Id honestly like to get a response from individuals here who proclaim that the bible is the WORD of GOD. How can you, in your heart-of-hearts, believe this to be true? Surely you dont believe that GOD actually sat down and wrote the words that you read in this book. You do comprehend that every single word within the bible was written by fallible, imperfect human beings, right? And that fallible, imperfect human beings have been deciding for thousands of years how to translate various passages from long dead languages, fighting over and deciding what parts to include and what parts to take out. Do you honestly believe that over thousands of years people havent altered what is in this book in order to further their own selfish gains? How then do you explain the fact that there are so many different versions of the WORD of GOD?
So clearly what we have here is not the WORD of GOD, but rather, various fallible, imperfect human beings interpretation and personal belief as to what the WORD of GOD is.
QuestioningMind,
I don't mind a person questioning the truth about the Bible. Is it really God's word, after so many years and so many translations??? Now, if you are INTELLECTUALLY HONEST, you will thoughtfully consider what I say.
Indeed, the Holy Scriptures are the word of God!!! The scriptures themselves testify to this fact. Consider what Paul said, when writing to Timothy, 2Tim 3:16,17. Paul said that ALL scripture is inspired by God. At Gal 1:11,12, Paul said that he received the word by a revelation from Jesus Christ. At 1Thes 2:13, Paul says again that what the people in Thessalonica received was the word of God.
Peter said about the same thing at 2Pet 1:20,21, where he said that NO SCRIPTURE springs from any private interpretation, but the writers spoke from God as they were carried along by Holy Spirit.
Al of the Hebrew Scriptures were complete in the time that Jesus walked the earth. Jesus said that God's word is truth, John 17:17. The apostles made sure that the word of God was no adulterated while they were on earth. All disciples of Christ had faith in what the apostles taught. The congregation in Jerusalem was where the Governing Body of the early congregations was, and they wrote to the other congregations to explain God's word to them and the accepted their explanations, Acts 10:18, 15:1,2, 22-31,16:4,5.
Now, does what is written here prove that the Bible is the word of God, just because it says it is??? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Then what does???
You know as well as I do that man cannot tell, with accurracy, the future. THIS is the most compelling reason to believe that the Bible is God's word.
Almost a third of the Bible is PROPHECY. Some are short time prophecies, some very long range prophecies. Every single one of these prophecies have come true or are in the process of coming true. The Book of Daniel, especially tells long range prophecies, even telling the exact number of the world powers that would have some dealings with the Israelites, Jews, Dan 2:31-35,44,45. Daniel even recorded the exact time that the Messiah would appear, Dan 9:24,25.
When the Israelites continued to rebel against God, He allowed the Babylonians to destroy the Nation, and Jerusalem, which was the seat of true worship on earth, the place where the Kings actually sat on God's THrone, 1Chron 28:5, 29:23. This ssme time period was also recorded at Eze 21:25-27. When Jerusalem was destroyed, that started what is called the March of the Gentile Times, or The Times of the Gentiles. the exact length of this time was prophesied by Daniel, in the forth chapter, concerning the Seven Times, and a huge TREE. This tree actually stood for God's Kingdom on earth, which was removed in 607BC, when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. An understanding of this prophecy shows that the Time of the Gentiles would be 2,520 years, then there would again be someone installed as King, to sit again on God's Throne. That exact time turned out to be 1914!! At that time Jesus was installed as King of God's Kingdom of earth, but Jesus was to rule in the misat of his enemies for a period. We are now in that period. We know that conclusively by what we were to experience just after Jesus would be installed as King.
Rev 12:1-6 is a symbol of God's heavenly woman who produces a manchild, which symbolizes the Birth of the Kingdom. Notice what was to happen right after Jesus became King, WAR in heaven, with Satan and his demons being thrown down to earth. You can imagine what this would mean for the earth. WARS!! and every other kind of trouble that can be imagined by Satan, Rev 12:12 Have we had that kind of trouble since 1914???
Another place that mentions this same time period is at Rev 6:2-8, where we see Jesus on a white horse receiving a Crown, and goes riding along with the other three Horses, WAR, Famine, Death of all kinds. Exactly what has happened since 1914. The prophecy continues in Rev 19:11-21, wheree Jesus rides forth CONQUERING, Rev 6:2.
The Bible is filled with prophecies.I could go on all day. Something very important is: God has promised that He would not allow His word to become adulterated, Ps 12:6,7, Prov 30:5,6, 1Pet 1:25.
Another line that proves God has had the Bible written is knowledge that NO ONE on earth knew at the time of the Bible being written.
The Bible says that the earth is round, and hanging on nothing, Job 26:7,10, Isa 40:22. In those days Mythology had many theories about the earth, all silly, but the God who created all things knew.
It was only during the 19th century when scientists realized that the Bible was right where it said that the HARE chewed it's CUD. Scientists pointed to this as an example of a Bible error. Just one of the many tomes that critics of the Bible have been REDFACED, when they had to admit that they had been wrong.
The sanitary regulations that God gave to the Israelites were much better that the surrounding nations had. God knew what caused diseases, men did not, Deut 4:5-8.
There are so very many things that can be used as proof that God is the real author of His Book, even though He used about 40ty men to pen it.
Even the Bibel shows that only a Wilfully BLIND person will not see these things, Rom 1:16-20.