A study of the End Times on the basis of The Holy Bible
The Bible is the word of God written by many people by divine inspiration. That is to say, all the words recorded in the original writing of Scripture originated from the mouth of God before ever reaching the minds and pens of the biblical writers
The Bible makes claims about the creation of the universe, the nature of the God who created the universe and reigns supreme over it and the fate of mankind. If these claims are true, of course we know they are true, the Bible is the most important book in the history of mankind. The Bible is true, and it holds the answers to life’s biggest questions: “From where did I come?” “Why am I here?” and “What happens to me when I die?” The importance of the Bible’s message demands fair consideration, and the truthfulness of its message is observable, testable, and able to withstand scrutiny. Some people may ask you, why should I believe the Bible? Here is the answer.
Firstly, the unity of the biblical message is the reason why one should believe the Bible. The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,550 years, with at least 40 human writers, most of whom did not know each other, lived in different times, different places, and were from varying backgrounds (king, fisherman, tax collector, shepherd, etc.). The Bible was written in various environments (desert, prison, royal court, etc.). Three different languages were used to write the Bible, and, despite covering controversial subjects, it speaks about the same God, it carries one harmonious message. The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Bible would seem to guarantee its fallibility, and, yet, the message from Genesis to Revelation is uncannily consistent.
Secondly, The Bible is Providentially Preserved. Scholars estimate that textual criticism has been able to restore the New Testament text to 99.5% similarity with the originals. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946-56 added to the authenticity and reliability of the manuscripts. Prior to their discovery, the oldest manuscript copies for the Old Testament were from the 9th century AD. The Dead Sea Scrolls are from the 1st-3rd centuries BC. Hebrew scholar Millar Burrows writes, “It is a matter of wonder that through something like one thousand years, the text underwent so little alteration.”
Thirdly, Many of the Prophecies in the Bible were fulfilled. Many people have been persuaded of the divine nature of the Bible after studying the subject of biblical prophecies in more detail. There are hundreds of prophecies woven throughout the Bible that have been fulfilled in stunning detail. Arguably, one of the greatest prophecies about Jesus was written in 700 BC and is found in Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
Fourthly, there are Extra-Biblical confirmations. A number of facts, central to the Bible’s core, can also be found in ancient, non-Christian sources, such as Cornelius Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Flavius Josephus, and others. Williams says these sources confirm basic facts such as “Christ’s death under Pontius Pilate in Judaea…that Christ was worshiped as God early on, that Christ’s followers often experienced persecution, that Christians spread far and fast,” etc. One of the Apostle John’s students, Polycarp, is an important link to the original disciples. Additional sources include the Jewish Talmud, Suetonius, Serapion, Thallus, Phlegon, Lucian, and the early church fathers.