Thursday, 28 August 2014

Is The Bible True And How You Can Know

By Marlene Blevins


It's a dismal fact that one generation generally knows little about those that came before, even the one immediately preceding it. This is why even significant people and events can be quickly forgotten, and the lessons of history must be learned over and over again. A shining example of this is that people still ask the question: 'Is the Bible true?' even though this is the best-documented book ever.

One important point that most don't realize is that archaeologists and anthropologists who study ancient civilizations use the Bible as the definitive guide. They have found that things in scripture which have been discounted for centuries are being authenticated in modern times. For example, King David was long suspected to be a biblical myth until references to his reign in Israel were found in 1993. It wasn't until 2005 that the ruins of his palace were uncovered in Jerusalem, exactly where biblical accounts had placed it.

Science also tells us the truth of scripture. Long before scientists had the tools to evaluate earth's position, the Bible told us that it was round. This statement comes from the book of the prophet Isaiah, written some 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Official doctrine that the earth was flat was accepted until well into the 15th century.

Another account, the Book of Job, is considered symbolic rather than historical. Many regard it as poetry. God's truth is revealed all through it, however. We read that plants make their food from sunlight (now called the process of photosynthesis), that there are springs of fresh water deep under the saltwater oceans, and that light is made up of many colors and can be separated into a rainbow spectrum.

It is ironic that so many say that the Age of Science did away with any basis for reliance on biblical texts. The fact is that many so-called ground-breaking scientific discoveries have been refuted, while the biblical accounts are recognized as accurate. A reading of the scriptures can even trigger new ideas, like the 'paths of the ocean' mentioned in Psalm 8. Matthew Maury read the psalm, wondered about the meaning of the 'paths', and found the Gulf Stream, a strong current that affects both ocean and land. He was not the first to document it, but the psalm is what led him to find it for himself.

The Smithsonian Institute is not regarded as a supporter of Christianity, but this prestigious organization has issued a statement calling biblical records the most accurate that we have. In comparison with those of other ancient civilizations - Greek, Egyptian, Mesopotamian - they are more reliable. Modern archaeology both uses the scriptures and validates them.

Ancient monuments have shown that the Jewish people have been a nation for over 3,000 years. They have had an enduring, cohesive social structure in spite of conquest, captivity, dispersal, and persecution. A timeline of world history shows that many events predicted in the scriptures - the prophecies - have come to pass exactly as foretold. This historical accuracy lends credence to the spiritual truths in this, the Word of God.

People who search for proof that scripture can be relied on are engaged in apologetics. Between historical clues, documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls, and prophetic passages that have come true, the Bible is supported more and more as time goes on.




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