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IS THE BIBLE ACCURATE?
 

In a book where the history of man and the revelation of God are so intertwined, the Bible has proven itself to be reliable in history, science, and fulfilled prophecy. Its record is accurate and trustworthy.

Its Accuracy in History
The Bible claims to present an accurate record of the real history of man. The Old and New Testaments are filled with references to specific people, places, and events. The serious challenges to the historical accuracy of the Bible are being answered by the work of archeologists. Nelson Glueck, a Jewish archeologist, said, "It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference" (Rivers in the Desert: History of Neteg, p.31).

Not long ago, tablets were discovered in the ancient city of Ebla in northern that contains a wealth of historical material to support the biblical record. An article in Time magazine reported, "Their discovery does more than provide documentary evidence of a little known kingdom that existed between 2400 and 2250 BC; it also provides the best evidence to date that some of the people described in the Old Testament actually existed" (October 18, 1976, p.63).

The New Testament record is also supported by research and discovery. The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts (both written by Luke) have gained the respect of scholars who have investigated their numerous references to people and places in the Jewish and Roman worlds. So the believability of the New Testament in matters of our physical world lends credibility to what it says about the spiritual world. John Warwick Montgomery has written, "What, then, does a historian know about Jesus Christ? He knows, first and foremost, that the New Testament documents can be relied upon to give an accurate portrait of Him. And he knows that this portrait cannot be rationalized away by wishful thinking, philosophical presuppositionalism, or literary maneuvering" (History and Christianity, p.40).

Its Accuracy in Science
Do we have to make a choice whether we are going to live by either religious faith or scientific data? From the way some people talk you might think there is a legitimate choice. But there is not. The apparent conflicts result from unjustified conclusions made on both sides--either by those who go beyond the limits of proper Bible interpretation or by those who go beyond the limits of science to equate theory with fact. The heart of the apparent conflict between science and the Bible is not the actual data; it is in the underlying beliefs of the two sides and their conclusions. The information is the same for both.

The Bible is not a science textbook. It often uses figures of speech to describe facets of life that science would explain in different terms. The God who created the universe and set in motion the laws that govern our world is the same God who inspired the Bible. He is the God of truth and does not contradict Himself. Therefore, when the Bible is interpreted correctly and science arrives at proven conclusions, they will be in perfect agreement.

Its Accuracy in Prophecy
The Word of God has proven that it can be trusted. It has never been wrong in its diagnosis of man's ills. It has never made false promises. It has never given man reason to think it is a collection of fables and lies. One clear confirmation of its reliability is the accuracy of its prophecy. The Bible itself offers the standards by which to test those who claim to speak authoritatively about the future. It says in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 that the test of a prophet's authority is the accuracy of his predictions. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies, so we can measure it by its own test.

Some of the most dramatic examples of fulfilled Bible prophecy are those concerning Jesus Christ. Note these specific prophecies about Jesus Christ that were literally fulfilled:
 

Another example of fulfilled prophecy was the destruction of the city of Tyre. Hundreds of years before the event, Ezekiel had predicted that the city would be destroyed and the ruins scraped off and dumped into the sea, never to be rebuilt (Ezekiel 26). It happened exactly as predicted when Nebuchadnezzar first destroyed the city, then Alexander had his men use the ruins to build a causeway out to an offshore island where the people had fled. That causeway may still be seen today as a silent witness to the accuracy of Bible prophecy.

Daniel accurately predicted the succession of four great world powers: Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 2 and 7).

The predictions of the judgment of God against Nineveh (Nahum 1-3), Ammon and Moab (Jeremiah 48-49), Babylon (Isaiah 13-14; Jeremiah 51), and Edom (Isaiah 34; Jeremiah 49; Ezekiel 25, 35) were all fulfilled as prophesied.

Whenever the Bible speaks prophetically, we can be assured it is accurate. Hundreds of prophecies have been literally fulfilled. On this basis, we can also believe what the Bible has to say about things to come. It has already proven itself!