1. the TOP 10 reasons to TRUST the BIBLE HOLY BIBLE
2. The Bible has many sources, but it’s consistent 10 The 66 books of the Bible were written over a period 1600 years, by more than 40 authors from different walks of life (fisherman, doctor, shepherd, king, prophet, etc.) The Bible was written in three different languages on three different continents. That’s a recipe for messiness! How could a book written like this have a consistent message? But the Bible tells ONE story, about ONE God, and His ONE love: the people He created! CLICK HERE to watch the video “Does the Bible claim to be God’s Word?” HOLY BIBLE
3. The Old Testament we have today is the same as the one that was originally written down 9 Some claim that there have been significant changes to the Old Testament since it was written down over 2000 years ago. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in the mid-1900’s show this isn’t true. For example, a complete copy of the book of Isaiah was found on one of the scrolls and compared to our modern Bible. They agreed word-for-word 95% of the time! The 5% of differences were from minor spelling variations. The book of Isaiah contains several prophecies about Jesus including how He would be born (to a virgin girl) and how He would die (on a cross). HOLY BIBLE
4. The New Testament we have today is the same as the one that was originally written down 8 Scholars have about 5,700 manuscripts (fancy word for “very old copies”) of the New Testament. Some of these manuscripts are dated as early as 50-150 years from the events of New Testament. What does this mean? It means people who lived the events of the New Testament could have still been alive when the copies we have were written. If you don’t count minor spelling errors and little changes in word order, those 5,700 manuscripts agree with each other 99% percent of the time! HOLY BIBLE
5. The books included in the Bible were chosen carefully 7 The books of the Bible were collected and arranged and recognized by councils of rabbis and councils of church leaders based on careful guidelines The primary guideline for deciding which books are authoritative for Christians is simple: the written testimony should be connected to an eyewitness of the resurrected Jesus. This rule existed from the beginning. 100 years after Jesus’ resurrection, 19 of the 27 New Testament books were decided. 200 years after that the final list was decided. The Old Testament books were agreed upon by the Jewish people as early as 200 BC. HOLY BIBLE
6. The Bible is supported by history 6 The Bible is not a history book, but the events described in its pages are real, historical events. Many events and people of the Old Testament have historical support outside of the Bible. King David, King Solomon, the fall of Jericho, and the siege of Jerusalem during the time of Hezekiah are all examples. As for the New Testament, Cornelius Tacitus (a Roman historian) and Flavius Josephus (a Jewish historian) both mention Jesus Christ. Also, the early church has lots of historical support. HISTORY HOLY BIBLE
7. The Bible is supported by archeology 5 History and archeology together are the “twin pillars” of support that come from outside the Bible itself. If historical research or archeological findings proved even one part of the biblical story to be false, it would be like pulling one card from a house of cards. No archeological finding has ever disproved the Bible. Discoveries like the Dead Sea Scroll, the Tell Dan Inscription, the Taylor Cylinder, the excavation of Jericho, the Nebuchadnezzar Cylinder, the Pilate Inscription, and many others actually support the biblical story. Watch the linked video below for more info on some of these finds. ARCHEOLOGY CLICK HERE to watch the video “The Top 5 Coolest Archeological Discoveries.” HOLY BIBLE
8. The Bible is full of prophecies, given and fulfilled 4 The main internal proof (from inside the Bible itself) of the Bible being true is the fact that it contains prophecies AND it also contains the stories of how those prophecies were fulfilled. A prophecy is “fulfilled” when what the prophet said was going to happen, happens. What are the prophecies about? All kinds of things: nations rising to power, kings winning or losing battles, the destruction of cities, and, most importantly the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Saving One, Jesus. Some estimates are that the Bible contains about 2500 prophecies. At least 2000 of these have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. The remaining 500 or so have yet to be fulfilled. No prophecy from the Bible has ever been proven to be false…some just haven’t happened yet! Could they have been fulfilled by chance? Watch the video below for the answer to that question. CLICK HERE to watch the video “Prophecies Fulfilled By Jesus”
9. The Bible was written by eyewitnesses 3 Peter claims in his letter, “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes.” (2 Peter 1:16). John claims in his letter, “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1) These two and others who wrote the Bible (especially the New Testament), weren’t just writing what they HEARD, they were writing what they SAW! HOLY BIBLE
10. The Bible contains no contradictions 2 A contradiction exists when two statements, taken together, for two opposite conclusions. (For example, “I went to the concert last night” and “I didn’t go to the concert last night” can’t both be true.) No one has ever been able to present a genuine contradiction anywhere in the Bible, in the Old or New Testaments. a + b = c & a + b ≠ c
11. The Bible has led to changed lives 1 The Bible isn’t just a reliable historical document. It isn’t just an account of God’s people, the Jews. It isn’t a rulebook or a storybook. It is the Word of God. God speaks through His Word to change the hearts of men and women…to move them from darkness to light. And people who are changed are the ones who change the world. Not only individuals, but non-profit organizations, hospitals, universities, companies, industries, and even governments have been influenced by the transforming power of God’s Word in people’s lives. HOLY BIBLE