaeology began to be used to prove that the Bible record is true. Archaeology has established the location of Bible places. The location of Sheba. The Old Testament records the story of the Queen of Sheba traveling to visit king Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-3). Jesus tells us this story is true (Matthew 12:42). About one hundred years ago, two Europeans traveled to South Arabia and found writing on walls in the city of Marib. That city was the capital of ancient Sheba. Archaeology also proved the location of Nineveh. Archaeology has supported Bible doctrine. Some claim there were not enough pools of water in Jerusalem to baptize 3,000 people as recorded in Acts 2:41. Yet, archaeologists have found pool after pool in the ancient city. One pool was longer than two football fields and wider than one football field.
Conclusion
If we did not have the Bible, we would know nothing of the origin of man, the nature of God, the origin of sin, what happens to man after death, etc.
Christ, God, and the Bible all go together. We cannot believe in one without believing in the other. Some will say, “Oh, I believe in God, but I don't believe in Christ. Or, I believe in God, but I do not believe He gave us the Bible.” Others will say, “I believe the Bible is from God, but I don't believe the first eleven chapters of Genesis are true fact.” If we do not believe the first eleven chapters are from God, we cast doubt on the words of Jesus. Jesus often referred to the first eleven chapters of Genesis (Matthew 19:4-6; Luke 17:26,27). The Hebrew writer and Jude also refer to the first eleven chapters of Genesis (Hebrews 11:4-7; Jude 14). We have a reliable guide for our religious lives. It is the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
