The Stumbling Block

It is amazing that the Bible remains a stumbling block to many who wish to find the truth. There are a lot of misconceptions about the Bible which keep people from embracing the full Gospel. Once such misconceptions are cleared up, the door to the truth is flung wide open.

First off, I would have to admit that the Bible is full of mistakes. Yes, a lot of them. For example, Adam and Eve rejected God's commands in the Garden of Eden. There have been countless mistakes since then. Wait... did you think I meant that the Bible was full of errors and contradictions? No, it doesn't have any of those. Allow me to explain.

The first sentence of the above paragraph is a prime example of what would typically be thought of as a contradiction. I said that the Bible is full of mistakes, but then said it doesn't have any errors. My first statement is easily misunderstood unless it is taken in context with the rest of the paragraph. Once you have the full context in front of you, all you need to decipher the actual meaning is a fluency in the English language.

Much in the same way, Scripture needs to be examined in context. Scripture explains Scripture, just like the preceding paragraphs explain each other. If you were to just quote me on the statement, "the Bible is full of mistakes," then you would be twisting the message I was attempting to convey. Much in the same way, if we take snippets of Scripture without regard to their context, we can end up twisting the message that God wanted to convey to us.

Just as you need a fluency in the English language to fully understand what I meant three paragraphs ago, we also need a fluency in the Bible's original languages (Hebrew and Greek) in order to properly understand it. There are certain aspects of the original text's language that make it impossible to produce a clear and perfectly accurate modern translation. There are also issues of dialect and culture that further darken our understanding of the original text.

In light of our declaration that modern translations do not perfectly convey the original text, do not lose sight of an important fact: the original texts are the Word of God. A common misconception is that the Good Book is simply a work written by men; that it is simply a book of good advice and fantastic stories to be set alongside classics from Chaucer and Mark Twain.

Many people argue that the Bible is a work of men because men wrote it. This is a completely solid fact. Men did write the Bible. But let me ask you - when someone writes a letter, do they do the writing, or does their pen? Yes, technically, the pen wrote it, though the actual inspiration came from the writer. 

The same is true of God's Word, with just an additional level to the process. God spoke to the writers of the Bible through the Holy Spirit, who in turn recorded the knowledge, wisdom, and prophecies we have on paper. "... no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy did not come in old times by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:15-16) God used the men as an instrument to write down His Word, much like we use a pen to write a letter.

While the Bible is certainly a classic, it is much more. It really is the Word of God. I know, the idea is hard to swallow. But this is yet another aspect of Christianity that doesn't ask you to rely on faith. There is evidence.

The Bible is full of mind-boggling information such as scientific and historic facts that defy explanation, as well as prophecies that help prove the validity of God's Word. The Bible also lacks all things which could discredit it, such as errors and contradictions.

Scientific Facts

Since many people like to talk about empirical evidence, let's begin with some scientific facts contained in the Bible. See for yourself how this is no ordinary book:

• Only in recent years has science discovered the fact that everything we see is made up of invisible atoms. Scripture tells us that "the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."
• Medical science has only recently discovered that blood-clotting in a new born baby reaches its maximum peak on the eighth day, then it drops down. The Bible consistently says that a baby must be circumcised on the eighth day.
• At a time in history when science taught that the earth sat on a large animal or a giant (1500 BC), the Bible spoke of the earth's free float in space. "He...hangeth the earth upon nothing." (Job 26:7).
• The prophet Isaiah also tells us (Isaiah 40:22) that the earth is round--"It is He who sitteth upon the circle of the earth." Secular man discovered this 2400 years later.
• "Most cosmologists (scientists who study the structures and evolution of the universe) agree that the Genesis account of creation, in imagining an initial void, may be uncannily close to the truth." (Time, Dec. 1976)
• We are told that science expresses the universe in five terms: time, space, matter, power and motion. The Book of Genesis chapter one revealed such truths to the Hebrews in 1450 BC: "In the beginning (time) God created (power) the Heaven (space) and the earth (matter)...And the Spirit of God moved (motion) upon the face of the waters."
• For centuries, "doctors" were confused about the blood's function in the human body. These doctors regularly bled patients with the intent of helping them overcome their disease. The importance of blood in our body's mechanism has only been fully comprehended within recent years. Doctors used to think that if you were sick, you had bad blood. George Washington died because of being bled by his doctors. They should have read their Bibles. In a book of the Bible over 2000 years old, Leviticus 17:11 says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood."
• All things were made by God (see John 1:3), including dinosaurs. A dinosaur is actually described in Job 40:15-24. It even explains why they disappeared. Following a description of a dinosaur, Scripture says, "...He that made him can make his sword approach unto him." In other words, God caused this, the largest of all the creatures He had made, to become extinct. Note that it again took secular science thousands of years to "discover" the existence of dinosaurs.
• A number of people are confused and misled, claiming that the Bible says evil spirits are the cause of all disease. This is not true. The Bible had specific instructions on how to avoid the spread of microscopic infections. For example, "And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days after his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in running water; then he shall be clean" (Leviticus 15:13) Take note how specific God was in instructing his people. He specified running water. For three thousand years after this instruction was written, doctors unwittingly washed their hands in bowls of still water, only aiding in the spread of microscopic germs. Failure to heed God's Word ended in the loss of millions of lives during the Black Death of the fourteenth century and many other plagues. That should come as no surprise. Failure to heed God's Word has been the cause of countless catastrophies in the history of mankind.
• In 1609 at Hoorn in Holland, a ship was built using the same pattern as the ark described in Genesis 6. This "new" design revolutionized ship building. By the 1900's, almost all large ships were designed using similar proportions. ("Lloyd's Register of Shipping" in the World Almanac)

Fulfilled Prophecies

There are hundreds of fulfilled prophecies of the Bible.  Many people think that prophecies are vague passages that can be interpreted any way a person wants.  This may be true for secular "prophets," but the prophecies of the Bible are very clearly fulfilled.  Here are a few examples:

• About 700 B.C. the prophet Isaiah predicted that a king named Cyrus would give the command to build the Temple in Jerusalem.  When Isaiah made that prediction, the Jewish Temple was already standing in Jerusalem, and there was no king name Cyrus.  Over 100 years later, the city and the Temple were destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians.  Less than 50 years after that, the Persians conquered the Babylonians and took Jerusalem.  A Persian king named Cyrus gave the decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.  Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled to the letter 160 years later.
• In Matthew 11:2-24, Jesus predicted that Chorazin and Bethsaida would incur greater judgment than Tyre and Sidon, and that Capernaum would suffer a worse fate than the city of Sodom.  George Davis in his Bible Prophecies Fulfilled Today writes that "an earthquake destroyed Capernaum about A.D. 400 and doubtless Chorazin and Bethsaida perished at the same time."  All three cities were destroyed, and have never been rebuilt, despite their perfect locations by the Sea of Galilee.  In 700 A.D., King Alibad I of Damascus decided to build a palace in Bethsaida, but he died before its completion and the palace became nothing more than ruins.  Later, an architect decided to rebuild the synagogue of Capernaum from its ruins.  He began to re-erect the building, but died suddenly before its completion, just like King Alibad. 
• Genesis 16 mentions Ishmael, who is the progenitor of the Arab race. (Time, April 4, 1988)  The Bible said that Ishmael would be a "wild man, and every man's hand will be against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."  This prophecy is still being fulfilled four thousand years later.  The Arabs and Jews are "brethren" from the same ancestors.  The whole cause of the Middle-East conflict is because they are dwelling together.
• In Matthew 24, Jesus and the disciples were in the temple.  The disciples were awe-struck by the beautiful architecture and ornamentation.   Unlike the disciples, Jesus wasn't in awe.  He told them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  These words came true to the letter in A.D. 70.  From Are We Living in the End Times?:
       "In that year the Roman army under the command of Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem.  Fires raged through the city and in the temple area itself.   After the flames burned themselves out, the soldiers saw that large amounts of gold had melted and flowed into the crevices of the blocks of the temple.  In order to recover the precious metal, the Romans had to take the building apart, stone by stone.  And so Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled literally; not one stone was left upon another.  
       Some of those stones were later used to erect the wall we see standing today near the edge of the temple mount.   Every time you see pictures of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem -- a shrine that can be seen every day on the Internet (www.thewall.org) -- you see the pinpoint accuracy of Jesus' prediction."

The End Times?

Many Christians believe that the Lord's return will be soon, possibly in our lifetime.  While Christians have been awaiting Christ's return for almost 2000 years, there are more signs than ever.  "So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the door!" (Mark 13:29)  Here are some of the predicted signs of the end times:

• False Bible teachers will be money-hungry, smooth talking, and will slur the Christian faith. (2 Peter 2:1-3)
• Homosexuality will be increasingly evident at the end of the age. (2 Timothy 3:3)  There are reported to be 17 million homosexuals in the US alone.
• Earthquakes will increase. (Matthew 24:7)  Scientists have recorded a million small earthquakes each year, with up to twenty going on at any moment.  Over 20,000 people were killed by an earthquake in India on Jan 26, 2001.  Over 1000 people have been killed in major earthquakes within the first 3 months of 2002.  Earthquake data on sites such as http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/ show that something new is happening.
• There will be an increase in stress, leading to stress-induced heart attacks and deaths. (Luke 21:26)
• Many wars will erupt. (Matthew 24:6)  There have been over 100 wars since 1945 with over 16 million deaths.
• Deadly diseases will increase. (Matthew 24:7)  There are increases of cancer, AIDS, and strange new diseases like Ebola, mad cow disease, and anthrax.
• There will be a cold religious system which denies God's power. (2 Timothy 3:5)
• There will be an increased fascination with the occult. (1 Timothy 4:1)  People are now fixated with horoscopes, psychic readings, Halloween, séances, yoga, martial arts, TV shows about occultist topics (such as Crossing Over with John Edward), and movies filled with alternate religions (such as Star Wars). 
• People will replace Christian truths with fantasy. (2 Timothy 4:4)  For example, Christmas has now become centered around Santa Claus instead of the birth of the Savior.
• People will deny that the entire earth was flooded. (2 Peter 3:5)
• The institution of marriage will be forsaken. (1 Timothy 4:3)  Unmarried couples living together have increased 725% since 1963, and the divorce rate for marriages is 57%.
• Interest in vegetarianism will increase. (1 Timothy 4:3)
• There will be a cry for world peace. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
• Knowledge (Hebrew, "science") will greatly increase. (Daniel 12:4)  The same passage also notes that travel will greatly increase.  100 years ago, the fastest way to get around was by train (or horse).  People used to spend their entire lives in one small town.  Now, we have planes that can go several times the speed of sound, and people travel the world.
• People will forsake the Ten Commandments as a moral code, committing adultery, stealing, lying and killing. (Matthew 24:12)  Prayer was banned in public schools in 1963, and since then America has changed.  In the 1940's a survey was taken of public schools to find out the biggest problems with students.  The most common problems reported were talking during class, chewing gum, cutting in line, etc.  In the 1980's the same survey was given again.  The biggest problems reported were rape, murder, drug pushing, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, etc.  Anyone who says "things are the same as they've always been" don't know the facts.
• Men will mock the signs of the times and say "these signs have always been around." (2 Peter 3:4)

The most important sign is the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem. (Luke 21:29-30)  God warned that if the Jews forsook His Law, He would scatter them throughout the world, allow them to be put to shame, then draw them back to Israel. (Ezekiel 36:24)  The Jews were driven out in A.D. 70 by the Romans.  They were put to shame during that time, and especially in WW2.  But in 1948, after over 1900 years without a homeland, they occupied Israel again.  In 1967, the Jews set foot in Jerusalem, fulfilling the words of Christ from 2000 years ago.

The Proof is There

If you care to investigate it further, you will find that there are hundreds of facts which prove that the Bible is truly the Word of God.  The only explanation for its content is a divine origin.  Given that it claims to be the Word of God, and there is evidence supporting that statement, I find the Bible to be completely trustworthy.  I believe it from cover to cover.  You should too.

Once you understand that the Bible is true, your next step is to do what it says.  The Lord is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)  God "commands all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30)  Learn what God wants you to do, and do it.

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