An intelligent person who seeks the truth cannot help but take a book with the unique historical qualities of the Bible seriously.
How many times have archaeology, science, and historical research shown that what is in the Bible, even to everyone's surprise, is exactly as it was written down in the Bible so many centuries ago?
Yet there are still people who ask in surprise, "Are you still reading the Bible?"
Even at school and university, without most of us realizing it, things are said and taught that directly contradict what is in the Bible. Just think about how easily the theory of evolution is used to explain to our children at school and at university the primal beginning of everything!
Therefore, it is time to tell each other again why we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and why we believe that it is reliable.
Let me show you some of the unique features of the Bible:
• Did you know that the 66 books of the Bible that we know were written by more than 40 different authors over a period of about 1400 years? They were from all walks of life, and some of them were even kings like David and Solomon; others were wise gurus, poets, and musicians, yes, even a doctor and historian, fishermen, and even a learned Scripture expert and interpreter of Scripture, named Paul. These authors wrote these 66 books on 3 continents: A portion in the Middle East and Africa, a portion in Asia Minor, and a portion in Europe.
• The largest part of it was written in 2 languages: The Old Testament in Hebrew (with a very small portion in Aramaic), and the New Testament in Koine Greek, the language of every man at that time.
• We find in this Bible all kinds of literature such as history, legislation of all kinds, civil, criminal, ethical and religious, but also poetry, psalms and other songs, prophecy, personal memoirs, and even apocalyptic.
• Yet, despite all that has been said above, there is this golden thread that is noticeable throughout the entire Bible that leaves scientists completely astonished and speechless.
• If someone were to ask you: What is the Bible mainly about, you could answer them as follows: In the Bible, we hear God speak and how He reveals Himself and His heart and will to us. Millions of people can testify how this God has met them somewhere in their lives, spoken to them, and shown them His face, His heart, and even His plan for their lives.
• In the 39 books of the Old Testament, we discover this God as Creator, but also as the God who creates for Himself a people who would ultimately be the womb from which the promised Messiah was born.
• In the 27 books of the New Testament, we read in 4 gospels the good news about Jesus, the Christ or Messiah, about His birth, His life, what He said and did, His death on the cross, burial, but also about His resurrection from the dead. Then we also read how He showed Himself alive to hundreds of people for 40 days, ascended to heaven, and 10 days later gave His people, as He promised, the Holy Spirit to dwell with and in them forever. In the rest of the New Testament books, we read how this radically changed the lives of thousands of people, so that they were even willing to die as martyrs for their faith in Him.
• Can you believe that 11 of Jesus' disciples eventually died as martyrs, because they were so sure about Him as King, Lord, and Savior in their lives!
• Even though the faithful followers of Jesus were persecuted, tortured, and killed throughout the centuries, this did not prevent faith in this Jesus and in this God from spreading like wildfire across the world and is still the largest religious movement in the world.
• Yes, despite so many who have tried, no one has ever been able to stop the printing and distribution of the Bible, and the Bible is and remains a bestseller worldwide today.