1. A Book from God

2. Paul Said the Bible Is Inspired 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Theopneustos, which is translated “inspiration,” actually is a compound word. –Theos – God –Pneustos – breathed –Thus, God breathed, or God breathed out. –The idea is that God spoke, since we exhale, or breath out, through the vocal cords to speak.

3. Peter Explained Inspiration 2 Peter 1:20-21 To truly understand prophecy, one must first realize that such was not the product of the prophet's own mind, or invention. Instead, they were carried along in their speaking, much as a sailboat is carried along by the wind, by the Holy Spirit.

4. The Writer of Hebrews Cited Prophets and Said God Spoke In Hebrews 1:5, he cited Psalm 2:7 and attributed it to God. In Hebrews 1:8-9, Psalm 45:6-7 is set forth as the word of God the Father to his Son. Psalm 2:7 and 110:4 are quoted by the writer as the words of the Father to his son, as well, in Hebrews 5:5-6.

5. Old Testament Writers Claimed to be Inspired Isaiah reported: –“For the Lord has spoken…” (Isaiah 1:1-2) –Isaiah 1:10 “Hear the word of the Lord.” –Isaiah 1:24 “Therefore the Lord says….” Jeremiah said: –“…to whom the word of the Lord came…” (1:1-2) –“…the word of the Lord came to me…” (2:1) Ezekiel wrote: –“…the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel…” (1:1-3)

6. New Testament Writers Claimed to be Inspired “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). “That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (2 Peter 3:2).

7. Jesus and the Old Testament Jesus considered the Old Testament scriptures inspired and used them as authoritative. –Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 His purpose in coming to earth was to do God’s will by fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. –Matthew 5:7-18 –John 15:25).

8. New Testament Writers Considered the Old Testament to be Inspired When Peter reasoned that they needed to fill Judas’ office, he referred to scripture as authoritative – Acts 1:15-16. Peter also cited David – Acts 4:25. Paul said the Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah – Acts 28:25-27. Paul used one singular noun to present his case about Christ – Galatians 3:16-19.

9. Inspired Spokesmen in the New Testament The apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit – John 14:25-26; 16:12-13; Hebrews 2:1-4. "And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:15-16).

10. The Science of Genesis 1 Certain scientific facts are revealed in the Bible that could only have been known by the Creator and revealed by inspired penmen. For instance, the expression “after his kind” is used repeatedly in Genesis 1. –11-12, 21, 24-25 Man believed in spontaneous generation even hundreds of years later.

11. Life in the Blood Doctors in George Washington’s time believed “bleeding” a patient would rid the body of impurities. Now, doctors know life is in the blood. –Genesis 9:4 –Leviticus 17:11, 14

12. The Water Cycle The Mississippi River dumps over 6 millions of gallons of water into the Gulf of Mexico per minute (Thompson and Jackson). Where does all the water go? Why is the land not flooded? Ecclesiastes 1:7; 11:3a Amos 9:6b

13. Isolation Stops the Spread of Disease Long before modern medicine thought of putting people with highly contagious diseases in isolation, God’s word instructed Israel to do just that in the case of lepers. “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’” (Leviticus 13:45)

14. Prophecies Fulfilled Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 7:14 foretold the place of the Messiah’s birth and the fact that his mother would be a virgin (Matthew 1:20-2:1). The triumphal entry was foreseen in Zechariah 9:9 and fulfilled in Matthew 21:1-5.

15. Miracles Prove the Bible Is God’s Word Moses was given miraculous signs and the plagues proved there is one God – Exodus 4:1-5; 7:5, 17; 8:10, 22; 9:14, 29; 10:2; 11:7; 13:3; 14:14. Christ was raised from the dead, proving he is God’s spokesman – Romans 1:4. The miracles worked by the apostles proved they spoke with God’s authority – Mark 16:14-20; Hebrews 2:1-4.

16. Geography and Inspiration Elevation is always correctly referred to in the Bible. –“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead” (Luke 10:30). A simple glance at a topographical map is very revealing. Jerusalem is in a mountainous area, with the Mt. of Olives being 2680 feet high. In contrast, Jericho is near the mouth to the Dead Sea. It is actually below sea level, at approximately -500 feet. So, one truly would go “down” from Jerusalem to Jericho!