Thursday, March 6, 2014

March 7, 2014

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." II Peter 1:20-21

I want you to imagine you are a juror in a court of law and these three facts were presented in evidence for the defense of Biblical truth and authority. The witnesses for the defense are archaeology, prophecy and science.

Archaeology

The archaeological evidence alone should shake the foundations of doubt and unbelief of any skeptic. For instance, Abram's field in Hebron is mentioned in 918 B.C. by Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt. After warring in Palestine, the Pharaoh Shishak inscribed on his temple walls the name of Abraham, the great patriarch, proving at this early date Abraham was known in Palestine as the Bible says, not in Arabia.

The Bible says Joseph was sold for the price of a slave, 20 shekels. According to trade tablets found, this was the correct price for 1,700 B.C. At an earlier time the price would have been less, at a later time it would have been more.

Perhaps one of the greatest archaeological discoveries is the chariot wheels, chariot frames, human bones and horse bones found at the bottom of the Red Sea where the crossing of Moses and the Israelites took place. The style of the found chariot wheels match those used at the time of the Exodus .

Ron Wyatt, the man who made these discoveries, recovered the hub of a wheel with the remains of eight spokes and gave this significant find to Nassif Mohammed Hassan, Director of Antiquities in Cairo. Mr. Hassan immediately identified the artifact as a chariot wheel dating over 3500 years ago during the 18th Dynasty, the only time the ancient Egyptians used an eight spoked wheel. The hub and spokes are on display in Cairo, Egypt.

And archaeological finds show the Jericho walls fell down  outwardly to allow the Israelites to enter the city and overcome their enemies. "According to the laws of physics, walls of towns always fall inwards."

Prophecy

I believe prophecy, the prediction of the future, is the strongest argument for the proof of the Bible. Bible prophecy is 100% accurate in predicting the future. The Old Testament was written around 1450 BC to 430 BC. No other "sacred writing" can claim such accurate predictions of the future.

2000 Bible prophecies have been fulfilled. Many prophecies have very specific details. I would think anyone seeking the truth would consider at least a few of these prophecies. For instance, Psalm 22 contains a number of prophecies describing the crucifixion of Christ. This method of execution was not even invented until several hundred years after Psalm 22 was penned by King David. The Bible and an encyclopedia are all you need to verify the prophetic accuracy of Psalm 22.

The recorded Bible prophecies came true in such a detailed manner that they could not have been foretold by chance. The archaeological evidence shows these prophecies were recorded many years before they were fulfilled. This evidence proves they were not falsified documents claiming certain prophecies came true. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls silenced most of the skeptical talk.

There are two types of prophecies in the Bible: Messianic (dealing with Jesus Christ) and those dealing with the Nations. If the already fulfilled hundreds of prophecies in the Bible are looked at and examined, both Messianic and Nation, they should make the most skeptical individual acknowledge the validity of God's Word.

Science

The Bible's scientific accuracy is without error. The Old Testament speaks of the earth being a sphere, long before scientists discovered the earth was round and not flat.

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth..." (Isaiah 40:22). At the time this scripture was written the Hebrew language did not have a word for "sphere," only for "circle."


"There Had To Be A Beginning…For centuries scientists argued that the universe was infinite and eternal. If so, many claimed, there was no beginning and hence "nothing for a creator to do". But, we now know that the amount of usable energy in the universe is decreasing. And, scientists agree, if the universe is running down, it cannot be eternal or infinite. It will have an end just as it had to have had a beginning. Scientists know this principle as the second law of thermodynamics. It is fascinating to know that "science's two most foundational discoveries argue for creation, not against it!" -- (301 Startling Proofs & Prophecies Proving That God Exists, Peter and Paul Lalonde, This Week In Bible Prophecy) 

I present these testimonies in evidence for the defense of God's Word.

You are the juror. What is your verdict?