Can Anyone Find A Trumpet?

In Biblical times they blew a trumpet as a call to war.

I COR 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare

himself to the battle ?

The Church needs to give a clear, concise message about the Bible.

Can anyone find a Trumpet ?

Its time to blow the trumpet.

The Bible is a reliable book.

Inspiration - Theopneustos, God breathed.

Verbal - Words, not just the thoughts.

Plenary - All, not just salvation message.

Inerrancy - Autographa is without error

on matters of science, history, and secular matters.

What is at stake ? How do you know you have the true faith ?

The basis of every argument for the faith is "The Bible says..."If the

Bible isn’t the Word of God ....

P - PROVEN BY TEXTUAL CRITICISM (LOWER CRITICISM)

Testing an ancient MSS. to see if it has come to us in basically the same

form in which it was written.

How well attested to are the MSS ?

A) TEXTUAL CRITICISM USES THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC TEST

Since we don’t have the original documents how reliable are the copies ?

1) How many copies of the MSS. exist ?

2) What was the time frame between the originals and the earliest copy ?

Chart - dates of MSS and NO. of MSS.

DR. JOHN WARWICK MONTGOMARY "To be skeptical of the resultant text of the

N.T. books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity,

for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested

bibliographically as the New Testament".

B) TEXTUAL CRITICISM CONSIDERS THE NUMBER OF VERSIONS OF A MSS.

Ancient literature was rarely translated into another language.

There are more than 15,000 copies of various versions other than Greek

CHART.

C) TEXTUAL CRITICISM CONSIDERS EXTERNAL EVIDENCES

J. HAROLD GREENLEE - Quotations by the early Fathers "...are so extensive

that the N.T. could virtually be reconstructed from them without the use

of the New Testament MSS."

Fathers quote it as authoritative, distinguish between Homologumina and

Psudopigrapha

Chart of Church Fathers.

Not only are the MSS of the N.T. better attested to than virtually any

other writing of antiquity but they are unique in their :

1) CIRCULATION - published more than any other book.

2) TRANSLATION - trans. more than any other book.

1st major translation - LXX 250 B.C.

trans. into 1280 languages.

3) SURVIVAL - Voltaire in 100 yrs. Bible wiped out.

50 yrs. after his death Bibles published on his presses.

4) CONTINUITY - Over 1,500 years

40 authors

3 continents - Europe, Africa, Asia

3 languages - Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic

Different walks of life

Different socioeconomic times

Speaks on hundreds of controversial subjects with continuity.

Continuity shows reliability.

E) EVIDENCED BY ARCHEOLOGY

No archeological discovery has ever contradicted Biblical reference.

A) SIR WILLIAM RAMSEY -

One of the greatest archeologist - Oxford.

Unbeliever - set out to prove Bible wrong by Archeology.

Critics anticipated, believers feared his findings.

SIR WILLIAM RAMSEY STARTED TO DIG

Followed the path of Luke. Concluded :

"Luke is a historian of first rank; not merely are his statements of fact

trustworthy... this author should be placed along with the very greatest

historians."

Critics -

1) No census.

2) No trip to homeland.

3) Quirinius not Governor.

Archeology -

1) Census every 14 years.

2) Papyrus in Egypt - everyone to return home.

3) Quirinius was Governor 2 times.

Once again archeology proved the Bible was right.

Don’t you think the critics would learn by now ?

B) NINEVEH AND THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

A myth - No secular historian mentioned it.

Assumed the Bible must be wrong.

SIR HENRY LAYARD STARTED TO DIG

Excavated a brick with the name "King Shalimaneser III".

Museum of London declared it a fraud.

Indignant - he dug up the entire city.

Excavated the Library with Kings and history of empire.

Once again archeology proved the Bible was right.

Don’t you think the critics would learn by now ?

C) JERICHO

Critics - nice song and S.S. story but it never happened.

- No proof outside of the Bible of Jerico’s existence.

PROF. JOHN GARSTANG STARTED TO DIG - six years excavating.

Found Jerico - confirmed the walls fell outward.

ARCHEOLOGY AND THE BIBLE "Desiring to exercise the greatest care possible,

and in the spirit of a true scientist, Garstang called in three of

Palestine’s top ranking archaeologists and pottery experts... When these

three authorities had carefully and independently examined the pottery,

the charred ruins, and the fallen walls they signed statements with

Garstang confirming the date of 1,400 B.C. with the possible alternative

of any date not latter than 1,377 B.C." thus confirming the existence of

the Biblical account of JericoOnce again archeology proved the Bible was right.

Don’t you think the critics would learn by now ?