Evidence for the Bible
ENCOMPASS
Evidence that God is the author of the Bible
Matt McGinnis & Daniel Pentimone
“Is God really the author of the Bible?” “Why are Christians so insistent that the Bible is special?” If you are wondering about questions like this, you may be surprised at the astonishing amount of evidence in favor of the Bible. The acronym ENCOMPASS points to nine powerful evidences of the Bible’s divine origin.
Eyewitness
The Biblical events were witnessed, and the witnesses agree. For example, the life of Jesus was recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each of their accounts agrees with the others.
One of the Biblical authors, Peter, said, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”
Many Biblical authors died because of their accounts. It is one thing to die for your faith, but no one dies for a made-up tale that they know is false.
Non-Biblical
Many writings outside the Bible attest to the life of Jesus Christ. Tacitus was a Roman historian who lived less than fifty years after Jesus, and mentions him. Pliny the Younger was a Roman magistrate who also lived at the same time and mentioned Jesus. Lucian was an Assyrian writer who lived one hundred years after Jesus and mentions him. There are also many other writers who verify other Biblical statements.
Congruency
Although it is a collection of 66 books, written in 3 languages (Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic) by 40 different men over a period of 1600 years, the Bible is clearly one book, with perfect unity and consistency throughout.
It is true that some people point to ‘inconsistencies’ and ‘errors,’ but those who take the time to study have recognized that each of these has a logical answer.
The one consistent theme of the Bible, developing in grandeur from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s great work in the creation and redemption of all things, through His Only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Observational
Multitudes of people, past and present, have verified the Bible with personal experience. They found that its promises are true, its counsel is sound, its commands and restrictions are wise, and its wonderful message of salvation meets every need for time and eternity.
Lives are constantly being changed for the better. When the Bible’s teachings are obeyed, the outcome is exactly what the Bible says it will be. While this may be true of other religious texts, it adds evidence in favor of the Bible.
The Bible even encourages us to test it. One of the authors, David, wrote, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
Manuscript
We have over 24,000 handwritten copies or portions of the New Testament. The oldest of these (manuscript P52) was copied less than 50 years after the New Testament was finished.
There are also thousands of copies of the Old Testament. These copies are incredibly exact. The oldest copy we have, the Dead Sea Scrolls, is over 2100 years old – from before the time of the New Testament!
The New Testament is over 99.5% accurate in its translation through history. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, 95% of the book of Isaiah is word-for-word the same with the modern Hebrew version. The 5% differences are minor variations, mostly spelling differences. This reveals that the common assumption – that the text of the Bible has been corrupted, and that we don’t know what the original texts said – is completely false.
Prophetic
There are around 2,500 prophecies in the Bible, and about 2,000 have already been accurately fulfilled. This includes some 300 specific details and implications about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For example, Daniel the prophet predicted (in Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel’s promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem. This was clearly fulfilled exactly on schedule.
Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple (Luke 21 and Matthew 24). This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. with amazing accuracy.
Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 describe Jesus, his ministry on earth, and his crucifixion, down to the very details.
Archeology
Archaeology has confirmed the Bible time and time again. Sometimes historians have disagreed with the Biblical record – only for archaeology to prove that the Bible is right.
Dr. Nelson Glueck, probably the greatest modern authority on Israeli archeology, said, “No archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries.”
There are hundreds of examples. The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend. Then their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.
It was once claimed that there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon’s palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq.
Even more fascinating is that Sargon’s capture of the city of Ashdod – mentioned in Isaiah 20 – was recorded on the palace walls, and the fragments of record memorializing the victory were found in Ashdod itself.
Scientific
The Bible records many principles of modern science, long before they were discovered. Though they are not stated with technical jargon, they are completely in agreement with modern scientific facts.
For example, the book of Job describes dinosaurs, long before scientists ‘discovered’ their bones.
The existence of water paths (ocean currents) is described in Psalm 8:8, where David mentions, “The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.”
Atmospheric circulation is described by Solomon when he says, “The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit.”
Statistical
The odds of the Biblical prophecies being fulfilled – without error and by chance – is less than 1 in 102000 (this is the same as 1 with 2,000 zeros written behind it). The number of electrons in the entire universe is about 1080.
