A Prophetic Book

Today's Evidence

Origin of the Bible, Part III - The Power of Prophecy

Our final post in this series on the origin of the Bible is a look at the book's amazing fortelling of the future. Like some of us, I have a tendency to every so often just leave my Bible on the night stand for awhile without opening it up.

In doing this series I am reminded of how powerful this book really is and that I should not leave it unopened for very long. We will beginning a new "Today's Evidence" series later this week. Again, this from AllAboutTruth.org.

Part III

The origin of the Bible is God. It is a historical book that is backed by archeology, and a prophetic book that has lived up to all of its claims thus far. The Bible is God's letter to humanity collected into 66 books written by 40 divinely inspired writers over a period of over 1,600 years. The claim of divine inspiration may seem dramatic (or unrealistic to some), but a careful and honest study of the biblical scriptures will show them to be true. Powerfully, the Bible validates its divine authorship through fulfilled prophecies. An astonishing 668 prophecies have been fulfilled and none have ever been proven false (three are unconfirmed). God decided to use prophecy as His primary test of divine authorship, and an honest study of biblical prophecy will compellingly show the supernatural origin of the Bible. Skeptics must ask themselves, "Would the gambling industry even exist if people could really tell the future?" Again, no other holy book comes even close to the Bible in the amount of evidence supporting its credibility, authenticity and divine authorship.

Source: www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm

Is the Bible True?

Today's Evidence

Origin of the Bible - The Reliability of Ancient Manuscripts, Part II

We are continuing to take a look at the evidence of God by taking a closer look at the Bible. Some dismiss its relevance altogether, others in parts. But why? Is there another dimension to the Bible? Is there a dimension that some enter and then believe?

We will be taking a look at these questions later in the "Today's Evidence" series. Today, we look at the New Testament with help from AllAboutTruth.org. Happy day fellow bloggers! - Alexander

Part II

The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is also dramatic, with over 5,300 known copies and fragments in the original Greek, nearly 800 of which were copied before 1000 AD. Some manuscript texts date to the early second and third centuries, with the time between the original autographs and our earliest existing copies being a remarkably short 60 years. Interestingly, this manuscript evidence far surpasses the manuscript reliability of other ancient writings that we trust as authentic every day. Look at these comparisons: Julius Caesar's "The Gallic Wars" (10 manuscripts remain, with the earliest one dating to 1,000 years after the original autograph); Pliny the Younger's "History" (7 manuscripts; 750 years elapsed); Thucydides' "History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed); Herodotus' "History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed); Sophocles (193 manuscripts; 1,400 years); Euripides (9 manuscripts; 1,500 years); and Aristotle (49 manuscripts; 1,400 years).

Homer's "Iliad", the most renowned book of ancient Greece, has 643 copies of manuscript support. In those copies, there are 764 disputed lines of text, as compared to 40 lines in all the New Testament manuscripts (Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, Moody, Chicago, Revised and Expanded 1986, p. 367). In fact, many people are unaware that each of William Shakespeare's 37 plays (written in the 1600's) have gaps in the surviving manuscripts, forcing scholars to "fill in the blanks." This pales in textual comparison with the over 5,300 copies and fragments of the New Testament that, together, assure us that nothing's been lost. In fact, all of the New Testament except eleven verses can be reconstructed from the writings of the early church fathers in the second and third centuries. (A General Introduction to the Bible, Ch. 24.)

Source: www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm

Today's Evidence

Origin of the Bible - The Reliability of Ancient Manuscripts

Today, we will be looking at the origin of the Bible. In proving or disproving God's existence, it is important to discuss "God's Manuscript," as some would call it. I've taken the following from AllAboutTruth.org. Stay tuned for more of Today's Evidence. Have a blessed day everyone! - Alexander

Another challenge against the origin of the Bible is the reliability of the manuscripts from which today's Bibles are translated. Remarkably, there is widespread evidence for absolute reliability. There are more than 14,000 existing Old Testament manuscripts and fragments copied throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean and European regions that agree dramatically with each other. In addition, these texts agree with the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which was translated from Hebrew to Greek some time during the 3rd century BC.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the 1940's and 50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the ancient transmission of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew scribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated their lives to preserving the accuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to phenomenal lengths to insure manuscript reliability. They were highly trained and meticulously observed, counting every letter, word and paragraph against master scrolls. A single error would require the immediate destruction of the entire text.

Source: www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm

Mary Did It

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. — Luke 1:26–27

This from Greg Laurie's Harvest Daily Devotion:

A LESSON FROM MARY

It is difficult for us to understand, 2,000 years later, the significance of the angel Gabriel's appearance to Mary in Nazareth.

After all, he could have found the future mother of the Messiah in Rome, the capital of the greatest power on earth at the time. He could have found her in Athens, the cultural center of the world, or in Jerusalem, the spiritual center of the world.

But God chose Nazareth, an obscure but extremely wicked city that was notorious for its sin. Upon hearing that Jesus was from there, Nathanael said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

What is amazing about Mary is that she lived a godly life in a godless place, and she did so as a very young teenager. Commentators believe she may have been as young as 12, but not much older than 14.

Here she was, a nobody living in a nothing town in the middle of nowhere—precisely the kind of person that God goes out of His way to call. He chose an unknown girl in a relatively unknown city to bring about the most-known event in human history, an event so significant that we actually divide human time by it.

Maybe you are trying to live out your faith in a godless place today, at work or school or among unbelieving family members. You're wondering if it can be done. It can.

Mary stands as an example for us, proving that it is possible to live a godly life in an ungodly world.

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Books by Greg Laurie can be found at Amazon.com.

Versical: Restoration

Peace has fallen on this person
In a static place, no less
It’s a lull before the storm breaks
Restoration time, I guess
To the state that He created
Undefiled by human touch
Like an onion, we’ve gained layers
Some a few, but many much.

Take a painting, sad and lifeless
Vibrant colours dulled by time
You can damage hidden beauty
As you scrub away the grime
So He takes His time about it
Lovingly He cleans away
Years of dead and poisoned foliage
In our cesspit of decay.

So I offer up my secrets
Some remembered, others not
Like a time lord reaching backwards
He is in a land forgot
But I know that when He’s finished
I will be His child renewed
Thankful that He loves me dearly
Restored, refined, no longer crude.

- Versical

Find Versical at Mike's Blogs

About Mike
I’m Mike and I am a Christian. I’ve been this way for over twenty years and praise The Lord for the way He has stuck by me and changed me. These blogs are my personal wanderings through life as the world formed me. Nobody is to blame as we are all subject to influences which distort the perfect creation that we were designed to be. May these poems and blogs bless you and you are welcome to use them.

Beyond the Shaking

It's been a tough week for some of us. But as we close out the week, I am reminded of China. A powerful earthquake killed more than 22,000 and injured tens of thousands more in Wenchuan County, located in China's southwestern Sichuan province. The quake struck at 2:28 p.m. local time on May 12. The Red Cross estimates that at least 4 million homes were damaged or destroyed. The earthquake death toll could reach over 50,000 lives lost.

I am also reminded of something else this week. That Jesus is the Rock, He is our salvation, and our hope. Understanding tragedy of this magnitude is impossible, however our comfort comes from Him, the one that gives us all these things.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2

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World Vision Sheltering China's Children

World Vision has an area development project in Qingchuan County of Sichuan province, located about 125 miles from the epicenter in Wenchuan County. All six project staff members are reported safe and working from a temporary office. There are no sponsored children yet in this project.

As the death toll from the 7.9-magnitude earthquake continues to rise, World Vision offices close to the epicenter have dispatched relief and assessment teams to provide immediate supplies, such as blankets and tents, to 10,000 people, with more supplies on the way. We are asking for $2 million in additional funding to support our relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Focus on needs of affected children

May 14: Three Child-Friendly Spaces will also be set up to offer children a way of returning to their normal routines through structured activities, games, and informal education.

If World Vision's funding goal is reached, relief and rehabilitation activities totaling $2 million will reach more than 107,000 survivors. Long-term rehabilitation activities will focus on shelter and school reconstruction.

Lorries loaded with quilts and tents are expected to begin arriving in Qingchuan by Thursday or Friday. World Vision staff report that slippery road conditions and cracked roadways are slowing down the supplies.

Help China through World Vision now!