Categories
Authority Inspiration The Bible

Using the Bible to Prove the Bible: Evidence from Prophecy

How can we know the Bible is of supernatural origin, and what makes it different from any other holy book that people claim to be from God?  To answer this question, many focus on evidence we find outside of the Bible: archaeological studies, historical documentation, and advanced scientific knowledge – all of which can be very helpful to answer skepticism.  These lines of argument are built on knowledge found outside the Bible, but there is one line of evidence that relies mainly on scripture itself: the fulfillment of prophecy.

First, let me briefly address the common argument that using the Bible to prove the Bible is circular reasoning.  The Bible is not just one book.  It is a collection of 66 books by 40 different authors.  If it were one work by one author (like many other “holy” books), it would be circular reasoning.  This article shows the predictions of prophets whose fulfillment is witnessed by someone else in another time period.  In many cases, this witness is recorded in scripture; in a few cases it is mentioned elsewhere in history.  This represents multiple, independent lines of corroborating evidence – not circular reasoning.

Divine Origin

Only a being which exists outside the constraints of time can give a detailed description of what will happen in the future with one-hundred percent accuracy.  (In general, I have found those who claim a biblical prophecy has failed to be fulfilled are referring to end-times predictions they have mis-categorized.) This is a characteristic which sets it apart from the Qur’an and many other “holy” books which have no prophecies whatsoever or the Book of Mormon which is filled with false predictions.

Here I’ll describe just a few prophecies which I believe prove the Bible’s supernatural origin.  See 100prophecies.orgCARM, or our Google Custom Search to find many, many more mind-blowing examples of God’s prophetic words given to his people who compiled them in what we know as the Bible.

Daniel’s 69 Weeks

 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

– Daniel 9:25

This prophecy is part of larger discourse in Daniel 9:24-27 detailing the “seventy weeks” revealed to the prophet Daniel by the angel Gabriel.  In verse 25, he indicates that the Messiah will come 7 weeks plus 62 weeks (69 weeks total) from the time a decree to restore Jerusalem was issued to the time the Messiah would arrive.  Each “week” would have generally been understood by Jewish readers as representing a period of 7 years, each year being 360 days according to the Jewish calendar.  This would make the time period 483 years (173,880 days) from the decree to the Messiah’s coming.

The decree came when Nehemiah met with Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. (Neh 2:4-8). That would place Messiah’s coming in 32 A.D. for the prophecy to be exact.  The day of his coming was the Triumphal Entry recorded in Luke 19:28-48 (and parallel accounts in other gospels).  Prior to that, he kept telling his disciples “mine hour has not yet come.” Chuck Missler argues that Luke 19:44 is in fact a rebuke for not knowing the “hour of they visitation” because the prophecy was so precise they should have been waiting for him that day.  For a fuller explanation of this prophecy, other remarkable aspects of the “seventy weeks”, and discussion of the authenticity of this text, see Dr. Missler’s article.

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Great Beasts

Statue from Daniel's Vision
Statue from Daniel Chapter 2.

The vision given by the Angel Gabriel in Daniel 7-8 is parallel to the vision of the statue in Daniel 2 (the photo on the right).  I have chosen the former because of its specificity.  Daniel records not only the symbolism but the interpretation of it which lines up perfectly with the history of the nations listed.

Daniel 8:20 names the kings of “Media and Persia” symbolized by a ram with great power. This matches the Medo-Persian empire as recorded by many historians.  Daniel 8:21 names the king of “Grecia” symbolized by a goat which overtakes the ram from the west.  Here again, the names and geography match the record of the Greek Empire and the conquest of Alexander the Great.  Finally, he says four kingdoms will arise when the Greek Empire falls.  Though he did not name these kings, they were: Ptolemy, Lysimachus, Cassander, and Seleucus.

Far more could be said about the sequence of events, specific symbolism, and other details which Daniel would not be able to manipulate to show he was a true prophet.  See this article by Kyle Butt for a more thorough analysis and defense of this prophecy.

The Reign of Cyrus

Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (emphasis mine)

-Isaiah 45:1

Here Isaiah names a king who did indeed gain great power without much resistance.  It was written at least 100 years before Cyrus was even born, let alone had risen to power.  This is yet another prophecy which could not have been fulfilled by a group of people wishing to validate what they foretold.  Chuck Missler has a good article on the authenticity of Isaiah and the reign of Cyrus.

Destruction of the Temple

Jesus explained that the temple in Jerusalem would be torn down all the way to its foundations in Matthew 24:1-2 (Also see the prophecy in Daniel 9:26 and parallel accounts in Mark 13:1-2 and Luke 21:5-6.):

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Josephus, a historian who was also a Jewish Priest (i.e. did not view Jesus as the promised Messiah), recorded the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.  The lack of any mention of this in the Gospels is further evidence of their authenticity and early writing.  If Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were tossing in mentions of fulfilled prophecies to support their stories, why would they all leave out such an important event?  Surely this would have lent more weight to Jesus’ words and given them reason to make up this evidence as well.  The more likely explanation is that in fact the Gospels were written beforehand and the truth of Jesus’ words were recorded by others at a later date.  Read more about this event here.

Jesus Christ

In addition to Daniel’s vision listed above, over 300 prophecies about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were made in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament (see a complete list here).  Some are more open to interpretation than others, but the sheer volume of messianic predictions is undeniable.  Like the things mentioned above, there are details about place names and sequences of events which shut out vague interpretations and would also be out of Jesus’ control if he were just a man.  These include his ancestry, birthplace, the national reaction to him, the amount of silver exchanged for his life…it is simply overwhelming.  Rather than deal with specific prophecies in this category and the possible objections one-by-one, I will address them more generally and again point to our search tool for further research.

Common Objections to Prophecy

Many who are skeptical of prophecy in general would argue that the wording or symbolism is loose enough that it can simply be re-interpreted to fit history.  Consider this prophecy from Nostradamus which supposedly predicted the 9/11 attacks in New York City:

Earthshaking fire from the center of the Earth
Will cause tremors around the New City.
Two great rocks will war for a long time,
Then Arethusa will redden a new river.

I could see how this might fit the World Trade Center attacks, but it could match any number of other events as well.  What sets apart prophecies like this from the biblical ones is that the latter includes very specific details which cannot be interpreted multiple ways.  The sheer volume of messianic prophecies further narrow the range of possibilities so that not just any old “Messiah” would be able to claim he fulfilled biblical requirements.

Others would say the text was manipulated over time to support a religious agenda.  This accusation fails for a number of reasons.  First, we have copies of the Old Testament, prophecies and all, that date back hundreds of years before Jesus was born (see the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls).  This means if anyone altered the passages about him, it happened in the New Testament.

But, does that work?  The people who were still around in the years following Jesus’ ministry would certainly have refuted not accepted utter fabrications of events they would have known something about.  Paul, before he was an evangelist, was a Pharisee of Pharisees.  He had deep knowledge of said prophecies and a hatred for all who followed Jesus.  He would not only have reason but also the influence to expose such a fraud.  Instead, he repented and accepted the “Gospel Truth.”  The video below is a good discussion with Lee Strobel talking about how he viewed these issues when he was an atheist and after he became a Christian.

Further objections and theories about how the Gospel writers must have invented this intricate story quickly become self-contradictory and sound more like an ancient Jewish conspiracy theory than a reasonable, objective look at the evidence.

How Will You Respond?

This is more than an academic exercise.  God didn’t just make (and keep) the promises he gave about people and nations that died long ago.  He also makes promises about things yet to come which matter to you and I.  There will be a day when Jesus returns to fulfill the “end-times” prophecies, and when that day comes we better know where we stand.  Those who repent of their sins, seek forgiveness through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, and receive the Holy Spirit will be with him in Heaven.  Those who run from his truth will choose a worse fate – an eternity in Hell.

Do not make that choice before honestly examining your heart to know whether you reject the sure word of prophecy because it “doesn’t hold water” or if it is because you are looking for any reason at all to deny the God who sees all things from beginning to end.  Do not be deceived by yourself or by false teachers, for you know not the day nor the hour when it will be too late to turn back.

Categories
Alleged Errors Authority Evangelism False Religions Salvation Teachings The Bible The Christian The Savior The World Theology

10 Apologetics Videos That Get Straight to the Point (and Right to the Heart)

After absorbing over 50 hours of apologetics lectures and debates on topics as simple as an overview of Genesis and as minute as cave formation in New Mexico, my friend and I had an idea.  We seriously considered condensing the information in our vast, overpriced DVD library into a series of short video clips to deliver the key points in a way that would be more engaging to our generation and easy to share online.

We never got past the first script, but I am happy to report that several ministries with superior skills and funding have had the same idea in recent years.  Answers in Genesis now has Check This OutThe Institute for Creation Research produces That’s a Fact, and Creation Today has my personal favorite: Creation Minute.  These video series focus on foundational issues surrounding science and the Bible, but what about the other important questions of life?

Now, Mark Spence of Living Waters teaches on these broader topics in a series of apologetics videos taken from the Way of the Master TV Show.  I was blown away by the quality of not only the teaching but also the production that goes with it.  Unlike those old lectures, these videos get right to the heart of some of the most-asked questions about Christianity or religious beliefs in general.  Everyone has time to watch three minutes (or less) of non-stop, hard-hitting apologetics on the questions that matter most.

You can watch all 10 videos below or click a link to jump to a specific clip.

  1. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
  2. Does Christianity Cause Wars?
  3. Is It Wrong to Judge?
  4. Can We Trust the Bible?
  5. Is Reincarnation True?
  6. Why Would a God of LOVE Send Someone to Hell?
  7. Is Sin God’s Fault?
  8. Which Jesus do you Follow?
  9. What is Truth?
  10. Why is There Evil in the World?

Categories
Evangelism The Bible The Christian

Are You Sure That Twitter Account is Real?

At times when dealing with someone who wards off simple truths with oddly complex arguments, it can be helpful to illustrate that same argument in a different way.  I had an opportunity to do exactly that when observing a conversation on Twitter between a Christian apologist and an atheist.  The typical points were raised: there is no scientific evidence for God, evolution is a better explanation of our origins, Christianity is about money and control over the “sheeple”, the Bible can’t be used as evidence, and who would want to believe in such a wrathful God anyway?

Below is one way to illustrate the absurdity of those challenges.  If we relate the universe to the Twitterverse, this is how those arguments would sound.  The twitter account names have been replaced with “Christian” and “Atheist” in brackets.

[Christian] perhaps you should reconsider your belief in the existence of [Atheist]. What looks to you like an account from an intelligent being operating outside the Twitterverse is more likely the result of a process of continuous evolution giving the appearance of intelligence.

A better explanation is that Twitter has evolved an ability to respond to environmental stimulus more efficiently than its competitors such as the Blogosphere, Tumblr, WordPress, etc. This evolutionary advantage has helped it multiply its accounts at a far greater rate than others. These findings make it clear that no explanation other than the normal interaction of electrons manipulating common alphabetical codes is necessary.

Another possible explanation is that the followers of this being known as [Atheist] are skewing the data in their favor, perhaps motivated by money-grubbing or to exert control and influence over other tweeters.

The only proof anyone has yet offered that he actually exists are words which claim to be written (or at least inspired) by him. Obviously they were fabricated by his followers. Why should anyone believe their claim, especially when science can account for these phenomena by appealing only to the known operation of semiconductors instead of some mythical Tweeter? If his followers wish to claim that anything outside the Twitterverse actually exists, the burden of proof is on them, not us.

Finally, why would anyone actually WANT to believe in such a mean, vindictive Tweeter? Many who still believe the existence of such beings find it much more satisfying to follow a more friendly, less judgmental one.

Categories
Alleged Errors Contradictions The Bible

Refuting the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible

Christians who have argued with atheists in online forums have probably seen at least one link to the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible (SAB) or its refined version at Project Reason.  It lists the objections that Bible critics have compiled over the years into categories like “contradiction,” “science and history,” “absurdities,” and so on.  One designer even visualized the alleged contradictions in a poster similar to a popular one which shows biblical cross references.

Bible Contradiction Visualization
Bible Contradiction Visualization

Several apologists’ responses have cropped up over time, but none are as complete and well-organized as Berend de Boer’s work.  In August 2011, Mr. De Boer completed a seven-year project to respond to every objection in the SAB.  Perhaps more importantly, he does so in a way that contrasts the scoffer’s flippancy with a kind, temperate, Christian attitude.  Consider the challenge and response to Genesis 2:2 about the seventh day of creation:

Skeptic:

 Even God gets tired sometimes.

de Boer:

Tired is not the right word, but God himself tells us he was refreshed by his rest, see Ex. 31:17. That is the purpose of the Sabbath for us as well, see Ex. 23:12.

His work draws a great deal from others who have come before.  The primary commentary he mentions is John Gill’s Exposition written in 1746, but also referenced an earlier work from 1621 by Johannes Polyander which goes deeper.  On the web, lookinguntojesus.net provided a similarly thorough (though poorly organized) reference as well.

Berend describes his motivation in part was to make these answers more accessible in our internet age:

Some skeptics appear to have grown up in new churches with no link to the past, no confessions, no well-known figures from the past, and they seem to invent the wheel every time. That might account for the fact that, according to them, no one was able to give them any answer to the questions they had. Even though these answers were available for 2,000 years… [to find answers] you have to know to search for “John Gill’s exposition”, so that’s still a barrier, but responses to skeptics like mine will make that less of an issue.

When I asked about his overall thought process, he had this to say:

My goal was to find the answers in readily available, very well-known commentaries, and preferably over centuries old. this way no one could accuse me of using “latest greatest research” or things no one could have known. All these skeptics think they come up with something new after 2,000 years, which on the face of it is already preposterous. But I wanted to demonstrate that as well.

The next time you see an angry skeptic on the internet and feel compelled to respond as commanded in 1 Peter 3:15 with meekness and fear.  And, if you’re having trouble finding that “ready answer,” a great place to start is with Berend de Boer’s excellent resource.

Categories
Authority The Bible The Father The Holy Spirit The Savior Theology

How Do You Prove God Exists?

In this first of a 4-part series, Eric Hovind interviews a presuppositional apologist about a most unique tool to avoid the meaningless arguing, and cut to the heart of the matter. Must Christians argue about God and His creation without using the Bible? No! The Bible is our sword, and we must not lay it down. The unbeliever certainly won’t lay his weapon down.