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The Bible and History

Many countries have recorded their nation's history. The Bible gives us a historical record of the world from the beginning of time to the end. But is it reliable? How does the Bible stack up with other records of history?

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How Does the Bible Stack Up with History?

You’re used to things breaking. Everything wears out eventually. There’s only one thing in the world that won’t die with time—the Bible.

Somehow, the words it contains have never been completely lost, destroyed, or forgotten. They’ve endured and even expanded through the rise and fall of many nations.

What began as words on stone became collections of scrolls, to which letters and memoirs were added. More than forty men wrote the Bible over a span of 1600 years, and their writings were united at last in a single book—one that weathered all the storms of history and still sails today. The Bible continues to be the best-selling book ever, every year.

Coincidence? Hardly.

The Bible itself claims to be the Word of God. God says he authored it. And, he recorded promise after promise within the Bible’s pages that his Word would never pass away.

God speaks of his book’s invincibility like this: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8 ESV). The binding may wear out, and many physical Bibles have been burned before, but God promises to preserve its contents. The Bible’s abundant existence testifies to God’s trustworthiness.

And Jesus, the hero of the Bible, says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33 NIV).

Layers of kingdoms lie buried in the dust, better technologies have left lesser inventions behind, and fires of war and persecution have extinguished many cultures. But, the Author of the Bible eternally preserves and protects his Word. Time itself testifies to the reliability of the Bible.

The Bible remains—unscathed. How? Because God keeps his promises.

by Bibles.net

RESOURCES

Museum of the Bible

Museum of the Bible is a global, innovative, educational institution whose purpose is to invite all people to engage with the transformative power of the Bible.

Explore Resources

Drive Thru History

Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts® is a fun, fast-paced, content-rich history show that speeds through ancient civilizations, the Holy Land, and the founding of America, allowing the viewer to experience the people, places, and events that shaped our world and the Christian faith.

Explore Resources

Cold Case Christianity

J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and best-selling author. His blog includes videos, articles, and messages all advocating for the reliability of the Christian worldview.

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Theme Verse

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

ACTS 17:26-27 NIV

The Bible and History

Video: 5 Min

Can I Trust
the Bible?

There’s real historical evidence for the
reliability of the Bible, like manuscript
evidence, yet we trust the Bible for this
main reason...

by Rob Plummer at Southern Seminary

Quote

The most important
claims of Christianity
are historical claims,
and on the facts
of history the
Christian religion
must stand or fall.

Kevin Deyoung

Verse

Daniel 2:20-22 NKJV

Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him."

Featured Resource

Timeline of Biblical History

The Bible Prophecy Timeline

The Bible Prophecy Timeline is a comprehensive study tool that allows you to explore every character and event of the Bible, from the creation of the world to last-day prophecies. Each entry in the timeline contains a brief but insightful article with interesting facts about the person or event, plus artwork and full Scripture references to help you find it in the Bible.

EXPLORE TIMELINE

Verse

Acts 17:24-27 NIV

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he [God] is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Video: 8 Min

History of Israel
in 8 Minutes

How has the small country of Israel
played such an important role in the
history of the world? Let’s scan about
5,000 years of Israelite history.

by Drive Thru History

Image

The Lord has
established
His throne
in heaven,
And His kingdom rules
over all.

Psalm 103:19 NKJV

Documentary

Drive Thru History:
The Gospels

by Dave Stotts | 18 Episodes

These half-hour episodes delve into the history, archeology, geography, and art surrounding the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Dave Stotts tells the story of Jesus from the locations recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. As Dave travels to over 50 ancient sites in Israel uncovering evidence for the truth of Scripture, you will get excited about reading the Bible again!

WATCH NOW

Quote

When it comes to the past,
how could anyone
possibly imagine
a more authoritative
history than
the Word of the one who
determined that history
and then
brought it to pass?

Phillip Climer

Messages: 60 Min

Is the Bible Reliable?

by Josh McDowell

Quote

The Most Famous Man in History

This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned vocabulary, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.

by Philip Schaff | Source

Verse

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NIV

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

Video: 8 Min

How to Destroy
Christianity with
One Easy Step

Christianity stands or falls on the truth of
Jesus’ resurrection. Is it possible to
disprove that Jesus rose from the dead?

by IMPACT Whiteboard Videos

Verse

Acts 2:32-33 NLT

"God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today."

FEATURED FILM

The Case for Christ

by PureFlix | 1 Hour 52 Minutes | PG

"The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus" tells the true story of Lee Strobel's conversion. Lee was a journalist for the Chicago Tribune who began a personal investigation of the claims of Christianity, and set out to try and disprove the resurrection of Jesus.

WATCH NOW

GET THE BOOK

INTERVIEW WITH LEE

Verse

Luke 1:1-4 NLT

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

Verse

John 21:25 NKJV

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Image

For we did
not follow
cleverly devised myths
when we made
known to you
the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 1:16 ESV

FEATURED FILM

Fragments of Truth

by Faithlife | 1 Hour 17 Minutes

Our faith is based on the New Testament—but can we really trust the Bible? Skeptics argue that the Gospel manuscripts have been doctored to push a theological agenda. Dr. Craig Evans takes this claim head-on, traveling the globe to track down the most ancient New Testament manuscripts. Along the way, he highlights groundbreaking new evidence, demonstrating that the case for the reliability of the New Testament manuscripts is stronger than ever.

WATCH NOW

The Bible Is True and Without Error

Can we trust the biblical manuscripts?

Folk | Indie

I've Seen Too Much

by Andrew Peterson

Article: 13 Min

My Story: I Had to Admit Jesus Was More Than a Carpenter

by Josh McDowell at Cru.org

Video: 4 Min

Was Jesus Really
the Messiah Foretold in Prophecy?

by Dave Stotts at Drive Thru History

Video: 5 Min

Fulfilled Prophecy Proves
That the Bible Is God’s Word

by Steven Lawson at Ligonier Ministries

Quote

History: A Long Terrible Story

What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could ‘be like gods’—could set up on their own as if they had created themselves—be their own masters—invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God.

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

by C.S. Lewis | Source

Books

Read Introduction

the book of

Daniel

Genre: Historical Narrative and Prophecy

In the book of Daniel, we find an incredible portion of the Bible, where through his prophet Daniel, God predicts the rise and fall of many kingdoms—Persia, Rome, Greece, etc.—which we can verify historically. This entire book teaches us that God is the ruler of the kingdoms of the earth.

Read Introduction

the book of

Esther

Genre: Historical Narrative

This historical narrative tells a true story that you will not want to stop reading. The events take place during the Jewish exile in Persia, after Persia took over the Babylonian empire. If you pay close attention, you'll notice God isn't mentioned once in the book.