By the Scripture’s Own Writers
Bible
Definition
The Bible is Jehovah God’s written word to mankind, revealing Himself and expressing His purpose. Jehovah, as the Author, inspired at least thirty-five different faithful men to write. Although the complete Bible is itself one book it is actually a library of sixty-six books, thirty-nine having been originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic and properly designated collectively the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures, and the other twenty-seven having been originally written in Greek and properly designated collectively the Christian Greek Scriptures. The writing of the entire Bible covered the period from 1513 B.C. to A.D. 98 or 99. The English word Bible is from the Greek word, bibli’a, meaning “papyrus scrolls, rolls, volumes, books” or, literally, “small papyri or booklets.”
Jehovah God’s So-called “Book of Nature” Declares His Majesty and Creative Power
Psalm 19:1, 2 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge.”
Psalm 111:2-6 “The works of Jehovah are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honor and majesty; and His righteousness endures for ever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered : … He has showed His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.”
Romans 1:20 “For His invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are understood by the things made, even His eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.”
God’s Works Not Completely Revealed by So-called “Book of Nature”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “Man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.”
Ecclesiastes 11:5 “As you know not what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so you know not the work of God who does all.”
Jehovah Reveals Himself and His Purpose Through His Written Word
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”
Romans 15:4 “For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.”
1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now these things went on befalling them as examples and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the accomplished ends of the systems of things have arrived.”
Romans 16:25, 26 “Now to Him who can make you firm in accord with the good news I declare and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the sacred secret which has been concealed for long-lasting times but has now been made manifest and has been made known through the prophetic scriptures among all the nations in accord with the command of the everlasting God to promote obedience by faith.”
As Author of Bible, God Contributed to Its Writing Himself
Exodus 24:12 “And Jehovah said unto Moses, Come up to Me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Exodus 31:18 “And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the Finger of God.”
Not of Human Origination
2 Peter 1:20, 21 “No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private release. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.”
Acts 3:21 “The times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets of old time.”
God Used Faithful Men from All Walks of Life to Write
Prince
Exodus 2:10 “And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses.”
Exodus 17:14 “And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book.”
Deuteronomy 31:24 “And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished.”
General
Joshua 1:10, 11, 16 “Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, . . . within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land,… And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou have commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou send us we will go.”
Joshua 24:26 “And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God.”
Judge
1 Samuel 3:20; 7:15 “And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.”
1 Samuel 10:25 “Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Jehovah.”
King
2 Samuel 5:3, 4 “And they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.”
2 Samuel 23:1, 2 “Now these are the last words of David. … The spirit of Jehovah spoke by me, and His word was upon my tongue.”
Nobility, a king’s descendant
Zephaniah 1:1 “The word of Jehovah which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.”
Prophets
Jeremiah 1:1-5 “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: to whom the word of Jehovah came . . . saying, … I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.”
Acts 28:25 “Paul made this one comment: ‘The holy spirit aptly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your forefathers.’ “
Priest
Ezekiel 1:3 “The word of Jehovah came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, .. . and the hand of Jehovah was there upon him.”
Prime minister
Daniel 2:48; 6:1-3 “Then the king I [Nebuchadnezzar] made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.” “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”
Daniel 7:1 “Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.”
Scribe
Ezra 7:1-6, 11 “Ezra the son of Seraiah, . . . this Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; . . . Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of His statutes to Israel.”
Court official
Nehemiah 1:1; 2:1 “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now I was cupbearer to the king. And it came to pass . . . when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king.”
Herdsman
Amos 1:1 “The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.”
Tax collector
Matthew 9:9 “Next, while passing along from there, Jesus caught sight of a man named Matthew- seated at the tax office, and he said to him: ‘Be my follower.’ “
Fishermen
Matthew 4:18-21 “Walking alongside the sea of Galilee He saw two brothers, Simon who is called ‘Peter’ and Andrew his brother, letting down a fishing-net into the sea, for they were fishers. And He said to them: ‘Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once abandoning the nets, they followed Him. Going on also from there He saw two others who were brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, repairing their nets, and He called them.”
Lawyer
Acts 21:40; 22:1-4 “Paul… addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying: ‘… I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated in this city at the feet of Gamaliel [“a Law teacher,” Acts 5:34], instructed according to the strictness of the ancestral Law.’ “
Physician
Colossians 4:14 “Luke the beloved physician sends you his greetings.”
Luke 1:3 “I resolved also, because I have traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them in logical order to you.”
Inspiration
All writers were inspired or moved by God’s active force to write
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness.”
2 Peter 1:21 “For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.”
Acts 28:25 “Paul made this one comment: ‘The holy spirit aptly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your forefathers.’ “
Inspired means “God-breathed”
John 20:22 “And after He said this He blew upon them and said to them: ‘Receive holy spirit.’ “
Moses wrote many words as dictated directly by angels
Numbers 12:6-8 “If there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make Myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak with him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so; he is faithful in all My house: with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches.”
Deuteronomy 31:14, 19, 22 “And Jehovah said unto Moses, . . . Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel: … So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.”
Many received visions or pictorial revelations while awake
2 Samuel 7:17 “According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.”
2 Chronicles 32:32 “Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet.”
Habakkuk 2:2 “And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets.”
Also: Isaiah 1:1; Ezekiel1:1; Daniel 8:1, 2; Obadiah 1; Nahum 1:1.
Others received dreams or pictorial revelations while asleep
Daniel 7:1, 2, 7 “Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night,.. . After this I saw in the night- visions.”
Meaning not always understood by writers
Daniel 12:8 “And I heard, but I understood not.”
1 Peter 1:10-12 “Concerning this very salvation a diligent inquiry and a careful search were made by the prophets who prophesied about the undeserved kindness meant for you. They kept on investigating what particular season or what kind of season the spirit in them was indicating . . . It was revealed to them that, not to themselves, but to you, they were ministering the things which have now been announced to you .. . Into these very things angels are desiring to peer.”
Moses, Under Inspiration, Compiled Genesis Largely from 11 Previously Written Documents of Clay or Stone. Each Has a “Colophon” at End of Document Identifying Writer. The Writer Gave Contemporaneous Accounts
Document No. 1 Genesis 1:1 to 2:4; written by Adam.
Genesis 2:4 “These are the histories of the heavens and the earth, when they were created, in the day that Jehovah Elohim made earth and heavens.”
Document No. 2, Genesis 2:5 to 5:2.
Genesis 5:1, 2 “This is the book of Adam’s generations [“history”]. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him.”
Document No. 3, Genesis 5:3 to 6:9.
Genesis 6:9 “This is the history of Noah.”
Document No. 4, Genesis 6:9 to 10:1.
Genesis 10:1 “And these are the generations [“history”] of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
Document No. 5, Genesis 10:2 to 11:10.
Genesis 11:10 “These are the generations [“history”] of Shem.”
Document No. 6, Genesis 11:10-27.
Genesis 11:27 “And these are the generations [“history”] of Terah.”
Document No. 7, Genesis 11:27 to 25:12.
Genesis 25:12 “And these are the generations [“history”] of Ishmael, Abraham’s son.”
Document No. 8, Genesis 25:13-19.
Genesis 25:19 “And these are the generations [“history”] of Isaac, Abraham’s son.”
Document No. 9, Genesis 25:19 to 36:1.
Genesis 36:1 “And these are the generations [“history”] of Esau, that is Edom.”
Document No. 10, Genesis 36:2-9.
Genesis 36:9 “And these are the generations [“history”] of Esau, the father of Edom, in mount Seir.”
Document No. 11, Genesis 36:10 to 37:2.
Genesis 37:2 “These are the generations [“history”] of Jacob.”
Interpretation Must Come from God
Genesis 40:8 “And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God?”
Daniel 2:27, 28 “Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and He hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.”
Understood Only in God’s Due Time
Habakkuk 2:2, 3 “And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that reads it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.”
Daniel 12:9, 10 “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end…. and none of the wicked shall understand; but they that are wise shall understand.”
Transmission and Preservation Jehovah God has preserved His own Word accurately
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
1 Peter 1:25 ” ‘The word spoken by Jehovah endures forever.’ Well, this is the ‘word spoken’, this which has been declared to you as good news.”
Kept by side of ark of covenant from time of writing
Deuteronomy 31:26 “Take this book of the Law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against, thee.”
1 Samuel 10:25 “Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Jehovah.”
Used by priests to teach during reign of Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 17:9 “And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.”
Book “found” in temple during King Josiah’s reign, 642 B.C.
2 Kings 22:3, 8, 10 “In the eighteenth year of king Josiah, . . . Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. . .. And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.”
Preserved during exile, beginning 607 B.C.
Daniel 9:2 “In the first year of his [Darius’] reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.”
Ezra read law to returned exiles after 537 B.C.
Nehemiah 8:8 “And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.”
Used by Jesus and disciples
Luke 4:17-21 “So the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed Him, and He opened the scroll and found the place where it was written,… With that He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down; . . . Then He started to say to them: ‘Today this scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.'”
2 Peter 3:15, 16 “Paul according to the wisdom given him also wrote you, speaking about these things as he does also in all his other letters. In them, however, are some things hard to understand, the meaning of which the untaught and unsteady are twisting, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
Preserved also through translations to carry out earth-wide preaching commission
Matthew 28:19, 20 “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.”
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth.”
Versus Tradition
God’s Word not to be set aside for man’s tradition
Matthew 15:1-9 “Then there came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying: ‘Why is it your disciples overstep the tradition of the men of former times?’…In reply He said to them: ‘Why is it you also overstep the commandment of God because of your tradition? … you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you, when he said: “This people honors Me with their lips, yet their hearts are far removed from Me. It is in vain that they keep paying respect to Me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.'”” [See Isaiah 29:13.]
No truth in teachings of men when opposed to Bible
Isaiah 8:19, 20 “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead? To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.”
Adding to God’s Word forbidden
Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.”
Proverbs 30:5, 6 “Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
Jesus used written word to refute false interpretation by satan
Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 “In reply He said: ‘It is written, “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” ‘ Jesus said to him: ‘Again it is written, “You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.”‘ Then Jesus said to him: ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written, “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to Him alone you must render sacred service.” ‘ “
See: Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13.
Jesus advised religious leaders to believe God’s written Word
John 5:39, 46, 47 “You are searching the Scriptures, because you think that by means of them you will have everlasting life; and these are the very ones that bear witness about Me. In fact, if you believed Moses you would believe Me, for that one wrote about Me. But if you do not believe the writings of that one, how will you believe My sayings?”
See: Genesis 3:15; 12:7; 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:15.
Jesus gave life to uphold truth of Scriptures
Luke 22:37 “For I tell you that this which is written must be accomplished in Me, namely, ‘And he was reckoned with lawless ones.’ For that which concerns Me is having an accomplishment.”
See: Isaiah 53:12.
Jesus magnified God’s written Word above rabbinic schools
Luke 24:27, 44, 45 “And commencing at Moses and all the Prophets He interpreted to them things pertaining to Himself in all the Scriptures. He now said to them: ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all the things written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms about Me must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened up their minds fully to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures.
Matthew 16:6, 12 “Jesus said to them: ‘Be on the alert and watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they grasped that He said to watch out .. . for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Followers of tradition become persecutors of Jesus’ true followers
Galatians 1:13, 14 “You, of course, heard about my conduct formerly in Judaism, that to the point
of excess I kept on persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it, and I was making greater progress in Judaism than many of my own age in my race, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”
Paul warned against religious tradition
Colossians 2:8 “Look out: perhaps there may be some man that will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ.”
Galatians 1:7-9 “There are certain ones who are disturbing you and wanting to pervert the good news about the Christ. However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed. As we have said above, I also now say again, Whoever it is that is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed.”
Christians commended for verifying through Scriptures Paul’s teaching
Acts 17:10, 11 “Immediately by night the brothers sent both Paul and Silas out to Beroea, and these, following their arrival, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now the latter were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with the greatest readiness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so.”
Peter always turned hearers and readers to God’s written Word
1 Peter 1:25 “‘The word spoken by Jehovah endures forever.’ Well, this is the ‘word spoken’, this which has been declared to you as good news.”
2 Peter 1:19; 2:1; 3:1, 2 “Consequently, we have the prophetic word made more firm, and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and a daystar rises, in your hearts.” “However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among you. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves.” “I am arousing your clear thinking faculties by way of a reminder, that you should remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.”
True Science: Bible in harmony with true science
1 Timothy 6:20, 21 “O Timothy, guard what is laid up in trust with you, turning away from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called ‘knowledge’. For making a show of such knowledge some have deviated from the faith. May the undeserved kindness be with you people.”
Titus 1:9 “Holding firmly to the faithful word as respects his art of teaching, that he may be able both to exhort by the teaching that is healthful and to reprove those who contradict.”
Mentioned earth suspended in space
Job 26:7 “He stretches out the north over empty space, and hangs the earth upon nothing.”
Showed the earth is round
Proverbs 8:27-29 “When he established the heavens, I was there: when he set a circle upon the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the deep became strong, when he gave to the sea its bound, that the waters should not transgress his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth.”
Isaiah 40:22 “It is He that sits above the circle of the earth.”
Spoke of man’s circulatory system
Ecclesiastes 12:5-7 “Man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets: before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns unto God who gave it.”
Identifying of diseases —quarantining
Leviticus 15:3 “And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.”
Leviticus 13:9-11 “When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; and the priest shall look; and, behold, if there be a white rising in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising,.. . the priest shall pronounce him unclean.”
Leviticus 13:21 “But if the priest, upon looking at it, finds no white hair on it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has become dim, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days.”
Matthew 4:24 “And the report about Him went out into all of Syria; and they brought Him all the ailing ones afflicted with various diseases and severe complaints, demon-possessed and lunatic and paralyzed persons, and He cured them.”
True chemical knowledge
Glass: Job 28:17 “Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.”
Acid—Base Reactions: Proverbs 25:20 “As one that takes off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon soda, so is he that sings songs to a heavy heart.”
Source of Iron and Cooper: Job 28:2 “Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is molten out of the stone.”
Metallurgy: Ezekiel 22:18 “The house of Israel is become dross unto me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.”
Authenticity: God’s Word is true and exposes contradictors as liars
John 17:1, 17 “Jesus spoke these things, . . . Sanctify them by means of the truth; Your Word is truth.”
Psalm 119:142 “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is truth.”
Romans 3:4 “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, even as it is written: ‘That You might be vindicated in Your words and might win when You are being judged.'”
Proverbs 30:5, 6 “Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
Writers spoke with complete candor exposing own faults
Numbers 20:12 “And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
Deuteronomy 31:25-27 “Moses commanded … saying,… For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah; and how much more after my death?”
Jonah 1:1-3 “Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah . . . Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it;… But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.”
Matthew 26:73-75 “After a little while those standing around came up and said to Peter: ‘Certainly you also are one of them, for, in fact, your dialect gives you away.’ Then he started to curse and swear: ‘I do not know the man!’ And immediately a cock crowed. And Peter called to mind the saying Jesus spoke, namely: ‘Before a cock crows, you will disown Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
No attempt made to deceive or coerce
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.”
No effort made to force acceptance
Ezekiel 3:11 “And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.”
No effort made to glorify men
Isaiah 40:22, 23 “It is He that sits above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers;… that brings princes to nothing; that makes the judges of the earth as vanity.”
Psalm 113:3-6 “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Jehovah’s Name is to be raised. Jehovah is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like unto Jehovah our God, that has His seat on high, that humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?”
Contemporaries accepted account of miracles recorded as truthful
Exodus 15:1-18 “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto Jehovah, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto Jehovah, for He has triumphed gloriously: … Pharaoh’s chariots and his host has He cast into the sea; and his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. . . . The floods stood upright as a heap; the deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; … Thou did blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.”
Bible’s revelation of God impossible for imperfect man (especially an impostor) to invent
Romans 11:33, 34 “Oh the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable His judgments are and past tracing out His ways are! For ‘who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become His counsellor?’ “
Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice: a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He.”
Isaiah 55:8, 9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith Jehovah.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Answers problems of life in all generations with perfect solution
John 4:14 “Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty at all, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water bubbling up to impart everlasting life.”
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life. He that comes to Me will not get hungry at all, and he that exercises faith in Me will never get thirsty at all.’ “
2 Timothy 3:15-17 “From infancy you have known the holy writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through the faith in connection with Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”
Writers not fanatics—gave logical reasons for faith
Isaiah 1:18-20 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.”
Men cannot foretell events but God can
Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not yourself of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth.”
Isaiah 46:9, 10 “I am God,… declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.”
John 14:29 “So now I have told you before it occurs, in order that, when it does occur, you may believe.”
Prophecies of Bible proved true —hence from God
A few examples. Hundreds more are available for close analysis
Prophecy: Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem …, out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel.’
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:1-6 “After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem … They said to him: ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is how it has been written through the prophet.’ “
Prophecy: Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:20-23 ” ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife home, for that which has been begotten in her is by holy spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you must call his name “Jesus”,’ … All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through His prophet, saying, ‘Look! the virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name “Immanuel”,’ which means, when translated, ‘With us is God.'”
Prophecy: Psalm 69:4 “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: they that would cut me off, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: that which I took not away I have to restore.”
Fulfillment: John 15:24, 25 “Now they have both seen and hated Me as well as My Father. But the result is that the word written in their Law is fulfilled.”
Prophecy: Psalm 22:16 “For dogs have compassed me: a company of evil-doers have inclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.”
Fulfillment: Luke 23:33 “And when they got to the place called The Skull’, there they impaled Him and the evildoers, one on His right and one on His left.”
Prophecy: Psalm 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul to sheol; neither will You suffer Your holy one to see corruption.”
Fulfillment: Acts 2:29-31 “David … saw beforehand and spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was He forsaken in hades nor did His flesh see corruption.”
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