Outside of statements within the bible that claim that it is "truth" and "inspired by God"...

Question

What external or objectively observable evidence is there to support the idea that it is accurate and that it really did come from a higher source than man?

Answer 1

Consider these assertions by a Christian astrophysicist:
Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible
by Hugh Ross, Ph.D.
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors. (The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days go by.) Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively) and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)!

God is not the only one, however, who uses forecasts of future events to get people's attention. Satan does, too. Through clairvoyants (such as Jeanne Dixon and Edgar Cayce), mediums, spiritists, and others, come remarkable predictions, though rarely with more than about 60 percent accuracy, never with total accuracy. Messages from Satan, furthermore, fail to match the detail of Bible prophecies, nor do they include a call to repentance.

The acid test for identifying a prophet of God is recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. According to this Bible passage (and others), God's prophets, as distinct from Satan's spokesmen, are 100 percent accurate in their predictions. There is no room for error.

As economy does not permit an explanation of all the Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled, what follows in a discussion of a few that exemplify the high degree of specificity, the range of projection, and/or the "supernature" of the predicted events. Readers are encouraged to select others, as well, and to carefully examine their historicity.


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(1) Some time before 500 B.C. the prophet Daniel proclaimed that Israel's long-awaited Messiah would begin his public ministry 483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25-26). He further predicted that the Messiah would be "cut off," killed, and that this event would take place prior to a second destruction of Jerusalem. Abundant documentation shows that these prophecies were perfectly fulfilled in the life (and crucifixion) of Jesus Christ. The decree regarding the restoration of Jerusalem was issued by Persia's King Artaxerxes to the Hebrew priest Ezra in 458 B.C., 483 years later the ministry of Jesus Christ began in Galilee. (Remember that due to calendar changes, the date for the start of Christ's ministry is set by most historians at about 26 A.D. Also note that from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is just one year.) Jesus' crucifixion occurred only a few years later, and about four decades later, in 70 A.D. came the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)*


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(2) In approximately 700 B.C. the prophet Micah named the tiny village of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel's Messiah (Micah 5:2). The fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Christ is one of the most widely known and widely celebrated facts in history.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)


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(3) In the fifth century B.C. a prophet named Zechariah declared that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave—thirty pieces of silver, according to Jewish law-and also that this money would be used to buy a burial ground for Jerusalem's poor foreigners (Zechariah 11:12-13). Bible writers and secular historians both record thirty pieces of silver as the sum paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus, and they indicate that the money went to purchase a "potter's field," used—just as predicted—for the burial of poor aliens (Matthew 27:3-10).

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1011.)


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(4) Some 400 years before crucifixion was invented, both Israel's King David and the prophet Zechariah described the Messiah's death in words that perfectly depict that mode of execution. Further, they said that the body would be pierced and that none of the bones would be broken, contrary to customary procedure in cases of crucifixion (Psalm 22 and 34:20; Zechariah 12:10). Again, historians and New Testament writers confirm the fulfillment: Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, and his extraordinarily quick death eliminated the need for the usual breaking of bones. A spear was thrust into his side to verify that he was, indeed, dead.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1013.)


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(5) The prophet Isaiah foretold that a conqueror named Cyrus would destroy seemingly impregnable Babylon and subdue Egypt along with most of the rest of the known world. This same man, said Isaiah, would decide to let the Jewish exiles in his territory go free without any payment of ransom (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13). Isaiah made this prophecy 150 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats (and he did, eventually, perform them all), and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1015.)


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(6) Mighty Babylon, 196 miles square, was enclosed not only by a moat, but also by a double wall 330 feet high, each part 90 feet thick. It was said by unanimous popular opinion to be indestructible, yet two Bible prophets declared its doom. These prophets further claimed that the ruins would be avoided by travelers, that the city would never again be inhabited, and that its stones would not even be moved for use as building material (Isaiah 13:17-22 and Jeremiah 51:26, 43). Their description is, in fact, the well-documented history of the famous citadel.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 109.)


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(7) The exact location and construction sequence of Jerusalem's nine suburbs was predicted by Jeremiah about 2600 years ago. He referred to the time of this building project as "the last days," that is, the time period of Israel's second rebirth as a nation in the land of Palestine (Jeremiah 31:38-40). This rebirth became history in 1948, and the construction of the nine suburbs has gone forward precisely in the locations and in the sequence predicted.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1018.)


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(8) The prophet Moses foretold (with some additions by Jeremiah and Jesus) that the ancient Jewish nation would be conquered twice and that the people would be carried off as slaves each time, first by the Babylonians (for a period of 70 years), and then by a fourth world kingdom (which we know as Rome). The second conqueror, Moses said, would take the Jews captive to Egypt in ships, selling them or giving them away as slaves to all parts of the world. Both of these predictions were fulfilled to the letter, the first in 607 B.C. and the second in 70 A.D. God's spokesmen said, further, that the Jews would remain scattered throughout the entire world for many generations, but without becoming assimilated by the peoples or of other nations, and that the Jews would one day return to the land of Palestine to re-establish for a second time their nation (Deuteronomy 29; Isaiah 11:11-13; Jeremiah 25:11; Hosea 3:4-5 and Luke 21:23-24).

This prophetic statement sweeps across 3500 years of history to its complete fulfillment—in our lifetime.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 120.)


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(9) Jeremiah predicted that despite its fertility and despite the accessibility of its water supply, the land of Edom (today a part of Jordan) would become a barren, uninhabited wasteland (Jeremiah 49:15-20; Ezekiel 25:12-14). His description accurately tells the history of that now bleak region.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)


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(10) Joshua prophesied that Jericho would be rebuilt by one man. He also said that the man's eldest son would die when the reconstruction began and that his youngest son would die when the work reached completion (Joshua 6:26). About five centuries later this prophecy found its fulfillment in the life and family of a man named Hiel (I Kings 16:33-34).

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 107).


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(11) The day of Elijah's supernatural departure from Earth was predicted unanimously—and accurately, according to the eye-witness account—by a group of fifty prophets (II Kings 2:3-11).

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 109).


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(12) Jahaziel prophesied that King Jehoshaphat and a tiny band of men would defeat an enormous, well-equipped, well-trained army without even having to fight. Just as predicted, the King and his troops stood looking on as their foes were supernaturally destroyed to the last man (II Chronicles 20).

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 108).


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(13) One prophet of God (unnamed, but probably Shemiah) said that a future king of Judah, named Josiah, would take the bones of all the occultic priests (priests of the "high places") of Israel's King Jeroboam and burn them on Jeroboam's altar (I Kings 13:2 and II Kings 23:15-18). This event occurred approximately 300 years after it was foretold.

(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1013).


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Since these thirteen prophecies cover mostly separate and independent events, the probability of chance occurrence for all thirteen is about 1 in 10138 (138 equals the sum of all the exponents of 10 in the probability estimates above). For the sake of putting the figure into perspective, this probability can be compared to the statistical chance that the second law of thermodynamics will be reversed in a given situation (for example, that a gasoline engine will refrigerate itself during its combustion cycle or that heat will flow from a cold body to a hot body)—that chance = 1 in 1080. Stating it simply, based on these thirteen prophecies alone, the Bible record may be said to be vastly more reliable than the second law of thermodynamics. Each reader should feel free to make his own reasonable estimates of probability for the chance fulfillment of the prophecies cited here. In any case, the probabilities deduced still will be absurdly remote.

Given that the Bible proves so reliable a document, there is every reason to expect that the remaining 500 prophecies, those slated for the "time of the end," also will be fulfilled to the last letter. Who can afford to ignore these coming events, much less miss out on the immeasurable blessings offered to anyone and everyone who submits to the control of the Bible's author, Jesus Christ? Would a reasonable person take lightly God's warning of judgment for those who reject what they know to be true about Jesus Christ and the Bible, or who reject Jesus' claim on their lives?

*The estimates of probability included herein come from a group of secular research scientists. As an example of their method of estimation, consider their calculations for this first prophecy cited:

Since the Messiah's ministry could conceivably begin in any one of about 5000 years, there is, then, one chance in about 5000 that his ministry could begin in 26 A.D.
Since the Messiah is God in human form, the possibility of his being killed is considerably low, say less than one chance in 10.
Relative to the second destruction of Jerusalem, this execution has roughly an even chance of occurring before or after that event, that is, one chance in 2.
Hence, the probability of chance fulfillment for this prophecy is 1 in 5000 x 10 x 2, which is 1 in 100,000, or 1 in 105.

Answer 2

If you are a serious sensible researcher testing the things that differs, you will come out that the number one evidence of Bible accuracy is its perfect history in the first 4,000 years expounded by Hebrew writers supported by artifacts from those diggings by Archaeologists. The next 2000 years from the time of Jesus Christ up to our present time (now 2007), the evidence of biblical accuracy instead keeps in increasing rather than decreasing and even scientific findings old and new are all supporting to the accuracy of God's Word in all its prophecies. Of course we cannot deny deny'rs for they have also the rights to deny. Its their freedom. But the strong evidence is stamp in the historicity of Bible-centered groups of people that is always being blessed by their God such as the dominant protestants America, Canada, United Kingdom, west (Lutheran) Germany, Australia, Greek Orthodox countries, etc. These are historically the superior countries. All the rest are inferiors. Although now America is bombarded with foreign invaders bringing their own religions, America is still 65% Protestant Christian down from 90% majority 400 years ago when the persecuted pilgrims from europe by the Roman Catholics and Muslims arrived to look for a place that they can worship freely and objectively the very God of the Holy Bible without any mixture of superstitions and idolatries.

Answer 3

The Bible is the best preserved document in the history of mankind.

The Bible itself inspired the printing press.

The Bible is so popular and sells so many copies every year, that newspapers had to think up categories in order to generate stories about other "Best Sellers".

There is no other document in the world that is more quoted, read, distributed, sold, printed, translated, studied, discussed, and disbelieved.

To ignore the significance of the Bible the greatest piece of literature every produced is to ignore logic.

So with this fact established, the next logically question is:

Why is this true?

The answer is that people believed. They did not believe like people believe in Horoscopes – take it or leave it. They believed it and did amazing things with their lives as a result.

Look again at the good bible believers have done for mankind. Exceptions to the rule, faults of men are often emphasized. But there really is a lot of good history of people helping others.

If all of these facts do not pique your curiosity, then you are not even searching.

Answer 4

Let's go the other way. .What external or objectively observable evidence is there to support the idea that it isn't accurate and it didn't really come from a higher source than man?
I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to believe man created the universe. Or woman, for that matter.Humankind just doesn't have that capability. But something, or someone did. So what would you like to call that Divine Force?

Oh -- you're talking about the Bible. I thought you meant creating the universe.

The Bible was, in fact, created by man. Various men wrote various parts of it, and some parts are not included. So editorial censorship began quite far back! Was it inspired by God? Who knows where inspiration comes from. Much of it is the relating of information and stories that were passed down from generation to generation, but the initial stories were likely told by individual men and only gradually compiled into the tome we know, today, as the Bible.

Answer 5

The fact that the paper it is copied on does indeed exist. Other than that, I've got nothin'.

The ones that can't stand to admit this will turn the question around, as if it's your job to prove god doesn't exist. We know this is the equivalent of saying "I have absolutely no proof, and can't gather a stitch of it to save my life, but I can't lose face, my reputation is on the line!" So, despite all the evidence that is clearly available, anything that you produce will be met with "how do you know that's real and not a trick of the devil?" or "are your sources reliable?" They cannot produce factual evidence, or even coroborating stories, so they'll just deny that everything that points to the contrary is invalid and falsified. Even if all the sources from the time say the same thing, they'll still deny it.

That's why I want to start my own religion. One where people who deny credible evidence lose their souls automatically and have to live their lives as zombies until their death, at which point it will be revealed to them that they were wrong and will now fade into non-existence. The only way to get their souls back is to rationally look at all the evidence presented and base truth on what actually happened in the visible world. Believers of verifiable truth are allowed to believe what ever they choose and keep their souls. Unbelievers will live with the soulless disease of delusion until they repent and accept the facts! I think I'll call it the Book of Ca.

Answer 6

I have given scientific evidence here on answers many times that show that life couldn't have been spontaneously generated. Nor could evolution have produced the giants of the Ice age in the limited time that existed between the extension event that killed the dinosaurs and the rise of creatures like the mammoth from a small rat like creature that science says was one of the few survivors.... Jim

Answer 7

Although it is not a science book, when the bible mentions something about science, these are accurate.

Consider the following:
1) the earth is round. Long before Magellan discovered this, Isaiah already wrote about it. Who could have told Isaiah about that.

2) It speaks about the book of life containing our genetic codes. World Book Encyclopedia confirms DNA is called book of life. Before DNA was discovered the Bible already made mention of it

Fulfillment of so many prophecies. Consider the following:

a) Rise and fall of the Greek empire and how it would be divided into 4 after the death of its emperor.

b) Read 2Timothy 3:1-5 and its like reading today's and tomorrow's headlines.

It has the power to change evil men as evidenced by a dreaded and deadly Israeli agent who turned his back from his job and became a peaceable preacher of God's kingdom.

Answer 8

a fair question, but one not easily answered. basically, all we have to go on is faith, which is unfortunately not what you ask for. firstly it must be said that the bible is not a historical textbook, but rather scriptures of faith. written for people who couldn't possibly comprehend a world of science as we do, it was written so they could make sense of the world. i mean, i don't quite understand the "big bang" theory, how could someone like moses understand it.

what we can use however are historical documents containing information on past events and see wether any of them resembles biblical events such as the exodus. it is a historical fact that the Israelites left Egypt under the leadership of moses. The Bible however tells us Moses was led by God. this is basically as close as we can come to undeniable truth, and so in the end the result will be in our faith. and wether we can see the truth even is it is not blatantly obvious.

Answer 9

http://star.wind.mystarband.net/bib/daniel_69_weeks_proof.html

Fulfilled biblical prophecy is God's signature of authenticity, demonstrating to us that the Bible is not merely some fabrication of human imagination, but is indeed the trustworthy Word of God.

Daniel's prophecies are literally true; the prophecy of 69 Weeks being fulfilled almost 2000 years ago while the prophecy of the 70th Week is unfulfilled and yet to come, but come it will. Literally true fulfilled prophecy can be examined, verified and shown to be true. In so doing we see facts known only to God and revealed by Him to us, at times and in ways which He alone determines.

In fulfilled biblical prophecy we see revealed, God's signature of authenticity to the Bible, and accordingly we can trust that unfulfilled biblical prophecy is equally authentic and will literally come true as well.

To demonstrate that authenticity, this exposition presents a proof of how the 69 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:25, 26 can be interpreted plainly and consistently with all of scripture and history to show Jesus Christ is the `adh-mâshiyach nâghiydh, the Anointed Messiah Prince; the baptized begotten son of God who came into His anointing in A.D. 26, 483 years from Artaxerxes I decree to Ezra to 'return and see to Jerusalem' (as prophesied in Daniel 9:25), and was crucified on a Wednesday Passover in A.D. 30 fulfilling His being "cut off" (as prophesied in Daniel 9:26).

Pursuant to demonstrating this proof, a related proof showing the harmonization of the gospel accounts of Passion Week reconciled with calendars is offered as well. Three subsequent expositions will address Daniel's historicity (6th century B.C.), Daniel's prophecy of the king's of the South and North in Dan 11 (mostly fulfilled), and Daniel's prophecy of the 70th week in Dan 9:27 (unfulfilled).

Answer 10

The arguments from prophecy do not impress me, because they are so easy to rationalize. It's called Moday morning quarterbacking. It is so simple to look back and fit a prediction to a later event - child's play. Look at how we have done it with Nostradamus.

To further weaken that argument, remember that the gospels were written several hundred years after the life of Christ, and one of their purposes was to confirm his divinity. Hence details were invented (like the birth in Bethlehem, a fiction) in order to fulfill ancient prophecies about the Messiah. No, the prophesies prove nothing.

Answer 11

of course one must study the teachings of Jesus for themself and not listen to the multitude of hypocritical false christians that he foretold at Matthew 7:13-23

but once you read and study the teachings of Jesus then any intelligent person can see that the world would be infinitely better than it is now if everyone followed his example. There would be no governments, no wars, no hate, no locks on doors

and eventually there will be no death

it is perfection

agape!