• Why is it necessary to study evidence for the Bible?

    • Do you really believe the Bible?

    • A survey of 10,000 ministers in various denominations in the US in 1987 showed that most did not!

  • How can we prove the Bible is literally the word of God?

    • Internal evidence

      • Acts 18:28

      • Prophecies of the Messiah

        • At least 16 were fulfilled in a 24-hour period, many by Jesus’ enemies.

        • Zechariah 9:9; 11:12-13; 13:7; Isaiah 53:7; Psalms 22:16, …

    • External evidence

      • Psalm 8:8 – “paths of the seas” (written ca. 1000 B.C.)

        • Admiral Maury, “Pathfinder of the Sea” discovered fixed paths in the sea in 1855 A.D.

      • Isaiah 40:22 – “circle of the earth” (written ca. 700 B.C.)

        • 1492 A.D. – Christopher Columbus

        • 1520 A.D. – Man discovers the world is round. Ferdinand Magellan’s crew circumnavigates the globe.

      • Leviticus 17:11 – “life of the flesh is in the blood” (“life” used in the sense of “breath”) (written ca. 1450 B.C.)

        • 19th century – Still practicing blood letting.

        • George Washington killed by blood letting.

      • Job 38:1-6, 12-14 – “changed like clay under the seal”, i.e., the earth rotates like clay under a seal (written ca. 2000 B.C.)

        • 1851 – Foucault’s Pendulum demonstrated the rotation of the earth.

      • Jeremiah 33:22 – “the host of heaven cannot be numbered”

        • Hebrews 11:12

        • 150 B.C. – Hipparchus: < 3000 stars

        • 150 A.D. – Ptolemy: 1020 stars listed

        • 1608 A.D. – Galileo: Stars uncountable

        • Current estimates: More than 2 trillion galaxies, more than 7x1022 total stars

      • Genesis 17:11-12 – circumcision on the 8th day (written ca. 1450 B.C.)

        • There is a cascade of reactions involved in the clotting of blood, which results in production of fibrin.

        • Fibrin clot acts like a stringy fishnet to hold red blood cells together.

        • Vitamin K is required by the liver for the formation of prothrombin and Facts XII, IX, and X. Vitamin K is generated by bacteria in the body.

        • Prothrombin peaks at 110% of normal on day 8, making it the best day for surgery.