Is The Bible Reliable? (A Quick Review)

NOTE: This is an excerpt from the study entitled "Is the Bible Truly the Word of God?" It is an abbreviated look at the reliability of the Bible. It is intended to be a quick study of that important subject. For a more in-depth study let me recommend three studies available at this site. Two contain the information posted here. One is mentioned above: Is the Bible Truly the Word of God? The second study is Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven? The third is Preservation and Psalm 12:6-7.

If there is a God, and, according to several national surveys or polls, the great majority of us believe there is, then why would we hesitate to believe that He has spoken to us? And if he has spoken to us, then the Bible is the most likely place He did so. Why?

The answer to that question has spawned volumes. But let me quickly outline a few areas of proof that the Bible is indeed God's Word.

1. The historicity of the Bible. As archaeology has progressed in the last three centuries (19^th, 20^th, and 21^st) it has proven over and over that the accounts in the Bible are historically accurate. Let me give two brief examples. 1.) The Bible tells us that Abraham came from the city of Ur. Ur was considered to be a myth for centuries. Then in the early part of the 20^th Century, Sir Leonard Woolley of the British Museum and his staff of archaeologists unearthed the city of Ur, proving its existence. Prior to the expedition directed by Woolley, another British Museum archaeologist named J.E. Taylor began to dig at the site of Ur. It is now an accepted fact that Ur was a real historical city in the trans-Euphrates area, which is the location in which the Bible places it. 2.) The Biblical story of Jericho (about the walls falling) was also considered to be a myth. Yet in the 1950's, Dame Kathleen Kenyon, an extraordinary archaeologist named Honorary Director of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem proved that the walls of Jericho collapsed just as the Bible says. Here is a quote from her excavation report: "The destruction was complete. Walls and floors were blackened or reddened by fire, and every room was filled with fallen bricks, timbers, and household utensils; in most rooms the fallen debris was heavily burnt." There are numerous other examples of archaeology proving the accuracy of the Bible.
2. The unity of the Bible. The Bible consists of sixty-six books written over a period of fifteen hundred years by forty different writers. These men did not know each other because they were many times separated by many years; even centuries; even millennia. They could not get together and collaborate to produce such a cohesive work. They did not fabricate it. These writers came from many different walks of life and classes of society. Some were poor, some rich, some powerful, some weak. Some were prophets, some historians, some poets, some farmers, some very wise, and some not as wise. Some were kings, some lowly subjects. Some were respected; some were reviled. They came from all classes, cultures, and experiences. Yet they are in complete agreement. The Bible is a cohesive, relevant, and up to date collection of writings. The Author of the Bible is Almighty God. It is His letter to us, His people. It is a complex living organism whose elements are interlocked, interwoven, and interdependent. God used men who had different personalities and different writing styles. But even so, the Bible is complete, organized, unified, and consistent.
3. Fulfilled Prophecy. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament fulfilled by Jesus. Psalm 22 tells us about His hands and feet being pierced, about the soldiers casting lots for His clothing, and about His being reviled on the cross. Jesus actually quotes from Psalm 22 on the cross. David wrote Psalm 22 almost 1000 years before Christ was crucified. Isaiah tells us how he would be wounded for our transgressions. That prophecy was fulfilled when He was scourged, beaten, and crucified. Micah tells us that He was to be born in Bethlehem, which He was. Daniel wrote his prophecy around 500 years before Christ was born. Daniel predicted the birth of Christ to the exact year. He said that the Messiah would be born 483 years after Cyrus decreed the rebuilding of Jerusalem. That is precisely when Christ was born. He predicted the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD. Daniel accurately predicted Alexander's conquest of the world and how his generals split up his empire among themselves. He predicted how Antiochus Epiphanes would come in and fight against Jerusalem and desecrate the altar of God. His most awesome prophecy was that the four major world empires would rise and fall. He predicted Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Every prediction that Daniel made came true with the exception of those that are scheduled for future fulfillment. The Bible has a 100% accuracy rate on prophecies coming true. This fact alone should sway any doubter.
4. The scientific accuracy of the Bible. Solomon said that the earth is a globe: Proverbs 8:27 "When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:" Isaiah 40:22 "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:" Job said that the earth hangs in space: Job 26:7 "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." Solomon affirmed the hydrology of the earth: Ecclesiastes 1:6-7 "The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. {7} All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." When Job said that the morning stars sang together, he was scientifically accurate. When sensors are aimed at stars, it has been found that the light they emit can be turned into sound. The sound is musical. And when different stars are checked, it is found that the sounds they make all harmonize*!

If, after reading these things you do not believe that the Bible is the true and is the inspired words of God, there is little more I can do to persuade you. Again it is your choice. If you choose not to believe that the Bible is God's Word, then I have no argument to prove to you that the Bible is reliable. But if you choose to believe that the Bible is God's Word then you know it is reliable and why.

* This data was discovered by COBE (the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite). The cosmic microwave radiation background resonates or harmonizes musically. This information was found in an article entitled, "The Universe May Be Flat, But It Is Nevertheless Musical" by Paul Preuss, from UC Berkeley's Science Beat.

שאלו שלום ירושלים
—Psalm 122:6(a) (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem) *

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105
"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalm 12:6-7