There are many today who do not believe the Bible is the Word of God. They believe men wrote it according to what they wanted to say. If we cannot trust the Bible to be God's Word then we cannot be certain we have salvation, that we will go to Heaven one day, and that Y'shua Jesus is coming to straighten out our sin-sick world. Then what hope do we have? It is very important that we can know for certain that the Bible is God's Word—inspired and revealed by Him. How can we know? How can we be certain? Let's examine the evidence.
Forty authors wrote sixty-six books over a period of 1500 years. They wrote in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek). They came from all walks of life: kings (David and Solomon); shepherds (Moses and Amos); priests (Ezekiel and Jeremiah); prophets (Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah and others); tax collector (Matthew); physician (Luke); fisherman (Peter); Pharisee (Paul); half-brothers of Jesus (Jude and James) to name a few. They lived on three continents and in many different countries. Yet, there are neither discrepancies nor contradictions in all their writings.
The Bible speaks with complete scientific accuracy. The Earth floats in space, not on Atlas or an elephant, etc. as was believed for centuries. Yet, Job knew this as fact. He wrote in Job 26:7: “ He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” (Job is one of the earliest patriarchs to live.)
The Earth is round and not flat as was believed until recently by secularists. However, Isaiah in his day knew as he wrote in Isaiah 40:22: “ It is he who sits above the circle of the earth… ” ( note: the Hebrew word for circle is “globe” or” ball.”) This was not known and accepted as fact until Columbus' time.
In modern times it has been learned that clouds are made up from drops of rain forming around dust particles. But Nahum knew this as he wrote in Nahum 1:3: “ …And the clouds are the dust of His feet. ”
Science is still counting the number of stars today, but in 150 b.c. they thought they had counted all of them – all 122,000 of them. Later that number was increased to 126,000. Today we know how minute that number is; even as we know the true number of stars to be unfathomable. However, Jeremiah knew in his day that the stars were too numerous to number (Jeremiah 33:22: “ As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured…”
In 1615, it was discovered that the blood circulates through the body. They used to bleed the sick, thinking it was bad blood that made them sick. George Washington was bled three times which no doubt contributed to his death. They should have read Leviticus 17:11, 14: “ For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”vs.14: “for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life…”
The necessity of quarantines and washing of hands after touching a sickness or deceased person is also a recent discovery. Yet Leviticus 13:44-46 declares: “ he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head. Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!' He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his habitation shall be outside the camp.” Furthermore, Moses states in Numbers 19:14-16,19: “ This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.”
Doctors used to go from a morgue to examine women and didn't wash their hands in between. Nor did they wash their hands of germs after treating a patient, before seeing the next patient. One in six patients died. After they started washing their hands, only one in 84 died. The time period of quarantine established, was the interval needed for the bacteria to die.
Some say that Moses could not have written the Torah (first five books of the Bible, commonly called, Pentateuch or 5 Books of Moses) because people could not write back then. But tablets have been found of letters from Egypt to Palestine before Moses was born! Being raised in Pharaoh's Palace allotted Moses a fine education in many fields, including being given the opportunity to learn to read and write.
In Daniel 5:7, Belshazzer promised that whoever could read the handwriting on the wall would be made the 3 rd ruler in Babylon. It was questioned that if Belshazzer was the king, how could someone be a 3 rd ruler? Actually, Belshazzer was the eldest son of Nabonidus and co-regent with his father. Nabonidus elevated his son, Belshazzer, over the kingdom of Babylon, while he resided in Tema in Arabia. These facts are made known from secular history. Therefore, Daniel correctly stated that he was made 3 rd ruler.
In Isaiah 44:28 it was predicted that Cyrus would cause the city of Jerusalem and the Temple to be rebuilt. This was predicted before Cyrus was even born. He was named by God more than two centuries (Historian Josephus claims it was 210 years) before his birth. In Ezra 1:1-3 we read: “ Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled (Jeremiah also prophesied that Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt at the end of the Babylonian captivity which correlated with Cyrus' first year of reign), the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people: May his God be with him! Now let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.” Isaiah's prediction was recorded in the 8 th Century b.c. and Ezra documented it as fact in the 5 th Century b.c. It is also interesting to note that the rebuilding was foretold 40 years before Solomon's Temple was destroyed! Another case was where Josiah was named two centuries before his birth. I Kings 13:2: “…Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David…” Two centuries later, Josiah was born to the family of David!
Daniel 9:25, 26 gave the approximate time of Messiah's appearance on earth—some 483 years after the Temple was rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah. He also foretold that Messiah would be cut off before the Temple was destroyed in 70 a.d. This dating brings us right to the time of Y'shua Jesus' ministry and crucifixion (cut off).
There are over 2000 predictive prophecies in the Old Testament which are specific and detailed about cities, nations and peoples that have been fulfilled. Some examples are: Babylon, Egypt, Daniel, Medo-Persia, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria, etc.
Sociologists state that it is a miracle that a people out of their land for 1900 years continue to exist as a people. The Jewish people were dispersed from the land of Israel from 70 a.d. to 1948. God had stated in His Word that He would bring them back to the Promised Land—the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We read of this in Ezekiel 37:11-14 where God likened the Jews to “dry bones” buried in Gentile lands from which he would “resurrect” them and bring them back to the land of Israel. “ Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off on our part. Therefore, prophesy and say unto them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall you know that I, the Lord, have spoken it, and performed it, says the Lord.”
In Ezekiel 38:8 He prophesied that when He gathered them out of many peoples and nations that the new nation would be called “Israel.” “ After many days you shall be visited; in the latter years you shall come back into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many peoples, against the mountains of Israel; which have been always waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them. ” In 1948, the name “Israel” was agreed upon above “Zion” among others. God knew that the land would be named “Israel” and stated so in Scripture thousands of years earlier.
In Ezekiel 38:11 God declared Israel would then be a land of unwalled villages. So it is today, but unheard of in the time of Ezekiel because all villages were formed with walls for protection. “ And thou shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages…”
Before Israel went into captivity, they had been divided into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah. God said in Ezekiel 37 that when He would bring them back into their land, they would be one kingdom—never to be divided again. We read this in verses 14, 16-17, and 21-22: “ And shall put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land; then shall you know that I, the Lord, have spoken it, and performed it, says the Lord. (14)…Moreover, you son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel, his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions; And join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in your hand. (16-17)…Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, to which they are gone, and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. (21-22)”
There are over 300 prophetic references of the Messiah in the Old Testament (Covenant) which were fulfilled by Y'shua Jesus in the New Testament (Covenant). It is easy enough to make predictions, but to have them fulfilled is another matter. If they are all fulfilled, then the prophets who made these predictions must have been divinely inspired.
For example: Micah 5:2 claims that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. “ But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This was predicted 800 years before Y'shua Jesus was born there: Matthew (Mattityahu) 2: 1: “ Now when Jesus (Y'shua) was born in Bethlehem…”
Isaiah 7:14 stated that He would be born of a virgin. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Note the word “sign” in Hebrew denotes something miraculous. It does not yield to the meaning “young woman.” A young woman conceiving is a normal everyday occurrence; it is not miraculous like a “virgin” conceiving would be. Furthermore, when fulfilled in Matthew (Mattityahu) 1:18, 22-25, the Greek translation of the Hebrew used the word that can only mean “virgin.” There is a different word for “young woman” in the Greek. God saw to it that the correct word was chosen as further proof that He meant it to be a “virgin,” a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit of God.
“ Now the birth of Jesus Christ (Y'shua ha Meshiac) was in this way: When, as his mother, Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit…Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife, And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son; and he called his name Jesus (Y'shua).”
Zechariah 13:6 predicted Y'shua (Jesus) would be betrayed by a friend “ And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in your hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” , and that it would be for thirty pieces of silver in Zechariah 11:12-13: “ And I said unto them, If you think good, give me my price; and if not forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter—a lordly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.” We see the fulfillment of this in Matthew (Mattityahu) 26:14-16: “ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they bargained with him for thirty pieces of sliver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.”
In Zechariah 9:9 it was predicted He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. “ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your King comes unto you; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” The fulfillment of this prophecy, called the Triumphal Entry, is recorded in Matthew (Mattityahu) 21:1-9: “ And when they drew near unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus (Y'shua) two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village opposite you, and straightway you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say anything unto you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes unto you, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus (Y'shua) commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
In Psalm 22:14-17, David described the method of execution of crucifixion, hundreds of years before crucifixion was invented. “ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I may count all my bones; they look and stare upon me.” This is a graphic explanation of what happens to the body as it is crucified. The bones are pulled out of joint; the profuse perspiration is caused my intense suffering; the action of the heart is affected; the strength is exhausted, and extreme thirst is experienced. The hands and feet are pierced. Furthermore, verse 18 states: “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” This was fulfilled in Matthew (Mattityahu) 27: 25: “ And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”
Zechariah 12:10 states that He would be pierced: “… and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…” and we read in John (Yochanan) 19:36-37: “ …For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled…They shall look on him whom they pierced.”
Isaiah 53:10 reveals that He would die for our sins: “ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief. When thou shall make his soul an offering for sin…” I Corinthians 15:3 states: “ …that Christ (Messiah) died for our sins, according to the scriptures”
He was put to death by God, the Father. In Psalm 22:1 Messiah cried out: “ My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me…” and in Matthew (Mattityahu) 27:46 we read: “ …Jesus (Y'shua) cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 5:21 reveals: “ For he has made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
David said that not a bone of His would be broken in Psalm 34:20: “ He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” John (Yochanan) 19:31-36 tells why: “ The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was a high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus (Y'shua), and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs; But one of the soldiers, with a spear, pierced his side, and immediately came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bore witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he speaks truth, that you might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.” As the Passover lamb was to be a picture of Y'shua (Jesus), the bones could not be broken. Note this fact for the Passover lambs in Exodus 12:43, 46: “ …This is the ordinance of the Passover; There shall no foreigner eat of it…In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone of it.” Messiah was referred to as our Passover (lamb) in I Corinthians 5:7: “ Purge out, therefore, the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ (Messiah), our Passover is sacrificed for us.”
Y'shua's resurrection was foretold in Psalm 16:10: “…neither will you permit thine Holy One to see corruption.” Corruption of the body begins on the fourth day. Y'shua (Jesus) was raised from the dead by God on the morning of the third day after His atoning death. Matthew (Mattityahu) 12:40 claims: “ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” In chapter 28 verses 5-7, we read of His resurrection: “ And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not, for I know that you seek Y'shua (Jesus) who was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead…” I Corinthians 15:3-4 state clearly that he resurrected on the third day: “… that Christ (Messiah) died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”
We have just shared ten prophecies (out of over 300). Yet it is estimated that the chances of one man fulfilling only eight prophecies is 10 to the 17 th power or 10 with 17 zero's following. 48 prophecies would be 10 to the 157 th power. Let alone, over 300 prophecies!
In the book, The Case for Jesus the Messiah, John Ankerberg quotes Professor Peter Stoner (at that time (1989) Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College) giving the following illustration of just how large a number 10 to the 17 th power is: “Imagine covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars to a level of two feet deep. The total number of silver dollars needed to cover the whole state would be 10 to the 17 th power. Now, choose just one of those silver dollars, mark it and drop it from an airplane. Then thoroughly stir all the silver dollars all over the state.
When that has been done, blindfold one man, tell him he can travel wherever he wishes in the state of Texas. But sometime he must stop, reach down into the two feet of silver dollars and try to pull up that one specific silver dollar that has been marked.
Now the chance of his finding that one silver dollar in the state of Texas would be the chance the prophets had for eight of their prophecies coming true in any one man in the future.”
Since Y'shua (Jesus) fulfilled over 300 prophecies, (see more at our prophecy link) the prophets must have been inspired by God, as well as all of the Biblical writers. The Bible must be the Word of God.
Eleven of the twelve disciples of Y'shua (Jesus) were martyred. If these men were not convinced of the truth of the Gospel and of Y'shua's (Jesus') resurrection, they surely would not have allowed themselves to be killed for their faith.
Paul, who was born Saul (Sha'ul), a Pharisee, who killed Christians (followers of Y'shua Jesus) before he met Y'shua Jesus on the Damascus Road in a personal and dramatic way, became the great apostle of Y'shua (Jesus) to the Jews and Gentiles. Then, he too, was martyred for his faith.
Through the centuries, many have had their lives changed from hopelessness to hope and peace. Some have become missionaries, preachers, some killed for their faith and others not. Yet, all have come to faith through the Word of God. It has to be truth – inspired by God, as it has life changing powers.
Yes, God can be taken at His Word and His Word can be found, pure and undefiled, in the Old and New Covenants which He has lovingly given to us that we might know Him personally.