June 15, 2023
Father God, Open our eyes to Your Truth. Help us to see that Your word is true and has been proven by science. Teach us Your ways and Your Truth. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The very first thing when talking about Christianity is that many people will tell you to read the Bible. Why? You ask and they say, ”Because it’s true.” OK, how do you know it’s true? Some will say, “it just is.” Not a really good reason, huh?
There are those that will tell you that the Bible is myth, written by many different people and copying the myths and legends of other nations. There are those that say that the Bible is not historically accurate. Others will say that the people of the Bible never existed and their stories are merely morality stories, like fables. They will say the Flood never occurred, that Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt through a sea of reeds across water 6 inches deep and that the plagues in Egypt can be scientifically explained. They will also say that there is no such thing as a miracle. There are also those that say that the Bible contradicts itself.
I believe that the Bible is true from cover to cover. If God said it, it’s fact. But I am going to start this off with things that verify events and statements in the Bible. Not from religious standpoint, but from a secular view. We’re going to look at proofs outside the Bible that verify things within the Bible.
Documentation
There is more documentation on the Bible than any other written document. There are more thousands more copies of scripture than there are copies of Greek and Latin philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and Caesar. A ratio of 1 to 20, philosophers to scripture. There are non-religious authors who have verified events in the Bible. Flavius Josephus, a Jew turned Roman, documented the events of Jewish history and those events surrounding the death of Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls are a significant check on the translations of the Bible we have today. Any differences are minor, such as grammar, while the meat of the writings remain accurate.
The Jewish copyists held a great reverence for the scriptures and exercised extreme care when making copies of Old Testament works. When a copy was complete, the words, letters and lines were counted. The center letter of the original had been determined previously and the copy was compared. If the even one of the numbers of words, letters and lines did not match, the copy was destroyed and the copying began again. Quality was of utmost importance.
The New Testament was considerably better that other manuscripts of the day. There are variants in translations, but they are used to reconstruct the original readings. There are small differences, but these do not affect the meaning and doctrines in the scriptures. Again, there are thousands of documents that can verify what we have in our Bible.
Archaeology
At one time, archaeologists thought that the Bible was full of error and that many persons and peoples in the scriptures never existed because little or no evidence had been found. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, evidence was being discovered. These days, discoveries are being made almost daily. Between 1800 and now, quite a number of major discoveries have been made. Here is a list of a few.
1834 – evidence of the Hittites was found. They were friends, if not allies of Israel. 10,000 Hittite tablets were also discovered in 1906.
1854 – the city of Ur, where Abraham once lived, was discovered. Also, the Nabonidus Cylinder was discovered which proved the existence of Belshazzar and verified that he was co-regent with his father, Nabonidus. The cylinder also confirmed that Daniel was the third ruler of Babylon.
1868 – The Mesha Stele – found in Dhiban, Jordan, lists the name of King David and Israel. Yahweh is also mentioned on the stele.
1961 – Pilate Dedication Stone – found in a Roman amphitheater in Caesarean Maritima. Lists Pilate’s name and title, “Tiberieum, Pontius Pilatus, Prefectus Judea”. Proof of his existence.
1978 – Ron Wyatt found broken Egyptian chariots and chariot wheels in the Red Sea on the right of the Sinai Peninsula. He also found two stone pillars on opposite sides of that same part of the sea that had been put there by King Solomon.
1990 – Caiaphas Ossuary – was found in Jerusalem and dated back to the time of Jesus. Proof of the high priest in Jesus’ time
1993 – Tel Dan Stele – found in Tel Dan in upper Gallilee, has a Canaanite inscription that names several members of the house of King David of Israel and events in their lives.
2005 – The Pool of Siloam was found. This is the pool where Jesus healed the paralytic man who was waiting on an angel to stir the waters so that he could be healed if he had been able to bathe in those waters.
2007 – King Herod’s tomb was discovered on the hill of Masada in Israel. This is the king before whom Jesus stood at trial before his death.
These are just a few of the significant discoveries that verify the existence of Biblical people and events.
Science
There are a number of scientific facts that verify information found in the Bible. The Bible is not a scientific book but does contain scientific facts that have been proven without a doubt. Science, even today, is limited by man’s understanding through observation and experimentation using the processes that are known. Scientists can only guess based on the fragmentary evidences and biased assumptions. Science is useful but is limited by man’s knowledge and understanding of God’s creation.
Here are some examples where science proves the Bible.
Astronomy
Scientists have long been searching for the beginning of the universe. The closest that they have come is the ‘Big Bang’ Theory. However, the time differences between actual creation and the ‘Big Bang’ differ. Where science tells of millions of years, the Bible tells of six 24-hour days. The concept is the same. There was nothing and then, boom, there it was.
There is a void of stars in the North. The telescope in Palomar, CA discovered an area of space void of stars over the Northern Hemisphere in 1981. Job 26:7 states, “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing. He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.” It’s called the “Bootes Void”.
The Earth hangs on nothing. Missions by NASA astronauts have sent back beautiful pictures of the Earth hanging in space. There is nothing holding it in place. Just as Job 26:7 says.
Anthropology
Science has discovered that man is of “one blood” descended from one man and one woman. In the 19th century, science held that there were different races and bloods. Today, science confirms that there is one race, just different characteristics. Root languages can be also be traced back to a single place in time where languages began to differ.
Biology
Science has confirmed that creatures can only reproduce their own kind. In the 19th century, scientists claimed that all creatures evolved from lower species. Today, it is well know that a dog cannot give birth to a cat and a cow cannot give birth to a goat, and so on. Plants can only reproduce its own kind. Corn can be hybridized but it is still corn. Genesis 1:20-25
Geology
In the 19th century, science argued that the rock layers and sediment layers with the fossils developed slowly over millions of years. Today geologists confirm that the rock layers and sediment layers were created by a cataclysmic event where fossils that were buried in a matter of minutes or hours. Genesis 7 tells of the catastrophic flood that killed all life on Earth except 8 people and the animals on the ark.
Off the coast of Ecuador, marine geologists have found springs of water that shoot 450 feet up from the bottom of the ocean. Springs of fresh water. Genesis 7:11 says, “ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.”
Meteorology
Sailors have known of wind patterns as they sail from place to place. They know that in winter the winds blow predominately in one direction; and in the spring and summer, they blow in another direction. Science has discovered that the winds blow in circular patterns. Clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counter clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Ecclesiastes 1:6 (NLV) states, “The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.”
Sailors also know the old adage, “Red sky at night; Sailors delight. Red sky at morning; Sailors warning.” The adage is true to form. Jesus stated the same thing in Matthew 16:23.
Medicine and Health
Over the centuries, science and medicine have discovered many things that are harmful or helpful to man’s health. Back in the 19th century, it was believed that taking blood from a sick person would help them get well. However, it has since been realized that the blood is the life of a person. Without blood you will die (Leviticus 17:11 – blood is life). In the 15th century, man began quarantining sick people to prevent the spread of disease (Leviticus 13). Man has slowly rediscovered that certain animals were unhealthy to eat and that others carried diseases. Chapters 11-13 of Leviticus spells out creatures that carried disease and were not to be eaten, quarantine procedures and even how to determine whether a dangerous mold was on materials and what to do about it. Healing herbs that are mentioned in the Bible are Spikenard – an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial; Mandrake – used for fertility; Figs – used as treatment for boils; Balm of Gilead – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and diuretic properties; Hyssop -traditional remedy for nose, throat, and lung afflictions. There are not a lot of medicinal herbs mentioned in the Bible but documentation from Egypt and Mesopotamia of Bible times list quite a number of uses for herbs and spices.
Genetics
Science is slowly coming to understand that our genes tell the story of humanity. They have discovered that there is a common female ancestor for all humans; the Mitochondrial Eve. They have also discovered that there is a common male ancestor for all humans; the Y-chromosome Adam. A geneticist, Nathaniel T Jeanson, has traced DNA back to a single source about 6000 years ago; and a rebeginning of a source to about 4500 years ago.1 The Bible in Genesis 1-7 gives us the details of these two dates. Adam and Eve and then, Noah and his sons.
The Bible is not a myth, archaeology proves it. The Bible is historically accurate, again proven by archaeology. Peoples of the Bible have been proven to exist. Not just people groups but individual people as well. Geologists have proven a catastrophic event like the Flood forming the sediment and fossils. Proof of the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea are found in the finger to the right of the Sinai Peninsula. The Bible may not be a scientific document but science has proven the scientific statements in it.
So, I hope you see that the Bible has been proven over and over by science. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more that I haven’t included here. Regardless of what the detractors of the Bible say there is proof that the Bible is true. In a world of secularism and of a turning away from God, there is truth that has been proven and will be proven over and over again. Please think about this carefully. Do the research for yourself. Find the truth for yourself. I can tell it to you all day long but it is always good to find your own answers.
This in only part of the story. I will post Why Believe the Bible from a religious point of view soon. Thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment. I will be glad to discuss this with you.
Thank You Father for Your Blessings. Thank You for teaching us about the Truth of Your Word. Help us to learn and be able to stand against detractors. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Food For Thought
- Have you ever thought that the Bible might not be true? Why?
- Do you believe in the Theory of Evolution? Why or why not?
- Are you surprised that science can prove the Bible? Why?
- Are you going to use this information to discuss the truth of the Bible? How?
- Does this information strengthen your faith? In what ways?
