When these seemingly simple and well-known facts add up into one whole picture, it becomes extremely obvious and clear that the Bible is far from just unique, but very, very supernatural. These facts impress even non-believers and hardened atheists, not to mention Christians.
Put all of these facts together, and it will forever change your relationship to the Bible. Divine book, which has no analogues!
1. The Bible is a uniquely accurate book
The accuracy and reliability of copies of the Bible is what has most often been criticized by skeptics. The oldest scroll with the text of the Old Testament, known by the middle of the 20th century, dates back to the 9th century AD. e. Skeptics reasonably argued: “The canon of the biblical books of the Old Testament was formed in the 3rd century BC. BC, and copies date back to the 9th century AD. e. Therefore, they argued, for 1200 years, many distortions could appear in the text, which were introduced by scribes. As a result, they argued, if the Bible was written by God's prophets, then the copies of the Bible scrolls that exist today are no longer quite the true Scripture of the prophets.
And now, remember this date - 1947, Qumran Caves. Bedouin shepherd Muhammad Ed-Dzib, in search of a lost goat, discovered the caves. They contained scrolls of almost all the books of Holy Scripture, which were dated to the 1st century BC. e. Scientists were very interested in this: they wanted to compare this scroll with those that dated back to the 9th century AD. I wanted to compare - how many errors have accumulated in the Bible manuscripts over 1000 years?
After some time, impressive results of meticulous research were published: for a thousand years, the Bible has not undergone any major changes that would affect its content. Skeptics were extremely surprised how Shakespeare's works could have experienced many serious discrepancies in 200 years, but the Bible did not in 1000 years?
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2. The Bible is a uniquely holistic book
Let's select 10 well-known doctors in one city and bring them together to diagnose a seriously ill patient and prescribe the right treatment. Do you think they will come to a common agreement? Hardly. Or take 20 famous scientists and ask them to write their vision on one of the topics that are currently being debated. Will they agree? They joke that where there are 20 scientists, there will be 22 points of view, and each will have weighty arguments to substantiate their position.
Look at the Bible! It was written not by 10, but by 40 writers, it was written not by one, but by 60 generations, for almost 1600 years. The Bible was written by people not of one social stratum, but of different people: among the authors were shepherds and prime ministers, there are fishermen, there are generals and military leaders. It is worth noting that in the Holy Scriptures not one, but hundreds of controversial topics are discussed. Many authors of the Bible did not even know each other, because they lived in different periods of history. But look what an amazing unity of the main theme, as well as teaching, and without the earthly editor in chief!
This leads us to only one conclusion: that in fact, at the head of all earthly authors there really was One main Heavenly Author.
3. The Bible is uniquely scientific
And to be more precise, then, in the end, science comes to conformity with the Bible.
The Bible records facts that were thousands of years ahead of scientific discoveries. For example, Genesis 1:12 talks about the origin of species - and only in the last century were chromosomes and the genetic code discovered, due to which such a science as genetics categorically rejects the possibility of transition from one species to another, which, as we noted earlier, puts “cross on the scientific nature of the theory of evolution.
For example, Job's contemporaries believed that the Earth is supported by elephants, whales, or huge turtles. But God revealed to the righteous Job the following, that He “hung the earth on nothing” (Job 26: 7). Only in the 17th century, Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity.
Ancient scientists considered the Earth to be square, others - triangular, still others - flat. But 2,500 years ago, the biblical book of the prophet Isaiah states that God “is He who sits over the circle of the earth” (Isa. 40:22). And only in the 16th century, the Spanish navigator Fernand Magellan, with his worldwide travel, proved that the Earth is really round. And finally, one more fact. In the book of Job 28:25, 3.5 thousand years before the present day, it is stated that air has weight, which was discovered in the 17th century by the Italian physicist E. Torricelli.
Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the correctness of the conclusions of Isaac Newton, who declares: "The Bible contains more signs of reliability than all secular history."
4. The Bible has a unique total circulation
At a time when many books become unnecessary junk, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, one Book continues its triumphant march.
According to the Bible Societies, the daily circulation of the Bible (in 2012) was about 33,000 copies, that is, on average, 5 copies of the Holy Scripture are printed every 2 seconds in the world.
I do not deny that at a certain period the circulation of a book was more than the Bible, but if we take the general statistics, then what other book can boast of issuing, over a century and a half, according to various sources from 6 to 8 billion copies? I am sure that no book can even approximately claim such a circulation as the Holy Scriptures.
5. The Bible is a uniquely popular book
Go through the history, can you find a similar book that has been so mercilessly criticized for a long time? Found fault with every line, word and phrase.
No other book would have been able to withstand such a pressure of criticism and would have lost its credibility forever. But thousands of hammers that hit this anvil were broken and forgotten, but it miraculously continues to stand indestructible as an immutable authority for the faith and life of millions of Christians. Until now, kings, popes, many presidents of different countries, taking an oath of allegiance, put their hand on the Bible, which speaks of its sacred and generally recognized authority. Although, it should be admitted that those who swear on the Bible, often, unfortunately, do not know its content.
Once the French atheist Voltaire said: "I listened for a long time that 12 people founded a new religion, but I have the pleasure of proving that one is enough to eradicate religion forever." It is known that it is easier to destroy than to build. But someone said: “If you want to found a new religion, let yourself be crucified innocently and rise from the grave on the third day.” It looks like a mockery of fate that in place of this audacious speech of Voltaire, where the death of Christianity and the Bible was prophesied, there is now Geneva Bible Society, from where hundreds of thousands of copies of the Bible are distributed throughout the world.
6. The Bible has a unique number of translations
Translations speak of the versatility of the book.
As of September 2012, the Bible has been translated into 2,798 languages and dialects. Translations are ongoing into 2075 languages of peoples, in which not even thousands, but hundreds of people communicate!
Even the blind can read the Holy Book in Braille in 84 languages, and audio versions of the Bible are produced for the illiterate and busy. According to the Bible Societies, 97% of the world's population has the Bible, or parts of it, in their mother tongue.
7. The Bible is a book for all-round development
For the most part, books are extremely highly specialized. Many of them develop only the mind, but not the personality as a whole. Some do not understand, or do not want to admit, that the degree of scholarship does not depend solely on the degree. Is there any book that would contribute to the development of an integral personality, harmoniously developing a person's inner world?
The Bible is a rare exceptional book for all-round development.
The famous Daniel Webster wrote about a book that develops a person comprehensively in his memoirs: "If there is anything worthy of respect in my thoughts and style, I owe it to my parents, who from early childhood instilled in me a love of the Holy Scriptures." And Johann Goethe adds: "The Bible is the basis of all education and development."
8. Unique Fulfillment of Bible Prophecy
It is believed that there are over 1000 prophecies in the Holy Scriptures: about 800 in the Old Testament and more than 200 in the New. But you need to focus not on the number of prophecies, but on the accuracy of their fulfillment. For example, there are 332 Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled at the First Coming of Christ. And these are not vague predictions, but a clear and accurate fulfillment of certain prophetic events, which we will consider in the following topics.
The progress of the Bible looks fantastic against the background of even the most successful modern seers and soothsayers. The unconditional prophecies of the Bible come true 100%, and with all the details described.
98% of biblical prophecies of the past and present have come true, only the prophecies concerning the Second Coming of Christ remained.
It is estimated that the Holy Scriptures contain many fulfilled prophecies concerning ancient and modern states: Babylon, Rome, Greece, Assyria, Turkey, Egypt, USA. In particular, such famous cities as Damascus, Jerusalem, Tire and Sidon. As well as individuals: Alexander the Great, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar. The accurate fulfillment of Bible prophecy confirms a very important point for us: God is unchanging and sticks to His Word. If He has fulfilled everything regarding the past, then can we doubt His words regarding the future Second Coming? No - He is true to His words!
9. The Bible has a unique "vitality"
Emperors, kings, and many religious leaders over the centuries have done everything possible to wipe the Bible off the face of the earth. Forever and ever!
Looking at the hatred and anger towards the Bible of those whom she reproached for their sinful life - it is a surprising fact that the Bible has survived and has come down to us! Only God's special protection in terrible times and the Lord's special intervention allowed the Holy Book to survive among the burning bonfires.
If you are familiar with the history of the Christian Church, then it is enough to recall the terrible persecution of Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century, when it seemed that Christianity and the Bible would cease to exist. Not a single holy book has been burned on such a scale, has not been outlawed so many times. This is another proof that the enemy of humanity, who was behind all this, knows perfectly well which of all the sacred books is God's Word.
10. The Unique Power of the Bible
The famous scientist and doctor Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov admitted: “I needed an abstract, unattainable high ideal of faith. And taking on the Gospel, which I had never read before, and I was already 38 years old, I found this ideal for myself. I became a sincere believer without losing my scientific convictions acquired by reason and experience."
Indeed, the gospel leads to new heights, but it has another feature. The Gospel is not just a pointer, but the power and ability from God to follow the Christian path, as well as His miracle for changing not just external behavior, but the heart and state of thoughts. This was noted by one of the most famous Russian thinkers of the 19th century, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky: “Lord! What a book is Holy Scripture, what a miracle and what power, given from it to a person! … I love this book!"
This is witnessed by millions of criminals, drug addicts, alcohol addicts, fornicators who have become revived and decent people.
Isn't it a supernatural book ?! In which and on which God's intervention, God's favor, His protection are so clearly expressed. Many people believe that God is too far away from them. But if you just think about how supernatural and God-imbued the Bible is, then we can say with full confidence that God is at arm's length from us, in His book - the Bible.
From the works of Igor Koreshchuk, Doctor of Theology