How can we Trust the Bible?

What is the Bible

The Bible is a collection of books, letters, poems, and proverbs that God ordained throughout history.

The Bible is separated into the Old and New Testaments based on the time when it was written.

The main purpose of the Old Testament was to prophecy of the coming savior of the World and the New Testament explained who he is, how he fulfilled prophecy, and what he did on Earth.

Who wrote the Bible

The Bible was written over 1500 years, from 1500 B.C. to 90 A.D.

The Bible was written in three languages and on three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The writers included prophets, historians, poets, kings, fishermen, tax collectors, priests, prisoners, doctors, and more!

The books were written during times of famine, abundance, war, peace, occupation, and independence.

Yet each of these men wrote by inspiration from God!

Does the Bible Contradict itself?

This image displays the number of cross-references in the Bible, with over 6,300 cross-references recorded.

Yet, through all of those cross-references, the scripture has never been wrong or contradicted itself across two millennia, 40 authors, 3 continents, 3 languages, different writing styles, with most men having never even met each other!

This is how we know that God himself wrote it!

'All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, '

II Timothy 3:16

What is the Bible's purpose

The Bible's purpose is to educate about the origin of the universe, the identity of God, the reality of sin, the purpose of our life, and what we must do to be in a right relationship with God.

Has it been preserved?

Yes, the Bible is the most documented and preserved book from antiquity, with more evidence of Jesus than of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, who ruled during his crucifixion.

The bible was copied and recopied over the centuries, and these copies are called manuscripts. When we want to see whether one is accurate, we evaluate how it was recorded and whether we have earlier manuscripts to show it hasn't changed.

The Old Testament was written by Jewish scribes with rigid commands that include, but are not limited to:

special ink for preservation
required review within 30 days by a superior
If more than three pages require correction, the entire manuscript will be destroyed
Special areas to preserve the manuscripts
requirement to verbalize every word written as it was written

This rigid approach yielded a powerful manuscript history: when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, copies of every book in the Old Testament except Esther, dating between 300 BC and 68 AD, showed minimal differences from the Old Testament we have today.

The New Testament was primarily written in Greek, and to this day, we have 5800 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, and 9,300 in other languages that date back as far as 100 years from the earliest books. These manuscripts were recorded in different languages by various people groups with different beliefs, on other continents, and they harmonize to show the reliability of the manuscripts for the Bible we have today!

Bible Prophesies that have come True

1. Isaiah Predicts Cyrus by Name (Isaiah 44:28–45:1)

Claim: Isaiah names Cyrus, the Persian king who would release the Jewish people from captivity—about 150–200 years before he was born.

Fulfillment:

Historically, Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
Shortly after, he issued a decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1–4).
This is one of the most frequently cited examples of “named prophecy” in Scripture.

2. Ezekiel Predicts the Fall of Tyre (Ezekiel 26)

Claim: Tyre would be:

Scraped bare “like the top of a rock.”
Attacked by “many nations.”
Its stones, timber, and soil were thrown “into the water.”

Fulfillment:

Nebuchadnezzar besieged mainland Tyre (586–573 BC).
Later, Alexander the Great famously scraped the ruins and built a causeway to the island city—literally pushing the rubble into the sea.
Tyre never returned to its former glory.
This prophecy is commonly referenced because of the unique way it unfolded through multiple conquerors.

3. Daniel 2: World Empire Succession

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue, Daniel interprets four empires:

Head of Gold — Babylon
Chest and Arms of Silver — Medo-Persia
Belly and Thighs of Bronze — Greece
Legs of Iron — Rome

Fulfillment:

The sequence of world empires followed Daniel’s outline precisely:

Babylon (605–539 BC)
Medo-Persia (539–331 BC)
Greece under Alexander (331–168 BC)
Rome (168 BC onward)

This is one of the most discussed prophetic passages because of its accuracy regarding geopolitical shifts.

4. Isaiah: Rise of the Babylonian Empire

Isaiah (particularly chapters 13–14) foretells:

Babylon’s rise as a dominant power
Judah’s future exile
Babylon’s eventual fall

Fulfillment:

Babylon conquered Judah in 586 BC and later fell to the Persians in 539 BC—matching Isaiah’s warnings long before they occurred.

5. Jeremiah: Restoration of Israel After 70 Years

Key prophecy: “After seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will… bring you back” (Jeremiah 29:10).

Fulfillment:

The exile began with Babylon’s rise (around 605–586 BC).
The return began with Cyrus’s decree in 539 BC.
This period spans roughly 70 years, depending on whether measured from the first deportation or the destruction of the temple.

Archaeological finds that confirm the Bible

1. Tel Dan Stele – Confirms King David’s Dynasty

Discovered: 1993 in northern Israel
Significance: Contains the phrase “House of David,” the earliest extrabiblical reference to King David.
Confirms: David was a real historical figure and founder of a ruling dynasty (2 Samuel, 1 Kings).

2. Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele) – Confirms Israel–Moab Conflict

Discovered: 1868 in Dhiban, Jordan
Significance: King Mesha of Moab describes a conflict with Israel, matching 2 Kings 3.
Confirms: The political tension, warfare, and figures (Omri, Moab) described in Scripture.

3. Epic of Gilgamesh – Confirms a Widespread Flood Tradition

Ancient text predating the Old Testament
Significance: Contains a vivid flood narrative similar to Genesis 6–9.
Confirms: The Flood story existed across cultures, suggesting a shared ancient memory.

4. Hezekiah’s Tunnel – Matches the Biblical Water System

Discovered: 19th century in Jerusalem
Significance: The tunnel matches the description of the water diversion system built under King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:20).
Confirms: The biblical engineering project used to prepare Jerusalem for siege.

5. Crucified Man at Giv'at ha-Mivtar – Confirms Nail-Through-Heels Crucifixion

Discovered: 1968 in Jerusalem
Significance: Skeleton of a man named Yehohanan, with a nail through his heel.
Confirms: The Roman practice of crucifixion as described in the New Testament.

6. Pool of Siloam – Site of Jesus’ Healing of the Blind Man

Discovered: 2004 in Jerusalem
Significance: Identified as the Pool of Siloam mentioned in John 9.
Confirms: The setting of one of Jesus’ well-known miracles.

7. Erastus Inscription – Confirms a New Testament Figure

Discovered: Corinth, Greece
Inscription: “Erastus, city treasurer…”
Confirms: The Erastus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:23 was a historical civic leader.

8. Caiaphas Ossuary – Confirms the High Priest of Jesus’ Trial

Discovered: 1990 in Jerusalem
Inscription: “Joseph son of Caiaphas.”
Confirms: The existence of Caiaphas, the high priest involved in Jesus’ crucifixion.

9. Pilate Stone – Confirms Pontius Pilate

Discovered: 1961 in Caesarea Maritima
Inscription: References “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.”
Confirms: The Roman official who ordered Jesus’ execution (Matthew 27).