how do you know what to read in the bible

Nosotros occasionally receive the post-obit question: How exercise you know the Bible isn't just made upwardly?

Surely, even the most ardent skeptic volition accept a difficult time assertive that the unabridged Bible was merely made upwardly since many of its details are corroborated by archaeology and in other historical writings. So let's look at three aspects of the Bible taken together to explain how we know information technology wasn't but made up.

The Bible Is Unique in Content

First, compared to other "holy books," the Bible is unique in many respects. Not merely was it composed by at least 40 writers, on multiple continents, over a span of one,500 years, but information technology is not what nosotros would expect to find were it "fabricated up." The Bible as well includes major moral failings of its heroes, notwithstanding most writings of other religions tend to whitewash the flaws of their heroes.

Moreover, the Bible's theme is quite unlike those found in other religions. Manmade religions teach that a man can earn salvation through various practices and expert works. The Bible explains that homo is sinful, deserving of God's judgment, and that no amount of proficient works could always remove our guilt. God Himself solves our problem by becoming a homo and taking our penalization upon Himself. Manmade religions are nigh what man tin can do for his god, but the Bible is about what God has already done for man.

The Bible Is Confirmed by Archaeology

2nd, the Bible accurately reveals historical people, events, and places. Consider the following items described in our article, "Archaeological Finds."

• Discovered in Israel, the Tel Dan Stele has been dated to the ninth century BC and mentions the "House of David," shattering the long-held view of many skeptics that David was a mythical person.
• The Mesha Stele describes Moab'southward subjection under Omri, the king of Israel. It also references the personal proper noun of the God of the Bible (Yahweh), and very likely contains a reference to the "House of David" (this is debated due to an unreadable letter).
• The Pilate stone provides archaeological evidence for the existence of the man who sentenced Jesus to death on the Cross. Skeptics frequently denied his existence until the discovery of this stone, which identifies Pontius Pilate as the Prefect of Judea.ane

Dr. Nelson Glueck was the president of Hebrew Union College and a highly respected archeologist whose reliance upon the historical accuracy of Scripture led to the discovery of ane,500 ancient sites. Regarding the Bible and archæology, he stated the following:

It may exist stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of biblical description has often led to amazing discoveries.2

The distinguished archaeologist Dr. William F. Albright too asserted the accuracy of the Bible's history.

Thanks to modern enquiry we at present recognize its substantial historicity. The narratives of the Patriarchs, of Moses and the Exodus, of the Conquest of Canaan, of the Judges, the Monarchy, Exile, and Restoration, accept all been confirmed and illustrated to an extent that I should have idea incommunicable 40 years agone.3

Glueck and Albright focused their attention on the Sometime Testament, just what about the New Testament? Does it enjoy a similar level of confirmation? Actually, mayhap because it is more recent, the evidence consistent with the New Testament is more abundant. Consider the following details in just a single chapter of the Bible that accept been confirmed by historians and archaeologists:

• The proper location (Amphipolis and Apollonia) of where travelers would spend successive nights on this journey (Acts 17:1)
• The presence of a synagogue in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1)
• The proper title, "politarchs," used of the magistrates in that location (Acts 17:6)
• The right implication that body of water travel is the most convenient way of reaching Athens with favoring east winds of summer sailing (Acts 17:fourteen)
• The arable presence of images in Athens (Acts 17:16)
• The reference to a synagogue in Athens (Acts 17:17)
• The depiction of the Athenian life of philosophical debate in the Agora (Acts 17:17)
• The employ of the right Athenian slang word for Paul, a spermologos (Acts 17:18), as well as the courtroom (areios pagos)
• The proper characterization of the Athenian graphic symbol (Acts 17:21)
• An altar to an "unknown god" (Acts 17:23)
• The proper reaction of Greek philosophers who denied bodily resurrection (Acts 17:32)
• Areopagites as the right title for a member of the court (Acts 17:34)4

Remember, all of these accurate details are found in just 1 chapter. This does not prove every word of Scripture is true, but it reveals that the writer (Luke) had intimate noesis of the people, customs, and places he wrote near. As well, we have no record of any ancient writer denying the historicity of the people and places described in Scripture, but we do take a number of first- and second-century sources from outside the Bible confirming the existence of Jesus.

Many more than archaeologists could be cited who verify the accuracy of the biblical text. Of class we'll never notice archaeological or paleographic evidence to confirm every person, result, or place described in the Bible. For example, historical research can provide corroborating prove for the Crucifixion of Jesus under Pontius Pilate (Tacitus mentions these details in Register), but scientific disciplines cannot ostend that His death on the Cross satisfied God's wrath confronting sin. However, the abundance of finds matching Scripture perfectly that take already been found show that the Bible was not just "made upward."5

The abundance of finds matching Scripture perfectly that have already been found show that the Bible was not but "made up."

Compare the Bible's accurateness with the miserable archaeological record of the Mormon religion. The Mormon "holy books" teach that Native Americans are actually Jews who fled Jerusalem, only Dna studies have falsified this claim. Furthermore, despite millions of dollars spent on excavations in the Americas, archaeologists have not uncovered a shred of evidence to back up Mormon claims, and the early Americans did not wield scimitars or ride horses and elephants.6

Scientists from every subject area could exist quoted whose work in their respective fields take either persuaded or farther convinced them that the Bible is truthful. But we should non rely primarily on the conclusions of learned men and women of scientific discipline. While their statements are helpful, we must recognize that they tin err and change their minds. So is there anything we can look at to demonstrate the Bible was not merely an invention of human being? Indeed at that place is.

The Bible Is Confirmed Through God's Claiming to Other Religions

Throughout Isaiah 40–46, God, speaking through the prophet, repeatedly challenges the faux gods to prove themselves. Specifically, He challenges them to tell the future and bring information technology to pass.

"Present your example," says the Lord. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the Rex of Jacob. "Let them bring forth and bear witness us what will happen; let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter cease of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come up hereafter, that we may know that y'all are gods. (Isaiah 41:21–23)

So hither is the test for the other religions of the world. Tin they accurately foretell future events? Later on all, only the all-knowing, anointed Creator knows everything that will happen and has the ability to bring it to laissez passer. And God has established His righteous character through this unique ability. In Isaiah 41:26, the Lord asks, "Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know? And former times, that we may say, 'He is righteous'?"

Most of the founders of the world's religions never attempted to tell the hereafter.7 Outside of the Bible, the other "holy books" of the earth exercise not really include prophecies. The vague predictions of Nostradamus and demonstrably fake prognostications of Edgar Cayce exercise not see the biblical standard of 100 percent accuracy for a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:22).

Now take a look at what God says about His own ability in this area:

I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will non give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the erstwhile things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. (Isaiah 42:viii–9)

What does prophecy have to practise with whether the Bible was "fabricated up"? Mere men cannot accurately tell the time to come, and yet more than one-fourth of the Bible was prophetic at the fourth dimension of its writing, indicating that these men were not merely making up what they wrote—their writing was inspired by God. The biblical prophecies comprise specific people, times, places, and events, and they are mostly straightforward. Most of them were written centuries before the events described, and those that have already been fulfilled came to pass exactly as foretold (some prophecies await future fulfillment).

Consider just a handful of the hundreds of authentic prophecies recorded in Scripture:

The Messiah Would Be . . .	Prophesied	Fulfilled
Born of a virgin	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew one:25
Born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:two	Matthew 2:ane, 6
Betrayed for xxx pieces of silverish	Zechariah 11:12	Matthew 26:15, 49
Have wearable divided at the Cantankerous	Psalm 22:18	John 19:24
Wounded for our sins	Isaiah 53:5	1 Peter ii:24
Killed for others	Daniel 9:26	2 Corinthians 5:21
Raised from the expressionless	Psalm 16:10	Luke 24:6

In addition to dozens of prophecies nearly the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Old Testament contains hundreds of detailed prophecies, ofttimes to announce judgment upon State of israel and the surrounding nations for their disobedience.

When addressing Messianic prophecies, skeptics oft assume that Jesus simply set out to fulfill certain predictions; only if Jesus were merely a human being, how would He make sure that He would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem or that He would be raised from the dead?

Many skeptics also presume these prophecies were written after the fact, just all of the prophecies mentioned in the chart in a higher place were written at least 400 years before the events occurred. Even if a person rejects the well-supported traditional dates assigned to the One-time Testament books, he still needs to deal with the fact that the Greek translation of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, includes these prophecies and was translated well before Christ'due south birth. Furthermore, portions of each of the One-time Testament books in the chart were discovered among the Expressionless Ocean Scrolls, including the groovy Isaiah Gyre, which is dated to at least a century before Christ'south birth and contains multiple precise prophesies about the Messiah. How could the writers of the Quondam Testament possibly know what would come to pass with perfect accuracy? At that place is only i logical reply. God inspired their words; they did not make up what they wrote.

Determination

The truth is that God has inspired the writing of His Word in the collection of 66 books we call the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). The notion that men just fabricated it up is quite reasonably dispensed by Scripture's uniqueness, its historical and archaeological accurateness, and its inclusion of fulfilled detailed prophecy. These facts practice non necessarily testify that every word of the Bible is accurate, but they do provide verification for many portions of Scripture, demonstrate its divine origin, and give usa keen confidence that the details non subject to scientific verification are also true. Ultimately, the reason we believe that all Scripture is inspired by God is because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, providing assurance and conviction equally we prayerfully read and study the Bible.

The Bible explains the most important bulletin we could e'er know.

Finally, in addition to the divine origin of the text, the Bible explains the nearly of import bulletin we could ever know. Equally people who accept sinned against our perfectly holy Creator, we deserve His judgment, but God sent His Son to die a sacrificial decease on the Cross so that we can be forgiven. Three days later, He rose from the dead, demonstrating His ability over sin and expiry and providing the guarantee of eternal life to all who trust in Him (Romans 10:9).

If you have not already done so, telephone call out to the God who inspired the writing of the Bible. Turn from your sin and ask for His forgiveness.

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Source: https://answersingenesis.org/is-the-bible-true/3-evidences-confirm-bible-not-made-up/

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