There is nothing else like the Bible. We've chosen a few interesting facts to share with you here:
- The Bible is a collection of books written over 1,500 years by 40 men through whom God chose to communicate.
- The men were very diverse in education and backgrounds; Luke was a physician. Moses was a shepherd. John was a fisherman. Isaiah was a prophet.
- The Bible was written on three continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- Despite centuries and great distances between authors of different backgrounds, God worked through them to present a single, cogent theme throughout the writings.
- Scripture itself teaches that the Bible is from God; "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16)
- According to our friends at Got Questions, more than 5,000 New Testament manuscripts, most from 200 to 300 years later and some less than 100 years after they were written, make it (by far) the best-sourced ancient work. (By contrast, there are 251 copies of Julius Ceaser's works, the earliest from 950 years after he wrote them.)
- Dozens of prophecies (predictions) from the writings have been fulfilled, providing evidence of its divine origins. Ezekial prophesied the destruction of the Phoenician city of Tyre (Ezekial 26). Isaiah predicted the coming reign of the Persian King Cyrus 200 years before it happened (Isaiah 44:28) and many specific predictions about Jesus 700 years before Jesus was born, Micah predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Michah 5:2), which was remarkable given that Joseph and Mary resided in Nazareth but were forced to leave.
- Archeology has provided evidence of Biblical accounts, including that King David existed, Egypt attacked Israel, the Assyrian siege of Laccish, trade relations between Israel and Sheba, and the reigns of 8 kings.
- The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek. The books were divided into chapter numbers in about 1214 AD, and verse numbers were added about 300 years later.
- The Bible was the first book ever printed using a movable metal printing press, and Johann Guttenberg did it in about 1,455. It was a Latin version, and it took three years to produce 180 copies, which he reportedly did error-free. Remarkably, major parts of about 46 copies still exist today.
- William Tyndale, a scholar fluent in 8 languages, believed that people should be able to read the Bible in their language, so he translated it into English. That offended leaders, and he was killed by strangulation and then burned at the stake in 1536. Today, the complete Bible is published in over 700 languages, and the New Testament (part of the Bible) is published in over 1,500 languages.
- Psalm 118 is preceded by Psalm 117, the shortest chapter in the Bible, followed by Psalm 119, the longest chapter.
- We use many phrases today that come from the Bible. (We credit Aaron Earls of Lifeway Research for sharing these). "A house divided against itself cannot stand" (Matthew 12:25), "..the scapegoat" (Leviticus 16:10), "A drop in the bucket" (Isaiah 40:15), "The writing is on the wall." (Daniel 5:5), "Salt of the earth." (Matthew 5:13), and, "A leopard can't change his spots" (Jeremiah 13:23).
- The shortest verse in the Bible is just two words: "Jesus wept." (John 11:35). He wept over Lazurus' death before resurrecting him.
When we understand that the God of creation is speaking to us through the page of the Bible, it comes alive and can change our lives! Here is a great 5-minute video that's worth watching and sharing.
Join us in this short prayer: Father, thank you for your many blessings! You teach us that when we draw close to you, you draw close to us (James 4:8). Lord, I want to know you and your will for my life, so as I read the Bible, open my eyes and heart to your words. Guide me to connect (or be more connected) with a local Bible-teaching church so that I may grow in my knowledge of you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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Free Resources
To watch God of Wonders, a documentary about creation, click here.
To hear professional musician Zach Williams testimony (and music), click here.
To read and listen to scripture on strength, hope, love, and temptation, click here.
To hear 4 Questions with answers from pastors about Jesus, click here.
To look through over 50 videos posted on our home page, click here.
For a video with less traditional professional Christian worship music, click here .
For a video with more traditional professional Christian worship music, click here.
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