Evangéliumi Hírnök, 1996 (88. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1996-11-01 / 11. szám

8. oldal

1996. november

WHY I BELIEVE THE BIBLE TO BE THE TRUE WORD OF GOD

by Ernest J. Kish

I personally believe that the Bible is the true word of God because as a Christian I read its contents and know and feel it to be inspired by God. For me to believe this however is not enough proof to those who do not believe as I do. Believing is one thing, but proving it another matter. I will bring to light some facts which I feel will prove my point conclusively.

Events that had taken place over the course of hundreds of years had been foretold in the Bible by men of old who the Bible calls prophets. It would have been impossible for mere men to make those pronouncements on their own without someone (God) having placed those events into the minds of those prophets. We mortals can hardly predict the events of tomorrow much less the events that will take place hundreds of years from now. Those prophets of old did predict accurately events that would take place in the far distant future.

In Deut. 18:18 we read, “I will raise them up a prophet... and put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” Some of those prophets were Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah and Isaiah among others. In the Old Testament alone there are over two thousand prophesies that have already been fulfilled. In many of these events the Bible states, “For I have spoken it saith the Lord God”. Archeologist and Historians have proven those predictions to have taken place just as God had spoken them through His prophets. Lets examine a few of those events from a historical point of view as verified by archeologists, historians, anthropologists and even modem day scientists.

Many predictions dealt with Israel and other nations mentioned in the Old Testament.

Lets examine the fate of two cities mentioned in the Bible — Samaria and Jerusalem. Jeremiah predicted that Jerusalem would be destroyed and its people carried away, but the wall would be rebuilt and the people would be brought back. The walls of Jerusalem were cast down and its people were carried away, but the walls have been rebuilt and its people have returned. Part of the wall stands even today.

Micah predicted that the walls of Samaria would be cast down and it would be made into a vineyard. Today it is just what was prophesied by Micah. Where once the wall stood, it is now covered with vineyards and olive trees growing beautifully to the glory of God. These predictions were made by God through His prophets as recorded in the Bible. History and archeologists have proven them to be tme — proving that the Bible is the tme word of God.

Let us now consider the nation of Edom. Ezekiel stated through God, “I will make you perpetually desolate and the cities shall not return, and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 35:3,9). Today, this city is nothing but shifting sand and rocks. Once again the Bible through God predicted this to take place and History has proven it to be correct.

Consider the city of Babylon, perhaps the greatest city of the ancient world. The walls were fourteen or fifteen miles long. It contained 196 square miles of beautiful architecture, hanging gardens, palaces, temples and towers. They invented the alphabet, mathematics and time pieces. She was advanced beyond all previous peoples. Yet God said of Babylon when it was the greatest city in the world, “Babylon, the glory of Kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah” (Isa 13:19). This too has come to pass and is no more, just as predicted in the Bible and prover by Historians, Archeologists, Anthropologists and Scientists.

The above are just a few of the predictions cited in the Old Testament. They have been proven to be true by old time scholars as well as modem day historians. No man alone could have predicted those events without the pronouncements of God through His servants. God promised that their walls of Jerusalem would be rebuilt, and they were. He promised that the walls of Babylon would never be rebuilt and they have not been. He promised that Tyre would be utterly destroyed, and it was. He promised that Sidon would continue to be a great city, and it is.

These were just a few of Gods pronouncements that were reduce to writing by this prophets and passed down to us through the Bible. His promises of the past have been proven conclusively by authorities down through the ages. The hand that inspired the scriptures was none other than the one who could say, “I am the first and the last, I am the beginning and the end. I am He that knows all things. I am He that declares the things that are not yet come to pass”. With an author whose works have been conclusively proven to be correct in the past, I am satisfied that the Bible with all it promises for the future had to be inspired by someone other than mere man himself. The Bible truly contains words to us even in these days of doubt and question. Let us be faithful in reading it and living by its teachings for it is the true Word of God. □

Traveling On My Knees

Last night I took a journey To a land across the seas;

I did not go by boat or plane,

I traveled on my knees.

I saw so many people there In deepest depths of sin,

But Jesus told me I should go,

That there were souls to win.

But I said, “Jesus, I cannot go And work with such as these."

He answered quickly, “Yes, you can By traveling on your knees."

He said, “Youpray; I’ll meet the need, You call and I will hear;

Be concerned about lost souls,

Of those both far and near."

And so I tried it, knelt in payer,

Gave up some hours of ease;

Ifelt the Lord right by my side While traveling on my knees.

As I prayed on and saw souls saved And twisted bodies healed,

And saw God’s workers ‘ strength renewed

While laboring on the field.

I said, “Yes, Lord, I have a job,

My desire Thy will to please;

I can go and heed Thy call By traveling on my knees."

Sandra. Goodwin Submitted by Mrs. Elizabeth Balia

DID YOL KNOW ?

* There are more than 45 million refugees and internally displaced persons around the world.

* The United States resettles less than one half of one percent of the world’s refugees (less than 100,000 per year in a nation of 263 million). The U.S. ranks fifth in per capita resettlement behind Sweden, Canada, Australia and Denmark.

* The majority of refugees are women and children.

* Immigrants in the U.S. pay $30 billion more in taxes annually than they receive in benefits, such as health care, education and welfare.

* Eight out of ten immigrants come to the U.S. to join family. (Church World Service)