Why Trust the Bible? - Part 11

References: (1) At the end of the last episode we were attempting to date when the 4 Gospels were written. We had discussed J. Warner Wallaces 4 points that he used as a homicide detective in Los Angeles to determine if a witness to a crime was credible.The initial step in his journey from being a hardened atheist toward Christianity was what he thought was an evaluation of the Gospels. (2) The first criterion of eyewitness credibility requires one to know that the witness was present in the first place. Thus, the Gospels would have to be written EARLY enough to have been authored by true eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and deeds. (3) If someone was going to tell a LIE, they would have to tell it LATE so that the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and deeds would not be able to REFUTE the lie. (4) Since Jesus was crucified in 33 AD, before anyone can believe the Gospels to be eyewitness accounts they would have to know that the Gospels were written sometime in the FIRST century. (5) The 4 Gospels and Acts fail to mention the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD that Jesus predicted in Matt. 24:1-3. Then that means that they were all written prior to that memorable event. (6) Neither is the siege of Jerusalem mentioned that occurred in 66-70 AD, nor the death of Paul who was martyred in the city of Rome in 64 AD nor the death of Peter in 65 AD. Josephus says James died in 62 AD. These were events that surely would have been reported had they already occurred. So that means Luke and Acts were written BEFORE 62 AD. Now Acts is usually considered to have been written about 57-60 AD. (7) The Gospel narratives were CORROBORATED by archaeology, eyewitnesses, and ancient non-Christian authors like Flavious Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Jewish Talmud. (8) We can conclude the gospels recorded ACCURATE DETAILS. The NT documents have NOT CHANGED as we go from the authors of the books of the NT to their disciples and from them to their disciples. This is what J. Warner Wallace calls the “CHAIN OF CUSTODY.” (9) The Gospels were NOT BIASED. We discussed Wallaces observation that there are 3 motives behind any homicide, criminal act, or a lesser moral misbehavior: a. Financial greed. b. Sexual or relational lust. c. Pursuit of power. (10) Wallace applied these motives to the FOREMOST LEADER of the early Christian movement, namely, to the apostle Paul. The facts are that Paul STARTED OFF with the AUTHORITY and RESPECT from his religious community, and the leaders of the synagogues in Jerusalem.As religious Jewish leader, he was TRUSTED with the responsibility of hunting down members of devout religious Jewish leader, he was TRUSTED with the responsibility of hunting down members of the Christian community and pursuing them with a vengeance. (11) Would Paul LEAVE HIS POSITION OF RESPECT and join up with the very group he was charged to destroy, only to SUFFER PERSECUTION for many years so that he might one day RETURN to a position of religious authority and respect? I think not; that is totally IMPLAUSIBLE. (12) Mark was the nephew or cousin of Barnabas. He became so close to Peter that the apostle called him as “my son” (1 Pet. 5:13). Mark also may have been the person whose home was the “upper room” (Mark 14:12; Acts 12:12, 14), and perhaps he was the the unclad lad who fled Gethsemane after Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:51-52). (13) If Mark was, say age 15 at the time of the crucifixion in 33 AD, then if he lived to 90 years of age, that would be in the year of 108 AD. (14) Note that the book of Acts gives the history of the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Samaria, to Antioch, to the province of Asia, to Ephesus, to Corinth, and eventually to the city of Rome. (15) In Gal. 1:15-19 and Acts 9 we learn of Paul’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul went away to Arabia, and returned to Damascus. Then 3 years later Paul went up to Jerusalem and visited Peter but did not see any of the other apostles except James, the brother of Jesus. Then, Gal. 2:1 reveals that after an interval of 14 years Paul went to Jerusalem along with Barnabas and Titus. So if Galatians was written in the mid-50s, say in 55 AD, 17 years prior to that would be 38 AD. Thus, Paul saw Peter and James within 5 years of the crucifixion. So Paul’s conversion would have occurred sometime between 33-38 AD. (16) Luke said in his gospel that he was writing an ORDERLY ACCOUNT. That word “orderly” is interesting because according to Papias, Mark’s Gospel recorded the testimony of Peter. Papias said Mark’s Gospel was accurate but was NOT an orderly account. Peter did not speak in terms of CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER but rather in terms of THEMES. So Mark’s Gospel according to Papias PREDATES Luke’s gospel. (17) Even the most skeptical scholars agree that Paul is the author of the letters to the Romans, the Corinthians, and the Galatians. These letters are dated between 48-60 AD. Romans (typically dated at 50 AD) reveals that Jesus is the resurrected “Son of God.” Just 17 years after the resurrection Jesus was described as DIVINE. He is God Incarnate, just as the eyewitnesses described Him in the Gospels. This is episode 254.

References: (1) In the last episode I had begun discussing 2 of the 4 reasons J. Warner Wallace gave in his book Cold Case Christianity to support why the NT Gospels are reliable.  The 2 reasons given were: (1) The Gospels were written EARLY. (2) The Gospels are COROBORATED by archaeology, eyewitnesses, and ancient non-Christian authors like Flavious Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Jewish Talmud. (2) I continue today by referring to J. Warner Wallace’s additional 2 reasons to trust the reliability of the Gospels: Wallace’s third reason: The NT documents have NOT CHANGED as we go from the authors of the books of the NT to their disciples and from them to their disciples.  This is what J. Warner Wallace calls the “CHAIN OF CUSTODY.” (3) We have the DEAD SEA SCROLLS which gives convincing evidence that the Bible we have today is the SAME Bible the early church had. (4) J. Warner Wallace’s 4th reason is: The Gospels are NOT BIASED. There are certainly times when witnesses LIE, particularly if they are properly motivated. But what would motivate someone to tell a lie in the first place? Wallace says, “In my experience as a homicide detective, there are only 3 MOTIVES behind any homicide, criminal act, or lesser moral impropriety:     (1) financial GREED,     (2) sexual or relational LUST, and     (3) the pursuit of POWER. (5) All the authors of the NT books were Jewish, with the possible exception of Luke. The authors of the Gospels included Matthew who was a tax collector from Capernaum (see Matt. 9:9; 10:3). He was one of the 12 disciples chosen by Christ. (6) Mark was not one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, but according to Papias he got his information from the apostle Peter. Irenaeus and the other church fathers say Papias was  a disciple of the apostle John who became the bishop of Hieropolis. (7) Neither was Luke  one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, but was by profession a medical doctor (Col. 4:14). Indeed he became a physician of Paul on at least one missionary journey around the Mediterranean. Luke may have been a Gentile. (8) The authors of the Gospels also included the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, the younger brother of James, and a fisherman from Capernaum. He is the one whom Jesus asked from the cross to take care of His mother Mary. He was the author of his Gospel, the 3 epistles, and the book of Revelation written while he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. (9) The Roman Catholic Church was established by the Council of Laodicea (350-363 AD). So when were the Gospels written on the timeline from 33-363 AD? J. Warner Wallace’s book Cold-Case Christianity helps us with establishing the time line from 33 AD to 363 AD. (10) The first reason to believe the NT is true is that there is good evidence that the NT documents were written EARLY enough in the first century by eyewitnesses to what Jesus said and did. (11) Acts makes no mention of the DEATHS of Paul (64 AD), or of Peter (65 AD), or James (62 AD) even though Acts mentions the death of the deacon, Stephen. So it is reasonable to conclude that Acts was written BEFORE 61 AD. (12) So the 2 gospels of Mark and Matthew were written earlier in the first century. While in writing to the Corinthians Paul quotes Luke in around 55 AD. So the 3 synoptic gospels all were written sometime between 33-55 AD. (13) All the NT books were written in the first century and were written within the lifetimes of many eyewitnesses of the resurrection. This is episode 253.

References: (1) In regard to fulfilled prophecies 2 scientists Peter Stoner and Robert Newman computed the probability that 8 of these prophecies concerning Jesus being fulfilled by one person is 1 in 10^17.  That is 1 divided by 1 followed by 17 zeroes. (2) Fulfilling 8 prophecies would be like covering the entire state of Texas in silver dollars 2 feet deep with only one silver dollar having a red dot on it. That is placed randomly in the pile of silver dollars.  Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel across the state as far as he wishes and he must pick up in one try the silver dollar with the red dot on it. (3) What chance would he have in picking the right one? That is exactly the same chance that the prophets would have had at writing 8 prophecies and have all of them come true in one person,  namely, 1 in 10^17. In fact, Jesus didn’t fulfill 8 prophecies; rather He fulfilled 300 of them. That probability is 1 in 10^637. That kind of objective proof should remove any doubts of the Bible’s trustworthiness. (4) The Bible’s unity is amazingly powerful. (5) Two of the 4 Gospels of the NT were written by Matthew and John who were both eyewitness. Luke, the author of the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, was not an eyewitness, but he interviewed eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-4). Mark’s Gospel was written by John Mark and records the eyewitness recollections of the apostle Peter. These eyewitnesses would have known the details and therefore would have been able to authenicate or deny what the documents wrote. Since there was NO SUCH DENIAL, then the details the gospels were describing the TRUE FACTS. (6) Now I wish to turn our attention to J. Warner Wallace’s argument that the 4 Gospels are reliable documents. Thus, it will follow that all the documents of the NT are reliable. (7) Wallace gives 4 reasons to support why the NT Gospels are reliable: They Were Written Early; The Gospels Are Corroborated by archaeology, eyewitnesses, and extra-biblical writings. (8) Baucham made this important comment, “The NT is a RELIABLE COLLECTION of historical documents, written by EYEWITNESSES during the LIFETIME of other eyewitnesses. They report SUPERNATURAL EVENTS that took place in fulfillment of SPECIFIC PROPHESIES, and claim that their writings are DIVINE rather than human in origin.” (9) Baucham’s comment has been opposed, but I know of no counter-argument to his claims that have been offered. Thus, his comment stands. This is episode 252.

References: (1) “Bible Doctrine” (pp. 33-50) by Wayne Grudem. (2) “Understanding the Bible” by John Scott. (3) The OT was written thousands of years ago, and the NT was completed by the year 100 AD. The Bible claims there is a God who created the universe in the first verse of Gen. 1. The Bible also claims that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be the propitiation for our sins (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). (4) Jesus died on the cross and was buried proving that He died, was resurrected from the dead; He appeared to 517 individuals after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-8) proving that He really was resurrected. (5) All the essentials of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Christian Science, or Scientology would, I think, remain UNIMPAIRED if you subtracted the miraculous, the same is almost true of Islam, but you cannot do that with Christianity. It is precisely the story, from the beginning of the NT to the end of a GREAT MIRACLE. A naturalistic Christianity advocated by Christian Liberalism, leaves out all that is specifically Christian and should be abandoned by any thinking Christian. (6) One out every 25 verses in the NT mentions Christ’s return where He promised the resurrection of all believers in Him and declared He will reign as judge and king (John 14:3; Phil. 3:20-21; Zech. 14:9: Rev. 20:4-6). (7) What happens when Jesus returns? Evil is defeated, the earth is restored, and God wins. That should give us hope. (8) In 1919 Frank Watson Dyson and Arthur Stanley Eddington’s experimental observation CONFIRMED Albert Einstein’s prediction that light is deflected in the presence of mass. The. aim of Dyson and Eddington was to measure the gravitational deflection of starlight passing near the Sun during a total solar eclipse. This EXPERIMENTAL SUPPORT for Einstein’s general theory of relativity garnered Einstein INSTANT WORLDWIDE ACCLAIM.  If that deflection of starlight had NOT happened it would have FALSIFIED his theory and he would never have gotten the Nobel prize. But since it did happen he did get the Nobel prize. This fact of the deflection of light in the presence of mass did not PROVE his theory but merely CONFIRMED or CORROBORATED his theory. (9) In 1919 Frank Watson Dyson and Arthur Stanley Eddington’s experimental observation CONFIRMED Albert Einstein’s prediction that light is deflected in the presence of mass. The aim of Dyson and Eddington was to measure the gravitational deflection of starlight passing near the Sun during a total solar eclipse. This EXPERIMENTAL SUPPORT for Einstein’s general theory of relativity garnered Einstein INSTANT WORLDWIDE ACCLAIM.  If that deflection of starlight had NOT happened it would have FALSIFIED his theory and he would never have gotten the Nobel prize. But since it did happen he did get the Nobel prize. This fact of the deflection of light in the presence of mass did not PROVE his theory but merely CONFIRMED or CORROBORATED his theory. (10) Allow me to apply this idea to the question: Is the Bible  true and trustworthy? It is vitally important to answer that question for our culture today. It’s important because legitimate questions deserve legitimate answers. Peter says in 1 Pet. 3:15 that we should always be prepared to give an apologia — the Greek noun that means a REASONED RESPONSE, a VERBAL DEFENSE against a CHARGE,  to everyone who asks you an answer for the hope within you.   (11) You might expect to observe chaos and confusion in the Bible, yet it miraculously remains absolutely CONSISTENT and INTERNALLY HARMONIOUS that tells one primary STORY OF REDEMPTION. This story is like a “SCARLET THREAD” that runs throughout the entire Bible. But internal consistency and external fitting the facts do not PROVE the Bible is a revelation from God. Other facts will be needed. (12) The Bible, unlike any other religious book, demonstrates its reliability through hundreds of detailed prophecies, written centuries before the events they accurately describe. For example, the OT predicts the basic facts of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. The book of Daniel predicts the division of Alexander the Great’s empire and the very timing of the crucifixion of the Messiah and predicts the destruction of city of Jerusalem and of the Temple (Dan 9:24-26). (13) in all the more than 25,000 archaeological discoveries not a single one has ever refuted any biblical claim. No other religious book can be verified in this way, not the Qur’an, not the Vedas, not the writings of Joseph Smith, not the Watch Tower tracts, not the Divine Principle  by Sun Myung Moon, nor the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, not the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, not the Humanist Manifesto for which all the secularist ascribe. (14) Only the Bible remains unscathed. People can claim it is full of contradictions, but after careful investigation all the contradictions are gone with the wind. This is episode 251.

References: (1) “Bible Doctrine” (pp. 33-50) by Wayne Grudem. (2) At 2 places in the NT,  2 Pet. 3:15-16 and in 1 Tim. 5:18, we see NT writings also being called “Scripture” along with OT writings. (3) Grudem says, “Here Peter shows not only an AWARENESS of the existence of written epistles from Paul, but also a clear WILLINGNESS to classify ‘all of [Paul’s] letters’ with ‘the other scriptures.’” (4) Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages’” (1 Tim. 5:18). Grudem pointed out, “The first quotation is from Deuteronomy 25:4, but the second occurs NOWHERE in the OT. It is rather a quotation from Luke 10:7. Paul . . . . quotes Jesus’ words as found in Luke’s gospel and calls them ‘scripture’.” (5) 2 Cor. 5:20 reports, “Now then, we are AMBASSADORS for Christ, as though God were pleading THROUGH us: we IMPLORE you on Christ’s behalf, be RECONCILED to God.” (6) An ambassador is an official sent by a home nation on a mission to deal with a foreign government or sovereign. The ambassador speaks with the delegated authority of the home nation. (7) Grudem continues, “Is there further evidence that the NT writers thought of their own writings (not just the OT) as the words of God? In some cases, there is. In 1 Cor. 14:37, Paul says, ‘If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him ACKNOWLEDGE that what I am writing to you is a COMMAND of the Lord.’ Paul has here instituted a number of rules for church worship at Corinth and has claimed for them the STATUS of ‘commands of the Lord.’” (8)  In 1 Cor. 7:12 and 25 Paul seems to imply that his own judgments were to be considered as AUTHORITATIVE as the commands of Jesus.” (9) Paul said “All Scripture is inspired of God”  (2 Tim. 3:16). The word “scripture” in Greek is graphe. Graphe must refer to the OT Scriptures for that is what the word graphe refers to in every one of the 51 occurrences in the NT. (10) For the word “inspired” Paul used a specific word  in the Greek language theopneutos, which literally means “God breathed”(coming from the Greek word theos for God and pneo, to breathe). But “inspired” has a weakened sense in our everyday usage today. For example, we can say that a baseball player gave an inspired performance. But Paul did not mean that the OT was an inspirational book; he meant that the OT was, in fact, the very words of God.   (11) I must document the RELIABILITY of “the Scriptures,” because the Bible is the BASIS for the Christian belief. (12) The bulk of NT scholarship today dates the writing of the Gospels to be before 70 AD  — the year of the destruction of Jerusalem — with their argument being that such an COLOSSAL EVENT would inevitably have been reported in the Gospels. This is episode 250.

References: (1) I begin today with an 11th reason to trust the Bible. The Bible contains PROPHECIES, some written centuries before the events, that are fulfilled. The OT alone contains over 2000 PREDICTIVE PROPHECIES incredibly specific and detailed. These prophecies are already fulfilled. They cannot have been written AFTER the events and PAWNED OFF as prophecies, because in hundreds of cases, the fulfillment of the prophecy did not take place until the DEATH of the prophet. In the case of Jesus Christ, predictions about where the Messiah would be born, His virgin birth, how He would die, and His resurrection were all foretold. (2) All archaeological discoveries have NEVER REFUTED any biblical claim. (3) When I was in college in the late 1950s, skeptics kept declaring that the nation of the Hitite’s did not exist, but archaeologists had discovered it did exist and a museum was established at the University of Chicago in 1919. I think the skeptics knew THAT but they were hoping the rest of us would not know it. (4) James Kennedy’s book Why I Believe, p. 18 gives an EXAMPLE of a very detailed PROPHECY concerning the city of Tyre. (5) 250 years after Ezekiel wrote his chapter 26, when Ezekiel had long been decaying in the grave, most of the walls of Tyre still stood giving MUTE TESTIMONY to the fact that Ezekiel’s prophesy had not been fulfilled. (6) In 332 BC Alexander came to 2 cities named Tyre, mainland Tyre and the new Tyre. The latter city was built with impregnable walls a half mile out in the Mediterranean Sea. The people fled from the mainland city to the New Tyre because Alexander’s army was threatening them. (7) Alexander, with his chief engineer, Diades, conceived the most daring plan in the history of warfare by building a causeway across the half mile of the Mediterranean to the island of new Tyre. (8) Eventually the New Tyre was besieged, destroyed, and leveled. But the prophecy was not completely fulfilled yet. God had said He would destroy the walls of Tyre and make her like the top of a rock. He had said that it would become a place for the spreading of nets. A member of James Kennedy’s church in Coral Springs, Florida visited the site a few years ago and took a photograph of the New Tyre site. It showed nets spread out on a very large flat rock. And the city of Tyre has not been rebuilt. Let any skeptic explain away that situation by giving a naturalistic reason to refute Ezekiel’s prophecy. (9) Allow me to give some comments about Scripture being the words of God from the book Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem with some of my own added clarifying comments. (10) In the NT, a number of passages indicate that all of the OT writings are thought of as God’s words. (11) In 2 Tim. 3:16-17 and in 2 Pet. 1:21 indicate the character of all OT writings as God’s words are found. This is episode 249.

References: (1) This unity of the Bible may be illustrated by a symphony ORCHESTRA. It might be composed of 100 musicians with several different instruments, yet when they play, there is one GRAND HARMONY because the conductor directs and controls all the musicians as they play. The singular, cohesive narrative is that God is the true author of the Bible and that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors. This is the answer to the unity of the Bible. (2) In their commentaries on the Bible, their letters to one another, and their letters to other churches, these men quoted the NT more than 86,000 times. Their quotations have allowed scholars to reconstruct 99.86 % of the NT. Only 11 verses in the NT the church fathers never cited. The conclusion is that the original text of the Bible has been accurately preserved. (3) One of the saddest chapters in all Scripture is the story of Samson. Everything about him is amazing. Samson was both a HERO and a FLAWED INDIVIDUAL. Four chapters in Judges — chapters 13 to 16 — emphasize distinct aspects of Samson’s character — his physical prowess, impulsive decisions, and susceptibility to temptation. Despite the fact that He was a man of great physical strength, he also had great moral weaknesses. He was especially PRONE to the kind of CARNAL FAILURE  that stems from unbridled LUST  with a LACK of discipline. Judges Chapter 16 portrays Samson’s relationship with Delilah, leading to his betrayal and capture. But most significantly his story is a MARVELOUS EXAMPLE of the wonders of DIVINE GRACE, which is capable of winning unimaginable VICTORY in the midst of the most crushing defeat. (4) The Bible never shies away from telling us about the failures of our spiritual ancestors, because what Scripture aims to HIGHLIGHT is the GRACE of God, not the PIETY of people. If you lose sight of that DISTINCTION, you will miss the point of the gospel. (5) The gospel is the good news about what Christ has DONE to redeem believers in Christ; it is NOT ABOUT a list of DUTIES we are supposed to PERFORM for Christ. It is about the righteousness of Christ provided by the grace of God to those who have no real righteousness of their own. God justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). Jesus tells us in Matt. 9:12, “Those who are well have NO NEED for a physician, but those who are SICK.”   (6) Countless people testify to the Bible’s TRANSFORMING POWER. Rom. 12:2 urges, “Do not be CONFORMED to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may PROVE what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (7) The OT alone contains over 2000 PREDICTIVE PROPHECIES incredibly specific and detailed. These prophecies are already fulfilled and are not a collection of a few LUCKY GUESSES. They cannot have been written AFTER the events and PAWNED OFF as prophecies, because in hundreds of cases, the fulfillment of the prophecy did not take place until the DEATH of the prophet. For example, they deal with scores of nations and cities — like Sodom, Gomorroh, Nineveh, and the Amorites — with which Israel had dealings and is described in the OT. This is episode 248.

References: (1) The first reason is what God Himself supplies: “I will raise up from among them a Prophet . . . . I will tell him what to say, and he shall be My spokesman to the people” (Deut. 18:18, from the Living Bible). (2) Scripture boldly claims its divine origin. (3) Jesus endorsed the Bible’s truthfulness and reliability. (4) Scripture is identified as the word of God, the oracles of God, the commandments of God, and the Holy Scriptures. (5) The word of God is a SWORD piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is the DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The word of God is a FIRE that judges, purifies, and consumes (Jer. 20:9); a HAMMER that breaks the rock of rebellion into pieces (Jer. 23:29); as SILVER tried and pure (Ps. 12:6); sweeter than HONEY and the HONEYCOMB (Ps. 19:10); BREAD that came down from heaven that gives everlasting life (John 6:51); LIGHT so that he who follows it will never walk in darkness (John 8:12); WATER that cleanses filth, quenches thirst, and refreshes energy (Eph. 5:26); a MIRROR reflecting if people hear the word but do not do it ends up deceiving themselves (James 1:23); a SEED that when properly planted will bring forth life, growth, and fruit (1 Pet. 1:23); and MILK that you may grow thereby (1 Pet. 2:2). (6) In a court of law the most important evidence as to the author of the last will and testament actually says itself. If the will says that John Smith is its author it takes considerable evidence to prove otherwise. This principle holds true also in determining who is the real author of the Bible. (7) The 3 sages of Chinese ancient religions, Confucius, Buddha, and Laozi, are said to teach harmonious thought. In all their writings you will not find a SINGLE EXAMPLE of predictive prophecy. In the Qur’an, that is, the writings of Muhammad, there is only one instance of a specific prophecy — a self-fulfilling prophecy that Muhammad himself, would return to Mecca. Something quite different from Jesus’ prophecy who said He would return from the grave. One is easily fulfilled, and the other is impossible to any that has only the one nature of a human being. (8) In my day Jeane Dixon claimed to predict who would be the presidential candidates and which party would win the elections of 1952, 1956, and 1960. She missed all the candidates, all of the parties, and all the winners of the elections. In 1975 all the 10 leading seers or prophets in the world according to an article from the National Enquirer made 61 prophecies. Do you know how many of them were fulfilled? Not a single one. It seems to me that if a person simply guessed on 61 things, surely he would get at least one correct. (9) The unanimous testimony of the Bible is that its author is God Himself.    This is episode 247.

References: (1) (i) Jesus claimed to be God in John 10:30. That claim is confirmed by 3 evidences: His sinless life, the fulfillment of OT prophecies about the Messiah, and the crowning evidence of His physical resurrection from the dead found in Rom. 1:4. (ii) Therefore, we must conclude that Jesus is, in fact, God. (iii) Thus, we know that what God teaches is true. (iv) Jesus, as God, taught the OT is the Word of God (John 17:17). What Jesus meant was the OT. (v) Therefore, the OT is the Word of God. (vi) Certainly, then, the OT is reliable and trustworthy. (2) Allow me to give a very brief but interesting way John Wesley proved the Bible to be from God and thus trustworthy. Premise 1: There are 3 ALTERNATIVES: the Bible must be the invention either of good men or angels; or of bad men or devils; or from God. Premise (2): It could not be the invention of good men or angels; for they neither would nor could make a book that tells lies all the time they were writing it, saying “Thus says the Lord,” if it was, in fact, their own invention. Premise (3): It could not be the invention of bad men or devils; for they would not make a book which commands duty, forbids sin, and condemns their souls to hell for all eternity. Conclusion (4): Therefore, the Bible must be given by divine inspiration. (3) In a world filled with skepticism, understanding the trustworthiness of the Bible is crucial for the Christian faith. Let’s explore other reasons why we can confidently rely on Scripture. Almost everyone will accept that Jesus was a very rare individual who could be trusted to speak the truth. Since Jesus said the OT was reliable and truthful, we can believe that. Moreover, His disciples wrote the NT. The authors of the gospels were either eyewitnesses themselves or they were reporting what eyewitnesses told them. Matthew and John were apostles chosen by Christ Himself (Matt. 10:1-3). John Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark and was once a missionary companion of Paul and Barnabas [Acts 13:5]. We are told by the early church fathers that Mark recorded the words and experiences of the apostle Simon Peter. Luke, the physician for Paul, emphasizes his careful investigation and reliance on eyewitness accounts (Luke 1:1-4). Paul who met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus wrote 13 epistles in the NT. James and Jude were brothers of Jesus. Only in the book of Hebrews do we not know clearly the author’s connection to Jesus. (4) What do we know about the author of Hebrews? (i) The author of Hebrews says that salvation was confirmed to the readers of Hebrews by those who heard the Lord (Heb. 2:3). The apostles are those who heard Him. So the author of Hebrews is not one of the 12 apostles. (ii) He wrote before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Chapters 7 and 8 of Hebrews). Thus, the author lived around the time of the 12 apostles. (iii) He was well-versed in the OT. (There were 98 citations in the book of Hebrews). (iv) He wrote in a more polished Greek rather than the other NT writers who wrote in the common Koine Greek. (v) He calls Timothy “our brother” (13:23). We see then that Timothy is not the author. (vi) He was in Italy when he wrote (13:24). (vii) Even though the author is doubtful among the scholars of our time, he was not unknown to the people to whom the letter was sent. The readers knew him well enough to accept this letter without him mentioning his name. There are at least 3 passages that show that the readers and the author are mutual acquaintances (10:34; 13:18; and 13:23). The passage 13:23 suggests they knew the author well but also that they knew his relationship with Timothy. Luke, Barnabas, and Apollos all fit these characteristics, and some bibles assert that Paul is the author of Hebrews, but that designation is not scripture itself but an indication of a scribal insertion. (5) Allow me to give additional points against Paul being the author of Hebrews. First, Paul’s writing in the 13 epistles attributed to him is in common, ordinary, everyday Koine Greek, while Hebrews is written in a more technical, refined Greek. Secondly, Paul called Timothy, “my son” or “my beloved son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2) while Hebrews refers to him as a “brother” or an associate. This difference in relational terminology suggests a different authorial voice. Third, the writing style, theology, and anonymity of the author of Hebrews contrast significantly with Paul’s known epistles. Paul always names himself in the opening salutation. It would be uncharacteristic for Paul, who was always eager to assert his apostolic authority when writing. Fourth, early church tradition was divided about attributing Hebrews to Paul. The early church Father Origen questioned Paul’s authorship. He famously said, “Who wrote the epistle, in truth, [only] God knows.” Fifth, there is a difference in theological emphasis. Paul emphasizes concepts like justification by faith and Christ as the “one Mediator between God and men, who gave Himself a RANSOM for all,” (1 Tim. 2:5-6), while Hebrews focuses on Christ as our High Priest, the superiority of the New Covenant, and a heavy use of OT typology — themes that are not central in Paul’s letters. The concept of Jesus as a High Priest is unique to Hebrews and is not found in Paul’s writings. Sixth, greater WARNINGS appear in Hebrews than Paul ever gave in his known epistles. (6) There are several possibilities as to who is the author of Hebrews might be. (i) The early church Fathers in the East attributed Hebrews to Paul. The author was certainly familiar with Paul’s own doctrine. Moreover, the author was familiar that Timothy [13:23] was Paul’s trusted companion. However, point 2 above shows that Paul always refers to Timothy as his “son in the Lord” and not merely as an associate [1 Tim. 1:2, 1:18; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2:1]. I think I have sufficiently proved that Paul is not the author of Hebrews. (ii) Luke. The evidence that could support Luke as author of Hebrews is Luke’s familiarity with the polished Greek in Hebrews. Luke having travelled with Paul in his missionary journeys, along with Silas and Timothy, and his exposure to Paul’s doctrine and his knowledge that Timothy was Paul’s trusted companion makes Luke a candidate for the author of Hebrews. (iii) Barnabas. The early church father Tertullion held that Barnabas was the author of Hebrews. The evidence is he was an associate of Timothy and he was a Levite (Acts 4:36) which would fit the emphasis in Hebrews. (iv) Apollos. The evidence for him being the author of Hebrews is the polished style of Greek fits his training; the OT quotes fit his emphasis, and the eloquence of Hebrews fit his oratorical skills (see Acts 18:24). (v) Apollos. The evidence for him being the author of Hebrews is the polished style of Greek fits his training; the OT quotes fit his emphasis, and the eloquence of Hebrews fit his oratorical skills (see Acts 18:24). (v) Priscilla and Aquila. Adolf Harnack promoted this view but it LACKS internal or eternal evidence. (vi) Priscilla and Aquila. Adolf Harnack promoted this view but it LACKS internal or eternal evidence. (vii) So it turns out that the most likely candidates for the author of Hebrews whose names ares listed in the NT is Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos. Of course, the author could be a person whose name is not listed in the NT. This is episode 246.

References: (1) At the end of the last episode I had begun an argument supporting the divinity of Jesus. I do that to support His view that the Bible is the Word of God. (2) Jesus answers the question from the high priest boldly by saying: “I am.” That answer echoes what the Lord speaks to Moses out of the Burning Bush in Exodus 3:14 by saying “I AM WHO I AM.” (3) In John 8:58 Jesus used the words “I am” to some Jews. He declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” When He used those forbidden words the Jews immediately took up stones  with the intention of killing Jesus, for they understood Jesus was identifying Himself as Yahweh, the God of the Bible. By claiming the divine name for Yahweh Jesus affirms His ETERNAL existence (John 1:1), His EQUALITY with the Father (John 10:30), and His right to receive WORSHIP. After Peter tried to walk on the water, the disciples in the boat did worship Jesus and they remarked “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33). (4) In the rest of His answer to the high priest, Jesus is identifying Himself as the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14. That means He is implying He is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. (5) Yahweh is an OT term for God meaning “Lord.” A comparison of OT verses about Yahweh with NT verses about Jesus gives biblical evidence of Jesus’ identity as Yahweh. (6) Is. 44:24 asserts: “Thus says the Lord (Yahweh), your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord, who MAKES ALL THINGS, who STRETCHES out the heavens ALL ALONE, who SPREADS abroad the earth BY MYSELF.” (7) In the NT, however, Christ is presented as the Creator of “all things” (John 1:3; Rom. 1:20; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:1). (8) Thus, we know God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son, are both identified as Yahweh. (9) Jesus is also identified as Elohim in Isaiah 9:6 (the Messiah is “Mighty God”) and in Isaiah 40:3 as “a highway for our God.” (10) Further, in the NT Jesus is identified as Theos, a common Greek word translated “God.”  It corresponds to the OT Elohim. (11) Jesus is also identified as Kurios, a common NT Greek term for “Lord.” It is equivalent to the OT Yahweh. (12) The NT further acknowledges that Jesus has the attributes of God. For example, John 1:1 affirms “In the beginning WAS the Word, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God.” We learn later in chapter 1 of John that Jesus is the Word. Thus we understand Jesus is ETERNAL when it says the Word was God. The word “was” is an IMPERFECT TENSE in Greek indicating continuous, ongoing existence. (13) Also  Jesus’ teaching  reveal His deity. (14) John 3:16 makes reference to Jesus as the Son of God so that Jesus has the same divine nature as God the Father. John 5:18 makes it even clearer: “The Jews sought all the more to kill Him because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God  was His Father, making Himself EQUAL with God.” Jesus never gives a gift of peace or sonship and later reneges. This is episode 245.