Answers about the Bible - Is the Bible really God's Word?  (This page last reviewed and updated in December, 2011) How can we know the Bible is really the "Word of God"? The Bible contains predictions about the future, the details of which only God could know.  Only God could give us the Bible, because only God can know, without error, the timing and specific facts about the future.  God has given us predictions of the future in the Bible so that we would know that this book came from him.  In the past, God has predicted the future, and had it written down centures before the events took place so we could know the Bible is his word of wisdom to us.  Because God knows what will happen next, and has already written it in the Bible, we can know what will happen in the future. Why should I read the Bible?? Because, God has included in this Bible information about himself, about life, death and eternity that we could not otherwise know. We can read the Bible to learn about this God of our universe. The Bible is the only road map we have to get us from earth to heaven.  If we want to get to heaven, and not get lost along the way, we should follow the map. We should read the Bible because it is the only book God ever wrote. After all, if you were planning to take a trip to Hawaii you would want to know as much as you can about it before you go.  So, If you are planning to go to heaven you should read all about it before you start your trip.  Once you die your journey will begin and it will be too late to change your destination. What kind of god is the God of the Bible??  A person might believe that God exists, but not believe that God is interested in their everyday life.  If we believe  God exists, somewhere, out there , in the great unknown, that does not mean that we believe this God cares about us.  In fact, there are some folk who will accept the fact that God exists (or at least MAY exist), but they say he is an impersonal god, no longer involved with the day to day problems of our world. Their god may be out there somewhere, but he is not interested in us, our needs or concerns, and is certainly not preparing a place for us in eternity. The Bible tells us otherwise. The Bible confirms that God is out there and that He cares about us-each and every one of us.  In fact, God tells us in the Bible that he hopes we will join him someday in a place called heaven--and stay with him for eternity.  Jesus said,"I go and prepare a place for you, so that where I go ye may go also" (John 14:3).  Do you think he was wrong??  Why did God give us this Bible? The God of the Bible is a personal God who loves us and wants us to know him and to love him.  So He wrote us a letter to tell us about himself.  After all, he made us in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). Having done that, would He not want to communicate with his creation?  Suppose he did want to communicate with us? Suppose he wanted to tell us things about himself we could not otherwise know.  How would he choose to do it?  We suggest he would choose to write us a letter, and by his miracle working power protect that letter throughout the eons of time to make sure we had today the exact words he wanted us to hear.  It may be a hard thing to do, but this is God we are talking about, and nothing is too very hard for God to do.  Jeremiah knew this. "Ah, Lord, God, thou hast made the heavens and the earth with thy out stretched arm.  Nothing is too very hard for thee!" (Jer 47:4-5)  What choices do I have? God has not created us as mind numbed robots,  He has given us the freedom to choose. The choice to believe is ours. God has given us the freedom to choose who we will serve and what we will believe. "As for me and my house we have chosen to serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15) We have chosen to believe that the Bible is in fact the Word of God. To believe that God says what he means, and means what he says. I choose to believe that God does exist, and to believe that the Bible tells me about this Almighty God, and how he wants me to live my life. I have chosen to accept God's word, and believe the Bible when it promises that if I put my trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ, I will go to heaven when I die, to be with God for eternity!! How about you??  How do you choose?? This faith is not some "leap into the dark", as many would like you to believe.  It is a faith that is based on fact.  God has not asked us to believe in some wild, unsubstantiated fairy tale.  God has demonstrated for everyone who is willing to to give the Bible a fair shake that it could only have been written by Him.  God knows we are a people who require proof to believe something is true, so he included all the proof a fair minded person could require right within the pages of the Bible.   We will look at some of the characteristics of the Bible that we believe prove God loves us and the Bible is, in fact, the word of the God who made us! What is the Bible all about?   The Bible is about: 1)  The Holiness of God. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts." (Isa 6:3)     2) The separation of man from this Holy God because of sin. "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, every one, to his own way." (Isa 53:6) "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God" (Rom 3:23)   3) The reconciliation back to God for those men and women who believe God's word and trust that Jesus Christ has provided the acceptable sacrifice, judged by God, to be sufficient to allow us back into his fellowship. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16).  What does the Bible tell us about God? The Bible tells us this about God: God is out there.(Gen 1:1)  He is eternal.( Ps 106:48, Isa 9:6, Ps 145:13, Hab 1:12, Dan 4:3, & Jer 10:10, to name a few)  He is almighty. (Gen 17:1, 35:11 ) He is Holy. (Rev 4:8) He wants us to join Him in heaven. (John 3:16) By God's grace ye are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by your own good works, lest any of us should be able to boast.  (Eph 2:9) What does the Bible tell us is God's Plan for Man?  First: That this God of the universe decided to create man and to create him in his own image (Gen 2:7), to live a physical life on this earth and eventually join God in heaven for an eternity of fellowship and blessing (John 14:2). Then: God gave man one command to observe while he was here on earth (Gen 2:17).  Soon after that: Man disobeyed this command and became immediately separated from God and lost the eternal blessing God had prepared for him (Gen 2:7 & Gen 3:10-11). Loving us: God offered man a way back into fellowship and eternal life. (Jn 14:1-3 & Jn 3:16).

How can I have more faith? Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that "Faith cometh by hearing the word of God". To have more faith--read more Bible!! God has promised to increase our faith as we read. God has made us this promise, and he will never foresake his word.   It's not the amount of our faith that counts, it's the quality of our faith. Jesus told his disciples that if they had faith as a grain of mustard seed, they should be able to move mountians. (Matt 17:20 & Luke 17:6)  A mustard seed is itself small, but it has within itself life so strong that when it is let loose it grows mighty and strong.  Big faith might do great things in front of great crowds, but living faith keeps on trusting God when all else is against you and the hour is dark.  Living faith never dies.  God has saved us from eternal fire through our faith. (Eph 2:8)  Once we are saved, God expects us to live each hour of each day by our faith in him and his promise for our eternal life. (Gal 3:11). What is the difference between the Bible and all the other religious books? The books of all the other religions of the world say, "do".  The Bible says "done".  "It is finished."(John 19:30)   Was there a world and civilization here before this one? Yes, we are the second civilization to inhabit this earth.(Gen 1:1, Isa 14:12) (3/23/11 to be continued) What is Bible prophecy?  To qualify as a true word from God a prophecy must have several characteristics. First it must be SPECIFIC as to its description and its fulfilment. The prediction that it might rain tomorrow is not an example of God's prophecy.  In addition to being specific the fulfilment of the prophecy must be REMOVED IN TIME from the prophet. The fact that a person predicts a nation will go to war, when the clouds of war are already on the horizon, does not meet the test of God's predictive prophecy. Someone who claims they saw a vision where "some ship will suffer a catastrophic sinking", given 20 years before the Titanic, although removed and uncontrolled by the prophet,  is not specific enough to qualify as a prophecy of God.  So, what are some of the prophecies in the Bible that meet both these standards and have already been fulfilled.  Remember, these are just a few examples of the prophecies God has given us in the Bible. How does prophecy demonstrate that the Bible has been given to us by God?    If the Bible is in fact the Word of God then it should have within it's pages things that could only have come from God himself. One of the most conclusive reasons that the Bible came from God is the proof of fulfilled prophecy.  God knows us and knows we are by nature skeptical of things, so he put prophecies in the Bible to prove to us that this book came from him.  One thing that man can not do is accurately and without error predict the future.  Neither the weatherman, nor gamblers nor stock brokers, nor any other human being can clearly predict the future without error. But, God can do it, and he does so in the Bible just to show us that he wrote it. We will  look at a few of these predictive prophecies found in both the  Old Testament and New that we believe will prove even to the skeptic that the Bible is indeed "the Word of God".   John F. Walvoord in his study "Every Prophecy of the Bible", counted over 1000 specific prophecies from God in the Bible.  Over 500 have already been specifically fulfilled, but many more are yet to come to pass. These prophecies are specific, direct and involve, in one way or another, all the nations, locations and peoples here on earth.  God is not finished with us yet.  We only have space on this web site to look at a few of God's prophecies, but  we hope what we have here will help you to understand why we believe only an eternal being, God, could have given us this Bible, and because God gave it to us we should know what it says.   PROPHECIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED The nation of Israel will be dispersed throughout the world. Jerusalem will be attacked and saved and later attacked and lost. The nation of Babylon will be overthrown. The temple at Jerusalem will be rebuilt. Great nations who will rise and then fall. Syria and Egypt will struggle for world domination. The fulfilled prophecy regarding Noah's sons. Israel's bondage in Egypt. Israel's return to the land God gave it. Man will rule the earth. The ministry of John the Baptist. The time and the place of Christ's birth. The manner of Christ's death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ The prediction of the coming church age. Satan will continually harass man. PROPHECIES STILL TO BE FULFILLED All who believe in and trust Jesus Christ shall inherit eternal life. The rise and future fall of specific Nations of the earth. All those who reject the saving work of Christ will be eternally doomed. Jesus Christ will return to this earth to destroy evil and all the peoples and nations who follow evil. A new heaven and a new earth shall be set up for eternity. The coming Rapture of the church and the Great Tribulation. Satan's coming rage upon the earth. The Battle of Armageddon.

HOW  DO  YOU  CHOOSE????? Do you choose to believe the Bible is the Word of God???If you have chosen to believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then all of God's promises in the Bible are yours, now and for eternity.  God does not lie.  All God's promises are Yea and Amen!!! or Do you choose to reject the Bible as being the Word of God??? Then you are on your own. But, understand that "God is not mocked" (Gal 6:7),  and, if you are wrong, then your eternal destiny is already written in these pages.  "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a vengeful God!!" (Heb 10:31) Coming Soon Bible Answers to more of your questions about the book, the Bible!