"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
Short Overview
The Bible is the only historical collection of writings, consisting of 66 Books - 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, authored by ordinary, but chosen people, inspired by The Holy Spirit, spanning roughly 6000 years from the beginning of time to the end of time.
Why I believe the Bible is The True Word of God
The Bible is not merely "just another book" describing events by a variety of people. Each writer was instructed by God and inspired by His Holy Spirit to record events happening during their time, as well as prophecies about events for the future. So, not only were these writers witnesses of events happening during their time, but there were other eye witnesses doing exactly the same - capturing the Word of God as true onlookers or bystanders and doing exactly that faithfully.
Prophecy
Although these writers captured the happenings as experiencing the events themselves, some of them also wrote of events that have prophetic meaning for a time quite distant from their own time on earth.
We list 1'100 Bible Prophecies identified by trustworthy Christian scholars and theologians on our Bible Prophecies page - with explanations, reference Scriptures and visualisations. Explore online
These prophecies aren't the usual run of the mill "prophetic" writings like The Sibylline Oracles (2nd to 6th centuries), the 12th century mystic predictions by Hildegard von Bingen, or the more well-known foretellings of the 16th century Nostradamus.
Looking at the prophecies in the Bible, many scholars estimate a total of 2'500 prophecies from Genesis to Revelation, of which roughly 2'000 have already been fulfilled.
These contain 300-330 prophecies in the Old Testament that have been fulfilled by Jesus alone. Renowned 19th century biblical scholar and Christian minister Alfred Edersheim identifies this number to be 456.
Dr. Titus Kennedy provides archeological evidence for Jesus & the historicity of the Gospels. | Dr. Voddie Baucham discusses the reasoning and his conviction of why he believes the Bible. |
Eye Witnesses
When mentioning eyewitness accounts of men, or men living alongside other eyewitnesses, all inspired by The Holy Spirit, this applies to most of the authors in the Old and New Testaments.
Old Testament
However, the question arises about the validity of this statement for the first five books of the Old Testament - Genesis to Deuteronomy, since man was only created on day seven of the biblical account of God creating earth, the universe and everything in/on it.
Most Bible scholars agree that Moses wrote these five books of the Bible, but instead of being inspired and lead by The Holy Spirit, God Himself spoke to Moses direct and clearly in face-to-face encounters on Mount Sinai, where He instructed him to pen down the events before his time on earth. The Bible states that God revealed the history of the world and the laws for Israel to Moses.
The New Testament: Eyewitnesses, History and Prophecy
The New Testament was written in the very world in which Jesus Christ lived, taught, died and, according to the testimony of His followers, rose again. Its authors were connected to the people, places and events they described, with some writing as eyewitnesses and others recording the testimony of those who had personally seen and heard Jesus.
They lived during a period of identifiable rulers, historical events and contemporary Jewish and Roman society. Their writings also recorded the fulfilment of earlier biblical prophecies and proclaimed events still to come. Examining the New Testament alongside contemporary and near-contemporary historical sources helps us understand its historical setting, the proximity of its authors to the events they describe, and the significance of its prophetic message.
Jesus spoke of Jerusalem and the Temple’s coming destruction (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed by Roman forces in AD 70. For readers examining biblical prophecy, this creates an important historical question: how do the date, wording and context of a prophecy relate to the event it describes? The answer requires careful examination of both the biblical text and the historical evidence.
The New Testament does not stand entirely alone as a source for this period. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote about Jewish society, political leadership and events surrounding the first-century Jewish revolt.
The Roman historian Tacitus referred to Christ’s execution under Pontius Pilate and the presence of Christians in Rome during Nero’s reign. Pliny the Younger later described Christian worship and the administration of trials involving Christians in his correspondence with Emperor Trajan.
These writers were not Christian evangelists, and their accounts were written for purposes different from those of the New Testament authors. Their testimony nevertheless helps establish the wider historical setting in which Jesus and the early Christian movement are understood.
The Warning Signs of the End Times
Signs of the Times: Deception and False Messiahs
Understanding the warnings Jesus gave about the days leading to His return.
What do we know about the deception(s) Jesus was warning his disciples about? Read more about the deception inside and outside the Body of Christ - The Church - that in our current world is blatantly visible and recognisable.
