How we got the Bible and how we know it is the word of God

(extract from final comments of book 'Comparison of Newer Bible Versions' by Ray Luff, 2009. You may obtain the book by sending us a cheque for 12.50 USD / 14.95 CDN (we will pay the post for North America. ICC Truth 273 Manchester Drive, Newmarket, ON, L3Y 6J4, Canada)

For some it is hard to believe the Bible because of all the errors that they have heard are in it. This book will help to show the way to the Bibles that can be trusted not to have the errors that are purported. Fulfilled prophecy is one way that we know the Bible is a trustworthy document. But what we want to also dispel is the myth that the Bible only contains the words of God but not every word of the Bible is the word of God. Newer Bibles lead many to believe by their commentaries and footnotes and in various ways that we do not have a correctly transmitted word of God: that there are errors we are still trying to figure out. There seems to be many versions of the English Bible Today, and it seems to many that no one knows what the exact words are that God has spoken to us.

We are going to show that for many Bibles the words have been altered and for many other Bibles the words have not been altered. We hope to convince you which type of Bible represents the unaltered word of God that has been made available to all generations: the type of Bible that can be trusted: and will give you the very words of God.

The Bible is a collection of writings that were written over a 1600 year period of time by 39 different authors, most of whom had never met each other. The Bible has a rather unique way of proving that it is the very word of God. This way is not shared with any other religious writings: It’s called prophecy. Approximately 24% of the Bible contains future telling prophecies, of which approximately one half (12% of the Bible) have already been fulfilled and approximately one half (12% of the Bible) await future fulfillment. The prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled, in such a way that there have been fresh fulfillments, all across history. In this way God could get our attention, in no matter which generation we live, in order to get us to listen to the other 76% of His instructions, which the Bible reveals to us. There has never been a Bible prophecy that can be proven to have failed. And opposite to the belief of many, the Bible has some very specific prophecies. [1]

Moses earned the right to be heard by prophecy

Moses, under God’s direction authored the first 5 books of our Bible. The first of these books ‘Genesis’ (the book of beginnings) reveals how God created all material and spirit things. We trust the things that were revealed to Moses as being true for one reason. Moses proved that he was a spokesperson for God by demonstrating 100% accurate short term knowledge of future events. Moses spoke God’s words to the ruler of Egypt telling him of ten plagues that would befall him each one ahead of time, and each thing he declared happened. Moses also demonstrated that God was willing to answer his prayers by the splitting of the Red Sea and water coming forth from a rock and the providing of Manna to feed the people. Because of his 100% accuracy Moses became fully trusted by his peers as God’s spokesperson. Later Moses received the Ten Commandments while on Mount Sinai and he wrote five books which the Jews kept and revered as God’s word. Many of his longer term prophecies regarding the Jewish nation are still coming true today. [2]

The Canon of Scripture

God then revealed through Moses many other things he wanted the Jewish people to know about Himself: and the Jews kept everything he wrote because of the many proofs that God had given through him by fulfilled prophecy. Later, other prophets also demonstrated with 100% accuracy the ability to tell future events and so the Jewish people kept and revered their writings also and added them to what became called “the Canon of Scripture” (books which the Jews were willing to be ruled by.) [3] By the time of Jesus’ Birth 37 books were determined to be “Canon of Scripture” by the Jews. Shortly after Jesus death and resurrection two more books (Esther and Song of Solomon) were accepted at the counsel of Jamnia in A.D. 95. These form the Old Testament portion of the Bible today. To these books, 27 more were added that record the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ which are called the New Testament. Many of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah (‘the Christ’) have their fulfillment recorded in the New Testament. The Bible is now complete and there is no longer any reason to add to it. The Bible itself contains a prophecy regarding its own completion.

1 Corinthians 13 – ⁸… But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ^9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ^10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

There are two major subjects of Prophecy which are recurring themes in the Bible; 1)Prophecies regarding the Messiah. Approximately half of these were fulfilled by Jesus’ first coming and half of them are yet to be fulfilled at His promised second coming. 2) Prophecies regarding the Jewish Nation.[4]

Prophecies fulfilled by the Christ’s first coming.

Some object that the prophecies were well known and thereby could be purposely fulfilled by any who wished to fulfill them. They point to the fact that many others came, claiming to be the Messiah at Jesus’ time.

How difficult would it be for someone to fulfill the Messianic Prophecies? Here are some of the criteria that the Messiah had to fulfill; The coming Messiah would be born of a Virgin in Bethlehem[5] do miracles[6] be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver[7] that would be cast to the floor in the temple and then used to buy a cemetery for strangers[8] rejected by his own people[9] crucified[10] be raised from the dead on the third day.[11] The most astounding and compelling prophecy of them all that top’s the list of prophecies is one that was given exactly 483 years before its fulfillment: It was a prediction that the Messiah would be killed in exactly 483 years after the prophecy was given. And this prophecy was fulfilled in the year AD 32. This is highly significant because it rules out any other person from possibly being the Messiah. Many came before and after Christ claiming to be the Messiah but we know only the Lord Jesus Christ can possibly be the one because of this most exacting prophecy.[12]

Daniel 9 - ²⁵ “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; … ²⁶ “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;

The word for ‘weeks’ in the Hebrew literally means ‘seven’. In this case the meaning is not days but years.[13] The Messiah was to be cut off (killed) exactly (62+7) x 7 years = 483 years after the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given. That command was given in the month of Nisan in the 20^th year of the reign of Artexerxes Longimanus, which was 445 BC.[14] It was fulfilled in AD 32 during the Month of Nissan on the 10^th day.[15] This is the traditional day when the Lamb was selected for the Passover Observance. It was then watched for 4 days and then offered as a sacrifice, if it was found perfect. Our Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on the 10^th day of Nisan and was crucified on the 14^th day of Nisan. This fulfilled yet another prophecy.

Zechariah 9 - ⁹ “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

The Bible predicted Israel’s rebirth as a nation

One example of Bible prophecy that was fulfilled very recently: it was the prediction that Israel would once again become a nation. The prophecies regarding this were made two times in scripture, over 2500 years ago;

Deuteronomy 30 – ³ ... the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. (KJV)

Ezekiel 17 – ¹¹ ... Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel’ (KJV)

Skeptics both inside and outside the church had ridiculed these Bible predictions in each generation, until finally in 1948 Israel once again became an independent nation. It took 2554 years, since the time of the Babylonian takeover of 606 BC, for these prophecies to come true. In all that time God did not forget to keep His promise. The recent fulfillment of these prophecies are undeniable and leave our generation with no excuse for not believing in God’s word the Holy Bible.

Some skeptics claim that the New Testament is a hoax and that Jesus never existed. The answers to this objection are; 1) the Jews thought Jesus existed when they met in AD 95 (just 63 years after His death and resurrection) at the council of Jamnia, which was held in Jerusalem to seek ways to stop Jews from becoming His followers. 2) If the Bible was a hoax then how does one explain the prophecies that are currently being fulfilled? 3) One must also explain why the followers of Jesus were willing to lose their lives to tell a lie? The Apostle Peter was nailed to a cross upside down and ten of the other apostles were also martyred for not recanting their testimony of having seen ‘the Christ’ Resurrected from the dead. [16] The New Testament wasn’t ghost written centuries later by second hand accounts: It was written by eyewitnesses.

1 Corinthians 15 - ^3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ^4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ^5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ^6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present,

Some skeptics have claimed that the Old Testament was altered by the Christians. The answer to this objection is that in the late 1940s copies of the Old Testament dating to 200 BC of the Greek Septuagint and 500 BC of the Hebrew texts were found in the caves of Qumran. It is impossible therefore for Jesus or his followers to have altered the prophecies.[17] These DSS Scriptures agree with the ones that we have in our Bibles today. This proves that the Bible has been accurately transmitted over 2200 years in its copying when it comes to the Old Testament. The prophecies were not altered in any way. Therefore we ought to have no shadow of a doubt that the Bible is the word of God and that the Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, having walked on earth among us because of these fulfilled prophecies. For further reading, read John 1:1-14 for more about Jesus uniqueness as God in the flesh who came to walk among us.

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[1] “Prophecy Proves Gods Word”,http://bibledoor.no-ip.org/pdf/eng_prophecy_proves_gods_word_sm.pdf, Ray Luff, 2008

[2] For more information refer to p285, ‘Examine the Evidence’ by Ralph O. Muncaster, Eugene, Oregon, USA, Harvest House Publishers, 2004

[3] See also–“Beware of Benny”, http://Bibledoor.no-ip.org/pdf/eng_beware_of_benny_sm.pdf, Ray Luff, Bible Door Tracts, 2008

[4] See also-“Israel–a cup of trembling”, http://Bibledoor.no-ip.org/pdf/eng_israel_sm.pdf, Ray Luff, Bible Door Tracts, 2008

[5] Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4-7

[6] Isaiah 61:1,2; Luke 4:18-19

[7] Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:15

[8] Zechariah 11:13; Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18

[9] Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11; John 1:11; 19:15

[10] Psalm 22; Zechariah 12:10; John 19

[11] Psalm 16:10; 49:15; Mark 16:2-4; 1 Corinthians 15:4

[12] Daniel 9:26 – For more detail regarding this see also – “The Cut-off Anointed One” http://Bibledoor.no-ip.org/pdf/eng_annointed_one.pdf, Bible Door Tracts, Ray Luff, 2002

[13] This word is also used in Leviticus in relation to allowing each 7^th year to allow the farm fields to rest.

[14] Nehemiah 2:1-8

[15] 360 day Jewish years with leap years and such must be taken into account when calculated the 32 AD date.

[16] Nero made Roman candles for his garden parties for a year in which every night he tied a couple of Christians to poles and asked them to recant their testimony that the Christ had risen from the dead. When they refused they were lit on fire to light his garden party.

[17] Also called the Dead Sea Scrolls or DSS. For more information refer to p187, ‘Examine the Evidence’ by Ralph O. Muncaster, Harvest House Publishers, 2004