1. Evidence that the Bible is God’s Word Lakepointe Hot Topic Class - Week 5 Allen Hainline ”Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?” Jer 23:29 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. 2 Cor 10:5

2. Outline - Bible Internal Evidence External Evidence – Scientifically accurate biblical statements unknown at time Contrast with holy books of other religions – Archaeology and History – Prophecy – ones verifiable today How do we know what we have now is what they wrote then? 2

3. Is the Bible God’s Word? Internal evidence – “All Scripture is inspired by God” 2 Timothy 3:16 – Not the kind of book written by man Exalts God not man (weaknesses shown even for heroes) – Unity Written by 40 diverse authors over 1500 year period Kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars provide consistent message Popularity – Despite attempts to eliminate it, most popular book ever written (9 billion copies) Voltaire predicted its demise within his lifetime but printing press for Bibles operated in his house 100 years later – Translated into more languages than any other book (> 2300) Evidence – Above facts are not strong evidence but should motivate one to study the Bible in search of truth – Rest of this presentation focuses on the compelling evidence 3

4. Science Statements in Other Religious Texts Islamic scripture (Qu’ran) – Sun said to “set in a spring of murky water." (18:85-86) – Sun has a resting spot (36:38) – Stars considered closer to earth than moon (71:15-16) Hindu scripture – The wind drives stars around the pole – Earth held up by elephant – Universe birthed from an egg – Sun said to be closer to earth than moon 4

5. Evidence for Bible (Science) 5 Science ThenScience NowBible There are 1022 stars (Hippocrates) Approximately 10 22 stars (10,000 million million million) The number of stars is uncountable (Jer 33:22) Earth held up by elephants or by the Greek God Atlas Earth surrounded by empty space in its orbit “He hangs the earth on nothing” Job 26:7 Four elements were fire, earth, water, air (Plato) Matter comprised of subatomic particles which are individually invisible to naked eye “What is seen was not made out of things which are visible” Hebrews 11:3 Sick people must be bledBlood brings oxygen and nutrients to sustain cells “Life of the flesh is in the blood” Lev 17:11 Water flows into the ocean only through rivers and rainfall Springs in the ocean were discovered in the 1970’s “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea?” Job 38:16 Did not understand importance of washing with running water Washing with running water critical to washing off bacteria When dealing with disease, wash hands with running water Lev 15:13 Did not understand need for sanitary practices (e.g. Bubonic plague !) Critical to minimizing spread of diseases Quarantining, burying human waste, use of hyssop as antibacterial agent Lev. 13:45-6; Deut 23:12-13

6. 6 Science ThenScience NowBible Underestimated expanse of earth – no understanding of time zones 24 time zones around earth Luke 17:34-36 discusses worldwide event of Christ’s return. When Christ comes, some will be sleeping at night while others grind (in morning) and others work in field (typically afternoon) Ocean floor assumed flatOcean floor contains deep valleys and mountains Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains (2 Samuel 22:16, Jonah 2:6) Air weightlessAir has weightAir has weight (Job 28:25) Earth is flatEarth is nearly sphericalHebrew word for sphere used in describing earth in Isaiah 40:12 Life formed from different type of matter Life formed from elements found in non-living matter “God formed man out of dust from the ground” Gen 2:7 Universe thought to be static until early 20 th century Universe is accelerating in its expansion; more accurately described as being stretched “The LORD who stretches out the heavens” Zech 12:1 and 8 other verses; Hebrew implies continual stretching. Time extends forever into past Time itself began at the Big Bang God acted before time began (2 Tim 1:9, Titus 1:2, I Cor 2:7) Safest time for circumcision unknown Peak day for available clotting agent (Prothrombin) Circumcise on 8 th day (Gen 17:12) Evidence for Bible (Science)

7. Clotting Protein Peaks on Day Eight Available Prothrombin

8. Biblical Archaeology How is archaeology important? What can it prove? – Only a “fraction of a fraction of a fraction” remains Most artifacts did not survive past their time Only a fraction of those survived 2000+ years Less than 2 per cent of sites have been excavated – Provides insight into Biblical culture and times – Counters skeptics’ claims Validate accuracy of Biblical accounts – Verifies fulfillment of prophecy Verify old date of original writing Validate historical events "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever contradicted a biblical reference.” Nelson Glueck (highly respected archaeologist) 8

9. Old Testament Archaeology Old Testament shown to be unique: – Documents non-flattering aspects – Countless cases where skeptics proven wrong by later findings Hittites – 19 th century critics questioned whether or not such a people even existed – Countless Hittite artifacts now known Who was the last king of Babylon? – Critics said book of Daniel incorrect in claiming it was Belshazzar because Herodotus indicated it was Nabonidus; “Belshazzar made up” – Artifacts found indicating Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ son and was in charge while his father was away for several years from Babylon 9

10. Flood Archaeology Sumerian King List – Much longer life spans prior to Great Flood Ancient Flood Stories – Every continent had flood stories South America: Incas North America: Iroquois, Aztecs Europe: Celts Africa: Hottentots (Southern Africa) Asia: Babylonians, Sumerians, Hindus, Burma(Myanmar) Oceania: New Guinea, Aborigines, New Zealand 10

11. 11 Jericho Joshua 6: Jericho walls came down, city burned but not looted "As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely, the attackers would be able to clamber up and over the ruins of the city. This is remarkable … the city walls always fall inward, not outward.” Garstang “The city's walls had fallen in a way suggestive of sudden collapse. A thick layer of soot at the site … supports the biblical idea that the city was burned, not simply conquered. “ Says Wood: "It looks to me as though the biblical stories are correct.“ Time Magazine Score One for the Bible – Estimated date consistent with Exodus date C14 dates to ~1400 BC (exact right time frame) – Burned artifacts recovered indicating no looting of city (very unusual!) Found large stores of grain – No long siege Unusual time of attack matched Biblical account

12. Old Testament Historical Validation Sennacherib’s Prism – Assyrian king admits failure to conquer Jerusalem just as Bible records (King Hezekiah prayed for deliverance) – Conquered 46 out of 47 cities – Seems miraculous that tiny Judah could survive against mighty Assyria! Cyrus Cylinder – records King Cyrus of Persia’s Babylonian conquest and his decree to allow captives to return & restore temples – Skeptics questioned whether any ruler would allow this 12

13. 13 New Testament Archaeology Sir William Ramsay (renowned archaeologist) – Initially skeptical of NT accuracy due to supposed late authorship (2 nd century) – Investigated for 30 years 300+ references to events, people, places, districts, official’s titles etc. (Politarch, Tetrarch, Archon, Proconsul, etc.) – Concluded: "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy...this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.“ "Luke's history is unsurpassed in respect to its trustworthiness“ – For example, skeptics claimed Iconium in Lycaonia not Phyrgia as Acts 14 indicates Based on Cicero’s writings dealing with a slightly different time period In 1910, Ramsay discovered an inscription declaring Iconium under authority of Phyrgian district from A.D. 37-72 (only)

14. New Testament Archaeology Census – Began by Caesar Augustus – Egyptian papyrus indicated need to return home to register Herod Agrippa killed during speech – Acts 12:20-3 records being killed after accepting praise for being a god – Same basic story recounted by Josephus Jesus tomb at Church of Holy Sepulchre – Was this within city walls at time? No, according to Israeli records 14

15. Capernaum sites – Simon Peter’s house – Synagogue where Jesus taught Jericho problem – Mark 10:46 – healed beggar as Jesus was leaving Jericho – Luke 18:35 - healed beggar as Jesus was approaching Jericho – Archaeology has revealed that there were 2 Jericho’s in Jesus’ time Jesus could have visited both towns, beggar at entrance to richer town Artemis of the Ephesians statue found (Acts 19) Skeptics once claimed Pontius Pilate never existed – Inscription found in Caesarea (top right) Erastus (city treasurer of Corinth mentioned in Rom 16:23) – Inscription found in road in Corinth (bottom left) 15 New Testament Archaeology

16. 16 Early Christian Artifacts Near Jerusalem Skeptics claim Christianity grew legendarily Oxford historian indicates 2 generations insufficient for legends Refuted by early Christian worshippers near Jerusalem and empty tomb Findings from Ossuaries (Bone Boxes) – Ossuaries used primarily prior to 70 AD (or 130 at latest) – 3 archaeologists led excavations finding Christian ossuaries Clermont-Ganneau, Bagatti, Sukenik Sukenik (atheist Jew) dated site to 50 AD or prior “World’s greatest authority on Jewish ossuaries” “All our evidence indicates that we have in this tomb the earliest records of Christianity in existence. It may also have a bearing on the historicity of Jesus and the crucifixion.” Christian symbols found (crosses, chi-rho, etc.) Critics questioned early use of symbols such as crosses Herculean cross cannot have been later than 79 Cross might not be symbolic but testify to actual event

17. Other Ossuary Evidence Ossuaries found that may correspond to NT figures: – Caiaphas the High Priest – Sapphira of Acts 5 – Lazarus and Martha of Bethany – Alexander son of Simon of Cyrene (carried Jesus’ cross) – Matthias, Joseph Barsabbas (replacement apostles of Acts 1) – Simon bar Jona with cross in Christian tomb – James son of Joseph brother of Jesus? Forgery charges but skeptics agree patina for “Jesus” portion ancient 17

18. Archaeological Finds Refute Skeptics’ Dating 18 Gospel of John – Critics: “written after 160-170 A.D.” – P52 found in 1920 in Egypt dated to 125 A.D. Papyrus fragments of 4 verses from John 18 Pentateuch – Claimed late date for writings for Pentateuch – Silver scroll found inside amulet dated to 7 th century B.C. – Name of “YHWH” and priestly blessing from Num 6:24-25: “The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.”

19. Verifiable Prophecies Goals: Provide examples of prophecies that: – Provide specific details verifiable today – Fulfilled well after date written By even most liberal estimates Jesus indicates how compelling prophecy can be: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead." Luke 16:31 Holy books of other major religions contain almost no prophecy (especially ones verifiable today) 19

20. 20 “It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations … they will not rule over the nations.” Ezekiel 29:15 “There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt“ Ezekiel 30:13 Prophesied when Egypt was a world leader in wealth and influence Egypt

21. Egyptian Prophecies Fulfilled – $1592 per capita income Ranks 123 rd, no nation more populous is poorer Compare to rich Arab neighbors: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE ($43K) – Olympic medals: 24 vs. Australia’s 432 (1/4 the population) – "Deprived two thousand three hundred years ago of her natural proprietors, she has seen her fertile fields successively a prey to the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Greeks, the Arabs, the Georgians, and at length the race of Tartars distinguished by the name of Ottoman Turks." Volney historian – Egypt has been ruled by foreigners Only became a republic in 1953 Today's ruler Mubarak is of Arab descent 21

22. Prophecies of Egyptian Cities 22 Memphis – "I will also destroy the idols and make the images cease from Memphis. Ezekiel 30:13 – In 10 th century, Muslims conquered Memphis and rebuilt it 10 miles away where no pagan gods had ever been worshipped. – Stones of Memphis used to build Cairo so new idols left In ~1900 archaeologist Petrie had trouble even finding ancient city Thebes – "I will … execute judgments on Thebes. I will also cut off the hordes of Thebes.” Ezekiel 30:14-16 (“cut-off” = killed) – Judgments on Thebes by Nebuchadnezzar and 2 other rulers Each destroyed and burned the city – By 25 BC, huge city was reduced to two small villages As prophesied: – People of Thebes killed but ruins remain – People of Memphis were not killed (only moved) but no idols remain Source: Dr. John A Bloom

23. Prophecies - Edom 23 PredictionFulfillment Edom will be made desolate as far as the city of Teman Ezekiel 25:13 Edomites wiped out except for Teman (or Maan) on the eastern border of land of Edom, “and the only city in all that land that is not deserted!” Edom was size of New Jersey; Petra, its capital was carved out of a mountain side and was considered impenetrable – its was rediscovered only in the 1800’s. Edom will be conquered by Israel Ezek 25:14 "At the end of the second century B.C., they (the Edomites) were subdued by Hasmonaean (Jewish) priest-king John Hyrcanus I “Columbia Encyclopedia, 5 th Edition(~480 years after prophecy) People will stop living in Edom Jer 49:18 “ After the Jewish Wars the Idumaean people (Edomites) are no longer mentioned in history” Wikipedia Edom was powerful nation at time of prophecy and Israel was in captivity.

24. Edom Today 24

25. 25 Map of Central Region of Edom from GoogleMaps As predicted, no remaining cities except Teman (Maan)

26. Prophecy - Babylon And Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians' pride will be overthrown.. She will never be inhabited. Isaiah 13:19-20 "I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord Almighty. Isa 14:23 Fulfillment: “All that remains today of the ancient famed city of Babylon is a mound … of broken mud-brick buildings and debris” In 275 BC, inhabitants transported to Seleucia, and its history comes practically to an end. By 141 BC, in complete desolation and obscurity.” Wikipedia Archaeologists excavated Babylon during the 1800s. Some parts of the city could not be dug up because they were under a water table that had risen over the years. Saddam rebuilt some buildings as a tribute starting in 1985; Recent war led to destruction of much of what had been built there. 26

27. Babylon was world’s largest & most fortified city City covered 196 square miles (protected by world’s most powerful military) Surrounded by double walls (outer wall was 300 feet high) and moat Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace larger than most cities in Palestine – Even if destroyed, why not rebuilt near rivers in the desert? 27 Why Prophecy of Babylon so Amazing?

28. Babylon 28 After 1932 picture Before

29. Prophecy - Philistines 29 “The remnant of the Philistines will perish” Amos 1:8 “Eventually all traces of the Philistines as a people or ethnic group disappear. “ Wikipedia “Baldness is come upon Gaza” Jeremiah 47:5 – “A city of Gaza still exists.. it was found that the new city of Gaza was in the wrong location. A search was made for the old city and it was found buried under the sand dunes… What better description could you give of a city buried under sand dunes than to say that it had become bald? ” Stoner “And the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah... In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening” Zephaniah 2:4,7 – Settled by 100,000+ Jews – Few Arabs live there

30. Prophecies of Tyre 30 Predictions (Ezekiel – 592-570 BC)Fulfillment Nebuchadnezzar will destroy the mainland city of Tyre (26:8) "After a 13-year siege (585-573 B.C.) by Nebuchadnezzar II, Tyre made terms and acknowledged Babylonians suzerainty. (dominion)" Encylopedia Brittanica Many nations will come against Tyre (26:3) ; Debris will be thrown into water (26:12) Alexander the Great conquered in 332 BC by building a causeway from rubble from mainland city; many nations involved in massive project She will be made a bare rock; flat like the top of a rock (26:4) Fishermen will spread nets over the site (26:5) “The larger part of the site of the once great city is now bare as the top of a rock - a place where the fisherman that still frequent the spot spread their nets to dry. “ Phillip Meyers secular historian Will not be rebuilt (26:21)No version of a Phoenician Tyre ever rebuilt; Modern-day Tyre at a slightly different location than ancient Tyre.

31. Old Testament Prophecies: In several places in the OT, God told Israel if they rebel they would be exiled: – “ The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other …” Deut 28:64 – Fulfillment: Jews are by far the most scattered people group on earth (Joshua Project) They would retain their identity as a people and not be completely destroyed – “Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them” Leviticus 26:44 – Fulfillment: "Despite their long-term residence in different countries and isolation from one another, most Jewish populations were not significantly different from one another at the genetic level… most Jewish communities have remained relatively isolated from neighboring non-Jewish communities“ – “All things are mortal, except the Jew. Other forces pass but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?” Mark Twain They would eventually return to their homeland and nation suddenly reborn – “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land” Ezekiel 36:24 (and 12 other OT books predict this) – “Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” Isaiah 66:8 31

32. Israel Fulfillment of sudden birth: May 14, 1948 – Proceeded very quickly in aftermath of Holocaust Fulfillment of re-gathering: – In 1948, 600,000 Jews in Israel -> Now 7 million – “There is no place in the world where the number of immigrants is five times the number of the people who were there. It is unprecedented” USA Today "The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation” Ezekiel 36:34-35 – Israeli desert agriculture/irrigation became example to world “Nations of the earth will be gathered against it” Zech. 12:3 – The next day 5 nations attacked Israel and trend continues today Military will become strong again Zech. 12:6 – Israel has won numerous wars against more populous Arab neighboring countries 32

33. Israel was chosen people to channel God’s blessings to all people “I (God) will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great.. all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” Gen 12:2-3 Great in ways other than size (Deut 7:6-8) – 1/5 th of 1% of world population (2% in US) Great Name/Great Blessing (Human standards) – 173 Nobel prize winners were Jews (23%) 37% of all US recipients were Jewish – 26% of Nobel Prize winners in physics – 37% o f 100 most imminent psychologists – 36% of Best Screen Play (Academy Award) – 53% of Best Original Song (Academy Award) – 54% of all world champion chess players – 20% of “Thinkers of 20 th century” – 35% Pulitzer prize winners Spiritual blessings too (Bible, Jesus) 33 Prophecies - Israel

34. Israel In OT and when early Christian church was mostly Jewish, predicted that most Jews would not accept Messiah but that Gentiles from around world would (Psa 118:22, Romans 10 ) 34 Ezekiel told in 537 BC that 360 years of punishment left before nation re-established – “You will bear Israel’s sins for 390 days – one day for each year of their sin. After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days – one day for each year of Judah’s sin.” Ezekiel 4:4-6 – 390+40 years – 70 years already served in exile = 360 years) – Ones who returned did not turn back to God in lasting way – resulted in 7x punishment “And if in spite of this, you still disobey me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.” Leviticus 26:18 – Jewish calendar (360 days/year -> 907,200 days) – Modern calendar (365.2425 days/year -> 2,483.8292 years) – Subtracting 907,200 days from the Gregorian date of May 14, 1948, reveals a date of July 15, 537 BC

35. 35 Author/ Work WrittenEarliest CopyTime Span Manuscripts Iliad by Homer~850 BC100-200 AD950 years650 Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus 115 AD850 AD735 years2 Plato’s Tetralogies427-347 BC900 AD1200+ years7 Lives of the Caesars by Seutonius ~110 AD950 AD840 years8 Greek New Testament45-90 AD125-300 AD35-210 years99 Greek New Testament45-90 AD125-1000 AD35-900 years5664 New Testament in other languages 45-90 AD350-1000 AD35-910 years18,000+ How do we know we have what they wrote? Entire New Testament except for 11 verses can be reconstructed from quotations of Church Fathers (95 – 400 AD) (~ 1 million quotations)

36. Dead Sea Scrolls First discovered in 1947 Some manuscripts dated as old as 3 rd century BC Confirmed level of accuracy of scribes’ copying – Isaiah scroll matched exact Masoretic texts in 95% of words – 5% variation almost entirely spelling alterations or slips of the pen 36 Masoretic Text Oldest ~1000 AD

37. Isaiah Scroll 37

38. “The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in 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. This can be said of no other ancient book of the world.” Sir Frederick Kenyon Conclusion

39. Questions 39

40. Next Week: Who is Jesus? 40 Next Week: Uniqueness / Impact Historical Evidence Including evidence for the 3 hours of darkness Evidence from prophecy Fulfilled Old Testament prophecies Including time he would declare himself as Messiah Evidence for the Resurrection Lord, Liar or Lunatic ?

41. Backup Charts 41

42. Old Testament Archaeology Tophets – Liberal disbelieved Biblical accounts of child sacrifice Despite Greek and Roman historical accounts concerning this also – 20,000 Phoenician urns uncovered of young children Included animals in sacrifice, inscriptions like “Given to fulfill a vow” Hazor – Joshua’s Conquest? – heads of idols chopped off – “Everyone is a potential destroyer of Hazor, if not mentioned in any document, except those specifically mentioned in the Bible as having done so.” – Yadin – No other ancient peoples would degrade idols – Tablet Fragment found mentioning king of Hazor by same name as Biblical account 42

43. Archaeology of Early Israel Amarna Letters Letters to Pharaoh about Habiru invaders in Palestine in 14 th century BC Merneptah Stele Records a Pharoah’s victory over Israel in 13 th century BC – Word used for Israel corresponds to people group but not nation – Consistent with status during this time period of Judges 43

44. Tales of Two Cities See Bible/CitiesProphecy.doc Ashkelon/Ekron Prophecies (Zeph 2:4-7): Ashkelon was to be reduced to ruins, but later inhabited by a remnant of the Jews Ekron was to be uprooted Fulfillment: Both inhabited until Crusades, when both destroyed, and harbor of Ashkelon filled w/ stones Since 1948, Jews rebuilt Ashkelon and cleared harbor, but location of Ekron still uncertain Ninevah/Babylon – Just focus on Ninevah: Nineveh (Zeph 2:13-15) to be destroyed and left desolate, but to become a place for grazing sheep; Nineveh was destroyed suddenly and location forgotten for centuries; name of largest mound Quyunyiq means "many sheep"; long abandoned, though recently suburbs of Mosul have grown out to reach site 44

45. Scientific errors in Qur’an (II) 21:33—Sun and stars orbit the earth 41:12 7--“heavens”, stars, comets in “lowest heaven 34:9, 52:44—Piece of sky falls and kills someone 36:4, 23:14--Man deposits child into the mother

46. A More Detailed Summary of Genesis One From the Viewpoint of an Observer on the Earth: a. The earth created and is spinning: night and day. Day 1 b. Water covers earth, Very thick atmosphere forms. Day 2 c. The earth cools, land appears out of the water. Day 3 d. Life appears on the earth. Day 3 e. (Photosynthetic life dramatically changes the chemistry of the atmosphere from reducing to oxidizing.) f. Finally, the heavenly objects appeared in the sky Day 4 g. More advanced life forms; first in the water, later on the land Day 5 h. Even more advanced life forms. Last of all human beings Day 6 Where is the scientific error in this?

47. Bible as Compared to Other Holy Books Quran, book of Mormon, Hindu scripture ( Bhagavad Gita – moon of green cheese), writings of Buddha – 1 of themBhagavad Gita – 0 predictive prophecy – None of these have substantial amounts of miracles Quran based on credibility of one person (Mohammed) Why do pain and suffering exist? – Hindu – due to doing to something rotten in a past life If really bad, come back as a woman (look at how women treated in Indian culture) – Buddhist – just an illusion (is your pain an illusion) – Islam – just fate – just will of Allah -> very fatalistic 47

48. Scientific statements in the Bible (Deem) Scientific Principle Biblical Reference Cosmology/Astronomy Time had a beginning 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2, 1 Corinthians 2:7 2 The universe had a beginning Genesis 1:1, 2:4, Isaiah 42:5, etc. 3 The universe was created from the invisible Hebrews 11:3 4 The dimensions of the universe were created Romans 8:38-39 5 The universe is expanding Job 9:8, Psalms 104:2, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:12, Isaiah 48:13, Isaiah 51:13, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 51:15, Zechariah 12:1 6 Creation of matter and energy has ended in the universe (refutes steady-state theory) Genesis 2:3-4 7 The universe is winding down and will "wear out" (second law of thermodynamics ensures that the universe will run down due to "heat death"- maximum entropy) Psalms 102:25-27 8 Describes the correct order of creation Genesis 1 (see Day-Age Genesis One Interpretation) Number of stars exceeds a billion Genesis 22:17, Jeremiah 33:22 9 Every star is different 1 Corinthians 15:41 10 Pleiades and Orion as gravitationally bound star groups Job 38:31 11 Light is in motion Job 38:19-20 12 The earth is controlled by the heavens Job 38:33 1 Earth is a sphere Isaiah 40:22 13 Job 26:10 14 At any time, there is day and night on the Earth Luke 17:34-35 15 Earth is suspended in space Job 26:7 16 Earth Sciences Earth began as a waterworld. Formation of continents by tectonic activity described Genesis 1:2-9, Psalms 104:6-9, Proverbs 3:19, Proverbs 8:27-29, Job 38:4-8, 2 Peter 3:5 17 Water cycle described Ecclesiastes 1:7; Isaiah 55:10, Job 36:27-28 18 Valleys exist on the bottom of the sea 2 Samuel 22:16 19 Vents exist on the bottom of the sea Job 38:16 20 Ocean currents in the sea Psalms 8:8 21 Air has weight Job 28:25 22 Winds blow in circular paths Ecclesiastes 1:6 23 Biology The chemical nature of human life Genesis 2:7, 3:19 24 Life of creatures are in the blood Leviticus 17:11 25 The nature of infectious diseases Leviticus 13:46 26 Importance of sanitation to health 2The universe had a beginning 3 4 5 6 7 8Day-Age Genesis One Interpretation 9 10 11 12 1 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Numbers 19, Deuteronomy 23:12-13, Leviticus 7-9 27 27 48

49. Genesis 1 From Viewpoint of an Observer on the Earth: a. The earth created and is spinning: night and day. Day 1 b. Water covers earth, Very thick atmosphere forms. Day 2 c. The earth cools, land appears out of the water. Day 3 d. Life appears on the earth. Day 3 e. (Photosynthetic life dramatically changes the chemistry of the atmosphere from reducing to oxidizing.) f. Finally, the heavenly objects appeared in the sky Day 4 g. More advanced life forms; first in the water, later on the land Day 5 h. Even more advanced life forms. Last of all human beings Day 6 Where is the scientific error in this?

50. Prophecy Resources http://books.google.com/books?id=ChAPAAAAYAAJ& pg=PT262&lpg=PT262&dq=edom+petra+bible&sourc e=bl&ots=f7PnQow83Q&sig=788cVmQVWcCjrUWyd dFwkmSiKPg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum =4&ct=result#PPT38,M1 http://books.google.com/books?id=ChAPAAAAYAAJ& pg=PT262&lpg=PT262&dq=edom+petra+bible&sourc e=bl&ots=f7PnQow83Q&sig=788cVmQVWcCjrUWyd dFwkmSiKPg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum =4&ct=result#PPT38,M1 http://www.prophecyunlocked.com/lesson2.html 50

51. Prophecies http://therefinersfire.org/recent_prophecy.htm Better: http://www.100prophecies.org/page11.htm http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ ch06/ http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ ch06/ http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/252 51

52. Interpreting the Bible Of course, in explaining the supernatural, the Bible uses lots of analogies and figurative language and can not be taken literally in all cases – Many literary forms used – lots of poetry, even some hyperbole – “Trees of field will clap their hands” – Jesus kept having to correct people that were taking his words too literally “Born again” – Nicodemus said how can you return in your mother’s womb to be born again He told disciples things like I have food to eat you know nothing about – Bible says this was not literal Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in 3 days Sometimes Jesus spoke in parables so that people would not understand – God is the revealer but He does so on basis of how we respond » Verses indicate spiritual things spiritually discerned, father in heaven reveals (Jn 5:44) » If you seek for me, you will find me (ask, seek, knock) Mt 7:7 – Context clues indicate intent – Don’t let anthropomorphic language bother you “The arm of the Lord” –doesn’t indicate that writers of the Bible thought God has arms 52

53. Alleged contradictions Independent eyewitnesses frequently give testimony that is an apparent contradiction but not an actual one – Each may mention or have seen a subset of all the people at a given location E.g. resurrection scene There are a few contradictions in the Bible – What? – Orthodox Christian belief is that the original writing was inspired There are some known copyist’s errors (very few and none important) – Evidence that copyists did not change things even when they saw these God preserved everything doctrinally significant 53

54. Jon Rittenhouse – Can the Bible Really Be Trusted? Podcast is really helpful starting at about min 35 – Luke’s historical accuracy No tetrarch … – Ramsay (skeptic) greatest archaeology … 54

55. Fall of Ninevah Probably just a backup chart Nahum 1:14 “The LORD has issued a command concerning you: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. ” – The Cambridge Ancient History remarks that “The disappearance of the Assyrian people will always remain an unique and striking phenomenon in ancient history.” Wikipedia indicates Assyrians still exist in numbers though – Imperial Ninevah was destroyed and ruined forever despite its immense size and power 55