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IT IS WRITTENBy John Ben Wilhelm December 21, 2012 IT IS WRITTEN is a book about the Bible drawing from more than 36 different Bible versions. It explores Gods viewpoint about his own word, what it actually says, what it means to us today and how this compares with what is being taught in most religious organizations. It is the result of one mans effort over a period of over forty years to apply the words of an ancient monarch who was inspired by God to put them down in writing more than three thousand years ago. Those words, written by Israels ancient King Solomon, who was reputed to be the wisest man who had ever lived on earth are found at Ecclesiastes 7:25 in any and every version of the Holy Bible one may care to read. From three different Bible versions;Ecclesiastes 7:25 I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses. BBE Ecclesiastes 7:25 So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. NIV Ecclesiastes 7:25 I turned my thoughts toward knowledge; I sought and pursued wisdom and reason, and I recognized that wickedness is foolish and folly is madness. NAB

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VOLUME ONE

IT IS WRITTENVolume I. demonstrates reasons why the Bible is Gods book and how it contains his own thoughts. It explores the mental connection between humans and God as well as the mental connections between God, humans and the Bible. This volume also shows how logic and reasoning plays an important part in separating truth from fiction when it comes to how one derives meaning from the Bible.

INTRODUCTION to IT IS WRITTENWhy, at this time in history another book about the Bible? There have already been hundreds of millions of Bibles read and countless numbers of books published on the Bible. It is because today, we may be facing the greatest time of crisis in all of human history. The very survival of this planet earth is now in jeopardy. While scientists speculate and authors write books about what the future will bring, only one ancient book, lays out both past and future history for men on this earth. From its earliest beginnings it explains the reasons for our present condition, tells us what the future holds for our planet and for ourselves as its human inhabitants. That ancient book is uniquely and exclusively, Gods inspired word, his own message for humans, the Holy Bible. In this, time of unprecedented informational availability, there is still confusion and controversy among many people as to just what the bible really is, why it was written, and exactly what message it communicates to us. While people, in many religions claim to accept the Bible as an inspired revelation from their creator, the fact that there are so many different religions, with literally thousands of variations among their beliefs is an indication that something is askew concerning that claim. Over 40 years of Bible study has led this author to the conclusion that there are some important reasons why so much controversy exists, even among experts today. The simple fact is, that many humans, including religious institutions which have handled Gods written word over the centuries, have gone beyond what was originally inspired. They have supplied their own opinions to it, and passed these off as Gods viewpoint. The result is that flawed human thinking has distorted what was originally a clear message. This has occurred in numerous ways and it affects how most people today understand the Bible. 3

Religious institutions have claimed it as a foundation for their beliefs yet deny its truth by overlaying it with their own man made doctrines when teaching from it. Scholars argue against its veracity when it conflicts with what they teach and continue to either ignore or discredit those portions which expose flaws in their own thinking. Yet, the Bible remains persistent and certain; especially in the case of the N.T. (New Testament). The number of manuscripts, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers is overwhelming. Today we can study these, monitor any changes which may have occurred from the oldest ones forward and compare them with current writings. To the extent that men have substituted and translated their own thoughts for Gods thoughts, they have adulterated the purity of the original inspired word of God. In doing this they have diminished meaning and affected the impact scripture was intended to have on the human family. Jesus Christ made a comment about teaching doctrines of men rather than those of God; Matthew 15:9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.NAB

Over the years more than just a few translators and commentators have been guilty of violating the Bibles innate clarity. In so doing they have contributed to much of the confusion in peoples minds today concerning Gods word. Does this mean the Bible has lost its credibility? Not at all, for God Almighty has seen to it that the essence of his original thinking still is preserved. We can be assured that every man or woman who reads the Bible still may know what God wants them to know and what their responsibility is in connection with that information. Therefore, while it may be evident to a serious Bible Student that in some Bible versions there are verses translated in ways that add confusion, it affords no excuse for anyone to ignore Gods word in its entirety. It is also a historical fact that over the centuries, there have been opponents who have resorted to every device possible to discourage people from receiving godly thinking through his word. There have been attempts that range from outright banning the Bible and destroying copies of it to hiding, obscuring and or distorting it contents. Never the less, as Sir Frederic Kenyon, director of the British Museum stated; The text of church, is so large, that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or the other of these ancient authorities.

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However, Erasmus as early as the year 1512 had this observation on the Bible as he saw it in his day;"But one thing the facts cry out, and it can be clear, as they say, even to a blind man, that often through the translators clumsiness or inattention, the Greek has been wrongly rendered; often the true and genuine reading has been corrupted by ignorant scribes, which we see happen every day, or altered by scribes who are halftaught and half-asleep. This quotation, which was written by Erasmus almost 500 years ago, is still true in our day with two additional factors. One is the huge importance economics have taken in the translation process and the second is the influence of prior denominational bias. Neither of these can be ignored when considering any one version of the Bible. While Gods originally inspired message still shines through all versions of the Bible, a careful study of multiple versions is a strong device for neutralizing elements of bias in individual translations. Also this allows for a consensus approach helping to establish the true Bible teachings with more clarity for a better understanding. By considering multiple versions it allows the collective word of God to prevail over those singular variants produced by denominations, institutions, individual translators or translational committees who may be guilty of pre existing bias in some of their intrepretation of scripture Therefore, this book will compare more than 36 Bible versions, toward the end of presenting a clearer and more harmonious understanding as it addresses individual passages of scripture. Examples used will be those which present as accurately as possible, Gods own view point based on overall internal Bible context. (See index for codes identifying translations used in It Is Written) The Bible itself is internally self revealing and self preserving. Within its pages are found, two important principles which help assure us that we are getting Gods own view point. These principals form pre-requisites for any reader who wants to achieve an accurate understanding of Gods written message for humans. The author will apply these principals throughout his discussions in this book. The first principal is; Trust in God Almighty himself, not in man when it comes to spiritual understanding. God has the ability within himself to reveal truth through his word and through his spirit. He is uniquely and superbly able to provide rightly inclined individuals with the ability to discern what he intends for them to know. Also, he is able to communicate his own thoughts and intentions much more effectively than any human or committee of humans can. We may have confidence that his competence to communicate true Godly thinking exceeds any humans ability. God inspired word makes a point along this line in the following verses; 5

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. NAS Psalm 146:3 Do not put your trust in princes, in any child of Adam, who has no power to save. NJB Proverbs 3:5 Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception; NJB Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD NLT. 2 Corinthians 1:9 1indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; NAU A second equally important principal is: Add nothing to what God has given as his own thoughts, nor subtract from what he says and what his thinking is as it is conveyed through the bible. 1 Corinthians 4:6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. NIV Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. NAU Revelation 22:18,19 "I am bearing witness to everyone that hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone makes an addition to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll; and if anyone takes anything away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, God will take his portion away from the trees of life and out of the holy city, things which are written about in this scroll.; NWT These two principals employed with a sincere desire to know truth, combined with genuine effort will lead sincere individuals to a greater and more accurate knowledge of Gods word. They will be able to discern what it says, from his own viewpoint, thereby allowing Gods thinking, rather than mans thoughts to be the determining factors in really understanding the true message as it is conveyed by scripture. By using a wide variety of the Bible versions available today, this book allows verse to be presented in language as clear as possible for arriving at the original thoughts God 6

intended for us. This is a great help for us individual readers in forming solid conclusions, apart from doctrinal influences and the bias of religious institutions. The Bible says God encourages soundness of mind and that we should employ our thinking abilities. These are shown as God given gifts to be used humbly and with an open mind to help us learn about the creator and his ways. Titus 2:12 instructing us to repudiate ungodliness and worldly desires and to live with soundness of mind and righteousness and godly devotion amid this present system of things, NWT Romans 12:2 And quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making YOUR mind over, that YOU may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God NWT Proverbs 2:11 thinking ability itself will keep guard over you, discernment itself will safeguard you, NWT Or, as another version puts it; Proverbs 2:11 Thoughtfulness doth watch over thee, Understanding doth keep thee,YLT

It is written explores three avenues of investigation. First, it addresses what the Bible really says, by applying information and principals found throughout the entire Bible to determine the validity of understandings arrived at. This enables the Bible itself to determine both what it says as well as what it means. The object is to achieve error free Bible understanding. The Bible itself, internally reveals ways how we may accomplish this. The first important God given Bible principal to help us filter out wrong understanding states that for any matter to be established there must be a minimum of two or three witnesses. Interestingly, we find the very verses stating this principal in at least three places by 3 different writers in the Bible. Matthew 18:16 and if he may not hear, take with thee yet one or two, that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand. - YLT Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.- KJV

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2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to YOU. "At the mouth of two witnesses or of three every matter must be established."- NWT The principal of having at least two places (witnesses) of scriptural corroboration, when properly applied, is a tool helping to expose erroneous doctrine and also aids us to separate true bible understanding from that which may be inaccurate. Any important correct understanding will have this principal behind it attesting to its validity. When any individuals or groups teaching fails to be supported by this principal, it should raise a question for us as to whether their understanding is correct or not. Gods word is not inconsistent nor does it contradict itself. It has good reason behind it when it requires a minimum of two witnesses to attest to something being factual. When one encounters a Bible teaching that cant meet this principal, it can safely be seen as a warning flag that the individual teacher may be in error, and out of harmony with God and his word. Also, when a doctrine or teaching is labeled as a biblical teaching without any scripture behind it, it must be recognized for what it is, a doctrine or tradition of men who are promoting it, not a true teaching of God in a pure form. Secondly, It is written addresses Biblical meanings for those important words and phrases which are basic keys to accurately understanding Gods word. Relying solely on modern day dictionary definitions is not enough for accurate Bible understanding. It is not what a modern dictionary might say a word means, but what that word meant in the original language in which the writer set things down in. Therefore, a wide variety of Bible dictionaries are employed to help the reader understand what words or phrases mean in Biblical terms. (See appendix- Bible dictionary sources used) Thirdly, it gives attention to context. Who, What, Why, When and Where, are not questions to be ignored if accurate understanding is the goal. This means not only attention to the immediate context concerning a passage of scripture, but also to consideration of context relative to the Bible as a whole. The Bible is seen as a unified collection of accounts by a divine author who cannot lie and therefore must always be found true. This means he would not lie or contradict himself in his own communication, the Holy Bible which he has provided for his human family. This book is not an attempt to modify, change or alter the inspired message contained in Gods word the Bible in any way or manner. Through a close examination of what was actually written, and a filtering out of man-made doctrinal influence, the light of his word will shine much brighter for anyone who is sincerely interested in knowing Gods own viewpoint. The author does not claim or possess impressive sounding worldly academic credentials. However, neither did the original Bible writers, or even Jesus Christ himself, have degrees, diplomas, certificates or any other recognizable credentials men might have seen as impressive in his day. In fact, ones with recognizable 8

credentials in that day, the Scribes and Pharisees, were shown to greatly be in error and exposed as being hypocrites by Jesus. Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said in reply, 1 "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. NAB The Bible itself tells of a time when its hidden meanings would be revealed, a time when men would possess both the tools and the inclination to uncover the kind of accurate understanding which can be said to constitute true enlightenment. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." NIB Never before in all history has it been possible for an individual to have access to information and events anywhere in the world almost in real time, through his or her own personal computer. Never before has an individual had access to virtually all the libraries and almost all the books on earth via the touches of key strokes in his own home or office. For the first time in recorded history, man has been given the ability to process information that would take months and years to explore in only minutes and hours with the aid of modern day computers. This virtual explosion in available information also affects the study and analysis of Gods own book the holy bible. Where it was impossible for one individual to compare dozens of bible versions with each other every time a bible verse was considered, it is now possible to not only do so, but to do it almost instantaneously. Where it was extremely time-consuming to explore a variety of viewpoints given by Biblescholars, if one wants to expend some effort, this is now entirely doable in minutes. Today, this revolution in accessible data also makes it much more possible to uncover errors attributable to conflicting opinions. That there would come a critical time in history when the actual truth of God Almighty would be revealed to people in its fullest sense is alluded to in numerous places in the Bible. Daniel 12:4 "But you, Daniel, keep the words secret, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will range far and wide and knowledge will increase." TNK Other verses elaborate further; Isaiah 11:9 There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. NAB Joshua 4:24 That all the nations of the earth might know, that the power of the Lord is mighty, and that ye might worship the Lord our God in every work. LXE 9

Acts 2:17, 18. 'It will come to pass in the last days,' God says, . . . Acts 2:18 And on my servants, and on my hand-maidens I will, in those days, pour out of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: NAB Bible Scholars everywhere suspect these verses as having application to a day and time in which we are now living. It Is Writtten endeavors to re re-examine the Bible and its teachings in light of available wide spread access to both traditional and current information. For a reader this will contribute to a fuller understanding as to what the Bible is and what is means to us as individuals and to us as members of the human family at large. The authors significant contribution to this book is more than forty years of open minded, and hopefully, childlike search for truth. All credit, and any value this book may have, belongs to God Almighty. The author claims no greater insight than what God has provided by his spirit and through his written word. The sentiment, It is written, when referring to Gods word, has behind it the greatest source of authority in all the history of human literature, the creator himself. We urge the reader to judge the contents of this book in the light of Gods word. Hopefully, in some meaningful way, this book may open the way to help truth from God become a permanent resident in the private chamber of the readers own heart. Volume I. demonstrates just how we may know the Bible is a book containing Gods thoughts. It explores the mental connection between humans and God, as well as the mental connection between God, humans and The Bible. This volume also explores how logic and reasoning play a major part in separating truth from fiction when it comes to how one understands the Bible.

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IT IS WRITTENVOLUME I. TABLE OF CONTENTS[Ctrl + Click takes you to the Chapter indicated]

CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS THE BIBLE, WHY IS IT DIFFERENT? CHAPTER 2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BIBLE CHAPTER 3. REASONS FOR CONFIDENCE IN THE BIBLE CHAPTER 4. GETTING MORE FROM READING THE BIBLE CHAPTER 5. WHAT DO BIBLE SYMBOLS MEAN TO A READER CHAPTER 6. COMPLEX SYMBOLS WITH LARGER MEANINGS CHAPTER 7. FIGURES OF SPEECH, PARABLES, ETC. CHAPTER 8. HOW IMPORTANT IS MINDSET TO A READER CHAPTER 9. WHAT IS TRUTH, WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? CHAPTER 10. LOGIC AND REASONING AS TOOLS OF TRUTH CHAPTER 11. LOGIC AND GOD, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP? CHAPTER 12. LOGIC AND SCRIPTURE. HOW, WHY AND WHEN? CHAPTER 13. LOGIC IN MAN, AS A KEY TO KNOWING GOD CHAPTER 14. FALLACIES - TOOLS FOR SPOTTING FALSEHOOD CHAPTER 15. HARMONIZING YOUR BRAIN, GOD and THE BIBLE CHAPTER 16. CHALLENGING FALSEHOOD WITH LOGIC CHAPTER 17. THE WAR WITHIN YOU, AND THE BIBLE . CHAPTER 18. A LOOK AHEAD TO IT IS WRITTEN VOLUME II.

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CHAPTER ONEWHAT IS THE BIBLE?1. Unlike any other book written in the history of man. It is not for one singular reason that the bible can claim its uniqueness among all the books ever written. Rather there are a number of reasons on which to base such a claim. First, the Bible, although viewed as a single book is in reality a compilation of 66 small books written over a period of approximately 1500 years, by at least 40 different authors. Many of these men never knew each other or had any contact with one another. Despite participation of so many writers over such a long period of time, it contains an internal harmony and a consistency not found in any other book. It is the only book ever written, which addresses the history of our earth and mans existence on it, from the very start of recorded time well into the future. It is a book, which has consistently related accurate information, previously either un-known to man or commonly misunderstood at the time of its writing. It is a book filled with prophecies fulfilled as well as prophecies in various stages of being fulfilled. Its standards and moral aspects are not only beyond reproach but represent a higher plateau of law when comparable to any concepts of manmade origin. For these and other reasons, millions of people acknowledge this book as a work of literature far beyond the abilities of any humans or group of humans. They feel the evidence clearly points to a super-human intelligence behind the information it contains. Throughout history, billions have been influenced by it and countless numbers have even been willing to sacrifice their lives for it. Reasons for this may be found in assertions the book itself makes, indicating its origin, authorship and usefulness. Three sample verses allow us a glimpse of these reasons. 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture {is} given by inspiration of God, and {is} profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: WEB John 17:17 Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth. NWT Heb 4:12 For the Word of God is living, and powerfully working, and sharper than every two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of both soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge of the thoughts and intentions of the heart; LITV 12

As we will see, while men were used to record these truthful and enlightening thoughts, in reality the author, by means of inspiration was and is God almighty, who has a personal name which will be discussed later. 2.. How did it come to be? Whereas it must be prefaced that exactly dated historical records are not available in many instances, an overall picture of chronology of the Bible is useful. It helps form a clearer picture of its beginnings and its preservation through history down to our own time. The beginning of the Bible goes back to ancient Jewish writings recorded on leather scrolls and tablets over many centuries by kings, shepherds, prophets and some leading individuals among ancient Semitic peoples. While none of these original writings are available to us today, the record of, and preservation of copies of these writings assures us that the Spirit of God Almighty was involved in perpetuating his thoughts and ideas as contained therein down to our own day. The first five books, the Pentateuch or Law, as it is referred to, was compiled by and reputedly written down by a man named Moses, under Gods inspiration. This is believed to have occurred between 1500 and 1400 BCE, with Moses setting down in writing accounts and traditions which he had received, both orally and by divine inspiration, along with actual first hand experiences he himself had. For the next thousand years, additional accounts of the history of the Jews and Gods dealings with them were written down and preserved. About 450 BCE the Law and the other Jewish Scriptures were arranged by Jewish teachers who had recognized a completed set of writings as the inspired and sacred authority of God. ( ). At some time during this era, the books of the Hebrew Bible were arranged by topic, including the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nebiim), and the Writings (Ketubiim). The First letters of these Hebrew words T, N and K form the name of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. Although the Jewish scriptures were hand copied, extreme care was exercised to assure accuracy from copy to copy. Scribes who devoted their entire lives to copying these writings employed a control system, counting letters, words and paragraphs. If an error was discovered, the entire translation was discarded. This made it virtually impossible to perpetuate errors in the final copies. Around 250 BCE, the Hebrew Bible began to be translated into other languages. Foremost among these was a version known as The Septuagint or LXX Translation, translated into the Greek language in Alexandria Egypt. Tradition says this was accomplished by 72 different interpreters working as a translation team. Parts of those Hebrew writings were translated into Aramaic at that time. These, the Aramaic Targums, are only available in fragmentary portions today. Also, current, 13

during that era was the Samaritan Pentateuch which was limited to the first five books of Moses. These are not viewed as a true parallel to the LXX, which consisted of the full catalog of inspired writings available at the time, and is well known down to this day. The LXX from that period is accepted as the version Jesus and the apostles may have had access to during the first century. It is at the stem of what we recognize today as the Hebrew Scriptures. Further proof for legitimacy of The Septuagint or LXX Bible was uncovered relatively recently, with the Dead Sea Scrolls, a find which had been in the ground since before the first century BCE, undiscovered and untouched by humans. This afforded a unique opportunity to compare what we have today with what existed at the time of Jesus. Careful analysis showed the Hebrew Bible we have is essentially the same as what was in existence in Jesus day. The LXX enjoyed widespread use in the Hellenistic Diaspora and even in Jerusalem which had become a cosmopolitan community and was therefore Greek-speaking by the time of Jesus. Both Philo (Jewish Philosopher and historical figure) and Josephus (Jewish historian) showed a reliance on the Septuagint in their citations of Jewish scripture. Extent at that time, also were individual scrolls, copies of the Jewish writings, which were in use in the Temple and in the various synagogues during the time of Jesus. The compilation of what we now call the Christian Greek Scriptures began about 450 years after completion of the writings known as the Hebrew Scriptures, with accounts known as the Gospels, describing the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Also included in the Christian Greek Scriptures is a history of the apostles, the formation of the Christian congregation and major prophecies concerning future events for both the Jewish nation and mankind in general. These writings took the form of individual letters and documents, written over a period of about 55 years by first and second hand witnesses to the events they described. The writers and their successors understood their writings to be inspired by God Almighty himself, as evidenced by expressions contained within the writings themselves. 2 Ti 3: 16 - All scripture {is} given by inspiration of God, and {is} profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: WEB Starting around the year 40 CE and continuing for over fifty years, actual writings of the Apostles and eye witnesses to the events were circulated among early Christians. Those early authors who quoted from 31 books of the Hebrew Scriptures circulated their writings widely, so that by 150 CE Christians everywhere were referring to the entire set of writings as inspired of God. While none of the original manuscripts from that era are known to exist in our day, there is a large body of evidence supporting their existence during that time. In the year 379, the Synod of Carthage, wanted to protect the 27 NT inspired books currently in use from emerging heresies and from off shoot religious movements. They moved to protect the body of 14

writings already recognized as inspired by God, and formally arranged them into what is now known as the Bible Cannon. This organized 66 books of inspired writings into one conjoined book, which we recognize today as The Holy Bible including both the Hebrew and Christian Greek Scriptures. Other books on the scene at the time were for a number of reasons considered of uncertain inspiration and classified into what we know today as The Apocrypha. Todays versions of The Bible are supported by more than 4,680 manuscripts, some dating as early as 130 CE. We have available, 2,533 miniscule parchments, 241 majuscule parchments, 68 papyri and 1838 Lectionaries which are scripture texts used in readings among early Christians. All these documents contribute to the proof that what we have today is substantially what has existed dating way back into the historical past. Bibles are generally classified under five types or categories which represent their approach toward the material they contain. 1. LIT - Literal Translation - Attempts to keep the exact words and phrases of the original. It is faithful to the original text, but sometimes hard to understand. 2. FE - Formal Equivalence - Is a word-for-word translation (translating the meanings of individual words in their more or less exact syntactic sequence. 3. TFT Thought for thought translations also known as Dynamic Equivalent. Attempts to keep a constant historical distance with regard to history and facts, but updates the writing style and grammar. It is concerned with the overall meaning of the paragraph as a whole. 4. PAR Paraphrase Translations are also referred to as Free translation. It translates the ideas from the original text but without being constrained by the original words or language. It seeks to eliminate historical distance. While readable, it is considered less precise. 5. OTH - Others or combinations of translation types - May apply the principals of more than one approach to translating. All methods have value to the extent that they attempt to convey the thoughts and words of the original writers. However we must realize that while God allowed the writers to use their own styles and words, the thoughts they expressed were not their own. They were Gods thoughts by virtue of his inspiring them what to write.[RETURN TO CONTENTS]

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CHAPTER TWO.HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BIBLEWhile, the Bible asserts within its own pages to be from God, that is it contains the thoughts and mind of God, no one can claim it is the same persona as God. Simply stated, inspired means that it was influenced by God and that he impelled and animated human authors to set down his thoughts in writing. It is not God himself, however it is of God in the sense that it comes from him and was preserved through the pages of history so that men should have his thinking on the major questions concerning their lives on earth. The Bibles makes claim to this within its pages (from three different versions); 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. NLT 2 Timothy 3:16 every Writing is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that is in righteousness, YLT 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: KJV The Bible began its journey to contemporary times with an oral tradition passed on from the time of Adam and Eve down to Moses who was chosen by God to convey Gods will to his people. Jehovah spoke to Moses on numerous occasions and related information about himself along with instructions on how his human family was to conduct themselves. These conversations and the events connected with his relationship with God were put into writing by Moses and now constitute the first five books of the Bible known as the Torah (Hebrew) or Penteteuch (Greek) Exodus 34:27 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. ASV Since Moses was schooled in Egypt around 170o BCE where an alphabet is said to exist at least as early as 1800 BCE, he was in a unique position to commit the sayings of God into written form, probably on papyrus sheets. These were understood to be sewn together in a form we know today as scrolls. Later, animal skins were processed into what we now know as parchment which was also compiled into scrolls for preservation and use by future readers. 16

This is where we begin to trace the origins of the Bible as we know it today. (See the chart on next page)

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When we look at a list of the variety of Bibles descended through time, it becomes evident that the Bibles journey through history is quite well documented, attesting to the attention it received all throughout history.

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1.2 A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF BIBLES [Chart No. 2.]Representative listing only, Shown in reverse chronological order

CODE

BIBIBLE VERSIONWORLD ENGLISH TRANSLATION BZ, OR, X8 Based on Am. Std, + others

DATE

TYPE

WET

202 2009

FE

ALT

ANALYTICAL - LITERAL TRANSLATION B A translation by Gary Zeola, Trinitarian apologetic ENGLISH MAJORITY TEXT VERSION MA, BZ. - Modernization of KJV

2007

LIT

EMTV

2007

FE

RSVC

REVISED STANDARD CATHOLIC 2nd Edition Based through RSV on ASV - 06

2006

FE

ARTB

ANCIENT ROOTS TRANSLINIER BIBLE 2006 A lay translation (A. Frances Werner) clarify Hebrew Words A CONSERVATIVE VERSION LX, BZ, X4. primarily based ASV, TR + LA NEW CAMBRIDGE PARAGRAPH BIBLE MA, BZ. Based on KJV NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION MA, BZ, X. Internet Bible THE COMPLETE APOSTLES BIBLE LX, BZ, APOSTLES BIBLE LX HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE MA, NA A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS HOLY SCRIPTURES MA, BZ. Attempt to modernize language, based on KJV 2005

FE

ACV*

LIT

NCPB

2005

FE

NET

2005

TFT

CAB

2005

LIT

AB

2004

LIT

HCSB

2004

TFT

VWHS*

2003

FE

19

NISB

NEW INTERPRETERS STUDY BIBLE Revision of RSV THE MESSAGE X. modern language paraphrase Bible for the Internet EASY ENGLISH BIBLE MA, BZ KJV based Internet Bible ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION MA, BZ. Revised RSV HOLY SCRIPTURES VERSION MA, BZ, WH. based on KJV + Church of Christ Viewpoint RESTORED KING JAMES VERSION MA, BZ, - Internet Bible w/ YHWH (divine name restored) KING JAMES VERSION - 2000 MA, BZ. - KJV w/ language updated AMERICAN KING JAMES VERSION MA, BZ. - KJV w/ language updated MODERN KING JAMES MA, BZ. - KJV w/ language updated RECOVERY VERSION OF THE BIBLE MA, BZ. THE COMMON EDITION NEW TESTAMENT Combined Popular versions THIRD MILLENEUM BIBLE Based on KJV INTERNATIONAL STANDARD VERSION HA, X2 - a new translation THE COMPLETE JEWISH BIBLE X3 - Translation NEW LIVING TRANSLATION X4 - Based orig. Mss research - 90 scholars APOSTOLIC BIBLE POLYGLOT

2003

OTH

MSG

2002

PAR.

EEB

2001

PAR.

ESV

2001

LIT

HSV

2001

OTH

RNKJV*

2001

TFT

KJV2000

2000

FE

AKJV

1999

FE

MKJB

1999

FE

RCV

1999

FE

TCE

1999

TFT

TML

1999

FE

ISV

1998

FE

CJB

1998

LIT

NLT

1997

PAR.

APS

1996

LIT

20

X9 - Research of Charles Vandepohl into LXX materials NIVI NEW INTERNATIONA INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE EDITION MA, BZ. -Based on NBIV + gender neutral NEW INTERNATIONAL READERS VERSION MA, BZ. Based on NIV CONTENPORARY ENGLISH Political corrections adapted to popular ideas GODS WORD BIBLE X based on the best Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek texts NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE MA,BZ - KJV 3rd generation update REVISED WEBSTER BIBLE MA, BZ. THE CLEAR WORD BIBLE By Adventist for personal use w/ Adventist Slants 21ST CENTURY KING JAMES MA, BZ. NEW CENTURY VERSION 1996 TFT

NIRV

1996

TFT

CEV

1995

OTH

GW

1995

TFT

NASB

1995

FE

RWB*

1995

FE

TCW

1994

OTH

KJ21

1991

FE

NCV

1991

PAR.

HNB*

HOLY NAME BIBLE Based on KJV w/ names restored NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION MA,BZ REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE from NEB, gender neutral REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE MA,BZ - with Gender Neutral language version AMPLIFIED BIBLE Based on ASV with Word study renderings NEW LIFE VERSION X by Gleason and Kathryn Ledyard- Simplify Word

1989

FE

NRSV

1989

FE

REB

1989

LIT

REB

1989

PAR.

AMP

1987

PAR.

NLV

1986

PAR.

21

usage LITV GREENS LITERAL TRANSLATION Based on KJV NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE Catholic from orig. mss NEW KING JAMES VERSION MA,BZ - Updated KJV INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH / SIMPLE ENGLISH BIBLE Used only 3,000 words Reliability in some question NEW VULGATE (NOVO VULGATA) An update of the Original Latin Vulgate by Jerome NEW INTERNATIIONAL VERSION MA,BZ BIBLIA HEBRAICA STUTTGARTTENSIA Based on Lenningrad Codex of MT BBLE* THE BIBLE IN LIVING ENGLISH , Byington X by Byington Rights owned by Watchtower TLB LIVING BIBLE Based on ASV, RV, KJV NAB NEW AMERICAN BIBLE X - Catholic from orig. mss TSB THE STORY BIBLE ( Childrens Bible by Paerl S. Buck) Based on KJV) BWE BIBLE IN WORLDWIDE ENGLISH Based on KJV MLB MODERN LANGUAGE BIBLE / NEW BERKLEY VERSION (Based on Berkley Version) 1969 TFT 1969 PAR. 1971 OTH 1970 LIT 1971 PAR. 1972 OTH 1985 FE

NJB*

1985

FE

NKJV

1982

FE

SEB

1980

PAR.

NVG

1979

LIT

NIV

1978

TFT

BHS

1977

LIT

GNT

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION / TODAYS ENGLISH

1966

PAR.

22

(TEV) X - A Catholic version of the Good News Bible JB* JERUSALEM BIBLE X - Catholic from orig. mss NEB NEW ENGLISH BIBLE MA,VBZ, X - translation recognizing 20th Century discoveries WUEST EXPANDED EDITION X - A new translation by Kenneth Wuest based on NA CHILDRENS KING JAMES Based on KJV BBE* BIBLE IN BASIC ENGLISH X - by S.J. Hooke to condense Bible into 1000 words ACB ANCHOR BIBLE Progressive Archeology updates BV BERKLEY VERSION MA, BZ, NA- A modern language Bible PHI PHILLIPS NEW TESTAMENT X - A free translation into colloquial English by J.B. Phillips NEW WORLD TRANSLATION X1 BH 1, 2 and WH RSV REVISED STANDARD VERSION MA, BZ, NA CON CONFRATERNITY BIBLE LA - Based on Challoner - Rheims Catholic AAT AN AMERICAN TRANSLATION X - by Goodspeed, goal - "simple straightforward English" 1925 PAR. 1942 FE 1952 FE 1958 PAR. 1958 TFT 1964 OTH 1965 TFT 1961 TFT 1966 FE

WET

1961

LIT

CJKV

1960

PAR.

NWT*

1952

FE

23

LAB

LAMSA BIBLE X7 - Used in Eastern Orthodox churches

1933

OTH

MNT

MOFFATT, NEW TRANSLATION X -Based on Eclectic sources available at the time

1926

TFT

BHK2

BIBLIA HEBRAICA - Kittel X1 - Based on Mikarot Gedolot +

1911

LIT

BHK1

BIBLIA HEBRAICA - Kittel X1 - Based on Mikarot Gedolot +

1906

LIT

FFB

FERRAR FENTON BIBLE MA, WH - Books arranged in Chronological order

1903

OTH

WEY*

THE WEYMOUTH BIBLE MA, BZ. 20 the Century slant on Orig writings

1903

OTH

EBR*

ROTHERHAMS EMPHASIZED BIBLE MA,WH

1902

FE

ASV*

AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION MA,BZ

1901

FE

DBY*

DARBY BIBLE X

1890

FE

DBY

THE DARBY BIBLE MA, BZ

1890

FE

RV

REVISED VERSION MA,BZ Based on KJV

1884

OTH

CP

CAMBRIDGE PARAGRAPH BIBLE MA,BZ KJV Revised

1873

FE

EDIAG*

THE EMPHATIC DIAGLOTT Interlinear based on Greisbach via Latin Vulgate, Vatican 1209

1864

FE

24

YLT*

YOUNGS LITERAL TRANSLATION MA, BZ

1862

LIT

BNET

BRENTONS ENGLISH TRANSLATION LXX

1851

LIT

JMNT

JAMES MURDOCK NEW TESTAMENT X7 - NT from the Syriac Peshito

1851

OTH

WB

WEBSTER BIBLE MA, BZ - Based on KJV

1833

LIT

JST

JOSEPH SMITH TRANSLATION MA, BZ - Based on KJV + John Smith's Personal revelations THOMSONS TRANSLATION LX, BZ - Minor revision of KJV

1830

OTH

TH

1808

FE

QB

THE QUAKER BIBLE MA, BZ

1764

FE

CH-R

CHALLONER - RHEIMS CATHOLIC LA - Standard Catholic till 1941

1752

FE

WAP

WALTONS POLYGLOT A comparison of numerous versions extent at time

1657

OTH

KJV

KING JAMES (AUTHORIZED VERSION) MA. BZ

1611

FE

DR*

DOUAY - RHEIMS BIBLE LA - Catholic form the Latin Vulgate

1609

LIT

VUL*

VULGATE - (Jeromes) Based on Jerome's Vulgate of 405 CE

1592

LIT

GB

GENEVA BIBLE MA, BZ

1587

LIT

25

TYN*

TYNDALE BIBLE X, from orig Greek and Hebrew Mss by William Tyndale BISHOPS BIBLE A revision of The Great Bible

1573

LIT

BISH

1568

LIT

GB

THE GREAT BIBLE - CRANMER BIBLE produced by Coverdale by order of King Henry VIII of England MATTHEW BIBLE Tyndale and Coverdale OTs w/ 1535 revision of Tyndales NT LUTHER BIBLE Based Erasmus 1519 Bible, later as Textus Receptus MIKAROT GEDOLOT, Bomberg, w/ MT notes Only LA, X1

1540

LIT

MB

1537

LIT

LUT

1534

OTH

BOM

1524

LIT

COMP

COMPLUTENSIAN POLYGLOT Gk. Hebrew and Latin - only 600 printed

1520

OTH

COMP

COMPLUTENSIAN POLYGLOT Earliest printed Greek Bible

1518

LIT

ERA

ERASMUS BIBLE - Novum Intrumentum Based on Jerome's Bible plus several Greek Mss sources WYCLIFFS BIBLE LA - Based on Latin Vulgate -

1516

OTH

WYCL

1392

LIT

JER

JEROME BIBLE Gospels and Hebrew into Latin - Gospels later as Vulgate

415

OTH

LVT

LATIN VULGATE, Jerome, LA Prepared and edited by Jerome around the year 400 by order of Pope Damascus in 382CE

405

LIT

26

HEX

HEXAPLA by Origen 6 extant versions extent compared, Incl. Aquila w/ Divine name DEAD SEA SCROLLS HA, LXX - Fragments of OT books discovered 19451948 GLOSSARY OF TERMS TYPES

254

OTH

DSSC*

-150

LIT

FE = Formal Equivalence Translations - LIT = Literal Translations PAR = Paraphrase Translations - TFT = Thought for Thought translations OTH = Others or Combinations of Translation types SOURCES FOR TEXT X X1 X2 X3 X4 X5 X6 X7 X8 X9 X10 X11 X12 X13 X14 WH SG MA LX LA HA DS BZ AL Direct new or Original translation not based on earlier version BHK1 and BHK2 - Basis - Mikarot Gedolot w/ notes from Sam. Pent., Septuagint, Peshitta Basis - Original Hebrew, Aramiac and Greek texts Basis - Variety of previous versions w/ New Trans. Added Basis - MT, LXX and DSS Basis - Byzantine Majority, Nestle Almand, ASV see B By different scholars for each Book inter denominational Basis - Syriac Peshita Basis- BH- Biblia Hebraica Stuttgardensia - Masoretic Text - ( Lennigrad or Cairo Codex 1008 1010 CE) NT BASIS - Comparison of Vaticanus Sixtine, 1519 Aldine Bible and 1518 Complutensian Polyglot Basis- Complete LXX and Targum Onkelos Basis- 7 mss from the 12th Century Basis- Septuagint, Hebrew texts, Aquila of Sinope and Hebrew Transliteration into Gk. Basis- Hebrew, Greek, Sam Pent, Aramaic, Latin, Ethiopian,Syrian, Arabic and Persian texts Basis - Greek Texts and Hebrew texts independent of Septuagint Wescott Hort Greek translation of NT around 1881 Stephens Greek translation of NT around 1550 Masoretic Text source dating to around 9th - 10th century CE - Hebrew Scriptures Septuagint LXX Greek Translation of Hebrew Scriptures dating from 3rd to 1st Century BCE Latin or Western Text dating from around 382 - 405 CE Hebrew - Aramaic Individual scrolls dating from 100 BCE Dead Sea Scrolls dating from around 250 BCE - 68 CE - 60% Hebrew, 20% Aramaic Byzantian (Textus Recepticus, aka Asian, Syrian Text) - dating from around 4th Century CE Alexandrian or African Text dating from around 150 - 200 CE

27

1.3 Tracing English Translations through history CHART No. 3..

28

29

For Additional versions since 1996 see List of Bibles Chart No 2.[RETURN TO CONTENTS]

30

CHAPTER THREEREASONS FOR CONFIDENCE IN THE BIBLE(SEVEN REASONS WHY THE BIBLE REMAINS VALID IN OUR DAY)

1. ANCIENT HISTORY SUPPORTS THE BIBLE RECORD Since Bible writing was completed around two thousand years ago, it affords us an opportunity to compare what was written then, with what we now accept as accurate history, and which was revealed since the completion of bible writing. When a writer describes what turns out to be a historical fact well in advance of its actual occurrence, it is called prophecy. The Bible contains many examples of this phenomenon. The reason behind Bible prophecy is explained in inspired words found at Amos 3:7. Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. NIV Amos 3:7 No indeed, Lord Yahweh does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. NJB Amos 3:7 For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets. NWT Let us examine just a few Bible prophecies as examples demonstrating just how accurately the Bible portrayed historical information in advance of its actual occurrence. 2. Fulfilled Bible Prophecies A great number of prophecies found in the Bible have already been fulfilled. For instance, in the Book of Daniel, the prophet Daniel (writing about 600BCE) identifies the ascendance and succession of future world empires which are now included as history. There he described world powers from the time he spoke down until the end of an age far distant in the future. [Dan.2:31-40, 7:2-7] He even 31

identifies the breakup of a future Greek Empire into four separate kingdoms following the death of Alexander the Great. [Dan. 8: 1-8,20-22 and Dan 11-1-] These prophecies were so detailed, that until recently, many historians were convinced the Book of Daniel must have been written after the events occurred. However, recent archaeological discoveries have unearthed older copies of the Book of Daniel, proving conclusively, Daniel wrote before the aforementioned events occurred. Other Examples of fulfilled Bible prophecies include: The Babylonian captivity of the Jews found at [Jer. 20:4,5, Jer. 21:10 Dan 1:1,2] The exact length of that Babylonian captivity [Jer. 25: 11,12 ] [Isa.13:17-22, Isa 45:1,2 Jer. 50: 35-46 Jer. 51: 37-43] The diaspora (scattering) of the Jewish nation from its god given promised land; [Deut. 28: 49-53]. Around 722 BCE Shalmanesser, King of Assyria deported 10 tribes of Israel to Asyria. In 588 BCE Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon deported the two remaining tribes to Babylon . This was the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora. Residual effects of this scattering have continued all through history down to this day. No nation has been scattered all over the earth like the Jews. But it happened to them just as God said it would in his prophetic word. The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem - In a prophecy given by Jesus Christ in 33 CE . Matthew 24:1,2. Departing now, Jesus was on his way from the temple, but his disciples approached to show him the buildings of the temple.;2 In response he said to them: "Do YOU not behold all these things? Truly I say to YOU, By no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down."NWT

Matthew 24:2 He said to them in reply, 'You see all these? In truth I tell you, not a single stone here will be left on another: everything will be pulled down.' NJB Matthew 24:2 But he told them, "Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!"NLT This prophecy was fulfilled 37 years later, in the year 70CE, when Jerusalem was conquered by the Romans and its Jewish Temple completely destroyed, leaving only remnants of an outer wall, in exact fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Yet, these are not isolated examples, for the Bible contains hundreds of other prophecies, many of 32

which have already been seen fulfilled, some currently undergoing fulfillment and still others to be fulfilled in the future. Even centuries before the entire body of Bible writings was completed, one writer, on an occasion during the winter of his life made this observation; Joshua 23:14 But I hasten to go the way of death, as all that are upon the earth also do: and know in your heart and in your soul, that not one word has fallen to the ground of all the words which the Lord our God has spoken respecting all that concerns us; there has not one of them failed. LXE Those words spoken by the bible writer Joshua, over three thousand years ago, are no less true today. 3. ARCHAEOLOGY CONFIRMS THE BIBLE ACCOUNT Beginning early in the 20th century, it was very much the vogue for critics to discredit the Bible, because it described events and places historians had no record of. Therefore, they reasoned, if they did not know about these individuals and places from currently existing historical evidence, they simply didnt exist. Virtually, all these claims have been proven untrue. With the explosion in archeological technology and science during the last 100 years, every significant person and place mentioned in the Bible since the time of inhabitation of the Holy Land by the Israelites, (following the exodus from Egypt and the desert wandering) has now been verified. The science of archaeology strongly confirms the accuracy of the Bible. We have many examples of Biblical references which were claimed by scholars and historians to be wrong or unlikely, only to have archaeology later prove the Bible correct and that the critics were mistaken. Famed archaeologist William F. Albright wrote: There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition (1953, p. 176). Nelson Glueck, himself a pillar within the archaeological community, said: It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which conform in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible (1959, p. 31). Such statements, offered more than 50 years ago are as true today as the day they were made. Jerry Moffitt has observed: Over thirty names (emperors, high priests, Roman governors, princes, etc.) are mentioned in the New Testament, and all but a handful have been verified. In every way the Bible accounts have been found accurate (though vigorously challenged). In no single case does the Bible let us down in geographical accuracy. Without a single error, the Bible lists around forty-five countries. Each is accurately placed and named. About the same number of cities is 33

named and not one mistake can be listed. Further, about thirty-six towns are mentioned, and most of them have now been identified. Wherever accuracy can be checked, minute detail has been found correctevery time! (1993, p. 129). The Hittites are mentioned over forty times in Scripture (Exodus 23:28; Joshua 1:4; et al.), and were so feared that on one occasion they caused the Syrians to flee from Israel (2 Kings 7:6). Yet critics for years suggested that Hittites were a figment of the Bible writers imaginations, since no evidence of their existence had been located. But in the late 1800s, A.H. Sayce discovered inscriptions in Syria that he designated as Hittite. Then, in 1906, Hugh Winckler excavated Boghazkoy, Turkey when he discovered that the Hittite capital had been located on that very site. His find was all the more powerful because of the more than 10,000 clay tablets contained in the ancient citys library, containing that societys law system that eventually came to be known as the Hittite Code. Thus, Ira Price wrote of the Hittites: The lack of extra-biblical testimony to their existence led some scholars about a half-century ago to deny their historicity. They scoffed at the idea of Israel allying herself with such an unhistorical people as the Hittites, as narrated in 2 Kings 7:6. But those utterances have vanished into thin air (1907, pp. 75-76). In his classic text, Lands of the Bible, J.W. Mc Garvey remarked: A fictitious narrative, located in a country with which the writer is not personally familiar, must either avoid local allusions or be found frequently in conflict with the peculiarities of place and of manners and customs. By this conflict the fictitious character of the narrative is exposed (1881, p. 375). Mc Garvey then documented numerous instances in which the facts of the Bible can be checked, and in which it always passes the test. Are compass directions indicated in the Bible accurate? For example; Is Antioch of Syria down from Jerusalem, even though it lies to the north of the holy city (Acts 15:1)? Is the way from Jerusalem to Gaza south of Samaria (Acts 8:26)? Is Egypt down from Canaan (Genesis 12:10)? When investigated in context of the times and customs, these seeming anomalies are proven to be true. Mc Garvey noted that in not a single instance of this kind have any of the Bible writers been found at fault (p. 378). Further, as Wayne Jackson has commented: In 1790, William Paley, the celebrated Anglican scholar, authored his famous volume, Horae Paulinae (Hours with Paul). In this remarkable book, Paley demonstrated an amazing array of un designed coincidences between the book of Acts and the epistles of Paul, which argue for the credibility of the Christian revelation. These coincidences, said Paley, which are often incorporated or intertwined in references and allusions, in which no art can be discovered, and no contrivance traced, furnish numerous proofs of the truth of both these works, and consequently that of Christianity (1839 edition, p. xvi). In 1847, J.J. Blunt of Cambridge University released a companion volume titled, Undesigned Coincidences in the Writings of Both the Old Testament and New Testament. 34

Professor Blunt argued that both Testaments contain numerous examples of consistency without contrivance which support the Scriptures claim of a unified origin from a supernatural source, namely God (1884, p. vii) (1991a, pp. 2-3). A sampling from Paleys and Blunts books provides startling evidence of the fact that the writers could not have contrived their stories. Often the writers were separated from one another by centuries, yet their stories dovetail with astounding accuracy, thus providing additional proof of the Bibles inspiration. Consider just some examples of how the Bible uses small details which must withstand being cross checked in diverse locations throughout its pages and by archeological finds to prove it is consistent, not contrived. Contrivance or consistency? When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers. While serving in the house of an Egyptian named Potiphar, Joseph found himself the object of affection of Potiphars wife, whose advances he rejected. Her anger aroused, she fabricated a story that resulted in Joseph being thrown into prison where the kings captives were bound (Genesis 39:20). In the context of this passage, the word bound is of critical importance, because hundreds of years after the fact the psalmist would state of Joseph: His feet they hurt with fetters: He was laid in chains of iron (Psalm 105:18). Contrivance or consistency? When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release the Israelites from bondage, God rained down plagues on the Egyptian monarch and his people, including a plague of hail that destroyed the flax in the fields (Exodus 9:31). Eventually, the Israelites were released, traveled to the wilderness of Sinai, were found faithless in Gods sight, and were forced to wander for four decades while everyone over the age of twenty perished (except for the houses of Joshua and CalebNumbers 14:29-30). Finally, however, the Hebrews were allowed to enter the promised land of Canaan. The arrival of the younger generation was exactly forty years after Moses had led them out of Egypt (Joshua 4:19), and thus shortly before the anniversary of that eighth plague which destroyed the flax. The book of Joshua mentions that their entrance into Canaan was near harvest time (3:15). Interestingly, when spies were sent to investigate the city of Jericho, the Bible notes that they were concealed by Rahab under drying stalks of flax upon the rooftop of her house (Joshua 2:6). Coincidence or concordance? In Exodus 1:11, the story is told of how the Israelites were forced to build the treasure cities of Pithom and Ra-am'ses for the Egyptian ruler. Exodus 5 records that, initially, the slaves made bricks containing straw, but later were forced to use 35

stubble because Pharaoh ordered his taskmasters not to provide any more straw. Excavations at Pithom in 1883 by Naville, and in 1908 by Kyle, discovered that the lower layers of the structures were made of bricks filled with good, chopped straw. The middle layers had less straw with some stubble. The upper layers contained bricks that were made of pure clay, with no straw whatsoever (see Pfeiffer, 1966, p. 459). Contrivance or correctness? The Tell-el-Armarna Tablets (c. 1450 B.C.) record the custom of bowing down seven times when meeting a superior. Thus the statement in Genesis 33:3And he [Jacob] himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother [Esau]is confirmed as an act of respect. Coincidence or consistency? In at least two places, the Old Testament speaks of the Horites (Genesis 14:6; 36:21). Until approximately 1925, no one ever had heard of the Horites. Once again, however, archaeology revealed the factual accuracy of the Bible. About 1925, archaeological discoveries helped explain the existence of this formerly unknown nation. Free and Vos have commented that Horite derives from the Egyptian Hurru, which is ...a general term the Egyptians applied to southern Transjordan..., and that ...the Hebrews adopted it from the Egyptians (1992, p. 66). Thus, both Egyptian and Hebrew cultures were intertwined with the Horites. Contrivance or concordance? On one occasion during His earthly ministry, Jesus miraculously provided a meal for more than 5,000 people. Mark records that the Jesus seated the people upon the green grass (6:39). Such a statement agrees completely with Johns reference to the fact that this event occurred near the time of the Passover (6:44), which is in the springexactly the time in Palestine when the grass should be green. Coincidence or correctness? In Acts 20:28, Luke described Pauls Roman imprisonment, and quoted the apostle as proclaiming: ...because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. During this incarceration, Paul penned four important letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul alluded to his chain (6:20). In Philippians he referred to his bonds (1:7,13-14,17). Similarly, see the references to his bonds in Colossians 4:3 and Philemon 1:13. Coincidence or consistency? 36

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul admonished the young man by stating that 2 Timothy 3:15 NJB and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures -from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The reference to the Holy scriptures is an allusion to the Old Testament. Since Timothy had known those writings from his earliest days, certainly it would be safe to suggest that his background was Jewish. As a matter of fact, the book of Acts states Timothy was the son of a Jewess that believed, but his father was a Greek (Acts 16:1). Of further interest is the fact that when Paul commended Timothy for his strong faith (2 Timothy 1:5), he alluded to the spirituality of both the young mans mother and grandmother, yet made no mention of Timothys father. Coincidence - or concordance? In their book, A General Introduction to the Bible, Geisler and Nix wrote: Confirmation of the Bibles accuracy in factual matters lends credibility to its claims when speaking on other subjects (1986, p. 195). Indeed it does! After previewing most of the above facts, and others of a similar nature, Wayne Jackson concluded: The Bible critic is likely to trivialize these examples as they are isolated from one another. When, however, literally hundreds and hundreds of these incidental details are observed to perfectly mesh, one begins to suspect that what have been called undesigned coincidences (from a human vantage point) become very obvious cases of divinely designed harmonytiny footprints that lead only to the conclusion that God was the guiding Force behind the composition of the Sacred Scriptures (1991a, 11:3). 4. TEXTUAL SCHOLARSHIP and INTERNAL HARMONY Consistency in text and internal harmony also confirm that the books of the bible remain essentially unchanged since they were first written. A popular claim today is that the bible is no longer accurate: that manmade mistakes and or imperfection have tarnished its credibility. While there may be some translational questions about some individual verses in later versions of the Bible, an in depth look at the scribes or secretaries who were employed to record the original writings gives us some insight into the circumstances under which the writings were recorded and preserved. Describing the role of scribes: 1. In scriptural history a group of men known as scribes played an important part in the preservation process God employed. a. They wrote the word Ez 7:6,10-12 37

b. They read that word to the people Neh 8:2-6 c. They were teachers of the law Mt 7:29 d. They were expected to know the law Mt 2:4 e. They were esteemed as wise 1Co 1:20, 1Ch 27:32 Describing the work of scribes: They made word for word copies of scripture using a formal system for cross checks. Cross checks which were used; a. Counting of words and letters b. Counting of specific words or letters c. Verifying the same word or letter at a given location d. They didnt correct mistakes, they, started over In our day, this would be considered extreme; this shows how seriously they took accuracy. Understood, scribes were human and subject to their own imperfections. Some were of good reputation and / or made good decisions i.e. a. 1Ch 27:32 Also Jonathan, David's uncle was a counselor, a wise man, and a scribe b. Ac 19, the town clerk (scribe) quieted the riotous people, said law must be followed c. Ac 23, scribes judged rightly Let us not fight against God Some scribes were of poor reputation thereby inclining us to question their work; a. Mt 23 - 8 times Jesus claims woes unto the scribes and Pharisees, for being hypocrites b. Mt 5:20 - Jesus said our righteousness needed to exceed that of the scribes 38

c. Mt 16:21 - Jesus predicted his suffering would also be at the hands of the scribes. d. Mt 27:41 - Scribes were part of those who mocked Jesus e. Mk 2:6 - They accused Jesus of blasphemy In any case, the important question is; did they do their job as scribes? a. Jesus criticized them, not in their writing of the law, but in their living of the law they wrote about. b. Jesus read from the very law they maintained Lk 4:16-21 c. Jesus often quoted and referred to these scriptures Mt 4, d. Jesus often corrected their understanding (Mt 5,6,7) but not the scriptures they had maintained. Nine times, he used the expression You have heard or it has been said, referring to the scriptures of their time, in Mt 5th Chapter alone. The simple fact that Jesus validated the O.T. work of the scribes, repudiates any argument that imperfect men had changed the scriptures. Certainly, the Scribes could be viewed to have necessary elements that lead to someone being suspected of foul play? While they did have a.reputation, b.means and c.motive, nevertheless,their written work remained beyond question. a. reputation Rap Sheet Jesus told us about the evil ways of the scribes b. means Scene of the crime Scribes had full & exclusive access to the word with the means and ability to tamper with it. c. motive Scribes & Pharisees had many self incriminating passages they surely would have loved to remove from the scriptures. The situations picturing Gods people throughout the time of history when the Bible was compiled does not always convey a good picture of them. If there was ever a time in which man would purposely change Gods word, it was during those times. And yet, the conclusion, based on the evidence, is that they did not change the message Gods word contained. The word of God Jesus and his apostles had to go by was essentially the same as that recorded by the original writers.

39

What about after that was Gods word changed after Christ ascended? Up until the mid 1900s, our oldest copy of the book of Isaiah was from 980 AD. In 1946-57 Bedouin shepherds made what is known today as the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery. During a decade following that discovery, researchers found thousands of scrolls in 11 caves, covering the entire O.T. with the exception of Esther. Facts about the Dead Sea scrolls testify to the overall timeless integrity of the scriptures as we know them today. 1. These Scrolls were dated from the 1st century BCE and nearly 2000 yrs old, 900 years earlier than the 980 AD Isaiah text on hand before the Dead Sea Discovery. a. Scholars compared Dead Sea Scrolls to the 980BCE writing of Isaiah, and found them word for word to be 95 % accurate b. The 5% difference was easily identified as misspelled words, transposed letters or numbers and translational errors. c. There were no contextual errors. When we look outside of the bible, in secular writings, ancient manuscripts predating some early bible manuscripts are universally accepted as authentic without question. Examples of Secular Manuscripts which are readily accepted as being authentic

Writings The Gallic Wars The Odyssey, Illiad Greek dramatist

Author Caesar Homer Sophocles

Date Written 900 BC 496-406 BC 480-406 BC 427-347 BC 384-322 BC 384-322 BC 96-55 BC

Earliest Copy 900 AD 1400 AD 950 AD 1180 AD 940 AD 1100 AD 860 AD 930 AD

Copies Existing 100-44 BC 643 193 9 7 5 200 2 40

Greek Euripides dramatist/poet Greek philosopher Plato Greek philosopher Aristotle Orator Roman Demosthenes Lucretius

philosopher/poet Roman historian The New Testament

Livy Various

59 BC-17 AD 40-100 AD

500 AD 130 AD

20 24,000

Yet the N.T. (New Testament) with many times the evidence continues to be questioned by many people. Why? Could this not be because Gods word tells people what is right and wrong, and generally people dont want to be told how to live or be reminded of their own imperfections? Yet, many reputable, honest and objective scholars recognize valid reasons to accept what we know today as the Bible as being inspired of God. A few quotes: Sir Frederic Kenyon, director of the British Museum: The text of the Bible is certain; especially in the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the N. T., of early translations from it, and of quotations from it by the oldest writers of the church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or the other of these ancient authorities. Norman Geisler & William Nix conclude The New Testament, then, has not only survived in more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has survived in a purer form than any other great book, a form that is 99.5 percent pure. Scholar Dr Ravi Zacharia states, In real terms, the N.T. is easily the best attested ancient writing, in terms of the sheer number of documents, the time span between the events and the documents and the variety of documents available to sustain or contradict it A Bottom line is: No other literary work can make those claims. What makes this even more incredible is when we consider why or how this was accomplished. There has been no shortage of extraordinary efforts throughout history to discredit the Bible , yet it persisted and remains with us today Weve seen how accurately the word has come down to us through the centuries. A powerful reason for this is that because of Gods authorship, the scriptures are able to protect themselves. Its hard, (next to impossible) to alter the word of God. Man wouldnt write a book like that, especially an instruction or law book. Man categorizes by topics / sub topics. The Bible does not follow such form, it uses a form under which it is extremely difficult to substantially alter, further attesting to God as the author. Gods teachings are scattered and intertwined. For example: 41

Through a variety of verse readings, we learn how Christians worshipped. From verses in Ac 2, Ac 20:7, 1Co 16:1-2, Col 3:16, Eph 5:19 we learn how that in worshipping God it means assembling together, praying, , singing songs, preaching the word and also appreciating the significance of the Lords evening meal. We learn from many different places throughout the scriptures that Gods plan for salvation has the multiple components of undeserved kindness, mercy, faith, acceptance, repentance, confession, baptism, and obedience. As another example of how difficult it is to change the original writings; What if we wanted to change the marriage law and the fact that God wants men to take the lead in the home? If this teaching was consolidated in one spot it might be easily done, but its not. We would need to be involved in changing numerous passages, in many different areas of the Bible. On this one subject alone, we would have to alter what a. God wrote thru Moses Ge. 2 b. What Jesus had to say Mt. 5 & 19 c. What God wrote through Paul 1Co 7, Eph 5 d. What God wrote through Peter 1Pe 3 e. The issue of womans role within the church 1Co 14 f. We have further examples of men functioning as the head of their home Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are just as a few examples of accounts where stories about them would need to change. Beside all the evidence to the contrary: a. We have no examples of a woman lawfully taking the lead role over her Husband b. We have the issue of the twelve tribes, organized after sons, not daughters. Gods teaching on any given subject is found in variety places and in various ways. Even if we wanted to alter, add or remove a subject from a current version of the Bible what about all those older manuscripts? We would have to alter fragments, manuscripts, codex and papyri evidence controlled by all kinds of people and located in diverse places, all over the world. 42

The survival of any writing, of this magnitude, is incredible, and Im not sure what words to use in relation to the Bible when we consider how many surviving documents we have, despite so many fully fledged attacks against those documents. A popular quote: The word of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers The hammers against this anvil are countless, and yet the bible (anvil) remains true and unchanged.

5. MULTIPLE WITNESSES TO ACCOUNTS:Another reason we can rely on the Bible as an accurate testimony is by means of other accounts, particularly by secular historians concerning events, places and people mentioned in the Bible. These are further proof that these things actually happened and were recorded faithfully. For example, the Bible reports that Jesus of Nazareth performed many miracles, was executed by the Romans, and rose from the dead. Numerous ancient historians corroborate the Bible's account of the life of Jesus and his followers: Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 55-120), an historian of first-century Rome, is considered one of the most accurate historians of the ancient world. An excerpt from Tacitus tells us that the Roman emperor Nero "inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class...called Christians. . .Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.... Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian (A.D. 38-100+), wrote about Jesus in his Jewish Antiquities. From Josephus, "we learn that Jesus was a wise man who did surprising feats, taught many, won over followers from among Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was accused by the Jewish leaders, was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected." Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, and Thallus also wrote about Christian worship and persecution that is consistent with New Testament accounts. Even the Jewish Talmud, certainly not biased toward Jesus, concurs about the major events of his life. From the Talmud, "we learn that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock, gathered disciples, made blasphemous claims about himself, and worked miracles, but these miracles are attributed to sorcery and not to God."

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This is remarkable information considering that most ancient historians focused on political and military leaders, not on obscure rabbis from distant provinces of the Roman Empire. Yet ancient historians (Jews, Greeks and Romans) confirm the major events that are presented in the New Testament, even though they were not believers themselves. Within the pages of the Bible we find an entirely harmonious message, with corroboration by multiple eye witnesses a common occurrence. The Bible penmen as a group, focused in on one central theme: Gods sovereignty, the vindication of Gods right to rule mankind and the fulfillment of his purpose by means of his heavenly Kingdom as a world government. That theme is introduced in Genesis, the first book in the Bible, expanded on in the books that follow, and brought to a climax in Revelations the last book in the Bible.

Agreement on details:The Bible writers agreed on even minute details, but often this harmony was clearly unintentional. Note an example. The Bible writer John tells us that when a large crowd came to hear Jesus, Jesus specifically asked Philip where to buy some loaves to feed the people. (John 6:1-5) In a parallel account, Luke says that this took place near the city of Bethsaida. Earlier in his book, John happened to have said that Philip was from Bethsaida. (Luke 9:10; John 1:44) So Jesus naturally addressed his question to one of the men who had lived nearby. The details agree but with an obvious lack of intent to make them harmonious. In Acts, Luke mentions thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities, and nine Mediterranean islands. He also mentions ninety-five persons, sixty-two of which are not named elsewhere in the New Testament. And his references, where checkable, are always correct. This is truly remarkable, in view of the fact that the political / territorial situation of his day was in a state of almost constant change. Only inspiration can account for Lukes precision.

6. CANDOR OF WRITERS AND THE ACCOUNTS RELATEDUn - flattering honesty is another reason for us to have confidence in the accuracy of Gods word. Where as in secular writings a spin is often put on actual events in order to make individuals or governments present a favorable face, in the Bible we find unflinching candor in writers and straight forward honesty in relating unflattering details about people and events. Doing so frequently to disadvantage and this is yet another reason why the Bible stands alone among all other works of a similar nature. The Bible writers were honest men who wrote with openness of heart. Their candor gives their writings a clear ring of truth.

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Candor about mistakes and shortcomings. The Bible writers openly admitted their own failures and weaknesses. Moses told of a mistake he made that cost him dearly. (Numbers 20:7-13) Asaph explained that for a time he found himself envying the prosperous life of the wicked. (Psalm 73:1-14) Jonah told of his disobedience and the bad attitude he initially had when God showed mercy to repentant sinners. (Jonah 1:1-3; 3:10; 4:1-3) Matthew freely related that he had abandoned Jesus on the night of Jesus arrest. Matthew 26:56. Bible writers, such as Jonah, recorded their own mistakes. The writers of the Hebrew Scriptures laid bare the repeated grumbling and rebellion of their own people. (2nd Ch. 36:15,16) The writers spared no one, not even the rulers of their nation. (Ezekiel 34:1-10) With similar candor, the letters of the apostles reported the serious problems experienced by individual Christians, including prominent and responsible ones, as well as by some entire congregations in the first century C.E. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 4:10. Unflattering truth. The Bible writers did not try to gloss over what some might have viewed as embarrassing truth. The first-century Christians frankly acknowledged that they were not admired by the world around them but were looked upon as foolish and ignoble. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) The writers noted that Jesus apostles were seen as unlettered and ordinary.Acts 4:13.The Gospel writers did not color the facts in order to cast Jesus in a more favorable light. Rather, they reported honestly that he was born under very humble circumstances into a working-class family, that he did not study at the prestigious schools of his day, and that the majority of his listeners rejected his message.- Matthew 27:25; Luke 2:4-7; John 7:15. Clearly, the Bible gives ample evidence that it is the product of honest writers. Should not such honesty help build trust for the Bible? The Bible's candor and unflinching portrayal of humanity sets it apart as a totally unique book The Bible says man is imperfect, a sinner, and this is not difficult to confirm. Just look at the world! While many religious books portray people as basically good - a truly honest assessment of the state of the world would have to agree with the Bible, that most people tend to do as much evil as they can get away with! Despite 45

thousands of years of trying, there's still no evidence that any amount of scientific advancement or any dramatic social engineering can change human nature for the better. We find the world and mankind just as the Bible describes making the Bible not only accurate, but honest and apparently unconcerned about flattering its readers. Only the Bible accurately describes what men are like and has an explanation for the reality of why things are they way they are. Going even further, the Bible doesn't just apply this candor and frank honesty in a broad and general sense No! it applies the same spotlight of truth even to the "heroes of the faith" and the human authors of the Bible as well. Generally, when men write biographies of their heroes or about themselves, they commonly omit or whitewash their faults; but not the Bible. Not only is the Bible true; it is candid! The Bible exhibits its divine quality by showing man as he is... Even the best of men in the Bible are described with all their faults. We are told plainly of Adams rebellion, Noahs drunkenness, Abraham's lack of trust, Davids adultery, Solomons apostasy, Jonahs pity party, and on and on. This same brutal honesty extends to the human authors themselves we read of Peters disavowal of his Master, Paul and Barnabas quarreling, the disciples unbelief in the face of Christs resurrection, and even of John's fleeing in his undergarments from the Roman guards.

7. SCIENTIFIC HARMONYAccurate science is still one more reason we can have confidence in the Bible. When it comes to science, while the bible is not intended to be a science book, it provides glimpses of scientific knowledge which were essentially correct when written and have been proved to be entirely accurate and correct with the passage of time down till this day. The Bible is scientifically Accurate and, was WAY Ahead of its time. The Bible is not a scientific manual, but it is scientifically accurate, even from its earliest pages. When talking about the book of Job, probably the oldest book in the Bible and written at least 3,500 years ago, the late scientist Henry Morris said: These references are modern in perspective, with never a hint of the mythical exaggerations and errors characteristic of other ancient writings ... perhaps of even greater significance is the fact that in a 4000-year-old book filled with numerous references to natural phenomena, there are no scientific mistakes or fallacies. (From"The Remarkable Record of Job", H.M. Morris)

Some specific examples of the amazing scientific accuracy of the Bible: 1. The earth is hung upon nothing 46

Job 26:7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. NKJ This is so obvious to our modern generation, as we have seen the actual pictures of the earth hanging in space, but to previous generations it was not obvious at all and there were many commonly-held myths about the earth riding on the back of Atlas or a turtle or an elephant, or something else we consider absurd today.

2. The earth is a circleIn past centuries many, even intellectuals of their time, believed that the earth was flat, but the Scriptures have always been scientifically accurate in this matter. Isaiah wrote almost 1800 years before Columbus; Isaiah 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; ESV

3. The air has weight (the weight for the winds,)Job 28:25 When he willed to give weight to the wind and measured out the waters with a gauge, NJB It was not until the 17th century that Galileo discovered that atmosphere has weight, and the modern science of aerodynamics is based on this scientific fact. Further, the weight of air is important in the function of the earths weather. The study of air flows and their relation to the weight of the air has been developed into the science of aerodynamics, eventually becoming the basis of all modern aerospace developments. ... The weight of the winds controls the worldwide air mass movements that transport the waters evaporated from the oceans inland over the continents (Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job).

4. There are springs in the seaJob 38:16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? NIB Job wrote almost 3000 years ago while man had no way to know about the fresh water springs on the ocean floor by first hand observation until recent times. Modern science has discovered that there are thousands of underwater springs that 47

add millions of metric tons of water into the oceans each year.

5. There are paths in the seaIsaiah 43:16 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, NKJ Only since the 19th century have ocean currents or paths been charted and ships travel these paths just as trucks travel on roads. Writing in the mid-1800s, Matthew Fontaine Maury, Superintendent of the U.S. Navys Depot of Charts and Instruments in Washington, D.C., observed, There is a river in the ocean: in the severest droughts it never fails, and in the mightiest floods it never overflows; its banks and its bottom are of cold water, while its current is of warm; the Gulf of Mexico is its fountain, and its mouth is in the Arctic Seas. It is the Gulf Stream (Maury, The Physical Geography of the Sea, 6th ed., 1856, p. 25).

6. Light (the Sun) creates windJob 38:24 Where is this, the way light is apportioned? It scattereth an east wind over the earth. YLT It is only in recent times that modern weather science has discovered that wind is created as the sun heats up the surface of the earth, causing the hot air to rise and cooler air to fall, creating weather systems.

7. Space cannot be measured and the stars are without numberJeremiah 31:37 Just as the heavens cannot be measured and the foundation of the earth cannot be explored, so I will not consider casting them away forever for their sins. I, the LORD, have spoken! NLT Genesis 22:17 I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, NAB Before the invention of the telescope, man could see only a few hundred stars at the most with the naked eye. Yet today we know that the stars are innumerable and that space is seemingly infinite. There are 300 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone. In 1999, observations by NASA astronomers, using the Hubble Space Telescope, suggested that there are 125 billion galaxies in the universe. The most up-to-date star count was offered in July 2003 as 70 sextillion observable stars (70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). This was the conclusion of the worlds 48

largest galaxy study, the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Red-shift Survey, which is considered 10 times more accurate than previous ones. The team of scientists did not physically count the stars. Instead they used some of the worlds most powerful telescopes to count all of the galaxies in one region of the universe and then to estimate how many stars each galaxy contained by measuring its brightness. They then extrapolated these figures out to the whole universe visible through telescopes. This massive figure, of course, probably covers only a tiny percentage of the actual stars and merely constitutes an educated estimate.

8. Stars differ in glory1 Corinthians 15:41 The brightness of the sun is one kind, the brightness of the moon another, and the brightness of the stars another. For star differs from star in brightness. NAB J. Bayer, in 1603, devised a method or system to indicate their brightness or magnitude. No astronomer today will deny this fact; Stars are now known to differ in size, color, light emitted, density, and heat. Our sun, which is a star, is over 1,000,000 times the size of our earth, yet there are some stars at least a million times as large as our sun, and some smaller than the planet Mercury (Worlds Bible Handbook).

9. The life is in the bloodLeviticus 17:11 for the life of any creature is in its blood. I have given you the blood so you can make atonement for your sins. It is the blood, representing life, that brings you atonement. NLT This was not understood until very recent times. Even in the 19th century, doctors were using blood letting as a healing method. George Washington, Americas first president, probably died because of this bogus practice.