Look carefully at the evidence

Some years ago a university professor took a small group of students on a field trip into desert country for intensive study. Miles from civilisation, their vehicle broke down and the group set out on foot to complete an estimated three-day trek back to their campus. After two days of hard travel, they came to the summit of a huge sand dune. Thirsty and sunburnt, they looked around them and to their delight, far off in the distance, they clearly saw a lake with small trees surrounding it. They jumped and screamed for joy. Their professor, who prided himself on understanding desert phenomena remained calm. He explained that what they were witnessing was a mirage. It was just an optical illusion.

A rather unpleasant argument followed. The professor insisted that he knew best because he was an expert in this sort of thing. The fact that they could see the trees and see the lake in the distance was no proof it was real. The argument ended with the students walking off one way, while the professor went in the opposite direction. He made them promise that after they discovered it was a mirage they would stay put and wait for him to return with help.

It took the students three gruelling hours but finally they arrived at a plush new desert resort which had only recently opened. It had four swimming pools and six restaurants. Two hours after that, they set out in a Land Rover with rangers to search for the professor. He was never found.

This true story has a spiritual parallel because it is a reminder of the way in which two different groups of people view Holy Scripture. The first group represented by the students, after making a proper investigation of Scripture, take what the Bible teaches “at face value”. In other words when they see with their own eyes a command in Scripture, they realise that what they see is true and therefore something which must be obeyed. When they read verses calling for people to repent, they recognise those verses as having come from God; when they read that people “mustn’t be deceived, because the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (1st Corinthians Ch6 v9), they take it to heart, and when they study verses of prophecy, they accept that one day those prophecies will indeed be fulfilled. They see these things in God’s Word and because they have properly looked at the claims of Scripture, they realise that they are true.

The second group is represented by the professor. This group indeed sees and reads the same things as the first, but they blindly refuse to accept what they see as being true and utterly refuse to take a proper look at them. The very thought that there could be any truth in them is simply rejected out of hand without any examination whatsoever. Just as the professor in his pride, refused to properly look at the scene his students were intensely viewing, so likewise this group refuses to properly look at the evidence that the Bible really has been inspired by Almighty God.

The outcome for both groups couldn’t be more different. The group which thoroughly investigates what they see in Scripture soon come to realise what a profound treasure it is. After assessing the evidence, they discover that the Bible is indeed true and it changes their lives at the very deepest level, bringing salvation, forgiveness, joy and eternal life.

The other group which rejects the Word of God out of hand, are left wandering and confused in the desert of their life. There is no watering hole for their thirsty souls, no shelter from the storms of life and no shade from the sun. They have rejected out of hand the very “Map” which would have shown them the Way, the Truth and the Life. There are many such people and they are their own worst enemy. Jesus describes this group in John Ch3vs19-20; “This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, but many love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. For those practising evil hate the light and will not come to the light lest their deeds should be exposed.”

There will of course be some among this group who feel uncomfortable rejecting every portion of the “Map”. The feeling of these individuals is that some parts of it should be followed, even if the “Map” as a whole is rejected. These people pick and choose which parts of the “Map” they are going to obey. They choose to adhere to the parts they like, and reject the parts that challenges them or makes them feel uncomfortable. These “pickers and choosers” totally miss the point. All that the Lord commands and teaches is important, not just bits and pieces.

The Bible clearly calls for individuals to repent of all their past sins and to start obeying the Lord Jesus in every way. God is Love, but He is also an infinitely Holy God requiring moral conduct and behaviour in keeping with His will. We can’t pick and choose what commands we are going to obey or which bits of the “Map” we are going to follow.

To belong to the Lord, an individual must truly make it their aim to follow His commandments and wishes in every area of their lives; at work, at home, in relationships and in their inner personal life. It calls for a complete change of attitude to life with regard to sexual immorality, ambitions, jealousies, bitterness, the holding of grudges, pride, and hatred etc. (See Galatians Ch5 vs19-21.) In their place, the Lord commands an attitude of self-control, love, gentleness, kindness, long suffering and the like. (See Galatians Ch5 vs22-23.) We can’t pick and choose which of these commands we are going to obey because they are all profoundly important.

The following story is a vivid illustration showing just how important complete obedience and loyalty really is. Some years ago retired astronaut General Charles Duke was talking about his experiences on Apollo 16. Shortly after he returned from the moon Charles himself, was converted and became a devout Christian. What he experienced on the moon is a reminder of our need to follow all of the Lord’s Commandments and not deviate from them in the slightest.

As he was talking about his walk on the lunar surface, someone asked “Once you were there, weren’t you free to make your own decisions and carry out some of your own experiments…you know, sort of do as you pleased, maybe stay a little longer if you liked?” Charlie answered “Oh sure, if we didn’t want to return to earth!” He then described the intricate plan, the exact and precise instructions, the essential discipline and the instant obedience that was needed right down to the split second if they were to be saved and get back. They landed with exactly 60 seconds of fuel to get them away again. The audience was given the distinct impression that a rebel doesn’t fit inside a spacesuit. To be safe they needed total and complete obedience to the commands from Mission Control.

So likewise, there are no rebels or partial followers of Christ in the Kingdom of God. To belong to the Lord and be a member of His Kingdom requires wholehearted commitment to all of the instructions given in the “Map”. Partial obedience or picking and choosing which Commands in Scripture to obey, will only lead to death. As we are warned in 1st Peter Ch4v18 “If the righteous person is scarcely saved, what will it be like for the ungodly and sinner?” And in Hebrews Ch2vs 1-3 it implores; “We must give all the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we should drift away…for how shall we escape so great a Salvation?” Genuine repentance must bring forth genuine obedience. If pickers and choosers have no place on the moon, how much more so, have they no place in the Kingdom of Heaven!

Take God seriously

Recently I read of an unnerving experience which happened to a pastor and his wife who were flying back from a Christian conference. The conduct they witnessed teaches us a great deal about human behaviour and attitudes.

They were flying from Portland back to Los Angeles and all seemed to be going well. All of a sudden while food was being served, the plane banked sharply. Moments later, flight attendants took back all the trays of food and they could be seen quietly whispering among themselves. There was clearly something very wrong. The pilot then came on and said “We have a slight mechanical difficulty. We are going to fly back to Portland.”

When the plane touched down at Portland airport a flight attendant announced “Listen carefully everyone. As soon as we come to a stop, you’ll hear the emergency siren. At that moment, take the closest escape route you can. Some of you will need to use the slides.” Then she added “There is a bomb threat. Take nothing with you, just get out!”

To the sheer amazement of the pastor and his wife, instead of panic and people running for the doors, quite the opposite happened. Most people first started reaching for their belongings under their seats and one person actually insisted on getting his brief case from the overhead locker. It was clear that many people simply didn’t take the warning seriously.

In the Bible, there are many examples of people who treated Divine warnings about their conduct and life style with a similar casual attitude. Every one of them eventually discovered however, that those warnings to repent where absolutely true. All these examples have much to teach us, but the story of what happened to a certain King of Judah when he rejected the warnings of God’s Word is particularly worth relating.

Around 600BC, during the ministry of the Prophet Jeremiah, there was a King of Judah called Jehoiakim. This King rejected Almighty God and His Commandments so the result was moral and religious decay throughout the nation. Interest in God and obedience to His will declined to such a degree that the Lord gave Jeremiah a Divinely inspired warning which was to be read out to the leaders and people. The warning was stark. Unless the nation repented and turned back to the True God, they would be invaded by a foreign power and destroyed.

Courtiers read this to King Jehoiakim while he was staying at his winter palace. The account in Jeremiah Ch36 relates that a fire was burning on the hearth and as the King heard the Word of God being read out, he cut the scroll into pieces and burnt them on the fire. He utterly refused to take the warnings of God seriously and because he didn’t like the message, he destroyed it. His behaviour and contempt for the Word of God brought terrifying consequences. Shortly afterwards the entire nation was invaded and severe judgement fell upon him personally as well as his family.

As shocking as his behaviour was, it is sadly little different from the way many people treat the inspired Word of God today. They pick and choose the verses they like in Scripture and just like Jehoiakim reject the parts which they find personally and morally challenging. No wonder they don’t feel God close to them. Salvation, intimacy and closeness to the Lord is a blessing reserved only for those take all of His will seriously. It is not for pickers and choosers who behave like a modern day Jehoiakim.

The writer Francois Fenelon gives a moving description of what this intimacy and closeness means in practise. “You can tell God all that is in your heart, just as one would unload one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains to a dear friend. You can tell Him your troubles and He will comfort you, you can tell Him your longings and He will purify them, you can tell Him your dislikes and He will help you to conquer them. Talk to Him of your temptations and He will shield you from them, show Him the wounds of your heart and He will heal them. Honestly lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil and your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere and how pride disguises you to yourself and others.”

“When you pour out to Him all your weaknesses, needs and troubles there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject and you will have no secrets from Him. Blessed indeed are those who have such a familiar, unreserved and intimate relationship with God.”

And such people are easy to recognise. They have a genuine passion and thirst for the Lord, with an
unquenchable enthusiasm and drive to stay close to Him. It can be seen in their lives that the Spirit of God resides in their hearts. They display an inner joy and peace which radiates out for all to see. Eternal life has already begun for them and the joy of the Lord is upon their countenance.

Those who refuse to fully submit to the Word of God are denied all this joyful intimacy and owing to the deceitful nature of sin may not even be aware of their true spiritual condition. Like King Jehoiakim they may actually feel quite comfortable and confident with their pick and miss views. They might take some, or perhaps none, of God’s Commandments and warnings seriously and feel very positive about rejecting and ignoring the rest. Scripture often makes references to such people and states that they are deceiving themselves and deceiving those around them. All of God’s Commandment’s and all His warnings revealed in Scripture, are to be taken seriously and acted upon; none of them can be ignored.

The Bible further adds that some of these self-deceivers will even have a certain religious persona about them and perhaps even have the appearance of being spiritual. In 2nd Timothy Ch3v5 it describes people who “have a form of Godliness about them, but deny its power.” In Matthew Ch15v8 it says “These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honour Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.” They feel quite comfortable about attending church services and singing God’s praises, but in their heart of hearts they do not have a relationship with Him because they refuse to fully submit to and accept His revealed will. As it warns in Matthew Ch7 vs22-23 “Many will come to Me on that Day and say ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name and done many good works in Your Name?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me; you who practise lawlessness. ‘”

There is a certain plant in South America which starving people will chew, because it gives them the enjoyable sensation of having been fed. Through its influence all desire for real food departs and the starving person is spared from the painful gnawing of hunger. The leaf contains a drug but no nourishment. It satisfies a man’s craving but it does not provide for his needs. It is a plant of deception. He feels he has had food, but in reality he is dying for lack of it. So likewise are those who pick and mix from the Bible, choosing for themselves what moral teaching to take seriously and what to reject. They take enough of it to make them feel good, satisfying the inner craving of their religious nature, but reject the morally challenging parts which would have fed and saved their souls. They feel they are spiritually alive and in “good standing” with the Lord, but in reality they have deceived themselves. Unless they take seriously all of His moral teaching as revealed in Scripture, they will never belong to Him and never be one of His children.

Self-deception is so easy that St Paul urges every person to examine their heart, in order to check that they really do belong to the Lord. As he puts it in 2nd Corinthians Ch13v5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” Let us learn the lesson of Jehoiakim and not be deceived and punished as he was. Provided we take all the teaching and warnings of Scripture seriously, and sincerely endeavour to submit our lives to His will, then when He comes or calls, He will say “Well done good and faithful servant,” rather than “Depart from Me because I never knew you.”

Read the Bible to grow in faith

Some years ago when a naval officer was completing his first overseas tour of duty he was given the chance to display his capabilities at getting the ship "under way". With a stream of commands, he soon had the decks buzzing with men and quickly the destroyer was underway en route for America. He was so efficient, he actually established a new record for getting a destroyer "under way" and he wasn’t surprised when another officer approached him with a message from the Captain. Thinking it would be a message of congratulations he was alarmed to read as follows; "My personal congratulations upon completing your exercise according to instructions with amazing speed. In your haste however, you overlooked the most important rule of all; make sure your Captain is aboard before getting under way."

This true incident conveys a vital spiritual lesson for Christians. The Bible fulfils a similar role to that of a  Captain. Just like the Captain of a ship, it is the Bible which guides us where to head in our "voyage of life", it informs us what to do in different circumstances, it guides us on how to solve the various problems we encounter, it encourages us when the storms of the voyage are difficult, it comforts us when we are sad, and of course it challenges us if we sin or if we begin to neglect our "duties". The Bible is our absolute rule of life. During the years of the Reformation people were constantly reminded that "Scripture alone" was to be their final authority regarding how they were to live and behave. This is as true today as it was then.

Someone worked out that the word "B-I-B-L-E" can stand for "Best Instructions Before Leaving Earth,"  a wonderful description. The problem is that many people launch themselves into the Christian life but then fail to make sure this "Captain" or "Guide" comes along with them on the journey!  In other words, they "set sail" alright, but from that moment on they ignore God’s Word just as though it had been left behind at port. They never consult it for directions, they rarely refer to it for help, they never study its teaching; and then they are surprised when they make a shipwreck of their faith! If they never study the "charts and maps" then how could they avoid hitting a reef?

Carefully reading and studying God’s Word, the Bible is absolutely vital if a Christian is to successfully and faithfully complete his voyage of life. As it states in 2nd Timothy Ch3-15-17; "Holy Scripture is able to make you wise for salvation…All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Like praying, Bible reading is something which every Christian must do on a regular basis if they are to grow spiritually. Carefully studying and dwelling on the Word of God feeds our souls and enlightens our minds. As Jesus warned in Matthew Ch4 v4; "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Reading God’s Word changes us for the better, "from within"; those on the other hand who neglect His Word do themselves great spiritual harm.

The benefits arising from regular Bible reading are too numerous to cover in any detail so here are just three examples to show what a profound impact it can have.

First of all, it’s the answer to a heart which is beginning to go cold. Many years ago a Christian teenager went to his Church minister with the following problem. "Sometimes I think I am no longer a Christian" said the lad. "I don’t seem to have the same interest or enthusiasm which I had when I first started following Jesus. It isn’t easy for me to remember Him." The minister knew the family well so he used the following personal illustration to show the solution to his spiritual plight. "Jack, what about the time your father was working away from home for so long? Tell me, did your love for him lessen with time? Was it hard for you to keep on remembering and thinking about him?" Jack replied, "Not a bit. He wrote a letter to us every week. We would read his letters many times and always know what he was doing and be reminded how much he loved us." "Precisely so", said the minister. "The Bible is God’s letter to us. Jesus has gone into Heaven but He has sent us ‘letters’ which we call the Bible. By reading His letters regularly we will stay close to Him in our hearts and our love for Him will never lessen with time. Start reading your Bible Jack and you will grow close to the Author. These are letters to you from God Himself. "

Secondly, it is the answer to a heart filled with worry and anxiety. A woman of nervous temperament visited the world-famous physician Dr Howard A. Kelly. The cares of life where weighing her down and she felt terrified about the future. He listened carefully as she spoke about her life, her interests and the symptoms she now had. When she had finished he said "With many patients I prescribe drugs, but in your particular case what you need more than anything is a source of peace and strength outside your own mind. You said that you were a lapsed Christian. Go home and read your Bible for an hour a day and then come back and see me in a month."

At first the woman was angry, but as she reflected honestly on her situation she began to feel guilty. She had indeed been a Christian, but she had let herself drift spiritually. She had  neglected reading her Bible, she had neglected praying and she had stopped attending church. With those "spiritual safeguards" removed, stubbornness and self-will had started to grow in her heart and she didn’t like the person she was becoming. Gradually she began to remember the joyful times prayer and Bible reading had brought her in the past when she had communed with the Lord. Perhaps the Doctor was right after all in perceiving her symptoms  were a sign of a spiritual problem. She opened her Bible and began to read. Everyday for the next month she faithfully set aside an hour to read God’s Word. Slowly she felt something change deep inside her heart. She started to feel "the joy of salvation" return to her inner spirit and began to look on life from a different perspective. (See Nehemiah Ch 8v10b, Psalm 43v4, Psalm 51v12 and Romans Ch14v17).

When she returned to the Doctor she said "I  now feel like a different person and I can’t thank you enough for your insight and honesty. I am puzzled though as to how you knew my particular problem was of a spiritual nature. How did you know?" Dr Kelly looked at her and then replied "I know from personal experience that if I should omit my own daily reading of God’s Word, I lose my greatest source of joy and strength. I perceived that this is precisely what had happened to you. My prescription of regular Bible reading, when obediently followed, works wonders." ("The Word of God is living and powerful." Hebrews Ch4v12).

Thirdly, it protects the heart from gullibility and superstition. On the night of 28th July1999, the Daily Mail newspaper conducted an experiment to reveal how gullible some people have become. They secretly arranged for crop circles to be made in a large cornfield in Wiltshire and the next day they recorded the response. By midday hundreds of people had come to see the sight. The local farmer started charging a pound a head and a Japanese TV crew filmed everything they could. A visitor from Sussex spread-eagled herself on the flattened corn and said that she now felt cured of her kidney complaint. An American scientist declared that the crops inside the circle had been genetically altered. A seasoned observer of crop circles stated "there’s no way this is man made; it’s just too perfect." Two women raised their arms above their heads saying they could detect a force field. A clairvoyant added that he had been informed by the spirits "that it was a sign to warn us." All these people were dumb founded when they were finally told that the whole thing had been a hoax by the press.

If someone stops believing in God and His Word, they will start to believe in anything no matter how bizarre! Today there are hundreds of weird ideas floating around to capture the imagination, but knowing and accepting what the Bible teaches about life and the world, protects the heart from being misled by such things. It keeps a person rooted and grounded in the truth of God. In an age of confusion and deception, it is the ultimate guide and Beacon of Truth having been inspired by the Creator of Life Himself.

Regular Bible reading brings countless blessings. It has a message from God for every kind of situation we could possibly find ourselves in. When we are sad, it brings a message of comfort, when we are worried, it brings a message of reassurance, when we are confused about issues of morality it shows what is sinful, when we fall into sin, it brings a message of challenge and when we repent of our sins it brings a promise of forgiveness. When we are dying it brings the promise of life everlasting, when we are spiritually exhausted it brings refreshment; its application is limitless.

So how exactly should we study the Bible? First of all, it must be read in the right spirit and with the right attitude remembering that "this is God’s Letter to me." This means we need to constantly ask "Is there a particular message for me in the passage I am reading?" It also means we need to properly "reflect on and inwardly digest" what we have read, in order for it to feed our souls and allow it to change us. And of course it means we need to read it faithfully and regularly. In 1st Samuel Ch2v30 the Lord promises "Those who honour Me I will honour," so if we are truly diligent in our study of His Word we can be certain He will bless us through it. Being irregular in our reading and doing it only now and again as the mood strikes us will not result in His blessing. 

Secondly, it is important to have a Bible which one can really understand. Reading Scripture in the Shakespearean English of the "Authorised Version" (written in 1611) is difficult for many people so it is vital to get a Bible in modern English such as "The New King James Version" or "The New International Version". Both of these Versions can also be obtained with explanatory notes so as to help the reader understand what is being said. (One of the most popular at the moment is called "The Life Application Bible". Some people also like to use what are called "Bible reading notes". Free devotional notes can be obtained from www.rbc.org.uk and www.ucb.co.uk ).

Thirdly, those who have never done much Bible reading before should usually begin with the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John because this is where they will learn about the life of Jesus. In the Gospels they will read about His moral teaching, His love, His Holiness and the kind of conduct He requires from those who follow Him. They will also learn why He came to this world and why He died on the Cross to save us from our sins. After that, great encouragement will be obtained from  reading through the Psalms and Proverbs found in the Old Testament.

Regarding the actual method of reading, it is important to study each chapter in the right order. If chapter one has been completed then continue with chapter two, then three and so on. Reading in this way means that events will flow one into another and the context in which these events are occurring will be clear. Some people try and read a chapter a day, while others can manage two or three chapters. The important thing however, is not the quantity which is read, but the manner in which it is read, namely thoughtfully and prayerfully.

Finally, remember the Bible is a book of instruction being God’s "Work Manual" on how we are to live. If a certain passage has special relevance to the reader they should highlight or underline that verse so they can refer to it easily again. A well marked Bible is a sign of a well studied and faithful Christian.

If a Christian wants to have a faithful and successful "voyage of life" they must take the Bible with them, regularly refer to it, constantly learn from it and faithfully obey it. Failure to do these things properly, right to  the end of life will only result in certain shipwreck and disaster.

Five signs proving the Bible to be true

When it comes to looking at proof regarding the truth and Divine origin of the Bible there are at least five main categories of evidence:

1.    The evidence coming from scientific facts contained in the Bible.

(See article entitled "Signs of Inspiration"). Examples include such things as, Isaiah stating that the earth is round, and Job referring to the earth being suspended in space, etc. All these facts were stated hundreds of years before modern scientific research discovered these things to be so.

2.  The evidence coming from archaeological discoveries.

Nelson Glueck the renowned Middle East archaeologist points out; "In all of my archaeological investigation I have never found anything from antiquity which contradicts any statement in the Bible." See www.arkdiscovery.com This website shows a range of exciting discoveries such as the remains of Pharoah's army which drowned after the Israelities  escaped through the waters of the Red Sea. See also "The Exodus Case" written by Dr Lennart Moller which examines the accounts given in the Book of Exodus, and "Untold Secrets of Planet Earth" written by Vance Nelson looking at the subject of dinosaurs and the Bible. (This book makes an excellent "coffee table" gift. See www.creation.com/store).
 
3.  The evidence coming from history.

The historical accuracy of Scripture has been verified time and again and many books have been written on this subject such as "The case for Christ Study Bible; Investigating the Evidence for Belief" General Editor Lee Strobel and the five volume series entitled "Evidence for the Truth" by Dr E.K. Victor Pearce.

4.  The evidence coming from fulfilled Bible prophecy.

The Bible is unique amongst ancient literature because one third of it is composed of prophecy and predictions. Many of these prophecies have already come to pass although they were written down hundreds and in some cases thousands of years before the events they foretold. No other ancient or modern work is similar to this in content. This is one of the main ways in which God displays the truth and authenticity of Holy Scripture; by predicting events long before they come to pass. It is a clear sign revealing the Divine origin of the Bible. It is God's way of clearly demonstrating to the world that the Bible really has been inspired by Him and can be trusted and relied upon. Unbelievers may try to ignore the fulfilment of these prophecies, but they are a matter of fact and are there for all to see, if they want to see. (See articles such as; "Amazing Prophecy Fulfilled", "Israel and the Middle East in Prophecy", etc).

5.  The evidence coming from mathematical patterns and numeric designs in the text of Scripture.

 (NB This is a purely mathematical subject and mustn't be confused with "The Bible Code" or indeed anything associated with numerology).The Bible has many unique properties revealing its Divine origin but one of the most amazing is that it was written with "a sevenfold mathematical structure and design" hidden in the Hebrew and Greek languages of which it was composed. The number seven, or an exact multiple of seven, repeatedly features in every conceivable way from Genesis right through to Revelation.

The Bible, which is the world's number one best seller, is not strictly one book; it is in fact a volume of 66 books written over 1500 years by about 44 different authors. Each of these authors state that they are describing and recording visions, commandments and information inspired to them by God and that He is the ultimate Author behind what they have written. A sevenfold mathematical pattern pervades Scripture showing clearly that it is indeed the product of "supernatural engineering" rather than mere human thought. It is something so complicated, no human composer could have achieved it and is a clear sign of God's Hand. 

Take for example, the genealogy of Jesus, the Son of God, as recorded in the first 11 verses of Matthew's Gospel. Studying the passage as it was written in New Testament Greek, research reveals the following amazing details-

The number of words in the entire genealogy is exactly divisible by seven. The number of letters used, are exactly divisible by seven. The number of vowels and consonants used are exactly divisible by seven. The number of words that begin with a vowel is exactly divisible by seven. The number of words that begin with a consonant is exactly divisible by seven. The number of words which occur more than once is exactly divisible by seven. The number of words which occur in more than one form is exactly divisible by seven. The number of words which occur in only one form is exactly divisible by seven. The number of nouns is exactly divisible by seven. Only seven words are not nouns. The number of names in the genealogy is exactly divisible by seven. Only seven other kinds of nouns occur. The number of male names is exactly divisible by seven. The number of generations is 21, exactly divisible by seven.

The mathematical structure observed in the genealogy of Jesus is staggering, the numerous heptadic features showing clearly that this couldn't be the work of unaided human thought, but the result of Divine inspiration.

Then again, numerous  examples  occur in Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus (verses 18-25).

The number of Greek words in the passage is 161, exactly divisible by seven. The numeric value of all these 161 words is exactly divisible by seven. (NB. Ancient cultures used their alphabet not just to form words but also as their numbering system. Each letter in their alphabet also meant a number. The numeric value of a word is the sum total of what its letters add up to, when each letter is taken as a number). The number of Greek vocabulary words in this passage is exactly divisible by seven. The one word found nowhere else in the New Testament is the Greek word "Emmanuel". It has a numeric value exactly divisible by seven. The number of forms in which these 161 words occur is 105, exactly divisible by seven. Of these 105, the number of verbs is exactly divisible by seven. Of the 105 forms, the number of proper names is exactly seven. The number of Greek letters in these 7 proper names is exactly divisible by seven.

When it comes to Matthew's account of Christ's Childhood yet again the same numerical pattern is found.
The number of Greek vocabulary words used in Matthew ch 2 is 161, exactly divisible by seven. The number of Greek letters in these 161 words is 896, exactly divisible by seven. The numeric value of the 161 vocabulary words is 123,529, exactly divisible by seven. The number of forms in the passage is 238, exactly divisible by seven. The numeric value of these forms is 166,985, again exactly divisible by seven.

Although there are several "topics" covered in Matthew ch 2 which are separate from the rest of the passage, each one has numerical features all of its own. They are separate from the rest of the passage and yet in a peculiar and intricate way, they form a part of the amazing feature of the whole chapter. They are intertwined in such a phenomenal way that the entire chapter is one great mathematical unit. There are 3 speeches in the chapter. Herod speaks, the wise men, and the angel speaks. Each speech shows numeric features in itself yet each forms only part of the chapter which as a whole has numeric features of its own.

Studying the Old Testament in the Hebrew language in which it was written, reveals exactly the same structures and patterns which are found in the New Testament.
Take for example, Genesis ch1v1; the simple yet profound statement "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
The number of Hebrew words in this proclamation is seven. The total numerical value of the three nouns, God, heaven and earth is 777, a figure exactly divisible by seven. The number of letters in these three nouns is 14, exactly divisible by seven. The numerical value of the verb "created" is 203, exactly divisible by seven. The numerical value of the first and last letters of the seven words of this proclamation is 1393, exactly divisible by seven. The total number of Hebrew letters in the seven words is 28, exactly divisible by seven. And so it goes on. In this proclamation alone, linguists have identified a total of 18 separate features of the number seven.

This sevenfold structure or pattern is found throughout Scripture and is completely unique to the Bible. The number seven underlies and permeates the text in every conceivable manner. These patterns aren't found in any other ancient literature.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and all the other writings of John including Revelation, James, Peter Jude and all the writings of St Paul displays this phenomena as do all the writings of the Old Testament.

Different kinds of this phenomena are being discovered all the time.
For instance, it has been noted that the numeric value of the Hebrew names of the 21 Old Testament writers is exactly divisible by seven. Of these 21 writers, those named in the New Testament are Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Joel, in all exactly seven. The numeric value of these seven names is exactly divisible by seven. These seven names occur in the Old Testament 2,310 times, again a number exactly divisible by seven.
The examples never seem to come to an end. This sevenfold pattern in Scripture interlocks paragraph with paragraph and book with book throughout the entire Bible.

The founding father of the Science of Biblical Numerics, was a Russian mathematician and literary scholar called Dr Ivan Panin. This mathematical and analytical genius was born in Russia in 1855. He grew up an ardent athiest and after being involved in plots to overthrow the Czar ultimately entered Harvard University in the US. He was a Master of Literary Criticism and was so well known in the literary field that his conversion from believing in atheism to accepting Christianity in 1882, made newspaper headlines. (He was a sort of "Richard Dawkins" figure to the people of his generation).

One day in 1890, Panin was casually reading St John's Gospel in New Testament Greek. As a gifted linguist and mathematician he suddenly noticed what appeared to be a numerical relationship between certain words. This aroused his curiosity to examine the Biblical text from a "mathematical perspective" something which had never been done before.

As a committed Christian, Panin devoted the next 50 years of his life to exploring and highlighting the numerical designs underlying both the Greek text of the New Testament and the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. During these years he produced over 43,000 pages of analysis showing the Hand of God working behind the human authors of the Bible. The mathematical patterns he revealed have never been denied; one cannot argue with mathematics, and the implications of their presence has encouraged and strengthened the faith of countless millions across the world. It has awakened the conscience of individuals who have tried to ignore God's commandments, and it has comforted the afflicted and bereaved with the knowledge that God's promises of the life beyond will most certainly be fulfilled.

His research  proved  the supernatural origin of Scripture at the very same time liberal critics were becoming popular in casting doubts on the reliability of the Bible. (See article entitled "Liberal Theology and the Truth of the Bible"). Owing to the Providential timing of his research, Panin's work is often regarded as God's answer to liberal theology and His rebuke to the notion that Scripture is but an untrustworthy composition of human hand. The Science of Biblical Numerics which he founded proves the unique character of the Bible. It shows its Divine origin; it shows it can be trusted and relied upon.

In an age when people are looking for signs and evidence that the Bible is true, how reassuring it is that God raised up and gifted this man to strengthen the faithful and help the wavering. Panin died in 1942 but the research he began continues to this day. As can be seen, the Bible is no work of mere human origin but the work of God the Holy Spirit. As it states in 2nd Peter ch1v 21 "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" and in 2nd Timothy ch3v16 "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God…".

This article has been written to help strengthen faith and provide information on how to defend the Bible in an age of scepticism. If you have found it useful then please share its contents with others. It can be viewed along with the other articles mentioned on www.internetpulpit.co.uk

The importance of reading the Bible

Up until recently great problems plagued NASA in their attempt to reach Mars.  In 1997 the Mars Pathfinder riveted the world with a live feed from the Martian surface.  People were fascinated by these live pictures.  NASA planned to send at least one mission to Mars every twenty-six months, but to do this they had to follow a new policy introduced by their head director Dan Goldin;  “Faster, Better, Cheaper.”

To design these missions for about one-tenth of the cost, they cut staff and poorly trained the rest.  They overworked their navigation teams giving them responsibility for up to three missions at one time.  They tried to get a quality product without putting in money, effort or time.  The next two missions were utter failures.  In September 1999 the Mars Climate Orbiter failed simply because the builder had used English units of measurements in the systems, while the operators at NASA used metric!  Again, the Mars Polar Lander crashed onto the surface simply because the engineering team had been unable to afford a piece of software that would have prevented the braking system cutting off  too soon.  It took ten years for another successful landing.

NASA has learned the hard way, that there are some things that simply can’t be cut back on.  Some key things really do matter.  The same is true in the Christian life!  Christians are busy people just like everyone else.  They have jobs, they have families, they have commitments and responsibilities.  No matter how busy they are however they need to remember like NASA that there are some things they must not neglect, or they will crash and burn.  One of these key things is Bible reading.  If God went to all the trouble of providing us with the record of the Bible – then obviously it must be for some very important purpose. Plain commonsense tells us this.  If  it wasn’t necessary God wouldn’t have provided it.  With that fact established, Christians who neglect their Bible reading are failing to read something which God clearly wants them to read and learn from.

So what exactly is the Bible?  In short it is God’s message to the world, to nations and to the individual.  It is far more than merely “the hand book for the human race”, because it is also prophetic in nature, i.e. it predicts the destiny of the human race, the reason we were created and the love God has for us.  It gives clear instructions on matters of morality and conduct and shows us the kind of behaviour God requires from us.  No less than one third of the Bible is composed of prophesies and predictions concerning future events.  In general terms, the Old Testament predicted that Jesus would come, while the New Testament tells us He did come, and predicts His Second Coming to prevent the human race destroying itself.  Of the other two thirds, one third is composed of history and the other composed of narrative.

Strictly speaking the Bible is not one book, but a volume of sixty-six books bound together in one cover.  It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than forty different people.  Over 2,700 times these individuals state that what they are writing was inspired to them; in other words they repeatedly state that what they are writing down are not their own thoughts or ideas, but information inspired to them by God.  Obviously, prophecy or the prediction of future events couldn’t have been achieved any other way.  It is impossible for humans to predict what is going to happen tomorrow  let alone what is going to happen in ten years time.  But the Bible gives predictions of event centuries and even thousands of years in advance, a clear sign that the writers really were being inspired by the God of time and eternity.  Many of these predictions are quite fascinating such as the prophecy concerning the development of weapons of mass destruction threatening all life, found in Matthew Ch 24 Vs 21-22.  This prediction was written no less than 2,000 years ago.

God gave us this Book for a reason; we need to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest its contents.  If we are living a hectic and frantic life some pursuits may have to be neglected, but Bible reading is an essential and remains so.  We must never ignore or neglect what God has so clearly given us to read and study.