God-breathed Word 3

  • Jan 25, 2009
  • Series: God-breathed Word

Is the Bible True? - The Authors (Part 3)

Is the Bible true? Consider the integrity of the Bible's authors -- men who were inspired by God. Take for example Luke, who authored approximately one-quarter of the entire New Testament. Luke is regarded as an authoritative historian. It is written that ""The general consensus of both liberal and conservative scholars is that Luke is very accurate as a historian. He's learned he's eloquent, his Greek is of high quality, he writes as an educated man, and archaeological discoveries are showing over and over again that Luke is accurate in what he has to say." Sir William Ramsey, one of the greatest archaeologists of modern times, declared, "Luke is a historian of the first rank."

Now, let's consider the martyrdom of many of these authors. According to sources and traditions outside the Bible, many of the Bible's writers died brutal and horrible deaths in defense of their written testimony. In fact, all but one of the New Testament's authors were executed for proclaiming and defending their testimonies (John was spared, but forced into exile by Roman Emperor Titus). Of course, martyrdom in itself is not unique -- many people throughout history have died willingly for their beliefs. What makes the New Testament authors' martyrdom special is that these men were in a position to know the truth of their written accounts.

Think about it -- no one knowingly dies for a lie! For example, the September 11th suicide hijackers may have sincerely believed in what they died for, but they weren't in a position to know whether their beliefs were absolutely true. The hijackers put their faith in religious traditions passed down over many generations. In contrast, the Bible's martyrs were in a position to know the truth. They were eyewitnesses to the historical events they recorded. Either they saw what they claimed to see or they didn't -- plain and simple. Nevertheless, these men clung to their testimonies, even to their brutal deaths at the hands of their persecutors, and despite being given every chance to recant their stories. Why would so many men knowingly die for a lie? They had nothing to gain for lying... and everything to lose.

Is the Bible True? - Judge For Yourself...

Is the Bible true? For those of us who don't believe that God inspired the Bible, how do we explain it? What convincing reason do we have to reject the Bible as God's divine revelation to man? We should lay aside our naive outlook, examine the evidence objectively, and weigh the facts for ourselves... And then ask: Is the Bible true?

Is the Bible the oldest religious book in the world?

Of all the ancient writings, most scholars agree that the Old Testament of the Bible is the oldest of religious books. It was first written at 1000 BC through 500 BC and the words were given by God to its writers. In comparison, most others are relatively young.

  • Koran or al-Qur'an (holy book of Islam) was written in 650 AD.

Messianic Prophecy: Fulfillment by Jesus Christ

Messianic prophecy was fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Although many Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, many did, and they became the Jewish sect later known as the Christians. Christianity, based in dramatic part on the fulfillment of historical prophecy, spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire of the 1st Century. Examine the prophecies yourself, and calculate the probability of one man fulfilling just a handful of the most specific ones, and you'll be amazed.

Luke 24:44 (NIV)

"Jesus said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.'"

The Old Testament verses are the prophecy; the New Testament verses proclaim the fulfillment. Check them all out for yourself!

  •  Born of a virgin

 Isaiah 7:14

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you [a] a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and [b] will call him Immanuel. [c]

 Matthew 1:21-23

21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins." 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."

Prophecy was written 700years before its fulfillment

  • A descendant of Abraham

Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18;

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Matthew 1:1;

1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Galatians 3:16

16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed,"[a] meaning one person, who is Christ.

Time of Writing in Genesis 1400 before Christ

  • Of the tribe of Judah

Genesis 49:10;

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.Hebrews 7:14

14For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests

Time of Writing in Genesis 1400 before Christ

Of the house of David

2 Samuel 7:12-16;

12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' "

Matthew 1:1

1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

  • Born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2,

  • "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times"

Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

  • Taken to Egypt

Hosea 11:1;

1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Matthew 2:14-15

14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

  • Herod´s killing of the infants

 Jeremiah 31:15

15 This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more."

Matthew 2:16-18

16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:18"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

  •  Anointed by the Holy Spirit

Isaiah 11:2;

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

Matthew 3:16-17

16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

  • Heralded by the messenger of the Lord John the Baptist

Isaiah 40:3-5;

3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Malachi 3:1

1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty

Matthew 3:1-3

  • 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "
  • Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35)
  • Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)
  • Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16)
  • Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13)
  • Would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9)
  • Would be rejected by Jews (Psalm 118:22; I Peter 2:7)
  • Die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) involving:
  • 1. rejection (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11; 7:5,48)
  • 2. betrayal by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:3-4; John 13:18)
  • 3. sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-15)
  • 4. silence before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-14)
  • 5. being mocked (Psalm 22: 7-8; Matthew 27:31)
  • 6. beaten (Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 27:26)
  • 7. spit upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30)
  • 8. piercing His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Matthew 27:31)
  • 9. being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38)
  • 10. praying for His persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34)
  • 11. piercing His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)
  • 12. given gall and vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34, Luke 23:36)
  • 13. no broken bones (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-36)
  • 14. buried in a rich man's tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
  • 15. casting lots for His garments (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24)
  • Would rise from the dead!! (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31)
  • Ascend into Heaven (Psalm 68:18; Acts 1:9)
  • Would sit down at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3)

God urges us to apply His Word (in Philippians 4:9; James 11:22-25; 2 Thessalonians 3:4) but too often we stop at attaining only an intellectual knowledge of the Bible. Actively applying its content, and seeking spiritual understanding is a vital part of a true and real relationship with God rather just knowing about Him.

By reading the Bible regularly and asking God for understanding, we can achieve this. Jesus opens people's minds to understand His Word. We are given an example of this in the following verses when Jesus spoke to the disciples:

Luke 24:44-45

"'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures"

And 1 John 5:20 says,

"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. .