This is a speech I wrote for toastmasters a while back.
The Validity of Scripture
Throughout time, various men from every class of life have tried to refute the Bible with such passion that no other Book has received such a beating . . . and survived. The Bible has stood the test of time. Destroying all accusations and dumbfounded all attempts to prove it wrong. So what does make this book so attack-proof?
I would like to share with you three basic things that make the Bible so very valid in all its claims, statements, and teachings.
Number 1 is the facts surrounded the book itself. For instance, over 40 authors wrote the Bible over a period of 1500 years. These authors were everything from shepherds to kings, from fishermen to tent-makers. The Bible was also written on three different continents, and in three different languages. Yet, the Bible has NOT ONE CONTRADICTION!
The second thing that I see that backs up the scripture is the many scientific and archeological facts that are found in the Bible. For example, Isaiah told us that the earth is round, in Job we learn about the water cycle and also the fact that the earth is suspended in space. Moses tells us in Leviticus that blood sustains life. We also learn much about the stars from books like Job, Genesis, and First Corinthians. And Doctor Luke in the book of Luke tells us that the earth rotates on an axis. Other men did not discover these facts until many years later. Also, the Hittites mentioned in the OT were once said to be fictitious, that is until archaeologists discovered the land of the Hittites. Or consider the fact that for many years critics of God’s Word said there was no Pontius Pilate that is until men discovered his name written on the cornerstone of a theater in the Middle East.
The third thing I would like to point out is that many prophecies made in scriptures that were fulfilled to the very day years later! Like the one in Is. 44 that says that, a man named Syras was to rebuild the temple. Keep in mind that the temple was still standing when this prophecy was made. 100 years later the temple was destroyed, and then 160 years later a Persian by the name of Syras rebuilt it, just like Isaiah said. Or consider the prophesy in Daniel chapter 9. let me read verses 25-26a for you; “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off..." The word ‘weeks’ here in this passage refers to 7 years, not 7 days. It happened just as Daniel said under the inspiration of the Spirit. Exactly 49 years later Jerusalem was rebuilt. And then exactly 434 years later Jesus, the Messiah, rode into Jerusalem. And when Daniel says that after 62 weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, he is referring to the crucifixion of Christ. And, as most of you know, all this did happen, just as predicted by Daniel, 483 years before it happened. Coincidence? I rather think not.
In closing, I would like to accredit most of this material to David Moore in his sermon called “What is so Special about the Bible?” and some of the information to my A Beka Biology book. I have at times wondered how a book as big and sometimes as complicated as the Bible, could not once contradict itself, but as I have studied the Bible it has become evident that the only way this feat is possible is because God Himself wrote it. Indeed, He inspired every word. Only Yahweh could have orchestrated such a masterpiece as the Bible without a glitch. And no glitch it has, for indeed, the Bible is a very valid book.
Throughout time, various men from every class of life have tried to refute the Bible with such passion that no other Book has received such a beating . . . and survived. The Bible has stood the test of time. Destroying all accusations and dumbfounded all attempts to prove it wrong. So what does make this book so attack-proof?
I would like to share with you three basic things that make the Bible so very valid in all its claims, statements, and teachings.
Number 1 is the facts surrounded the book itself. For instance, over 40 authors wrote the Bible over a period of 1500 years. These authors were everything from shepherds to kings, from fishermen to tent-makers. The Bible was also written on three different continents, and in three different languages. Yet, the Bible has NOT ONE CONTRADICTION!
The second thing that I see that backs up the scripture is the many scientific and archeological facts that are found in the Bible. For example, Isaiah told us that the earth is round, in Job we learn about the water cycle and also the fact that the earth is suspended in space. Moses tells us in Leviticus that blood sustains life. We also learn much about the stars from books like Job, Genesis, and First Corinthians. And Doctor Luke in the book of Luke tells us that the earth rotates on an axis. Other men did not discover these facts until many years later. Also, the Hittites mentioned in the OT were once said to be fictitious, that is until archaeologists discovered the land of the Hittites. Or consider the fact that for many years critics of God’s Word said there was no Pontius Pilate that is until men discovered his name written on the cornerstone of a theater in the Middle East.
The third thing I would like to point out is that many prophecies made in scriptures that were fulfilled to the very day years later! Like the one in Is. 44 that says that, a man named Syras was to rebuild the temple. Keep in mind that the temple was still standing when this prophecy was made. 100 years later the temple was destroyed, and then 160 years later a Persian by the name of Syras rebuilt it, just like Isaiah said. Or consider the prophesy in Daniel chapter 9. let me read verses 25-26a for you; “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off..." The word ‘weeks’ here in this passage refers to 7 years, not 7 days. It happened just as Daniel said under the inspiration of the Spirit. Exactly 49 years later Jerusalem was rebuilt. And then exactly 434 years later Jesus, the Messiah, rode into Jerusalem. And when Daniel says that after 62 weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, he is referring to the crucifixion of Christ. And, as most of you know, all this did happen, just as predicted by Daniel, 483 years before it happened. Coincidence? I rather think not.
In closing, I would like to accredit most of this material to David Moore in his sermon called “What is so Special about the Bible?” and some of the information to my A Beka Biology book. I have at times wondered how a book as big and sometimes as complicated as the Bible, could not once contradict itself, but as I have studied the Bible it has become evident that the only way this feat is possible is because God Himself wrote it. Indeed, He inspired every word. Only Yahweh could have orchestrated such a masterpiece as the Bible without a glitch. And no glitch it has, for indeed, the Bible is a very valid book.
