APOLOGETICS PRESS Apologetics Press, Inc. 230 Landmark Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-2752 © Copyright 2003 (Third Edition) ISBN: 0-932859-60-7 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or critical re­ views. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 1 The Need for Revelation from God · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 4 The Character of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Origin of Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Mankind’s Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Mankind’s Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Mankind’s Destiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 What Does the Bible Contain?· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 7 The Two Types of Revelation· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 8 General (Natural) Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Special (Supernatural) Revelation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Bible’s Claims for its Own Inspiration· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 12 Universal (Naturalistic) Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Thought (Dynamic or Concept) Inspiration. . . . . . 16 Neo-Orthodox Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Encounter Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dictation (Mechanical) Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Verbal, Plenary Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Evidence of the Bible’s Inspiration· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 25 The Unity of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Factual Accuracy of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The Prophecy of the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Scientific Foreknowledge of the Bible. . . . . . . 44 From the Field of Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 From the Field of Oceanography . . . . . . . . . 48 From the Field of Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 From the Field of Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 From the Field of Biology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 From the Field of Archaeology . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Conclusion · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 57 References· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 61 - i DEDICATION This volume is dedicated to Don Deffenbaugh and Bobby Key, whose love for God’s Word has been unwavering, whose defense of the Truth has been balanced, and whose knowl­ edge of the Bible has been a blessing to the lives of untold thousands. IN DEFENSE OF THE BIBLE’S INSPIRATION nowledge and truth are precious commodities. As a K body of factual information and legitimate principles, knowledge is indispensable in human relationships. Truth, as knowledge justifiably believed, represents a funda­ mental reality that transcends both the provincial and the temporal. Most people are desirous of obtaining a certain amount of knowledge that they then can put to good use in their everyday lives. And, undoubtedly, most people prefer not be deceived, but instead prefer to be dealt with honestly and truthfully. One of the Ten Commandments, in fact, was based upon just such a concept: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Truthfulness always has been the basis for the moral, legal, and ethical codes of nations. And, an abiding respect for truth has undergirded the legitimacy of those codes. “Buy the truth, and sell it not,” said the Proverbs writer (23:23). He who pos­ sesses correct knowledge has within him the potential to dis­ cern, and then act upon, truth. Knowledge frees from the shackles of ignorance; truth frees from the shackles of error. Indeed, knowledge and truth are precious commodities. While almost anyone you ask will admit, in theory, that knowledge and truth are indispensable attributes of a sensi­ ble, everyday existence, in practice many people live out that daily existence as if knowledge and truth ultimately do not matter. Much of mankind lives according to an abstract, confusing, and largely inconsistent system of personal be­ havior. This is a bit odd, to say the least. In most matters, a man likely will insist upon complete objectivity. For exam­ ple, in regard to his eating habits he might say, “I will not eat this food; it contains bacterial toxins that will kill me.” In re­ gard to matters of civil law, he might suggest, “That action is illegal; it violates my rights.” - 1 Yet when it comes to religion in general, and Christianity in particular, subjectivity rules the day. People can be so cer­ tain about their beliefs in the physical realm, but so nebulous about their beliefs in the spiritual realm. For example, on oc­ casion when a person who believes in God is asked if God does, in fact, exist, he may opine: “I believe He exists,” or “I hope He exists,” or “I think He exists.” But rarely do you hear him say boldly, “I know He exists.” Or, if a Christian is asked the question, “Do you know you are saved?,” the re­ sponse may go something like this: “I believe that I am,” or “I hope that I am,” or “I think that I am.” But all too rarely do you hear someone confidently assert, “Yes, I know that I am saved.” This is indeed a sad state of affairs. We now have progressed to the point where, in matters as mundane as food choices or legal wrangling, objectivity is an absolute requirement. Mean­ while, in the much more important area of spiritual matters, we not only expect, but in many cases insist upon, a subjec­ tivity that we would not tolerate in any other sphere of our lives. It is as if the pluralistic postmodernism that has affected secular society (the “I’m OK, you’re OK”/“Who am I to judge?” concept) finally has made its way into the spiritual community as well. Apparently, some among us either once knew but long since have forgotten, or never understood in the first place, the proper concept of truth. Similarly, we ei­ ther have forgotten, or no longer care, about the damage that an improper concept of truth can cause. The time has come for Christians to embolden themselves once again with the same high regard for truth that Jesus ex­ pressed when He stated: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”(John 8:32). Christianity is not an “I-hope-so/pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by” kind of religion based upon some esoteric, fairy-tale-like concept. Rather, it is rooted and grounded in the provable existence of the one true God, and the verifiable nature of the historical facts sur­ rounding the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. When the apostle John wrote to comfort and reassure first-century - 2 Christians who found themselves in the midst of numerous trials and persecutions, he said: “These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13, emp. added). Thus, according to both Jesus and John, a person not only can know something, but he can know that he knows it. There are certain undeniable, critically important impli­ cations standing behind this kind of firm and confident dec­ laration. Consider the following. If a person cannot know (with certainty) that God exists, then he cannot know (with certainty) that the Bible is His inspired Word. If a person can­ not know that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then he cannot know that Jesus is God’s Son, for the Bible provides the evidentiary basis for such a claim. If a person cannot know that Christ is God’s Son, then he cannot know that he is saved. Yet John specifically stated: “These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life....” The simple fact is—Christians are not agnostics! The agnos­ tic suggests, “I cannot know whether God exists.” Christians, on the other hand, know that God exists (cf. Psalm 46:10). Consider the alternative. Do Christians serve a God Who “may” or “may not” exist? Do Christians believe, and ask others to believe, the testimony of a Bible that “may” or “may not” be inspired? Do Christians trust, obey, and place their faith in a Christ Who “may” or “may not” be the Son of God? Hardly! Even the casual reader will discern the close relationship among these vital issues. Knowledge of God’s existence is foundational, which is why I have marshaled the evidence for it (Thompson, 2000, pp. 123-181). Knowledge of Christ’s Sonship is pivotal, which is why I have documented the facts that attend it (Thompson, 1999, pp. 19-32). Knowledge of sal­ vation is essential, which is why I have assembled the testimony from Scripture that attests to it (Thompson, 1998a; 1998b). But no less important is the evidence that establishes the in­ spiration of God’s Word—the topic to which I now direct your attention. - 3 THE NEED FOR REVELATION FROM GOD With the existence of God established, it becomes reason­ able to think that such a Creator-God would wish to commu­ nicate with His creation. Mankind shows evidence of high intelligence, kindness, goodness, justice, and many other unique characteristics. Since it is inconceivable that the Cre­ ator could be inferior to His creation in any fashion, and since the effect never is greater than the cause, it is inevitable that God would exhibit infinite intelligence, kindness, good­ ness, justice, etc. Therefore, some form of personal commu­ nication between the intelligent Creator and His intelligent creature would be expected. Else, how could mankind ever come to know, or appreciate, certain aspects of the Creator, or understand what the Creator might possibly require of the beings He had created? Furthermore, some form of revela­ tion from the Creator would be essential in order to instruct mankind in certain areas, such as the following. The Character of God. While something of God’s es­ sence, power, and wisdom can be gleaned vaguely from the vastness and marvelous intricacies of the creation itself, a more concrete communication is needed to establish the ex­ act nature of His character. The Origin of Evil. As mankind found itself adrift in a sea of evil, pain, and suffering, the question eventually would arise: Why? Man thus needed to be educated concerning the exact reason(s) for his predicament. Mankind’s Origin. Without revelation to the contrary, men might come to the conclusion that they owe their ulti­ mate origin to “accidental forces of nature,” rather than to the omnipotence of a divine Creator. The confusion of modern- day evolutionary theories is evidence aplenty of this. Mankind’s Purpose. Man—left to his own devices—never could understand completely the ultimate purpose for his creation at the hand of an Almighty God. With no adequately defined role, and no immediate or future goals, he would wan­ der aimlessly, from cradle to grave, in a sea of uncertainty. - 4 Mankind’s Destiny. In the absence of divine revelation, man never would know with certainty anything about the ex­ istence of life beyond this one. He therefore might conclude incorrectly—as many have in every generation—that this life is all there is. The urgency of mankind having access to this knowledge is evinced by the general despair of those who re­ ject the concept of supernatural revelation. A revelation from God might take almost any form. God could choose to communicate with His creation directly via word of mouth, through messengers (e.g., angels), or through dreams and visions. For that matter, He could choose any means that suited the occasion. Seemingly, however, the most appropriate medium for long-term results would be one that ensured permanence. That is to say, it would withstand the test of time, and could be passed faithfully from generation to generation throughout human history. One possible way to accomplish such a goal would be to produce the revelation in a written form that could be duplicated and distributed as needed, thus benefiting the whole of mankind across the ages. The question then becomes: Is there any evidence that mankind possesses such a revelation? And the answer to that question is: Yes, evidence does exist to establish the claim that God has given mankind His revelation in the written form known as the Bible. B.C. Goodpasture, the distinguished edi­ tor of the Gospel Advocate for almost forty years, wrote: The nature and contents of the Bible are such that the rank and file of its readers in all generations have rec­ ognized God as its author. Man would not have writ­ ten such a book, if he could; and could not, if he would. It moves on a superhuman plane in design, in nature, and in teaching. It caters not to worldly desire and ambition. It condemns much which men in the flesh highly prize, and commends much which they de­ spise. Its thoughts are not the thoughts of men (1970, p. 54). Harold Lindsell, former editor of Christianity Today, remarked: - 5