The Inspiration of the Bible -- part 4

Internal Evidences of Inspiration -- 3


  1. It is SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE:
    1. No provable scientific fact contradicts the Bible.
      1. It disproves spontaneous generation in Genesis 1:20-25
      2. It inspired Matthew Fontaine Maury to chart "the paths of the seas" of Psalm 8:8 (Navigation, a long-time Navy textbook)
    2. It contains evidences of Scientific Foreknowledge = statements of scientific facts before the means to discover them were in existence:
      1. It teaches the importance of blood for life: Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11; Acts 15:29 (vs. leeching and blood letting)
      2. It teaches the water cycle in Ecclesiastes 1:7
      3. It teaches the rotundity of the Earth:
        1. Isaiah 40:22 "the circle of the earth"
        2. Luke 17:31-34 it will be both day and night when Jesus returns
      4. It teaches of freshwater springs in the sea -- Job 38:16
      5. It teaches the innumerability of the stars in Jeremiah 33:22
    3. Some have gone too far too find scientific foreknowledge:
      1. Ecclesiastes 10:20 does not anticipate the radio
      2. Isaiah 31:5 does not anticipate airplanes


  2. Its PROPHETIC ACCURACY confirms the Bible's inspiration
    1. Joshua 6:26 = 1 Kings 16:34 the curse of Jericho (400 years b/w the texts)
    2. Isa 44:28 Cyrus not born until 150 years after Isaiah was written
    3. Ezekiel 26:3-14 the curse against Tyre (Tyrus)
      1. Ezekiel was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar while crushing a Jewish revolt.
      2. Nebuchadnezzar sieged Tyre for 13 years (585 - 573 B.C.)
      3. Nebuchadnezzar finally broke through and pillaged the mainland city, but the inhabitants of Tyre had built anew city on an island offshore.
      4. Alexander the Great came in 332 B.C. and finished the prophecy by scraping the old city into the sea to make a land bridge to the island city.
      5. To this day, the city has never been rebuilt on its original foundation.
    4. Nahum 2:6; 3:7 the fall and utter destruction of Nineveh
    5. 200 years after Nineveh's fall, Xenophon led 10,000 men through the region and never realized he was looking at the ruins of Nineveh.
    6. 100 years after that, Alexander the Great fought the battle of Arbela there without knowing of Nineveh's existence.
    7. Ruins were not discovered 'til 1845 by Sir Austen Layard


  3. Prophecies about JESUS -- (Acts 3:22-24; Rev 19:10) sources vary b/w 325 - 450 specific prophecies concerning Jesus.
    1. Isaiah 7:14 -- the virgin birth (cf Matt 1:22-23)
    2. Isaiah 9:6-7 -- the coming Ruler
    3. Isaiah 25:9 -- 'This is our God; we have waited upon Him.'
    4. Isaiah 28:16 -- the precious corner stone
    5. Isaiah 50:4-9 -- God's suffering servant
    6. Isaiah 53 -- God's suffering servant


  4. Our faith in God and His Word is based on proven and irrefutable testimony! Psalm 46:10
    1. Exodus 3-4 Moses spoke the words and did the signs in the sight of the people and the people believed (Ex 3:29-31)
    2. 1 Kings 18:36-39 Elijah & the prophets of Baal- "let the people know that thou art God"
    3. Hebrews 11:1 faith is built on substance and evidence