The Bible is not just another man-made book. While men wrote the Bible, they did so under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, meaning that all scriptures are inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). Here are three areas that corroborate the inspiration of the scriptures.
- Pre-scientific Evidence
There are many things that the Bible referred to long before man discovered them. For example, for generations, we believed the world was flat. It was not until the days of Magellan and Columbus, in the 16th century A.D., that man accepted that the earth was round. What man finally discovered in the 16th century, God foretold by inspired men years before.
In Proverbs 8:27, the Bible refers to the earth as a circle that God drew on the face of the deep. How did Solomon know that the earth was circular? There is only one answer—inspiration. This is just one example. There are many other pre-scientific facts stated in the Bible, such as the earth revolving daily (Job 38:12-14), the stars being innumerable (Jeremiah 33:22), and the large oceans of the world being connected (Genesis 1:9), just to name a few. Many other examples could be given, but these suffice to make the point. The only way these writers could have known these things was by the inspiration of God.
- Fulfilled Prophecy
Bernard Ramm, a scholar in the field of biblical evidence, wrote, “One real case of fulfilled prophecy would establish a supernatural act. But if our interpretation of the prophetic passages be correct, there are great numbers of them…Therefore, radical doubt must be certain it has silenced the testimony of all prophecies whereas the Christian asserts that rather than resting the case on one prophecy, we have dozens at our beck and call”
Around 1400 B.C., Moses told of the day that Israel would set a king over themselves (Deuteronomy 28:36). That prophecy was fulfilled around 1050 B.C. At about the same time, Moses prophesied that Israel would someday be besieged by a nation from afar (Deuteronomy 28:49-51). This began to come to pass in 722 B.C. Isaiah foretold of Cyrus, after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, causing its foundation to be laid again. That prophecy was made around 710 B.C., before Cyrus was even born, and fulfilled in 536 B.C. If you search the Bible, you will find many other such prophecies being fulfilled years after they were made.
- Archeology
Archeology is the scientific study of the material remains from past human life and activities such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery. Through archeology, we can investigate the past and learn much about who was there and how they lived. What archeologists have found is that the Bible very accurately tells the story of people and places of ancient times. For example, the Bible teaching of the flood was confirmed by the British Museum expedition in 1929. The famine in Egypt in the days of Joseph was confirmed by Petrie in 1912. The walls of Jericho were confirmed in great detail by John Garstang in 1929-36. King Belshazzar of Babylon has been confirmed by the British Museum. Again, this is just a fraction of the examples that can be given, but they all corroborate the teachings of the Bible and its inspiration.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. Do not let modern scientists, secular educators, or Bible critics ever dissuade you of this fact. Paul was right! All scripture is given by the inspiration of God.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.