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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Evidence supporting the truth of the Bible...

Evidence Supporting The Truth of The Bible

By
Keith Mason

Introduction

Most people are interested in what happens to them after they die: Do they cease to exist? Do they get reincarnated? Just what happens? The Bible tells us they go to heaven or hell. There are many things in the Bible that can be scientifically and historically proven, thus adding to it's credibility (the provable things and those things which must be accepted by faith were written by the same authors and at the same time).

The following text presents logical, tangible, historical, and empirical evidence which substantiates three things: 1 God (not evolution) created the earth; 2 Jesus Christ existed and is God's Son; and 3 the Bible is reliable, accurate, and true.

I have been a Christian for 12 years, and have read many books on evidence supporting the Bibles truth. This booklet includes the best parts of all of them. It takes about 20 minutes to read, and I think proves the accuracy and reliability of the Bible.

If you are a non-Christian, this booklet will hopefully convince you of these truths, and supply you with the evidence that you need to believe in them. If you are a Christian, this booklet will strengthen your faith, and show you why what you already know to be true is true.

The Hand of God

No matter how much evidence is produced, if a person doesn't want to believe in God he/she won't. However, there is a lot of evidence that supports the truth of the Bible. God said: "Those who seek Me with their whole heart will find Me." (Jer 29:13). The author of this booklet hopes that you will read it with an open mind, and not hold on to any pre-conceived ideas, but carefully consider the evidence that is presented.



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THE EARTH WAS CREATED BY GOD

This section contains evidence that shows that supernatural creation has a higher degree of probability than evolution.

The Universe: How Did it Happen?
There are only three possibilities for the existence of the universe.
1) IT EMERGED SPONTANEOUSLY OUT OF NOTHING. However, one of the basic laws of physics says that something cannot come from nothing. Therefore it couldn't have emerged spontaneously from nothing.
2) IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE. That defies the 2nd law of thermodynamics, and the law of increasing entropy. These state that the universe is constantly decaying, and that things automatically go from order to disorder. However, if it was eternal and has always been there, it would be re-generating itself, not deteriorating. Therefore it couldn't have always been there [Morris Scientific, pg 43].
3) IT WAS CREATED. I think this is the most logical choice, and that is what the remainder of this article will address.

The Big Bang
Many scientist/evolutionists believe in a Big Bang Theory, which says all of the matter present in the universe today was once in a plasma ball of electrons, photons, positrons, and neutrinos (no explanation is given about how it got there). Scientists say that 15 billion years ago this huge cosmic ball exploded. Living-matter was somehow formed. This matter developed the ability to see, hear, and smell, and eventually grew arms and legs (although at first they were fins). And after millions of years of evolution here we are. Here we are, with our three-pound brain composed of twelve billion neurons, which make 120 trillion various connections [Gish, pg 4]. That is like saying a bomb exploded in a junkyard, and put together a running automobile.

Macro-evolution vs. Micro-evolution
Just what do I mean when I talk about evolution? There are two forms of evolution - Macro-evolution and Micro-evolution. Micro-evolution isn't what the creationists' object to, in fact they believe in it. It's Macro-evolution they don't believe in. Micro-evolution is a variation within a species. An example of Micro-evolution would be giraffes evolving from having short necks into giraffes having long necks. The giraffes with long necks are able to survive and reproduce because they can reach more food, but the giraffes with short necks die off. Macro-evolution, on the other hand, is one distinct species turning into another distinct species (e.g. reptiles turning into birds, fish into amphibians, or apes into men, etc...). In this book, when I refer to "evolution," I mean Macro-evolution.

Fact or Theory
Many people believe that evolution is a scientifically proven fact, and that creation is only a theory (not even a credible theory because it is only posed by a bunch of right wing Christian fanatics). This is simply not true. Evolution is not a proven fact, and certainly not a scientifically proven fact. The scientific approach for examining facts and determining truth is done in five steps. 1st) An observation is made. 2nd) A hypothesis is formed. 3rd) Data is gathered. 4th) The hypothesis is tested in light of the data, and 5th) if the hypothesis passes the test, it becomes a theory. However, new data is constantly being discovered and the hypothesis re-tested. This data either supports the theory or disproves it, but never proves the theory as a fact (for future data could be gathered which disproves it). If there is no way of testing or falsifying the hypothesis, the theory isn't accepted by the scientific community. George Galord Simpson, a notable scientist himself, has said, "It is inherent that statements which cannot be checked by observation are not really about anything, or at the very least they are not science." (Gish 1985: 12). Usually the event in question is repeated, and these five steps are used to determine its truthfulness. Events in history cannot be repeated, so they cannot be verified by the scientific method. This alone indicates that the theory of evolution, far from being a fact, is not even a valid scientific theory. The question that needs to be answered is: "Does the majority of evidence support creation, or evolution?" Hundreds of scientists and college professors have had to admit that they could be wrong about thinking that evolution is a fact [Sunderland, pg 8].

The Debates
These same scientists and professors have publicly debated with creation-scientists literally hundreds of times and have lost these debates virtually every time. As a result, they have been told by their colleagues to no longer debate the creation-scientists [Sunderland, pg 8]. This is extremely important, because these debates were discussed between men and women who are experts in their field.

The Earth: How Did it Happen
The evolutionist theory says that the earth is billions of years old and we are the product of evolution, but the creationist theory says, "In the beginning God created...." The Bible says that this creation happened in 6 days. It is impossible for both of these theories to be true, so evidence refuting one must support the other and vice versa [Morris, Many pg 9]. As we shall see in a moment, there is a lot of evidence refuting evolution, and supporting creation.

The Earth's Age
Some of the evidence refuting evolution comes from examining the age of the earth itself. A vast amount of time is needed for evolution to be true. An evolutionist will tell you that the earth is 4 to 5 billion years old [Gish, pg 47]. Carbon dating and potassium-argon dating are usually the two methods evolutionists' use for dating the earth, but these methods are not always accurate. Carbon dating methods have rated a snail shell at 2,300 years old, yet it was known to have died shortly before the examination, and evolutionists have dated rocks from Hawaiian lava flows (known to be only 200 years old) at 3 billion years old using the Potassium-argon dating method [Huse, pg 29]. Not only are these dating methods inaccurate, but there are many other things which indicate a young earth. In his book The Collapse of Evolution, Scott Huse dedicates an entire chapter giving evidence for a young earth. Here are some of his examples. The earth's magnetic field is getting weaker every year. If the earth was as old as evolutionists say, we wouldn't have a magnetic field left; in fact, according to our magnetic field the maximum age limit of the Earth is 10,000 years. Natural gas is contained underground and is under pressure; the ground could only contain this gas for about 10,000 years. Evidence suggests that the Earth and moon were formed at the same time; if they are 4 to 5 billion years old, like the evolutionists say, then dust particles that come from space would have made the moon's ground 182 feet thick in dust alone (this was the reason for equipping the lunar shuttle with such large landing pads). Due to the magnetic forces of the sun and moon, the earth's rotation is slowing down, and if the earth was as old as the evolutionists say it is it would have stopped dead in space years ago. The moon is receding from the earth every year, and according to the evolutionary theory, should be much farther away [Huse chap 1]. In The Scientific Case for Creation, Henry Morris uses the following methods to date the earth.

Dating Method .........................................Years Old
Development of total human population......................4,000
Growth of oldest living part of the biosphere..............5,000
Decay of the earth's magnetic field.......................10,000
Influx of radiocarbon into earth system...................10,000
Influx of uranium into the oceans via rivers..............50,000
Influx of carbonate into the oceans......................100,000
Efflux of helium-4 into the atmosphere...................175,000
Accumulation of dust on the moon.........................200,000
Leaching of chlorine from the continents...............1,000,000
Erosion of sediment from continents...................10,000,000

He also uses sixty other methods to date the earth; most of them range from 5,000 to ten million years old, not billions of years old like the evolutionists would like us to believe [Morris, Scientific, pgs 55-59]. There are many other scholarly men who also favor a young age for the earth (see Gish pgs 19-20).

The Geologic Column
Because absolute dating methods vary so much, evolutionists often use index fossils and the geologic column to obtain their dates. I am assuming the reader knows what a fossil is. The geologic column is the layering of the earth's surface -- if you have seen the side of the Grand Canyon you have seen an example of the geologic column. Usually the smaller and simpler fossils are found at the lower levels of the earth's surface. The evolutionists say that thousands of years elapsed between each layer, and use it as proof of evolution. They say the simpler life forms (at the lower levels) evolved into the more complex life forms (at the higher levels). However, some scientists say thousands of years separate each layer in the geologic column, therefore it proves that evolution is true, while other scientists say evolution is true, therefore it proves that thousands of years separate each layer in the geologic column [Morris Scientific, pg 37]. This is circular reasoning, and does not prove anything. A world-wide flood recorded in Genesis) could do as well to explain why the smaller and simpler life forms are found at the lower levels of the earth's crust; it was because they were less mobile and were not able to move to higher elevations when the world was flooded [Morris Scientific, pgs 36-38]. A flood would also explain why geologists find so many indications of marine life (including their fossils) in dry land areas.

The Fossil Record
More evidence refuting evolution comes from the fossil record itself. If evolution were true, the fossil record should support it, but it best supports the creation theory. The fossil record actually shows that life forms came into existence suddenly and fully formed without any transitional forms [Huse, pg 12]. After 120 years and 100 million fossils, not one transitional fossil has been discovered between a species and its alleged ancestor [Sunderland, pg 9]. The fins of fish, which supposedly evolved into the amphibians' arms and legs, are only embedded in its flesh tissue, not in its skeletal structure, so they could not have become the animal's arms or legs [Gish, pg 73]. Some squashed trilobite fossils have been found in human footprint fossils even though evolutionists say trilobites were extinct 230 million years before man came into existence [Huse, pg 28]. Evolutionists have been searching for the missing link between apes and men for hundreds of years, yet have never found it. The remains of the alleged PILTDOWN MAN were discovered in 1912 by an armchair fossilologist. He brought some bones and artifacts to the British Museum, and said he had discovered them in a gravel pit near Piltdown, England. Anthropologists dated the remains at 500,000 years old. Everything was fine until 1956 when the bones were re-examined; tests showed that the jawbone was from a 50 year old ape, and that some of the teeth had been filed down to fool the experts [Huse, pg 100]. NEBRASKA MAN, discovered in 1925, was hailed by scientists as the oldest living man (1 million years old). He was completely constructed from one tooth. Later it was discovered that it was the tooth of an extinct pig [Huse, pg 97]. LUCY was an anthropoid discovered in Ethiopia by D. C. Johnson while he was listening to the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." She was supposed to be half ape and half man, yet walk upright. However the bone that was used to determine that she walked upright, the femur, was crushed completely, so she probably didn't walk upright after all [Huse, pg 102]. These fossils did not prove a thing, and no transitional fossils have been discovered, but you might say, "Doesn't the fossil record prove that dinosaurs existed, yet die out millions of years before man?"

Dinosaurs
The fossil record does prove that dinosaurs existed. However, the evolutionists say they died out billions of years before man existed, but creationists say that dinosaurs co-existed along with men. Generally, the creationists think that Noah brought baby dinosaurs aboard the Ark, but that the earth's climate changed so much after the genesis flood that they could not survive the change, and died out. In fact, pictographs of dinosaurs have been found on the walls of cave dwellings [Gish, Dinosaurs]. A possible reason for dinosaurs being so large is because reptiles continue to grow throughout their whole lifetime, and according to the Bible, life spans used to be much longer. The Bible contains a description of what could be a dinosaur. It says: "He moves his tail like a cedar tree..., his bones are as strong as iron..., behold he drinks up a river, surely he can draw up the Jordan into his mouth." (Job 40:15-23). Now with a tail as large as a cedar tree, this could not be an elephant or hippopotamus. In my opinion it couldn't be anything other than a dinosaur. If they were extinct billions of years before man, then how can we explain the cave drawings or the description that is in the Bible. In addition to this, flying creatures tend to disprove evolution.

The Origin of Flight
The origin of flight should provide an excellent case to prove evolution, but it doesn't. Even though flight supposedly evolved separately in insects, reptiles, and mammals (bats), not one transitional fossil has ever been found between a flying creature and its alleged ancestor. Scientists have discovered fossils of flying beetles which are millions of years old, yet they look exactly the same as they do today. It is the same for other life forms. Consider, if you will, what good would it do to have arms or legs evolve into wings SLOWLY -- before they were fully operational (good neither for running, grasping, or flying), and if that is what happened, why doesn't the fossil record show any transitional life forms? But if they evolved into wings SUDDENLY, how could the creature survive, and learn a new way to capture food, or even know how to transport himself [Gish, pg 38]?

Miscellaneous Things Supporting Creation
There is a lot of evidence supporting creation. According to the theory of natural selection which the evolutionists cling to, everything that evolves must have a purpose or it would not have evolved in the first place (random chance produces a characteristic, but survival of the fittest ensures its existence). Thus, they can't explain the hidden beauty that many life forms exhibit, like the inside of a sea shell. Supposedly life evolved from non-living matter, to living matter, to one-celled creatures, to fish, to amphibians, to reptiles, and finally to mammals; so evolutionists can't explain the origin of whales or dolphins (mammals that live in the sea). If the earth rotated at a 1/10 slower speed, the days would be so hot that all life would be burned to a crisp. If the earth's crust was any thicker, it would absorb more oxygen, and leave only carbon dioxide, thus preventing life. If the earth had only a two degree higher average temperature, all the glaciers would melt, thus submerging the globe. Hurricanes are created when very cold air meets very hot air; so if the earth wasn't tilted on its axis, it would be so cold at the poles and so hot in the center that hurricanes would rip across the globe preventing life of any kind. The probability of life just coming into existence has been calculated at (using generous figures) one chance in ten to the 280th power [Morris Scientific pg 63]. If we evolved from a one-celled creature, why or how did some of us evolve into the male sex and some into the female sex? If evolution were true, there would be such a blending together of life-forms you couldn't tell the dogs from the cats due to all the cogs and dats running around.

Summary for Creation

Lets sum up some of the things we have covered about creation. An overwhelming amount of evidence refutes evolution and supports supernatural creation. The geologic column, the fossil record, the age of the earth, the absence of any transitional fossils, the fact that dinosaurs and men existed at the same time, the origin of flight, and many other miscellaneous facts listed in this book all point towards creation. The fact that the creationists have won so many debates with the evolutionists is extremely important in adding to the credibility of the creationists' theory; because these debates were discussed among men and women who are experts in their field.

There is enough evidence to prove God's existence from creation alone, but there is additional evidence also.
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JESUS EXISTED, AND IS GODS SON
This section shows evidence(s) about Jesus Christ, His existence, and His claim that He was God.


Jesus Was A Liar, A Lunatic, Or Lord & God
C. S. Lewis, author, and professor at Cambridge University (at one time an atheist) wrote, "I am trying here to prevent the one foolish thing many people often say about Jesus, 'I can accept Jesus as a good moral teacher, but not as God.'" That is one thing we cannot say. Jesus claimed to be God. If this wasn't true, saying it (along with the other statements He made) would mean He shouldn't be considered a good moral teacher. There are only 3 choices we have for Jesus: 1 He was wrong and he knew it (liar); 2 He was wrong, but thought he was God (lunatic); or, 3 He actually was Lord and God [McDowell, Evidence pg 103]. So the choices include liar, lunatic, or Lord; if He was a liar or lunatic He should not be considered a good moral teacher. There is no disputing the fact that there was a man named Jesus who lived.

Jesus Lived
F. F. Bruce, Professor at the University of Manchester writes "It is not historians who propagate a Christ-myth theory, for the historicity of Jesus Christ is as automatic for any unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar" [McDowell, Evidence pg 81]. Some of the non-Biblical sources for the historicity of Jesus Christ include Roman historian, Cornelious Tacitus (112 AD); Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus (103 AD); Roman historian, Suetonius (120 AD); governor of Bithynia, Plinius Secundus (112 AD); jurist/theologian, Tertullian (197 AD). The list could go on and on [McDowell, Evidence ch 5]. manuscripts have been discovered that speak about a man named Jesus -- official documents that Pilate wrote to Caesar [Archo pg14]. The book just referenced, The Archo Volume, is a book full of information about Jesus. Although it is no longer in print, I'm sure you can find some copies in the bookstores.

The Archo Volume
The Archo Volume is a 245 page book that contains letters between Pilate and Caesar; Valleus's notes to Pilate about the arrest trial and crucifixion of Jesus; Gamaliel's interviews with Joseph and Mary, and others about Jesus; Jonathan's interviews with some Bethlehem shepherds; and more. All of these are non-biblical documents which testify about the existence of Jesus. Let me list the table of contents. Chapter 1) How these records were discovered. Chapter 2) A short sketch of the Talmuds. Chapter 3) Constantine's letter in regard to having fifty copies of the Scriptures written and bound. Chapter 4) Jonathan's interview with Bethlehem shepherds; letter of Melker, Priest of the Synagogue at Bethlehem. Chapter 5) Gamaliel's interview with Joseph and Mary and others concerning Jesus. Chapter 6) Report of Caiaphas to the Sanhedrin concerning the execution of Jesus. Chapter 7) Report of Caiaphas to the Sanhedrin concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Chapter 8) Pilate's report to Caesar of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. Chapter 9) Herod's defense before the Roman Senate in regard to the execution of John the Baptist. Chapter 10) Herod's defense before the Roman Senate in regard to his conduct at Bethlehem [Archo pg 1-245].

Miracles Jesus Performed
A further proof that Jesus was God is seen by looking at the miracles that He performed. The time and place in which Jesus lived was not characterized by superstition and gullibility, but by learning and skepticism. This means that the miracles recorded in the Bible (witnessed by thousands of people) should be considered true. It is said that when Jesus came, "His fame spread all throughout Syria; they brought unto Him all sick people taken with diseases, and all that were possessed with devils and He healed them." (Mat 4:24). Some examples of these miracles are: Jesus giving sight to a blind man (Mrk 8:22); Jesus healing ten lepers (Luk 17:11), raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1), and causing a fig tree to die just by speaking to it (Mat 21:17). He also calmed the sea (Luk 8:25), walked upon the water (Mar 6:48), turned water into wine (Jn 2:7-9), and fed 5000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fishes (Mat 14:17-21), and many many other things as well (see appendix B) [Morris, Many pg 73]. The miracles that Jesus performed prove that God exists, and that Jesus is God. How many people do you know can walk on water, bring dead people back to life, or heal people of their sicknesses?

The Miracles At Calvary
Many things happened at the time of Jesus' death on the cross. These things would have been common knowledge to multitudes of people and if they were not true would have surely been disputed. Events such as the sky becoming dark in the middle of the day, the temple curtain being torn in half signifying that anyone who believed in Jesus had access to God, and a great earthquake: these events occurred and were witnessed by thousands of people. Matthew 27:45 says, "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour." Matthew 27:51 says, "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent." Matthew 27:54 says, "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God" [Morris, Many pg 73].

Prophecy About Jesus
Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies written at least 250 years before his birth. The chance of any one person fulfilling only 8 of these prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (1 in 10 to the 17th power). Even a skeptic should realize that's so improbable it must be supernatural. Now that is a very small number, lets see how small: Suppose we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas; they will cover the entire state of Texas two feet thick. Now lets put an X on one of the silver dollars, mix them all up, and get a blind man to pick one. The chance that he will get the one with the X is 1 in 10 to the 17th power [McDowell, Evidence, pg 107]. Not only was His virgin birth foretold of, but also the details of His sufferings on the cross; His betrayal; His mock trial; the fact that He wouldn't speak any words to defend Himself; the gambling of the Roman guards to see who would take home His cloak; and how He was beaten in the face so badly you couldn't recognize Him. And a hundred other things too. (Also see: Prophecy in general, in THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE section; and appendix C.).

The Resurrection
The resurrection is perhaps the most important event which proves Christ's divinity (and the Bible's credibility). Jesus was born, lived 33 years, and died. Three executioners signed his death certificate. His body was wrapped in a burial cloth mixed with about one hundred pounds of spices. The Romans had heard the rumor about the Messiah coming back to life, and knew what problems it would cause if it came true. They took every precaution against it happening. The tomb was actually a cave. A large stone was placed in front of its entrance. The tomb was sealed with a seal (probably a cord was stretched across it and sealed with a wax stamp at each end). Ten to thirty armed guards guarded it, knowing they could be put to death if anything went wrong. However, three days later the tomb was empty, and He was seen alive by more than five hundred people (I Cor 15:6). It should be noted that the stone placed in front of Jesus' tomb was so large that it required several men to carry it. Not only was the wax seal broken and the stone pushed aside, but it was moved up the road completely away from the entrance of the tomb. In addition to this, the tomb wasn't empty but still contained the grave clothes that Jesus was buried in (these were still wrapped up, as if the person inside had simply disappeared)[McDowell, Evidence ch 10].

Jesus' Life, Death, and Resurrection Were Not Refuted
The writers of the New Testament were eye-witnesses of what they recorded. The fact that they wrote the manuscripts during the time the enemies of Christ were alive (and could prove whether the things they said were true or not) should be further proof that what was said/written was true. We don't have a record of any refutation as to the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Christ. The Bible says that after His death and resurrection Jesus was seen alive by more then 500 people; I Corinthians 15:5-8 says, "And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."

Jesus' Character
Not only did Jesus live, perform miracles, fulfill prophecy, die, and resurrect from the dead, He was also of impeccable character. This includes even when he was a child; Jesus' mother said, "Jesus would eat anything set before him, and if anyone else would complain he would say it was good enough, more then we deserved. Joseph was often hard to please, but Jesus had answered him so often, and his answers were so mild yet suitable that he had almost broken him of finding any fault." She also said, "... even as a boy Jesus would settle all the family disputes..." [Archo pg 84]. Anyone who has read the Bible or studied the life of Jesus knows many miraculous things about Him. He was always master of every situation, taking exactly the right action to fit every circumstance. He never had to seek advice. He never had to apologize after He acted because His actions were always appropriate. He never had to ask permission, since He never said or did anything amiss. He was never fearful of anything, and could be overpoweringly bold when the occasion arose. Yet at the same time He was humble and meek. His words were always perfectly chosen to fit the need: never banal or trivial, always relevant and meaningful. He never complained about His circumstances, in spite of weariness, hunger, persecution, or rejection. Instead, He continually offered comfort and encouragement to others. He was equally confident and authoritative whether with friends or enemies, common people or authority figures. He was never flustered or confused about what to say regardless of His company or circumstances [Morris, Many pg 66]. Besides His character, His knowledge of the Scriptures was amazing (He could read, and He knew the scriptures even though He had no formal training of any kind). Jonathan conducted an interview with a Jewish priest who knew Jesus personally. The priest said, "Sometimes when quoting the prophets he would misquote them or forget exactly how the scrolls went, but Jesus would always know exactly how they went and would often correct him, and that never once was Jesus wrong" [Archo pg 91-92]. The Bible says that Jesus was one who spoke with authority (Mat 7:29), for example, while reading from the Old Testament Scriptures about the prophesied Messiah, Jesus closed the book and said, "Today in your eyes this scripture is fulfilled." (Luk ch 4).

The Disciples
Also important is the fact that eleven of the twelve apostles died a martyr's death for no other reason than for being followers of Jesus Christ. If the death and resurrection of Jesus was a hoax, then these men must have known it, and would not have chosen to die such horrible deaths.

Summary for Jesus
Let's sum up some of the things we have covered about Jesus. Historians will support the fact that Jesus existed. Jesus was, in fact, either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord and God. Not only did He perform many miracles, but He also fulfilled many prophecies. Jesus responded correctly in every circumstance, was never fearful, and always acted with authority. His life, death, and resurrection have never been refuted. His disciples, and the resurrection support the fact that Jesus was God. There is even more evidence that shows the Bible to be true.



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THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE


This next section discusses the reliability of the Bible, and why it should be trusted as being true. The material you read in this section, combined with the information you just read supporting creation, and the information you have read about Jesus should be enough evidence to convince even the most fervent skeptic that God is real.

The Bible Is Historically Correct
The Bible has NEVER contradicted any historical fact that's ever been discovered. This should add to its credibility; it means that there is every reason to believe it true in its entirety. The Bible does not claim to be a book of science, yet not one scientific piece of data contradicts it. The Bible does not claim to be a history book, yet not one historical piece of evidence has ever contradicted it; the Bible does not claim to be a physics book, yet not one piece of physical data contradicts it. In the thousands of years of man's discoveries, not one thing has ever been found which contradicts the Bible. Sometimes the Bible even goes beyond man's knowledge: a long time ago man used to think the world was flat, but the Bible has always said it was round. Isaiah 40:22 says "He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth..."

Science, Archaeology, And The Bible
"Scientists Part The Red Sea," this was the name of an article I saw in Bible Archaeology Review recently. Doron Nof, Professor of Oceanography At Florida State University; and Nathan Paldor, Associate Professor of atmospheric sciences at Hebrew University have recreated (on paper) the parting of the Red Sea as it was experienced by Moses and the ancient Israelites (Exodus ch14). They found a shallow portion of the Red Sea, and have calculated that a 40 mile-per hour wind, blowing for 12 to 19 hours would have lowered the sea level by 10 feet, if their was a ridge submerged below the surface it would trap some of the blowing water, thus water would be on both sides of the ridge as is stated in the Biblical account; while the wind blew it would allow the Israelites to cross, then when/if the wind stopped the returning water would rush back to its original level 10 feet higher, thus drowning the attacking Egyptian army. [Bible Archaeology Sept/Oct, 1992, pg 25].

Archaeologists regularly use the Bible as a guide or a road-map to find their dig sites. Arabian oil was first discovered because of the Bible. A man was reading about pitch being used to make Noah's Ark watertight. He thought, where there's pitch, there's oil. He calculated the approximate location where Noah would have sealed the Ark, erected an oil well, and discovered oil.

Matthew Maury was in the U. S. Navy between 1841 and 1861. He was reading the book of Psalms in the Bible (chapter 8), and noticed the words "paths in the sea." He pondered this and decided to review the journals and diaries of the captains of various sea-going ships. He discovered that some journeys took weeks to complete and other journeys of the same distance only days. This eventually led to sea and wind currents being discovered. There actually are "paths" in the sea. [Gish, Duane, T, Impact #219].

Critics have stated many times that Moses and the ancient Israelis could not have written such a structured book as Deuteronomy, but archaeologists have now discovered the Ebla Tablets. These clay tablets show structured writing (many of their laws and codes are similar to those found in the book of Deuteronomy), and they pre-date the book of Deuteronomy.

Critics have also mocked the Christian scholars, claiming that the Old Testament is not factual because (among other things) it speaks about the Hittite people and there is no Non-biblical evidence about them. Recently however discoveries have been made supporting the existence of the Hittite people. In fact, you can now go to Harvard and study the Hittite language.

In 1992 archaeologist Emmanuel Anati discovered some artifacts from what he thought was the location that Moses and the Israelites called Mt. Sanai - a place where the Israelites worshiped God as soon as they crossed the Red Sea. [Bible Archaeology Jan/Feb, 1993, pg 38].

Archaeologists have discovered the home of Judas Iscariot - the person who delivered Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified. [Bible Archaeology Jan/Feb 1993 pg 40].

When the Philistines captured 'The Ark of The Covenant' one of the cities they took it to was the ancient city of EKRON (I Samuel 5:10), archaeologists have discovered that city, and uncovered many artifacts. [Bible Archaeology Jan/Feb 1993 pg 41].

Archaeologists have also unearthed SEPPHORIS - the city where the mother of Jesus was born. [Bible Archaeology Jan/Feb 1993 pg 41].

Archaeologists have found the burial grave of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Jewish High Priest before who interrogated Jesus shortly before his Crucifixion. [Bible Archaeology Jan/Feb, 1993, pg 21].

We can see then that archaeology confirms the Bible's truth.

Noah's Ark
Speaking of archaeology, a 10,000 pound ship has been discovered on the top of Mt. Ararat. If the Bible is true, this would be approximately the area Noah's Ark would have come to rest when the Genesis flood-waters receded. The discovery of the Ark of Noah is more then conformation of a children's Sunday-School story, it means that the Genesis flood as it is recorded in the Bible is true. There is empirical evidence that a ship exists, consider the following. In 1853 three Englishmen were shown the ark by two Armenian natives. In 1883 Turkish avalanche investigators discovered the ark while investigating a recent avalanche. In 1902 & 1904 Gorgie, an Armenian immigrant who escaped the turmoil following World War I saw the Ark twice as a teenager; he died in 1972 but his comments and interviews are available on tape. In 1917 six Turkish soldiers discovered the Ark when they were on their journey home after service in Baghdad. During World War II many sightings of the Ark were reported by pilots (Austrian, Russian, & American); in fact, Two American pilots photographed the ship and the photo was displayed in the Tunisia edition of the Stars & Stripes. The above examples are but just a few. [Morris, John, Impact #22].

Belief In The Bible
Most of the writers of the Bible were eye-witnesses of what they recorded. II Peter 1:16 says "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYE-WITNESSES of his majesty." Plus, they appealed to the knowledge of the hearer/reader. Acts 2:22 says "Men of Israel listen to these words; Jesus, a man who worked miracles in your midst just as YOU YOURSELVES KNOW..." There were many other events such as these. Keep in mind that there were many enemies against the Christian faith, and if the writers of the New Testament were not accurate, the enemies of the Christians surely would have pointed it out, and we would have some record of it.

The Bible is Unique
Let's take a moment to see just how unique the Bible really is! The Bible is not one book, but a compilation of 66 books that were written at different times.
1. It was written over a 1500 year period of time.
2. It was written by over 40 different authors: fishermen, generals, herdsmen, kings, doctors, tax collectors, and many others.
3. It was written on three continents.
4. It was written in three different languages.
5. Some of it was written in time of war, some in time of peace,
6. Some of it was written in times of joy, others in times of sorrow.
7. It was written in different places: in the castle, in the dungeon, in the city, and in the wilderness, etc.
8. The writers of the Bible wrote about hundreds of different subjects.

The Bible covers all these things, yet when it is brought together it harmonizes completely [McDowell, Evidence pg 16].

Miracles in The Bible
Prophecy can be defined as a foretelling of a future event; a miracle, on the other hand, is a supernatural event which defies the known laws of the universe. The American Heritage Dictionary says a miracle is "An event that appears unexplainable by the laws of nature and so is held to be a supernatural act of God." Not only did Jesus perform miracles and fulfill prophecies, but the Bible contains thousands of prophecies and miracles within its pages not performed by Jesus. Both prophecies and miracles are PROOF of God. See appendix A, B, and C, for a partial list of them.

Prophecy in the Bible
Even though all of the prophecies in the Bible have not come true yet (e.g. the ones about the end of the world), never once have any of them been wrong. This alone should give the Bible enough credibility to be believed. It should be noted that Jewish prophets not only made predictions about the distant future, but also things which were to happen in their lifetime. If they were not 100% correct they would be put to death and their prophecies ignored (either they were from God or they were dead). Actually 2/3rds of the Bible at the time it was written was prophetic. (Also see prophecy about Jesus in the JESUS EXISTED section; and appendix C).

For Further Information About Prophecy
Appendix A, B, and C at the back of this book list some prophecies and miracles Jesus performed; I recommend getting out your Bible and looking at some of them. (If you don't have a bible, you can check one out at your local library). To examine in depth all the prophecies the Bible contains is beyond the scope of this book. However, many books have been written dealing exclusively with this subject.

The New Testament Manuscripts
Let's examine just how the Bible was written. The New Testament was not translated from one manuscript. There are over 24,000 original manuscript copies of the New Testament. Most of them were written within 100 years of Christ's death, and they all agree with each other. There is more manuscript evidence for the New Testament than any other 10 pieces of ancient literature combined [McDowell, Evidence].

You Don't Even Need The Manuscripts
Actually, you don't even have to use the manuscripts in order to write the New Testament. It can be reconstructed using only the writings and sermons of the first century pastors (all but twenty verses).

The Old Testament Manuscripts
That covers the New Testament, but what about the Old Testament? When the Old Testament Scrolls were getting old, illegible, and worn out the Jews would make new ones. As I just stated there are 24,000 original manuscript copies of the New Testament. The reason that we don't have more Old Testament Manuscripts is that after the Jews copied them from the old copy to the new copy, the old manuscript was destroyed. To show you how meticulous they were when translating them, consider this: 1.They could only be copied onto the skins of kosher animals. 2.The copyist had to be in full Jewish dress while he was translating the manuscript. 3.If he was writing God's name and someone entered the room, the copyist couldn't even acknowledge him until he had finished writing the name of God. 4.Between each letter there had to be a space the exact width of a hair (no more, no less): if not the copyist had to throw away what he had done and start all over from the beginning. 5.Once the copying was completed, every letter was counted to be sure the copy matched the original. The copy was then given higher authority and the old document was destroyed [McDowell, Evidence, pg 53].

The Dead-sea Scrolls
The Dead-Sea Scrolls are some Old Testament Manuscripts that were written between 70-150 BC They remained untouched until 1947, when they were discovered; they translate almost word for word as today's version of the Bible; so anyone who says "The Bible has been translated and re-translated so many times it's no longer accurate" is mistaken.


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If a person looked at the evidence about the Bible in an un-biased manner, he or she would have to conclude that it was true.



CONCLUSION

It is my hope that reading this book has convinced you that the God of the Bible is real, that Jesus Christ existed and is God's Son, and the Bible is reliable and true. Let's see what we covered.

GOD, NOT EVOLUTION, CREATED THE WORLD
1. The law of thermodynamics and the laws of physics support a created universe.
2. Proofs of a young earth support a non-evolutionary process.
3. The fossil record itself supports a non-evolutionary process.
4. The geologic column does not prove evolution.
5. There are many miscellaneous facts which suggest creation, and refute evolution.

JESUS EXISTED, AND IS GOD'S SON
6. Historians will support the fact that Jesus existed.
7. Jesus performed many miracles.
8. The miracles at Calvary go undisputed.
9. The odds that one person would fulfill 8 of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000; however Jesus fulfilled not 8 prophecies, but over 300 of them.
10. Jesus responded correctly in every circumstance, was never fearful, and always acted with authority.
11. His life death and resurrection have never been refuted.
12. His disciples and His resurrection support the fact that Jesus was God.

THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE
13. The Dead Sea scrolls show the Bible to be translated accurately.
14. There are thousands of original New Testament Manuscripts.
15. The way the Jews preserved the Old Testament Manuscripts was incredible.
16. The writers of the New Testament were eye-witnesses of what they wrote.
17. The Bible is a very unique book.
18. Prophecy confirms the Bible to be true; 2/3rds of the Bible is prophetic; remember, the writers of these prophecies were killed if they were not 100% correct.
19. Archaeology confirms the Bible to be true.
20. Noah's Ark exists.





If the Bible is in fact true (and I think I have shown that it , then what it says is true. It states that there is a literal hell and a literal heaven; that the only way to heaven is through belief in Jesus Christ. This would apply to anyone no matter how good or bad a person was, if they believed in Jesus (and followed His teachings) they would go to heaven for eternity. However if they did not believe in Jesus they would go to Hell for eternity.



If you have read this booklet and are convinced that Jesus is who He said He was (the Son of God), and you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven. You need to do the following things.

1. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
2. Admit you have sinned.
3. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins.
Romans 10:9 says "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved." 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That's it. That's all you have to do. If you like you can ask God to make Himself known to you; He will.

4. Well one more thing Click here






APPENDIX A
The Bible is a book full of miracles: here are some of them.

Creation (Gen 1, Heb 11:3, Psa 104, Job 26:8, Prov 8).
Enoch's Translation (Gen 5:19-24, Heb 11:5, Jude 14, Jude 15).
The Flood of Noah (Gen 7:9-12 7:17-24 8:2, Mat 24:37-39, Heb 11:7, 1Pet 3:20, 2Pet 2:5).
The Plagued Pharaoh (Abram & Sari) (Gen 12:10-20).
Sarah's Conception (Gen 17:15-19 18:10-14 21:1-8).
The Blinded Sodomites (gen:19:9-11).
Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (Gen 19:15-29, Mat 10:15, 2Pet 2:6, Jude 7, Isa 1:10-19, Ezk 16:49, Jer 49:18).
Lot's Wife (Gen 19:24-29, Luke 17:28-32).
Hagar's Well (Gen 21:14-19).
The Burning Bush (Exo 3:1-14, Deut 33:16, Mar 12:26, Luk 20:37).
Moses' Rod (Exo 4:1-5 7:8-13, 2Tim 3:8).
Moses' Leprous Hand (Exo 4:6-12).
The Plagues of Moses:
....The Nile River (Exo 7:14-24, Psa 78:44, Psa 105:29).
....The Frogs (Exo 8:1-6, Psa 78:45, Psa 105:30).
....The Lice (Exo 8:16-19, Psa 105:31).
....The Flies (Exo 8:20-31, Psa 78:45, Psa 105:31).
....Egypt's Dead Cattle (Exo 9:1-7).
....God Plagues The Egyptians With Boils (Exo 9:8-11).
....The Hailstorm (Exo 9:13-25).
....The Locusts (Exo 10:1-20).
....The Darkness (Exo 10:21-29, Psa 105:28).
....Death of the Firstborn (Exo 11, Exo 12:29-33, Psa 78:51).

The Cloud & the Fire (Exo 13:21-22, Exo 40:34-38, Psa 78:14).
The Red Sea Parted (Exo 14:21-31).
Marah's Healing Waters (Ex 15:22-27, Num 33:8).
Manna From Heaven (Ex 16:1-5, Num 11:1-9, Neh 9:15-20, Josh 5:12, Ps 78:20-25 Ps 105:40, John 16:22-59).
The Brazen Serpent (Num 21:4-9, 2King 18:4).
Balam's Talking Ass (Num 22:20-35).
Walls of Jericho (Josh 6:5, Josh 6:14-16).
The Sun Standing Still (Josh 10:12-15, Isa 28:21).
An Ax Head Floated (2King 6:4-6).
Zacharias (John The Baptist Father) (Luk 1).
Jesus' Baptism (Mat 3:16-17, Mar 1:9-12, Luk 3:21-23, John 1).

These miracles (and more) can be found in:
All The Miracles of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer.















APPENDIX B
Some of the miracles of Jesus.

Jesus Baptism (Mat 3:16-17, Mk 1:9-12, Luk 3:21-23, Jn 1).
Jesus Turned Water Into Wine (John 2:5-11).
Jesus Healed Impotent Man (John 5:1-9).
Jesus Healed Man Born Blind (John 9:1-14).
Jesus Healed Peter's Mother-in-law (Mk 1:21-27).
Jesus Healed Man with Withered Hand (Mk 3:1-6)
Woman Touched the Hem of His Garment & was Healed (Luk 8:43-45).
Cast Out Demons & Healed Many Sick (Mat 8:16 and...).
Fed 5000 (Mk 6:37-43).
Fed 4000 (Mat 15:32-36).
Cleansed a Leper (Mat 8:1-4, Mk 1:40-45, Luk 5:12-15).
Healed the Centurion's Servant (Mat 8:5-13).
Widow's Son Back to Life (Luk 7:11-18).
Lazarus Back to Life (John 11:5-12:1).
Daughter Back to Life (Mk 5:35-43).
Walking on Water (Mat 14:22-36, Mk 6:45-54, John 6:15-21).
Healing Blind Man at Bethsaida (Mk 8:22-26).
The Transfiguration (Mat 17:1-13, Mk 9:1-13).
The Demonic Boy (Mat 17:14-21, Mk 9:14-20).
Jesus Got a Coin From a Fish's Mouth (Mat 17:21).
The Man Born Blind (Jn 9:1-7).
Healed the Man With Dropsy (Luk 14:1-4).
Raised Lazarus From the Dead (Jn 11:14-45).
Healed 10 Lepers (Luk 17:11-19).
Healed Blind Bartimaeus (Luk 18:35-43).
Jesus Cursed a Fig Tree, it Died (Mat 21:17-22, Mk 11).
Healed the Roman Soldier's Ear (Mat 26:51-56).

These miracles (and more) can be found in:
All The Miracles of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer.











APPENDIX C
Here Are Only Some Of The Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled

......................PREDICTION....FULFILLMENT
His Birth.............Isa 7:14,9:6..Luk 2:11
His Temptation........Deut 8:3......Mat 4:3-4
His Temptation........Psa 91:11-12..Mat 4:5-7
His Death Predicted...Isa 53:12.....Mar 15:27-28
His Betrayal..........Psa 41:9......Luk 22:47-48
Field of Blood........Zech 11:12-13.Acts 1:19,MAT 27:1-9
His Accusal and Trial.Psa 35:11.....Mar 14:57-59
His Accusal and Trial.Isa 53:7......Mar 14:4-5
Details of His Death..Psa 22:1......Mat 27:46
Details of His Death..Psa 38:11.....Luk 23:49
Details of His Death..Psa 31:5......Luk 23:46
Details of His Death..Amos 8:9......Mat 27:45
His Resurrection......Psa 16:8-10...Mat 28:5-7
His Resurrection......Isa 51:3......John 1:11;7:5;7:41
His Perfection........Isa 53:9......1Pet 2:22; Luk 23:41
His Omnipotence.......Gen 18:14.....Mat 19:26
His Omniscience.......Psa 139:2-4...John 2:24-25
His Omnipresence......Psa 139:7-10..Mat 18:20
His Humility..........Zech 9:9......Mat 21:5
His Atonement.........Lev 17:11.....Mat 26:28; John 1:29
His Throne............Psa 45:6......Luk 1:30-33
His Return............Psa 50:3-6....Mat 24:30
His Mission...........Isa 42:1,6,7..Mat 4:23; Luk 2:32
His Miracles..........Isa 35:5-6....Mat 11:4-5, John 21:25
His Willingness to Die.Psa 40:8.....Mat 26:39
His Sufferings........Isa 50:6,53:5.Luk 23:67
His Offer of Salvation.Zeph 3:17....Mat 1:21


These prophecies (and more) can be found in:
New Testament Prophecies of Old Testament Scriptures,
Barbour Books.





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BIBLIOGRAPHY


The Archo Volume. (No longer in print), Keats Publishing, New Canaan, Conn.1975.

Bible Archaeology Review. 3000 Connecticut Ave, Suite 300, Washington DC, 20008. (a magazine published bimonthly)

Gish, Duane T. Dinosaurs, Those Terrible Lizards. Master Books. San Diego, Ca. 1977.

Gish, Duane T. Evolution, The Challenge of the Fossil Record. Creation-life Publishers. El Cajon, Ca. 1985.

Gish, Duane T. Impact Reprints, Institute For Creation Research, P.O. Box 2667, El Cajon, Ca.
92021. (impact # 219: 10 cents each).

Huse, Scott. The Collapse of Evolution. Baker Book House. Grand Rapids, Mich. 1983.

McDowell, Josh. Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Here's Life Publishers. San Bernardio, Ca. 1979.

McDowell, Josh. Reasons Skeptics should Consider Christianity. Tyndale House Publishers.1981.

Morris, John. Impact Reprints, Institute For Creation Research, P.O.Box 2667, El Cajon, Ca.
92021. (impact # 22: 10 cents each).

Morris, Henry. The Scientific Case for Creation. Master Books. San Diego, Ca. 1977.

Morris, Henry. Many Infallible Proofs. Master Books. San Diego, Ca. 1974.

Sunderland, Luther. Darwin's Enigma. Master Books. San Diego, Ca. 1988.

Willis, John. Law Professor, San Diego City College, Personal interview, Conducted 3/15/93.











RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER READING


If you're looking for evidence supporting the Bible's truth an excellent book is: Evidence That Demands a Verdict for about $8.00.You can find it in most Christian book stores by looking in the yellow pages under "Bookstores: Christian." It is hard to read, but contains a lot of information.

Historical evidence showing that Jesus existed is: The Archo Volume. It is no longer in print so you might have to call around for a copy.

A very good book for proving that supernatural creation has a higher degree of probability than evolution is: The Collapse of Evolution (for about $8.00) Obtained through Chick Publications Box 662 Chino CA 91710 (714) 987-0771

Another good book for proving that supernatural creation has a higher degree of probability than evolution is:The Scientific Case for Creation. (About $6.00) You can find it in most Christian book stores by looking in the yellow pages.

The last 2 books do a very good job refuting evolution, and they are easy reading, and easy to understand.

Written by Keith Mason

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