Bible Accuracy
This last week saw an escalation between US forces and Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria. We also seem be engaged militarily with the Houthis in Yemen. This really got me thinking about Bible Accuracy. It’s really quite staggering when you think about it.
Let’s roll back the clock to around 630 B.C. The minor prophet Zephaniah had quite a bit to write about future events. Here is a snippet from Zephaniah 2.
4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
I’ll leave it to you to Google the current locations but we all know where Gaza is in the current news cycle. Ashkelon is in Israel and is no stranger to attacks from Gaza.
You Are The Author
It is 630 B.C and you are writing a story about Israel. Anyone reading the story probably thinks it is interesting until Babylon takes over Israel. 70 years later Cyrus allows the Jewish people to rebuild their Temple. In 63 B.C. the Romans take over Israel. Israel pops in and out of existence and following the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Israel is once again no more in 70 A.D.
So you wrote a story about Israel and Gaza and there just was no way for it to be true.
Think about this for a minute. You tell a defined story. History makes your story look impossible. Think about all the twists and turns. All the conquests. All of the military alliances. What if Babylon or Rome or whoever takes Israel and region becomes a super power of friendly countries? What if Israel disappears and never comes back. Or if they embrace another religion except Judaism?
Think about all the ways history could have been altered to where Zephaniah’s remarks are fiction. Yet they are not. His remarks sound like they are ripped from today’s headlines. The same with Jeremiah who talks about Elam getting destroyed in Chapter 49.
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
Earlier in that chapter he describes the city of Damascus.
ALL OF THAT STUFF IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. AT THE VERY LEAST IT IS TRENDING HARD IN THAT DIRECTION.
Why after 2600 years of history couldn’t Elam or Damascus be places of greatness, and peace, and harmony? History could have turned this story in the opposite direction. Instead they are almost vestiges of what they once were. By the way, Elam is in Southern Iran and is where the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is. Food for thought.
It really only takes a little study time to realize the word of God is accurate. God authenticates his message by revealing the end times. He tells the future. That’s how you know it is accurate. Most people who deny the Bible as factual simply have not given any serious study to it. They latch on to pretzel logic questions in an attempt to appear smarter than God. They aren’t.
Go write a book about countries, and alliances and see if it ever comes true.