Is the Bible trustworthy in its claim to be God's Word? I can definitely say that there are sound evidences to support the position that the Bible's claim to be Divinely-inspired is trustworthy.
There are both internal and external evidences that the Bible is truly God's Word. The internal evidences are those things in the Bible that testify of its own Divine origin. External evidences are sources of information outside of the Bible which testify that the Bible is accurate.
INTERNAL EVIDENCE.
Internal Constistency.
The Bible is amazingly self-consistent; that is, it does not contradict itself. This is despite the fact that it is made-up of 66 books, written by more than 40 different authors of different professions over a time-span of 1600 years, in 13 different countries and three continents. It tells one 'big story' of God's plan of salvation that culminates in Jesus the Christ. This internal consistency is exactly what we would expect if the Bible really is what it claims to be – God's revelation to mankind.
Fulfilled Prophecy.
One of the strongest arguments for the trustworthiness of the Bible is its 100% accuracy in detailed predictions of the future – events and people that were future to the writers but are now in our past.. These future predictions are called 'prophecies'.
Let me give a hand-full of examples for your consideration:
1. Abram's Descendants To Be Enslaved 400 Years Before Being Set Free.
In Genesis 15, God tells Abram (later named Abraham) that his descendants would become as numerous as the stars, that they would be enslaved in a foreign land, the oppressive nation would be punished, and that the fourth generation would return to Palestine as a new nation
This detailed prophecy was wonderfully fulfilled in the events recorded in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. Abram's grandson, Jacob/Israel, took his family to dwell in Egypt (Exodus 1:1-5). The Israelites had multiplied so mightily that their number was as numerous as the stars in the night's sky (Exodus 1:7; Deuteronomy 1:10). The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites (Exodus 1:9-11; Deuteronomy 5:15). God punished the Egyptians with plagues until the Israelites gained their freedom (Exodus 3:6-9, 19-20). The new nation of Israel was taken from Egypt and brought back to the promised land of Palestine (Exodus 12:40-41; Deuteronomy4:32-34; 31:23; Joshua).
2. Jericho To Be Rebuilt By One Man At Terrible Cost.
May are aware of the historical story about Joshua and the 'Battle of Jericho' told in Joshua chapter 6. Much less well-known is the fact that Joshua prophesied that Jericho would be rebuilt by one man and that one man would be cursed by God for rebuilding - the man's eldest and youngest son son would die during construction (Joshua 6:26). About five centuries later, this prophecy found its fulfillment in the life and family of a man named Hiel - 1 Kings 16:34, “In his (King Ahab) days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.” Scholars have calculated that the probability that this could be fulfilled by chance is 1 in 10,000,000.
3. The Israelites/Jews Would Be Rescued from Babylonia by Conqueror Cyrus.
Due to the extreme wickedness of the Israelites/Jews, God had the Babylonian Empire conquer the Israelites/Jews and bring them into captivity in Babylonia. The prophet Isaiah was told by God that a future conqueror, named Cyrus, would destroy the Babylonian Empire along with most of the other nations of the Middle East. This same Cyrus, said Isaiah, would decide to let the Jewish exiles go free without any payment of ransom and that the city of Jerusalem and other Judean cities would be restored (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-6, 13). Isaiah made this prophecy 80 years before the Israelites/Jews were taken into Babylonian exile, 150 years before Cyrus was born, and 180 years before Cyrus, leader of the Medo-Persian Empire, performed any of these feats. Scholars have figured that the odds of Isaiah accurately foretelling all these particulars by chance would be 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000.
4. Daniel Prophesies of Three Future Empires and the Establishment of Christ's Kingdom.
The prophet Daniel, who began foretelling the future by the “God of Heaven” in ca. 600 BC, revealed the next four world empires. In Daniel 2:31-45, the Prophet proclaimed that after the then-existing Babylonian Empire, would come the Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires. During the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of God would be established and it would eventually bring-about the end of the Roman Empire. We know that the everlasting Divine kingdom was established by Jesus during the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1-7; 3:1-3, 21-23; 9:27; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:29-36).
In Daniel 7:1-27, the prophet again is given knowledge about the same future Empires. Note that the Bear image has two uneven humps or shoulder blades. This depicts that the Persian portion of the Medo-Persian Empire would be the stronger and dominant member. The three ribs in the Bear's mouth are its three great conquests: Babylon, Egypt and Lydia. Note that the Leopard image has four heads. This depicts that Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great and the four generals (Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus) who ruled the Empire after Alexander's death. The fourth terrifying beast refers to the Roman Empire, which would conquer all of the territories of the former Empires. Again, during the Roman Empire, the Son of Man (Jesus) was given an indestructible kingdom that would conquer the Roman Empire and become global.
How could Daniel have foretold the next 1000 years of political history if he were not guided by the God of Heaven?
5. Prophecies Concerning The Coming Messiah or Christ.
Students of the Old Testament have found that there are over 300 specific prophecies that are fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Rather than examine all 300, let's narrow down to a mere eight.
Christ to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 = Matthew 2:4-6).
A Prominent Forerunner of Christ (Malachi 3:1 = Mark 1:1-8)
Christ to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9 = Matthew 21:4-11)
Christ to be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9 = Matthew 26:46-50)
Christ to be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12 = Matthew 26:14-15)
30 pieces of silver cast down and used to buy a potter's field (Zechariah 11:13 = Matthew 27:3-7)
Innocent, Christ to keep silent when on trial (Isaiah 53:7 = Mark 14:55-62)
Christ crucified (Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10 = John 19:16-18, 37)
What is the probability of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies? Multiplying all eight probabilities together, we come to the figure 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Indeed, fulfilled prophecy is a powerful indicator that the writers of the Bible were guided by a God “declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done”(Isaiah 46:10). Thus, the Bible is trustworthy.
Statements of Scientific Fact.
The Bible also touches on matters of science in ways that seem to go beyond what was known to humankind at the time. We will consider a few instances that are remarkable -
1. The Universe Had a Beginning.
The very first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1:1), written circa 1350 BC, states that the Universe had a beginning. However, the idea that the Universe is static (without beginning or end) was accepted until 1927, when the Belgian astrophysicist, Georges Lemaître, put forth his theory and mathematical equations to support the concept that the Universe had a beginning. Based upon his original work, other scientists fine-tuned the idea and it has become the dominate concept (Big Boom theory) of the nature of our Universe.
2. The Expanding Universe.
In the latter clauses of Isaiah 40:22, the prophet states that God “stretches out the heavens”; that is, the universe is expanding. The scientific validation of Isaiah's 'expanding universe' statement did not come until Astronomer Edwin Hubble and his associates proved it, in the 1920s, by observations of movement in distant galaxies. Thus, the Bible was proven to be correct 2500 years before scientists confirmed it to be so.
3. The Spherical Nature of the Earth.
In Isaiah 40:22, it says that God “sits above the circle of the Earth.” The word translated “circle” here is the Hebrew word chuwg which indicates something spherical and rounded - not something that is flat or square. The Book of Isaiah dates to the 700s BC. Thus, we know that Isaiah's emphatic statement of the spherical nature of the Earth precedes Greek speculations on the subject by a good 300-350 years.
4. The Earth Is Without Physical Supports.
The Egyptians believe the Earth was supported upon four poles. The Hindu scriptures claimed the Earth was supported by four elephants which stood upon the back of a sea-turtle. The ancient Greeks held that the titan, Atlas, held the Earth on his shoulders. The Bible never put forward such myths but said, in Job 26:7, God “hangs the Earth on nothing.” The scientific validation of the Earth not having physical supports but suspending and held in space by gravitational forces came in AD 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton. That means the Bible spoke of this scientific fact over 3500 years before Newton. Job's and Newton's position received visual proof when manned rockets orbited the Earth a mere 50 years ago.
5. The Hydrologic Cycle.
The Hydrologic Cycle is the scientific term for the process whereby Earth's water follows an on-going cycle of evaporation from lakes and oceans, condensation in the atmosphere (formation of water-bearing clouds) and precipitation (falls to the ground by rain and snow), collects in bodies of water (lakes and oceans) and repeats the cycle again. The 'discoverer' of this theory was Bernard Palissey in AD 1580. However, the Bible described the Hydrologic Cycle 3500 years earlier than Palissey -
Psalm 135:7, “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.”
Job 26:8, “He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it.”
Job 36:27-29, “For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man.”
Ecclesiastes 1:7, “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.”
6. The Value of Blood.
In Leviticus 17:11, written prior to 1400 BC, we are told “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Here we learn that the physical body's life and health is dependent upon its blood. In 1616, William Harvey discovered that blood circulation is the key factor in physical life - confirming what the Bible revealed 3,000 years earlier.
7. Mankind Created From One Man and Woman.
The Bible teaches as fact that all Mankind descends from a single man and woman (Genesis 3:20; Acts 17:26). In the last twenty-five years, researchers have discovered that we have all descended from one gene pool. In a 1987 publication of Nature magazine, Allan Wilson presented research showing that by analyzing Mitochondrial DNA from women all over the world, it was clear that Mankind descended from a single woman. A 1995 study of a section of Y chromosomes from 38 men from different ethnic groups around the world was consistent with the biblical teaching that we all come from one man. Thus, the Bible's assertion that Makind has a common male and female parentage, has been confirmed by science almost 3500 years later.
EXTERNAL EVIDENCES.
Archeological Confirmation.
It would be extremely difficult for the honest skeptic to dispute the overwhelming archaeological support for the historical accuracy of both the Old and New Testaments. Numerous items discussed in the Bible such as nations, important people, customary practices, etc. have been verified by archaeological evidence. Bible critics have often been embarrassed by discoveries that corroborated Bible accounts they had previously deemed to be myth, such as -
1. Abraham
Even though revered by three different Faith – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – critics have asserted that Abraham was a fictional rather than historic person. However, in 918 B.C., Pharaoh Shishak fought against Jerusalem and other parts of Israel (1 Kings 14:25-26). When Shishak returned home in victory, he commissioned his artisans to carve a picture on the wall of his temple at Karnak showing himself smiting the 'Asiatics' in the presence of the Egyptian god Amon, and presenting various defeated Israelite towns or localities before the god. There is an intriguing reference to "the Field of Abraham". Archaeologist G.E. Wright says, "this is the first time that a source outside the Bible confirms that patriarch's connection with a locality in Palestine."
2. Five Cities of the Plain
For years the account of Abraham's victory over several Mesopotamian kings, found in Genesis 14, was said by many to be unreliable because the five "Cities of the Plain" (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela or Zoar) were thought to be merely fictitious legend. But, starting in the 1960s, tens of thousands of tablets were discovered in northwestern Syria, in the rubble-mounds of the ancient city of Ebla. One tablet (No.1860) from about 1900 B.C., refers to all five of the "Cities of the Plain."
3. The Hittites
One hundred and twenty-five years ago and before, it was insisted that the Hittite civilization was a myth. The only source that spoke of the Hittites was the Bible (Genesis 23:3-11; 1 Kings 10:29; 2 Kings 7:6). Then, in the late 19th Century, Archaeologists unearthed their capital and records at Bogazkoy, Turkey. The data verified that there had been 1,200 years of Hittite civilization.
4. King David of Israel
It had long been maintained that David was merely a character of Bible legend. Then, in 1993, as Avraham Biran and his team of archaeologists excavated Tel-Dan in northern Israel, they discovered a 890 BC wall inscribed by King Ben-Hadad of Damascus. The inscription spoke of Ben-Hadad's military campaign against Dan and a few other Israeli cities (1 Kings 15:18-20) and it mentions “Bet David” (House or Dynasty of David).
5. King Nebuchadnezzar
Through-out the 18th and 19th centuries, historians stressed that there was no archaeological corroboration of the existence of this Biblically-prominent Babylonian king. Skeptics maintained that Nebuchadnezzar was a mythological figure who never existed. However, in 1899, the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey, excavated the ruins of King Nebuchadnezzar's "Temple of Marduk" near Baghdad. About 300 cuneiform tablets from the sixth century BC were unearthed, confirming the existence of Nebuchadnezzar and referring to Judah and Jerusalem which he conquered.
6. Pontius Pilate.
It is quite interesting that various “authorities” and "experts" maintained for a number of years that Pontius Pilate was not substantiated as an actual historical figure, but a fictional embellishment added to the story about Jesus. The first physical evidence relating to Pilate was discovered in 1961, when a block of limestone (15 inches by 30 inches) was found in a Roman theatre at Caesarea, the then capital of the Roman province of Judea. The stone mentions his name and title: "[Po]ntius Pilatus, [Praef]ectus Iuda[ea]e" (Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judaea). This find substantiates the historical reality of one of the central figures in the gospel accounts of the trial of Jesus.
7. High Priest Caiaphas
Caiaphas is infamous as the leader of the conspiracy to crucify Jesus (Matthew 26:3-4). Bible critics doubted Caiaphas' existence. However, in November 1990, construction workers just south of the Old City of Jerusalem came across a burial tomb holding found 12 ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) containing the remains of 63 individuals. The most beautifully decorated of the ossuaries was inscribed with the name "Joseph of the family Caiaphas." That was the full name of the high priest who arrested Jesus, as documented by the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities 18: 2).When they examined that ornate ossuary, they found the remains of a 60-year-old male, almost certainly those of the Caiaphas of the New Testament. This remarkable discovery has, for the first time, provided us with the physical remains of an individual named in the Bible.
The most fruitful area for a confirmation of the Bible’s reliability has come from the field of archaeology.
Archaeology has done more to authenticate the Bible than any other science. Renowned archaeologist, William F. Albright, has stated, “The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the 18th and 19th centuries, certain phases which still appear periodically, has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.”
Historicity of Jesus.
During the last 300 years, there has been a group of historians, philosophers and liberal theologians who have questioned the very existence of Jesus. The beginnings of the formal denial of the existence of Jesus can be traced to late 18th century France, and the works of Constantin Francois Chasseboeuf de Volney (1757–1820) and Charles-Francois Dupuis (1742–1809). Volney and Dupuis argued that Christianity was an amalgamation of various ancient mythologies and that Jesus was a totally mythical character.
One of the most prominent reasons given for doubting the personhood and life of Jesus is that there aren't any mentions of Jesus in ancient documents outside of New Testament literature. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. Below are a few examples of non-Biblical writings that vouch for the existence of Christ Jesus -
A. 1st Century Jewish Historian Josephus.
Josephus was contemporary with the Apostles. In his history of the Jews, written in AD 93, he wrote, “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.” (Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3)
Ananus the High Priest “assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.” (Jewish Antiquities, 20.9.1)
B. 1st Century Roman Historian Tacitus.
Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian and governor of Asia [Turkey] in A.D. 112. In his Annals, written after AD 64, he referred to Emperor Nero's persecution of the Christians. This attack was caused by Nero's false accusation that the Christians had burned the city of Rome. This monstrous lie was intended to cover the truth that the evil emperor himself had ordered the capital set on fire: "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind".
C. Early 2nd Century Roman Historian Suetonius.
Caius Suetonius was the official historian of Rome during the reign of both Emperor Trajan and Adrian. Suetonius wrote a book, in AD 125,on the Lives of the First Twelve Caesars. In the section on the Emperor Claudius (Claudius 25.4) Suetonius referred to the Christians causing disturbances in Rome which led to their being banished from the city. Suetonius wrote about Claudius: "He banished the Jews from Rome, who were continually making disturbances, Chrestus being their leader." He identified the sect of Jewish Christians as being derived from "the instigation of Chrestus" which was his curious spelling of the name Christ. Compare this with Acts 18:2 in the New Testament.
D. Roman Governor Pliny the Younger.
Pliny the Younger was Governor of Bithynia. His correspondence in 106 A.D. with the Emperor Trajan included a report on proceedings against Christians:
“It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you all matters concerning which I am in doubt. For who can better give guidance to my hesitation or inform my ignorance? I have never participated in trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent. And I have been not a little hesitant as to whether there should be any distinction on account of age or no difference between the very young and the more mature; whether pardon is to be granted for repentance, or, if a man has once been a Christian, it does him no good to have ceased to be one; whether the name itself, even without offenses, or only the offenses associated with the name are to be punished. Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome. Soon accusations spread, as usually happens, because of the proceedings going on, and several incidents occurred. An anonymous document was published containing the names of many persons. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ – none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do – these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.
They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food – but ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations. Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.
I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you. For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming, for which until now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded.”
In this secular document, we have reference to Christ Jesus and the beliefs and practices of early Christians both of which conform to the records of the Gospels and New Testament books.
Manuscript Integrity.
The New Testament is constantly under attack, and its reliability and accuracy are often contested by critics. If the critics want to disregard the New Testament, then they must also disregard other ancient writings by such personages as Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Caesar, etc. This is because the New Testament documents are better-preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writings.
In fact, if you combined all of the manuscripts of the writings of Homer, Plato, Euripides, Sophocles, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Aristotle, Herodotus, Demosthenes, Caesar, Livy, Lucretius, Pliny, Seutonius and Tacitus...they would number about 1062 manuscripts. In comparison, there are presently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. Because they are so numerous, the New Testament manuscripts can be cross-checked for accuracy and they have been found to be 99.5% textually pure. That is amazing accuracy. In addition to the Greek manuscripts, there are over 19,000 manuscript copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000.
If the critics of the Bible dismiss the New Testament as unreliable information, then they must also dismiss the reliability of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Caesar, Homer, and the other authors mentioned above. On the other hand, if the critics acknowledge the historicity and writings of those other individuals, then they must also retain the historicity and writings of the New Testament authors; after all, the evidence for the New Testament's reliability is far greater than the others. It is good evidence on which to base trust in the reliability of the New Testament.
The Bible claims to be God's revelation to Mankind. When one examines the internal and external evidences, with an unbiased mind, one must be lead to the conclusion that the Bible cannot be the product of mere men without Divine guidance. And, that the Scriptures we possess today are as accurate and reliable as they were when first penned.
Moreover, if one accepts the Bible as Divinely-inspired and accurately transcribed, this has implications for all aspects of life: how and why we exist, how we should live, and what happens when we die.
