the Bible Review of Prophesy and Fulfillment Throughout the Bible

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the Bible Review of Prophesy and Fulfillment
Throughout the Bible
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Agenda

• Week 1 Overview and Why Do we Need a Bible at
  all?
• Week 2/3 History of the Bible
• How did we get our present document?
• Week 4 Dead Sea Scrolls and other Key
  Manuscripts
• Week 5 Is it True?
• What if the Disciples Just Made it Up?
• Week 6 Internal Consistency
• Review of Prophesy and Fulfillment Throughout the
  Bible

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Why Do We Need The Bible? What Is It?

• The Bible is the record that God has given us of
  Creation, His working in His people Israel (in
  the good times and bad), through to the birth,
  life, and death of His Son, Jesus Christ, ending
  with a promise of His return for His Church. 
• 2 Timothy 316 says
• "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
  and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
  correction, for instruction in righteousness."

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Response to Claims That the Bible is not Inspired

• One of the best ways to prove inspiration is by
  examining prophecy.
• Of the many religious books in existence, only
  the Bible has fulfilled prophecies--with more
  fulfillments to come.
• The Bible has never been wrong in the past which
  supports that it won't be wrong in the future.
• Since God is the creator of all things (Isaiah
  4424), then He is also the creator of time. Only
  the real God, then, would always be right about
  what is in the future.
• Fulfilled prophecy is strong evidence that God is
  the author of the Bible
• The mathematical odds of prophecy being fulfilled
  are astronomical
• Thus it is clear that there is a design, a
  purpose, and a guiding hand behind the Bible.
• If just one prophecy failed, then we would know
  that God is not the true God, because the creator
  of all things, which includes time, would not be
  wrong about predicting the future.
• Deut. 1822 says, "If what a prophet proclaims in
  the name of the LORD does not take place or come
  true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken.
  That prophet has spoken presumptuously"

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Claim to accuracy of prophecy depends on
historicity of the Bible

• We need assurance that prophesies were made prior
  to the event they foretold and not added later to
  make them look good.
• That is why we need chain of custody for the
  bible manuscripts over several thousand years
  covered by Biblical prophesy
• That is why the canon of scripture is critical in
  Christian faith
• Not just to exclude what doesnt fit, but to
  ensure that only Gods Word has been included
• That it is why we benefit from confirmation that
  the Old Testament has not been altered from its
  original autographs
• This course has (hopefully) given sufficient
  evidence of the continuity and accuracy of
  biblical texts.
• ..a review

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What IS the Bible

• 66 books, composed by more than 40 different
  authors, 1,500 years
• Three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and
  Greek), from vastly different settings and
  locations.
• Old Testament Manuscripts
• Geniza Fragments portions the Old Testament in
  Hebrew and Aramaic which date from about 400 A.D.
• Ben Asher Manuscripts five or six generations of
  this family made copies of the Old Testament from
  700-950 A.D.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls date from 200 B.C. - 70
  A.D. and contain the entire book of Isaiah and
  portions of every other Old Testament book but
  Esther.

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Dead Sea Scrolls Provide a Critical Confirmation

• Until 1947 only Babylonian clay tablets and
  Egyptian papyri were available for background
  information on the Bible, since no Old Testament
  manuscripts were known to have survived. 
• The Dead Sea Scrolls date between 200 B.C. to 70
  A. D - 1,000 years older than any previously in
  existence. 
• Date within 300 years from when the last book of
  the Old Testament was written.
• They are a broad body of documents, 30 are
  fragments from the Hebrew Bible, from all the
  books except the Book of Esther and the Book of
  Nehemiah
• The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm that the Jewish
  copying of Scriptures was accomplished with
  remarkably few errors and pre-dates the New
  Testament. 
• With the exception of minute copying errors, the
  Dead Sea manuscripts exhibited virtually
  identical readings to their counterparts of the
  ninth century. 
• Experts such as John Allegro and Millar Burrows
  say
• Closer examination showed that, on the whole,
  the differences shown by the first Isaiah scroll
  were of little account, and could often be
  explained on the basis of scribal errors,
  syntax, or grammatical form.
• And.
• It is my considered conclusion, however, that if
  one will go through any of the historic
  statements of the Christian faith he will find
  nothing that has been or can be disproved by the
  Dead Sea Scrolls.

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Archaeology Confirms Events and Locations of the
Old Testament

• In the genealogy of Esau, there is mention of the
  Horites (Gen. 3620).
• Archaeology confirms the Horites were a prominent
  group of warriors living in the near East in
  Patriarchal times.
• The Bible claims the walls of Jericho fell
  outwards.
• Critics scoffed because "walls of cities do not
  fall outwards, they fall inwards."
• Archaeology proved in the early 1930s that the
  walls of Jericho did fall outward, just as the
  Bible said.
• A century ago such familiar Biblical cities as
  Jericho, Samaria, Bethel, Shiloh, Bethshan,
  Gezer, Nineven, Babylon, Ur and many others were
  shapeless mounds.
• Within the last 100 years, all of these cities
  have been uncovered. The importance of the
  discoveries is that the excavation has produced
  material which confirms the Scriptures point
  after point.

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The New Testament - an Extensive Library of
Manuscripts

• The New Testament autographs were written between
  45-95 A. D.
• There are 5,664 Greek manuscripts
• 125 A.D. The New Testament manuscript, containing
  a small portion of John 18, was copied within 35
  years of the original.
• 200 300 A.D. Bodmer, Chester Beatty Biblical
  papyrus p 46, p 75, p 45 each contain various
  books of the New Testament
• 350 A.D. Codex Sinaiticus - entire New Testament
  and almost the entire Old Testament in Greek.
• 350 A.D. Codex Vaticanus is an almost complete
  New Testament
• 8,000 to 10,000 Latin Vulgate manuscripts.
• In addition, the complete New Testament could be
  reproduced from the quotes that were made from it
  by the early church fathers in their letters and
  sermons.

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AUTHORSHIP AND DATING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The Gospel of John claims to be written by the
  disciple of the Lord.
• Recent archeological research has confirmed both
  the existence of the Pool of Bethesda and its
  five porticoes as described in John 52
• Correct reference to an incidental detail
  supports that it was written by an eyewitness
  knew Jerusalem before its destruction in 70 AD
• Paul wrote to churches who knew him and signed
  his epistles with his own hand who were able to
  authenticate that these epistles had come from
  his hands (Galatians 611)
• Facts support that Luke-Acts, were written prior
  to 65 AD while Luke was an eyewitness to many of
  the events, and had could research portions that
  he was not an eyewitness to.
• Acts records the beginning history of the church
  with repeated persecutions and martyrdoms
• Peter, Paul, and James the brother of Jesus
  martyrdoms in 67AD are not recorded in Acts.
• The church in Jerusalem was central in Acts, but
  the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. was not
  mentioned.
• The Book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome under
  house arrest in 62 A.D.
• In 64 A.D., Nero blamed and persecuted the
  Christians for the fire that burned down the city
  of Rome.
• Paul himself was martyred by 65 A.D. in Rome.
• Neither the terrible persecution of the
  Christians in Rome nor Paul's martyrdom are
  mentioned.
• Early church fathers (97-180 A.D.) quote from all
  but one of the New Testament books.
• Clement (30-100 A.D.) wrote an epistle to the
  Corinthian Church around 97 A.D. reminding them
  to heed the epistle that Paul had written to them
  years before.
• Apostolic fathers Ignatius (30-107 A.D.),
  Polycarp (65-155 A.D.), and Papias (70-155 A.D.)
  cite verses from every New Testament book except
  2 and 3 John.
• Justin Martyr, (110-165 AD), cited verses from
  the following 13 books of the New Testament
• Irenaeus (120-202 AD) quoted from every book of
  the New Testament but 3 John

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THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON

• Three criteria
• Apostolic authority - written by apostles or by
  direct associates of the apostles.
• Conformity to the "rule of faith." - congruent
  with basic, recognized Christian tradition
• Continuous acceptance and usage by the church at
  large.
• A large number of Writings Were Not Included in
  the Canon e.g. -
• Gospel Of Thomas, Gospel of Truth, Gospel of the
  Twelve, Epistle to the Laodiceans, I Clement,
  Apocalypse of Peter plus about 20 more..
• The books who met the three criteria and survived
  the review of the early church are in our Bible
• close review of those books that are not in the
  canon are easily excluded

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So what?

• We can be confident that the Bible is a God-given
  foundation for our faith and it has not been
  altered
• The Old and New Testament are more reliable than
  any other ancient book, and has been numerous
  confirmations as to its accuracy
• The Canon was carefully created, there are strong
  reasons for not including some other ancient
  documents
• The errors that have been found by scrupulous
  analysis do not affect the meaning as God has
  given to us.
• The 200,000 Errors is a misleading and
  irrelevant statement when it comes to the
  principles of Christian faith
• If all examination of the Bible has proven its
  accuracy we then can accept the spiritual
  teachings with greater confidence
• Let us examine some of the prophecies concerning
  Christ

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Born of the Seed of the Woman

• Gen. 315, "And I will put enmity between you and
  the woman, and between your offspring and hers
  he will crush your head, and you will strike his
  heel."

• Matt. 120, "But after he had considered this, an
  angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
  said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
  take Mary home as your wife, because what is
  conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

Son of God
Matt. 315, "And a voice from heaven said, 'This
is my Son, whom I love with him I am well
pleased.'"
Psalm 27, "I will proclaim the decree of the
LORD He said to me, "You are my Son today I have
become your Father."
Son of David
Jer. 231, "The days are coming, declares the
LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous
Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what
is just and right in the land."
Luke 323-31, "Now Jesus himself was about thirty
years old when he began his ministry. He was the
son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of
Heli...the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David."
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Born in Bethlehem

• Micah 52 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though
  you are small among the clans of Judah, out of
  you will come for me one who will be ruler over
  Israel, whose origins are from of old, from
  ancient times."

• Matt. 21, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
  Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from
  the east came to Jerusalem."

A Prophet
Deut. 1818, "I will raise up for them a prophet
like you from among their brothers I will put my
words in his mouth, and he will tell them
everything I command him."
Matt. 2111,"The crowds answered, "This is Jesus,
the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
A Judge
Isaiah 3322, "For the LORD is our judge, the
LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king it is
he who will save us."
John 530, "By myself I can do nothing I judge
only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I
seek not to please myself but him who sent me."
Rejected by His Own People
Isaiah 533, "He was despised and rejected by
men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with
suffering. Like one from whom men hide their
faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
John 75, "For even his own brothers did not
believe in him."John 748, "Have any of the
rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?"
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His Side Pierced
Zech. 1210, "And I will pour out on the house of
David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit
of grace and supplication. They will look on me,
the one they have pierced, and they will mourn
for him as one mourns for an only child, and
grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only
son."
John 1934, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced
Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow
of blood and water."
Crucifixion
Luke 2333, "When they came to the place called
the Skull, there they crucified him, along with
the criminals -- one on his right, the other on
his left."John 1933, "But when they came to
Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did
not break His legs."John 1923-24, "When the
soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes,
dividing them into four shares, one for each of
them, with the undergarment remaining. This
garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top
to bottom. Let's not tear it, they said to one
another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be
fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments
among them and cast lots for my clothing." So
this is what the soldiers did."
Psalm 221, Psalm 2211-18, "For the director of
music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A
psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?...Do not be far from me, for trouble
is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls
surround me strong bulls of Bashan. Dogs have
surrounded me a band of evil men has encircled
me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can
count all my bones people stare and gloat over
me. They divide my garments among them and cast
lots for my clothing."
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One Old Testament Prophecy for Good Measure

• Ezekiel 263-5,7,12,14,16, therefore, thus says
  the Lord God, Behold, I am against you, O Tyre,
  and I will bring up many nations against you, as
  the sea brings up its waves. And they will
  destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her
  towers and I will scrape her debris from her and
  make her a bare rock. She will be a place for the
  spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I
  have spoken,' declares the Lord God, and she
  will become spoil for the nations.
• .. For thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will
  bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar
  king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses,
  chariots, cavalry, and a great army
• ... Also they will make a spoil of your riches
  and a prey of your merchandise, break down your
  walls and destroy your pleasant houses, and throw
  your stones and your timbers and your debris into
  the water
• .... And I will make you a bare rock you will be
  a place for the spreading of nets. You will be
  built no more, for I the Lord have spoken,"
  declares the Lord God.
• ... "Then all the princes of the sea will go down
  from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip
  off their embroidered garments. They will clothe
  themselves with trembling they will sit on the
  ground, tremble every moment, and be appalled at
  you."

• The prediction was
• Nebuchadnezzar will take the city.
• Other nations will participate in the
  fulfillment.
• The city is to be made flat like the top of a
  rock.
• It is to become a place for spreading nets.
• Its stones and timber are to be laid in the sea.
• The old city of Tyre will never be rebuilt.
• History records
• Nebuchadnezzar took the city but the people
  escaped out to an island.
• Later Alexander the Great took the Island off the
  coast by taking the old cities rubble and
  throwing it into the sea making a land-bridge
  (this caused the old city to look flat like a
  rock due to the scraping of the material).
• The old city is now a place for fisherman but no
  city has been planted there even though there is
  an excellent water supply to support a major city.