Is the Bible trustworthy?

There is insurmountable evidence for the accuracy and authority of the Bible. Let’s look at a just a few of those evidences:

Manuscript Evidence:

Ancient writing	Number of copies	Years between writing and first existing manuscript
Tacitus (Roman historian)	1	700
Josephus (Jewish historian)	9	300
Homer’s Iliad	650	950
Caesar’s Gaelic Wars	10	1,000
The Holy Bible	5,750	30

As you can see, there is amazing manuscript evidence for the Bible. Since we generally accept the integrity of other ancient documents, and the Bible has far greater manuscript support, shouldn’t it enjoy at least the same historical respect?

Archeological Evidence: Many portions of the Bible have been proven to be true by archeological finds. Here are a few:

1. The Bible records that David captured Jerusalem by entering through a tunnel that led to the Pool of Siloam. The pool was believed to be outside city walls until a discovery in the 1960s confirmed the pool was inside the city walls.
2. The Bible lists Belshazzar as king of Babylon, but he isn’t found in any lists of Babylonian kings. Archaeologists later discover Belshazzar was appointed acting king by his father, King Nabodonius, for a period of a few years.
3. The Bible says that God made the walls of Jericho collapse when the Israelites marched around the city with the priests blowing trumpets. Because Rahab, a resident of the city, provided refuge for Israelite spies, they promised that she and her family would survive the battle if they stayed in her house built against the northern city wall. Archaeologists have found that all of the walls of Jericho fell, except the northern wall, confirming the biblical account.

Prophetic Evidence: The Bible foretold many future events (prophecies). Some prophecies that came true in the life of the Jewish Messiah (Jesus) were:

1. Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Jesus was born in this small town (Matt. 2:1–7, John 7:42, Luke 2:5).
2. Messiah is to enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). This was fulfilled as people shouted to praises to Jesus while he entered the city on a donkey (Luke 19: 35, Matthew 21:6–11).
3. Messiah is to be sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12). Judas, Jesus’ betrayer, was given 30 pieces of silver to hand Jesus over to His enemies. (Matthew 26:15, 27:3).
4. Messiah is to be executed by crucifixion as a thief (Psalm 22:16, Zechariah 12:10). Jesus died on a cross, hanging between two thieves (Luke 23:33, John 20:25).

Jesus fulfilled more than 100 other Messianic prophecies. The odds that just eight of these prophecies would be fulfilled randomly by any one person are one in 10 to the 17th power. To put that in perspective, imagine this: If Texas were filled with silver dollars one foot deep, you would have better odds of picking a marked coin than one in 10 to the 17th power.

Forty authors wrote the Bible in three languages over the course of 1,500 years, yet the whole Bible revolves around one theme—what God has done to save us from hell. Every one of us deserves that punishment, because we’ve broken God’s law (including the Ten Commandments). Have you ever told a lie, stolen, taken God’s name in vain, or looked at someone with lust? If you said yes to any of those, you’ll be guilty on Judgment Day. God, being infinitely just, must punish sinfulness. But Jesus, who lived a sinless life, was brutally tortured and crucified for you, and then he rose from the dead, defeating death. Jesus can take your punishment, or you can take your own punishment. The choice is yours. If you’d like to accept the gift of forgiveness He offers, repent (turn from your sin) and trust Jesus for this life and the life to come. Then, read the Bible daily to learn more about God and how to live for Him.

For further information on this topic, go to:
www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/bible.asp, www.allabouttruth.org, www.needGod.com