1, 2. Why do many respect the Bible, and what claim do its writers make?
THE New Encyclopædia Britannica calls the Bible “probably the most influential collection of books in human history.” The Bible is held in high regard by many because of its antiquity—parts were written 3,500 years ago. Yet, its practical, up-to-date advice is one of the reasons that over three billion copies have been distributed and that it has been translated, in whole or in part, into almost two thousand languages, making it the world’s all-time best-seller.
2 Aside from these factors, all of which inspire respect for the Bible, there is yet another feature that has made it so influential and appealing throughout the ages—its claim to be the inspired revelation of Almighty God. Moses, who compiled the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) “wrote down” all that God told him to, which included the account of creation, the record of the Flood of Noah’s day, and the history of Abraham and of Moses’ own dealings with God. (Exodus 24:3, 4) King David said: “The spirit of the LORD has spoken through me, his message is on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:2) Other Bible writers made similar claims of divine guidance. All these writings together form God’s own explanation of history—its true meaning, interpretation, and final outcome. The many different writers of the Scriptures—kings, hired laborers, priests, and others—were all acting as secretaries in recording the thoughts of God, the Bible’s Author and the Guarantor of its promises.
3. What shows that belief in God and belief in science are not incompatible?
3 Since the Bible claims divine authorship, perhaps the foremost question for many relates to the very existence of its Author. Many reject God’s existence outright. Others, under the impression that all intelligent people have rejected the idea of God and belief in the Bible, ask: “Why don’t scientists believe in God?” Is this impression really true? An article in the magazine New Scientist said that the “view that commonly expects scientists to be nonbelievers . . . is a view that is wildly wrong.”2 The same article reports that random surveys among universities, research establishments, and industrial laboratories indicate that “as many as eight of every 10 scientists follow a religious faith or countenance principles that are ‘non-scientific.’” So it cannot accurately be said that faith is incompatible with science or scientists. (See the box “Evolution—A Fact?”)
Is There Proof of Inspiration?
4. What scientific truths were mentioned thousands of years ago in the Bible?
4 When one reaches the conclusion that there is convincing evidence of a Creator’s existence, the question still remains whether he has inspired men to record his thoughts and purposes in the Bible. There are many reasons why we can be sure that this is the case, one of which is its scientific accuracy. (See the box “‘In the Beginning God Created’ . . .”) For example, over 3,000 years ago, Job said that God “hangeth the earth over nothing.” (Job 26:7, JP) About 2,700 years ago, the prophet Isaiah stated that God “sitteth above the circle of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:22, JP) Now, how could Job or Isaiah have known these basic scientific truths that the earth is suspended in space and is a sphere? They may be well-known today, but these statements were made at a time when such notions were unheard of. Is not divine revelation the most reasonable explanation?
5, 6. What fulfillments of prophecy give evidence that the Bible writers were inspired by God?
5 Prophecy, in effect history written before it happens, is perhaps the main feature of the Bible that substantiates its claim of divine inspiration. For example, the prophet Isaiah foretold not only that Jerusalem would be destroyed by Babylon and that the entire Jewish nation would be taken captive but also that in time the Persian general Cyrus would conquer Babylon and liberate the Jews from captivity. (Isaiah 13:17-19; 44:27–45:1) Can you think of any means, other than divine inspiration, by which, 200 years in advance, Isaiah could have successfully predicted Cyrus’ birth, his name, and precisely what he would do? (See the box “God—‘The Revealer of Mysteries’ Through Prophecy.”)
6 Some of the most remarkable prophecies are recorded by Daniel, a prophet who lived in the sixth century B.C.E. Not only did he foretell the fall of Babylon to the Medes and the Persians but he also predicted events far beyond his time, into the distant future. For example, Daniel’s prophecy foretold the rise of Greece as a world empire under Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.E.), the division of Alexander’s empire among his four generals after his untimely death, and the rise of the Roman Empire, with its fearful military might (first century B.C.E.). (Daniel 7:6; 8:21, 22) All these events are now indisputable historical facts.
7, 8. (a) What accusation have some made about Bible prophecies? (b) What proves that the accusation of fraud is not well-founded?
7 Because Bible prophecies have been so exact, critics have branded them as deceptions, that is, history written after the fact and disguised as prophecy. But how can one rationally assert that Jewish priests would dare to invent a prophecy? And why would they invent prophecies that contained the hardest diatribes imaginable against themselves? (Isaiah 56:10, 11; Jeremiah 8:10; Zephaniah 3:4) In addition, how could an entire literate nation, trained and educated with the Bible as its sacred text, be taken in by such a hoax?—Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
8 How could there have been any fraud connected with the disappearance of entire civilizations, such as Edom and Babylon, when these events took place many centuries after the completion of the Hebrew Scriptures? (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 49:17, 18) Even if one maintains that these prophecies were not written in the time period of the prophets themselves, they were still recorded prior to the third century B.C.E., for by then they were already being translated into Greek in the Septuagint. Also, the Dead Sea Scrolls (which include portions of all the prophetic Bible books) are dated to the second and first centuries B.C.E. As noted, many prophecies were fulfilled only after these dates.