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Text: 2 Timothy 2:16,17
I would like to present some evidence for the truthfulness of Scripture.
I will mostly focus on archaeology and fulfilled prophecy.
Science provides evidence for the creation. The world is filled with highly developed organisms. There is the scientific thoughts in Scripture that were far ahead of their time.
Archaeology…
If God wrote this Book, what would you expect to see?
Instead of nonsensical ideas about science or things that are contradictory, we would see its history to be in agreement with archaeological findings.
Pilate —Tacitus confirms;
Often liberal scholars have attacked the Biblical record. They will say, if it is not plainly demonstrated by independent sources, then it must be mythical.
However, this approach has been regularly debunked by new discoveries.
Examples:
David
Nabonidus – Belshazzar
Tetrarch Licinius
There are still Biblical events for which we do not have archaeological evidence. Does that mean that they aren’t true? No— we just have not found them yet.
The Bible is about half history! If it were my a God-breathed book we would expect it to be riddled with errors.
Project:
The Gospel of John – Is it reliable?
Three options on whether it is by the eyewitness or not, 1) John didn’t write it but later Christians did, 2) John’s copy was lost and our present versions are corrupted to make it look like Jesus was Divine, or 3) John just made it up.
1) The details include details that only an eyewitness would know. 2) The writer distinguishes other “Johns” in a way that the other gospel writers do not. 3)The writer knows intimate details of the times and locations described. 4) His authorship was confirmed by the first Christians.
In order to alter the original writing, someone would have needed to round-up ALL copies, and modified them all. The same is true of all the gospels.
The early Christians were very careful to make sure that they ONLY received and accepted what was truly from the Apostles. They repeatedly quote these writings— and they generally are in complete agreement.
If it was a fabricated story, why did the apostles die for it?
Now… prophecy.
Isaiah 53:5-John 19:1
Isaiah 53:7-John 19:10,11 Matthew 26 & 27
Isaiah 53:8-John 19:30?
Isaiah 53:9
Psalm 22:1
Psalm 22:7 – Luke
Psalm 22:15 – John 19:28
Psalm 22:16 – John 19:37, Zechariah 12:10
Psalm 22:18 – John 19:24
We can be reassured by these evidences.
Let’s believe our Bibles— and be shaped by them.