You Can Trust The Bible.

The Bible is the best selling book of all time. The English word Bible is derived from the Greek "ta biblia" meaning the books. In the singular "biblion" has the literal meaning of "scroll" and came to be used as the ordinary word for "book". The Bible is a compilation of many books, stories and letters. The Bible we have today is comprised of 39 books

in the Old testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament is also known as the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament is referred as the New Testament Canon. Canon stems from the Greek meaning "measuring stick". The word testament translates to mean "Covenant". These books came from scrolls and writings and were transcribed into the books we use today. The original writings did not have chapters and verses. These chapters and verses were added later to make it easier for people to reference to.

So is the Bible just a book of unbelievable stories or the infallible word of God? I often hear people say "The Bible has been rewritten so many times that its been corrupted by man." Although the Bible has been translated into many different languages and dialects, the meaning and intent of the stories is still exactly the same. When the authors wrote them and then the scribes rewrote them it would of been dishonorable not to copy exactly what the author had originally had written. The job of a scribe was so incredible important and held in such high regard it would have been disgraceful not to perform their job properly. Having said that, if you look at the evidence, which is ... there have been thousands of manuscripts that have been discovered and compared to one other and the conclusion is that the documents contain virtually same text and stories with very little if any variation. Having discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1940"s and going through those documents they discovered that some of the most earliest writings were exactly the same. Although the Bible we read today has only 66 books in it, there have been a lot more ancient writings and books that did not make it into the bible that we have today. There is a lot of discussion and rightly so on how and why those writings and books were not included into the Bible. That doesn't take away the validity of the 66 books that are in the Bible now. Over the years there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Bible. What amazes me is that it has survived for thousands of years. People gave there lives for it! William Tyndale started translating it into English in 1535 and he was executed for his efforts. His predecessor John Rodgers who used the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew" as did William Tyndale to avoid persecution continued the work of Tyndale and he was also executed for trying to translate the scriptures into English. Finally Miles Cloverdale completed the work and the first English version "Matthew's Bible" was published in France in 1537. I think its important to note that these writings and scriptures were written by great believers and spiritually lead people. Jesus himself refers on many occasions about reading and studying the scriptures? He used scriptures against the attacks of Satan. Remember we are in a spiritual battle in this life on Earth. I know for some people its hard to comprehend that there is a devil. However, Jesus calls Satan "the god of this age, and prince of this world." The Bible says in; 2 Corinthians 4:4

New King James Version

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

This is why its so important for a Christian to learn the Bible. To arm yourself with the truth and knowledge so you can defend against the fiery darts of the evil one. Most people don't even realize that there minds are blinded. If you can start to understand the spiritual battle going on then your eyes will be opened to the truth. The truth shall set you free! Jesus tells us in

John 14:6New King James Version

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. To truly know God and His character, you have to read the Bible. If you believe and Have faith it will speak to you and God will reveal himself to you!

The places and stories told in the Bible can seem unbelievable. But as more and more discoveries are made in archeology its my belief that God is slowly letting mankind unveil the truths of the Bible. For example in the Bible the story of Sodom and Gomora, God rained down fire and brimstone to destroy the town because it was wicked! Today in the locations where these towns were supposed to exist, archeologists have located large chunks of Sulphur that is so pure, there is no earthly comparison. Or how about the parting of the Red Sea so Moses and the Israelites could escape Egypt. If you look at modern topography of the Red Sea the sea is very deep. But where the archeologists believed where the crossing took place there is a shallower part that has what looks to be a land bridge going from side to side. When divers searched the sea floor, what they discovered is amazing! The found chariot axles and wheels and other artifacts that were strewn from one side of the sea floor to the other. Not to long ago there was an inscription of hieroglyphics discovered in Sudan at a temple built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III that dates 1400 B.C. The inscription translates to "The Nomads of the land of Yahweh." The time period which this would have been written was around the time of Moses when the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years according to the Bible. Its interesting that they would put a reference to the God of Israel on a temple that was built for a god of their own. These stories seem so unbelievable to our closed minds. However, These types of discoveries are being found in the middle east more and more. I encourage you to look into this on you own. Not only is it fascinating, but it will also give you a greater appreciation for the accuracy of the Bible.

Matthew 19:26

New King James Version

26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”