6 Ways to prove the existence of God and that Christianity is the one true faith
At some point in everyone’s life they ask themselves three questions:
1) Is this all there is to life? (or What’s life really about?)
2) What is going to happen to me when I die?
3) Is there a God?
In pursuing the answers to these questions, most people put their faith in beliefs instilled into them by their parents / family, or they buy into what society teaches them (via schools / media / friends). They never really stop and investigate for themselves if what they’ve heard or have been taught is true. Many these days have bought into the lie that you can’t know for sure. Everyone’s “truth” is different. Everyone decides their own reality. Or they believe people like Oprah who says that there are many paths to God, and no matter which one they take, everyone will eventually get to heaven. Then there is atheism. Atheists believe that there is no God, and you can’t prove that there is. I include them because according to Webster’s definition of religion (a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith), atheism is a religion. So with all of these beliefs, and all of the religions in the world beckoning you, is it possible to quantify the existence of God, and which belief is true? I not only believe that it is, I am about to show you six ways that you can prove the existence of ONE God, and that Biblical Christianity is the only true way to have a relationship with that God! Consider this... The ultimate statistic is that 10 out of 10 people die. That includes you. That being the case, doesn’t it make sense to prove to yourself that your beliefs regarding life, God and eternity are correct? Once you die, there are no “do overs” if you were wrong (with all due respect to my Hindu friends). There will be no opportunity to have a nice little one on one chat with God to work things out. The die will have been cast. Please consider what I’m saying. Check out the following evidence, and decide for yourself.
KEY CONCEPT!!!!
Here is a key concept to help you in your decision making process. This concept is vital to unlocking the truth!
Two opposite and contradicting statements cannot be simultaneously true!
Let me give you an example. A woman stands between two doctors. One tells her she’s pregnant, the other says she’s not. Both doctors statements cannot be simultaneously true, because they contradict each other. Either she’s pregnant, or she isn’t.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT...
If you study all the religions (including atheism), you find something interesting. When it comes to God, salvation, and an eternal relationship with Him, they all fundamentally contradict Christianity. All other religions believe that it takes YOUR works or effort to pay for your sin, or to qualify to go to heaven. It’s all about you. Think about it. Bowing to Mecca daily / Sharia Law (Islam), Penance / Prayer Masses / Purgatory (Catholicism), Witnessing / Private Rituals / migrating thru 3 tiers of Heaven (Mormonism), Reincarnation / Mantras / Yoga / Altered States (Eastern Mysticism / Hindu / Baha’i / etc), Self Actualizing / Discovering your inner God or that you ARE God (New Age), Spells / Rituals / Sacrifices (Wicca / Satanic Cults)... I could go on, but you get the point. Christianity is the ONLY religion that says you CAN’T pay for your sin, and your good works are meaningless to God relative to salvation. That’s why Jesus had to come. HE had to pay for your sins, because you can’t. Fundamentally and otherwise, Christianity contradicts all other religions. That being the case, they can’t BOTH BE TRUE! All paths DO NOT lead to heaven. We DO NOT all pray to the same God! So, if you look at the evidence that follows, and find that Christianity is the only religion that can validate itself so completely and in so many different ways, then you can only come to one conclusion... There is only ONE true God, and He is the God of the Bible. Are you ready? (These are not in any particular order.) Here we go.
1) MANUSCRIPTS (BOTH SECULAR AND SPIRITUAL)
Norm Geisler lists these criteria for establishing if a book was from God:
It would claim to be God’s Word.
It would be historically accurate when it speaks on historical matters.
The authors would be trustworthy.
The book would be thematically unified and without contradictions.
We would have received accurate copies of the original manuscripts.
It would make statements that would reveal knowledge about the way things work beyond the knowledge of its day.
It would make predictions about the future that could not be known through natural means.
The message would be unique.
The words would have a transforming power.
Think about these as you consider the balance of this post.
The Bible stands alone when it comes to validating itself! If you study the Quran, the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, the Great Pearls of Price, Mormon Bible, Catholic Bible (with the Apocrypha), Satanic Bible, etc, etc, NONE have the historical accuracy, medical & scientific knowledge, and the 100% accurate prophetic foreknowledge of the Bible. (We’ll look at these topics in greater detail later.). In fact, books like the Quran, Mormon & Catholic Bibles have many inaccuracies or are demonstrably false regarding these topics.
Even though the Bible was transcribed by over 40 men, on three different continents, over thousands of years, in three different languages, in times of war and peace, from palaces to prisons, by kings and fisherman, and spoke about dozens of very controversial subjects, there is total harmony and no contradictions! (Yes, no contradictions. If you believe there are, please contact me and let me know what they are via cblack@itis.com). Try discussing a controversial topic with a group of friends or coworkers. The odds that you would all agree are slim to none. And that’s with people you know living in the same community, talking about ONE topic! The bible speaks about morality, sex, marriage, laws, good vs evil, salvation, eternity, and of course, God. So how could it be in total harmony and without contradictions? Simple. All the books of the Bible had one author... God. He use men to convey his message.
Many people have two false assumptions regarding the Bible. One is that it’s the result of man’s pursuit of God and it’s primarily a book full of wisdom & principles to live by. While it does contain much wisdom and principles which if followed would make you happier and healthier, that’s NOT what it’s about. The bible is the result of God revealing Himself to man, with the primary intent of revealing His redemptive plan for man via Jesus Christ. Via the Holy Spirit, He used men to convey His message the way that you would use a pen to write a letter.
The second false assumption is that the Bible we have is very different from the “original”. It’s been updated, messaged, and altered to eliminate any errors and to add prophecies to make them appear to come true. This can be easily proven false several ways. One, via the discovery of the dead sea scrolls back in 1947. The scrolls included parts or all of every book of the bible except Esther. And it includes the ENTIRE book of Isaiah. Isaiah is the largest book of the bible. Experts examined the scroll and date it back to a first or second generation copy of the original. And when compared to our current version, it is over 99% identical! In fact, they have that scroll on display in Israel. You can see it anytime you want. And if you know Hebrew you can hold a current bible in your hands and compare for yourself. The bible has NOT changed radically from the original. In fact, an “astounding” number of ancient manuscripts exist: 5,000 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin and 9,000 other--totaling over 24,000 manuscript copies or portions of the New Testament. These are dated from 100 to 300 years after the originals. Old Testament scrolls date back to 150BC. And there are many New Testament fragments which date back to just a few years of Jesus death! So there are thousands of manuscripts dated, some to within decades of the originals. Now compare that to ancient secular (non Christian) manuscripts: (Available copies versus the originals):
• Caesar—10 copies—1000 year gap
• Tacitus—20 copies—1000 year gap
• Plato—7 copies—1200 year gap
Norman Geisler makes these key observations for our consideration:
No other book is even a close second to the Bible on either the number or early dating of the copies. The average secular work from antiquity survives on only a handful of manuscripts; the New Testament boasts thousands. The degree of accuracy of the copies is greater for the New Testament than for other books that can be compared. Most books do not survive with enough manuscripts that make comparison possible.
The sheer volume of manuscripts we possess greatly narrows the margin of doubt regarding what the original biblical document said. By comparing the manuscript support for the Bible with other ancient documents and books, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that no other ancient piece of literature can stand up to the Bible.
Regarding the assertion that some non believers make that prophecy regarding Jesus was written in after his death to make them appear to come true, consider this: By decree of the king, the bible (Old Testament) was translated from Hebrew into Greek almost 270 years BEFORE Jesus was born. This was documented secularly. We have examples of those manuscripts available today. The Old Testament included over 300 prophesies about Jesus. So you can’t say that the OT was altered after Jesus’ death to make it look like He fulfilled all of the OT prophesies. The manuscripts make those arguments null and void.
In addition to biblical manuscripts, there are secular documents confirming that Jesus lived. Books by the Jewish historian Josephus, Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (AD55-120), Secular historian Tallus (circa AD52), Greek satirist Lucian of Samosate, Syrian stoic philosopher Mara Bar-Serapion (70AD), and The Babylonian Talmud are a few examples of secular writings which refer to the life and death of Jesus and His followers!
No other religious holy book has the overwhelming amount of evidence supporting it’s reliability like the Bible does! It truly stands alone!
2. SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL FOREKNOWLEDGE
1Cr 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
This is one of my favorite ways to validate the Bible! For thousands of years “wise” men have chosen to ignore the word of God and pursue what THEY thought was the better way. THEY knew better about health, how the world & nature works, and why human nature is what it is. But when we study the Bible, we see how absurd that is! What I’m about to share will no doubt shock the vast majority you. The Bible is full of amazing medical and scientific facts that the wisest men of science have only “discovered” in the last couple of hundred years! I think that you will find this truly amazing. You will wonder why you’ve never been taught this before. There is a great resource which I got a lot of this from. You can find it by going to www.eternal-productions.org/101science.html. There you’ll find examples of 101 Scientific and Medical facts in Bible.
Here are a few of my favorites:
1) The first three verses of Genesis accurately express all known aspects of the creation (Genesis 1:1-3). Science expresses the universe in terms of: time, space, matter, and energy. In Genesis chapter one we read: “In the beginning (time) God created the heavens (space) and the earth (matter)…Then God said, “Let there be light (energy).” No other creation account agrees with the observable evidence.
2) Creation is made of particles, indiscernible to our eyes (Hebrews 11:3). Not until the 19th century was it discovered that all visible matter consists of invisible elements.
3) Oceans contain springs (Job 38:16). The ocean is very deep. Almost all the ocean floor is in total darkness and the pressure there is enormous. It would have been impossible for Job to have explored the “springs of the sea.” Until recently, it was thought that oceans were fed only by rivers and rain. Yet in the 1970s, with the help of deep diving research submarines that were constructed to withstand 6,000 pounds-per-square-inch pressure, oceanographers discovered springs on the ocean floors!
4) Blood is the source of life and health (Leviticus 17:11; 14). Up until 120 years ago, sick people were “bled” and many died as a result (e.g. George Washington). Today we know that healthy blood is necessary to bring life-giving nutrients to every cell in the body. God declared that “the life of the flesh is in the blood” long before science understood its function.
5) The earth is a rotating sphere. At a time when many thought the earth was flat, the Bible told us that the earth is spherical (Isaiah 40:22). Scripture also assumes a revolving (spherical) earth (Luke 17:34-36). Jesus said that at His return some would be asleep at night while others would be working at day time activities in the field. This is a clear indication of a revolving earth, with day and night occurring simultaneously.
6) Hydrological cycle described (Ecclesiastes 1:7; Jeremiah 10:13; Amos 9:6). Four thousand years ago the Bible declared that God “draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man” (Job 36:27-28). The ancients observed mighty rivers flowing into the ocean, but they could not conceive why the sea level never rose. Though they observed rainfall, they had only quaint theories as to its origin. Meteorologists now understand that the hydrological cycle consists of evaporation, atmospheric transportation, distillation, and precipitation.
7) Circumcision on the eighth day is ideal (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3; Luke 1:59). Medical science has recently discovered that the blood clotting chemical prothrombin peaks in a newborn on the eighth day. This is therefore the safest day to circumcise a baby. How did Moses know?!
8) The universe is expanding (Job 9:8; Isaiah 42:5; Jeremiah 51:15; Zechariah 12:1). Repeatedly God declares that He stretches out the heavens. During the early 20th century, most scientists (including Einstein) believed the universe was static. Others believed it should have collapsed due to gravity. Then in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. This discovery revolutionized the field of astronomy. Eisntein admitted his mistake, and today most astronomers agree with what the Creator told us millennia ago – the universe is expanding!
9) Medical quarantine instituted (Leviticus 13:45-46; Numbers 5:1-4). Long before man understood the principles of quarantine, God commanded the Israelites to isolate those with a contagious disease until cured.
10) The Pleiades and Orion star clusters described (Job 38:31). The Pleiades star cluster is gravitationally bound, while the Orion star cluster is loose and disintegrating because the gravity of the cluster is not enough to bind the group together. 4,000 years ago God asked Job, “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?” Yet, it is only recently that we realized that the Pleiades is gravitationally bound, but Orion’s stars are flying apart.
Science confirms the Bible (Colossians 2:3). These insights place the Bible far above every man made theory and all other so-called inspired books. In contrast, the Koran states that the sun sets in a muddy pond (Surah 18:86). The Hadith contains many myths. The Book of Mormon declares that Native Americans descended from Jews – which has been disproven by DNA research. The Eastern writings also contradict true science.
It’s amazing how the theory of evolution is taught as fact in schools everywhere, and how elitist scientist still cling dogmatically to it as truth. Putting aside the fact that it is easily disproved (that’s another blog entry for another time), if you compare it to the Bible you discover something quite interesting. The Bible has answers to questions that stump evolutionists. Let me give you a couple. If evolution is true, how do you explain love, or the human conscience? Why would they have evolved? Evolutionists say that everything evolved through the survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. The meek die, the strong survive. So why have qualms about killing someone? Why would that be wrong? But men instinctively know it’s wrong to kill. There’s a sense of morality. Love is the strongest human feeling and need. Everyone longs to be loved. Many have died to save others. While love & morality contradict evolution, it doesn’t the Bible! The Bible tells us that God has written His law on our hearts (so we would instinctively know right from wrong), and that He made us in His image. Since God is love, it’s only natural that we would reflect that and yearn for it. (Matthew 22:37-40; 1 John 4:7-12).
Evolution also doesn’t have an answer for the age old question “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”. But let’s take it even further. Chickens consist of proteins. The code for each protein is contained in the DNA/RNA system. However, proteins are required in order to manufacture DNA. So which came first: proteins or DNA? The most devout pro evolutionists can’t answer this question. But the God of the Bible can! The ONLY explanation is that they were created together, exactly as the Bible states. BTW, the Bible has the answer to the first question as well! (Genesis 1:20-22). Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Bible states that God created birds with the ability to reproduce after their kind. Therefore the chicken was created first with the ability to make eggs!
Now you have to ask yourself a question. If the Bible was written thousands of years before scientists “discovered” all of this information, where did Moses and the other writers get this information. There is only one answer... from God, who created all things. Some skeptics suggest that maybe advanced “aliens” from another galaxy landed here thousands of years ago and gave man the knowlege. But when you put ALL of the evidence for God and veracity of the Bible together, it makes that impossible.
3) ARCHEOLOGY EVIDENCE
It would be extremely difficult for the honest skeptic to dispute the overwhelming archeological support for the historical accuracy of both the Old and New Testaments. Numerous items discussed in the Bible such as nations, important people, customary practices, etc. have been verified by archeological evidence. Bible critics have often been embarrassed by discoveries that corroborated Bible accounts they had previously deemed to be myth, such as the existence of the Hittites, King David, and Pontius Pilate, just to name a few. The noted Jewish archeologist Nelson Glueck summed it up very well:
“It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible.”
Let’s look at just a few of the many examples of archeological discoveries that confirm the Bible’s accuracy.
The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time.
It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon’s palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.
Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were found showing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel “third highest ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:16) for reading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the “eye-witness” nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.
Archaeologists have found that the walls of Jericho did indeed fall down, they date the destruction
of the wall to the time of Joshua (c. 1400 BC). Archaeologist John Garstang, director of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem and Dept. of Antiquities of the Palestine Government, excavated the ruins. “The wall fell down flat.” The outer wall fell outward and down the hillside, dragging the inner wall with houses with it, exactly as the Bible describes.
Quite a number of Biblical structures have been excavated. Some of the most interesting are the following:
The base of the Tower of Babel in Babylon where language was confused (Genesis 11:1-9).
The palace at Jericho where Eglon, king of Moab, was assassinated by Ehud (Judges 3:15-30).
The royal palace in Susa where Esther was queen of the Persian king Xerxes (Esther 1:2; 2:3, 5, 9, 16).
The foundation of the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus cured a man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:21-28) and delivered the sermon on the bread of life (John 6:25-59).
The house of Peter at Capernaum where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and others (Matthew 8:14-16).
Jacob’s well where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (John 4).
The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a crippled man (John 5:1-14).
The Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9:1-4).
The tribunal at Corinth where Paul was tried (Acts 18:12-17).
Herod’s palace at Caesarea where Paul was kept under guard (Acts 23:33-35).
The list goes on and on. But I think you get my point. Archeology is a great friend of the Bible. The same can’t be said for other religions. Take Mormonism for instance. The claims made by the Book of Mormon mention specific tools, technologies, crops, and animals that simply didn’t exist in those regions at the times stated. For example, horses, cattle, sheep, and swine weren’t roaming between 2500 BC and 400 AD, as claimed. Most of these species were introduced in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. Similarly, barley and wheat weren’t grown, iron and steel weren’t being produced, and systems of weight and measurement such as the Mormons claim existed simply aren’t supported by archaeological evidence. According to the Book of Mormon, at least 230,000 men died in battle at the Hill Cumorah. Also, this battle was about 1/10 the size of the battle which took place at the same location approximately 1,000 years earlier when, according to Ether 15:2 “nearly two millions” of the Jaredites had their last great battle. However, there is literally not a trace of archaeological evidence to support the claim that so many men died in battle at the tiny hill now owned by the LDS Church in the State of New York called Cumorah.
The Quran also has archaeological and historical errors.
For example, the Quran claims that one night, God took Muhammad to the “al-Aqsa” mosque is in Jerusalem:
“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” - Quran 17:1
The Muslim army conquered Jerusalem in 637 AD and the al-Aqsa mosque was completed in 705 AD. The problem with the above passage in the Quran is that Muhammad died in 632 AD, which was 5 years before the Muslim army reached Jerusalem and 73 years before the al-Aqsa mosque was built.
Or consider Quran 20:92-95, which claims that Moses confronted “Aaron” and a “Samaritan” for having made the golden calf for the Israelites while he (Moses) was on Mount Sinai: “[Moses] said, “O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray, from following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?” [Aaron] said, “O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, ‘You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.’” [Moses] said, “And what is your case, O Samaritan?” - Quran 20:92-95 Assyria conquered the Jewish northern kingdom in 722 BC, exiled its upper class and brought in conquered people from other lands, who intermarried with the lower class Jews who had been allowed to stay. Their offspring were called “Samaritans” because they occupied the region of “Samaria”, which was named after its original owner, “Shemer” (see 1 Kings 16:24 in the Bible). The Jews despised the Samaritans both for being a mixed race and for setting up their own temple to compete against the temple in Jerusalem. But the golden calf incident near Mount Sinai mentioned in Quran 20:92-95 above took place in 1446 BC, which was 725 years before the first Samaritan was born in 721 BC.
The Catholic Bible includes the Apocrypha, which has numerous errors and contradictions. Here are a couple of examples:
The book of Judith incorrectly says that Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Assyrians when he was the king of the Babylonians. Baruch 6:2 says the Jews would serve in Babylon for seven generations where Jer. 25:11 says it was for 70 years.
When it comes to archeology validating a “holy book”, the Bible stands alone in it’s historical accuracy!
4) PROPHECY
Isa 46:9
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done”
The Bible is the only book ever written that is self validating. Not the Koran, the Vedas, the Book of Mormon, the writings of Confucius, the satanic bible, the atheistic manifesto “God is dead”. Only the Bible. How? By utilizing a unique attribute of God. Foreknowledge.
Think about this. If you were God, and you wanted to prove you were (while still giving people freedom of choice), how would you do it? Appear to men? Well, they could think it was an illusion, or that you were just one of many gods. Satan appeared to both Muhammad and Joseph Smith as and “angel of light” and deceived them into thinking he was god. He gave them lots of “insights” which contradicted the Bible. But they believed and created two of the largest religions on earth (Islam and Mormonism). The bible warned against buying into apparitions in Gal 1:8 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
The only real way God could validate Himself is to reveal an attribute that only He has. The ability to predict the future with 100% accuracy. Because God lives outside the domain of time, He alone can do this. And He states just that multiple times in the Bible. Here is one of the most powerful examples of this in the Bible. Here God is challenging the pagans in no uncertain terms. He’s separating Himself from all other so called “gods” that the pagans were worshipping. Notice how He does it...
Isa 41:21
“Present your case,” says the LORD.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.
“Let them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the former things, what they were,
That we may consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
Indeed you are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.
“I have raised up one from the north,
And he shall come;
From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name;
And he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?
And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’?
Surely there is no one who shows,
Surely there is no one who declares,
Surely there is no one who hears your words.”
The Bible has over 300 precise prophecies in the OT about Jesus first coming. These are not loosey goosy wildly vague prophecies like Nostradamus or Jean Dixons. They are detailed, precise, and 100% accurate. Where Jesus was to be born, His lineage, how He would live, die, and rise from the dead. Even His last words on the cross were foretold. In fact, the EXACT day in which He would present Himself as the Messiah publicly was given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel. Only God, who exists outside of the dimension of time could reveal this information.
God uses foreknowledge to confirm that He is the only true God. Not only that, Jesus and the disciples did too! In fact, if you study how Jesus and the disciples witnessed, they almost always used prophetic scripture to validate what they were saying regarding Jesus. It was their ultimate tool for witnessing.
Here is a VERY important point. When it comes to prophecy, the God of the bible set the bar at a height that only a TRUE God could reach! His standard was this. If a man prophesies in God’s name, and it doesn’t come true, then not only is that man to be accursed as a liar, but he should be put to death! (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)God doesn’t screw around when it comes to prophecy. His margin for error is ZERO! Look at all of the non-Christian people who have claimed they could predict the future. They would all have been put to death if you had used God’s standard. The leader’s of the Mormon and Jehovah Witness religions are infamous for their repeated false prophesies.
Even more amazing than the fact that there are over 300 prophesies in the Bible about Jesus first coming, is that there are over 2000 about His second coming and the period of time just prior to it (commonly referred to as the End Times). For the first time in human history, all of the major End Times prophetic categories are coming true in one generation - OURS! Starting with Israel’s rebirth in 1948 until now, these are accelerating at a rapid rate. The Bible predicted this with it’s reference to the end times being like “birthing pangs”. IE the intervals would grow shorter and the intensity would increase. Check out these prophetic categories for yourself. These are all predicted in the bible as simultaneously being fulfilled or in play during one generation. They’re coming true before our eyes!
I. Signs of Nature (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13: 8; and Luke 21:11)
Famine
Earthquakes
Plagues
Signs in the Heavens (Unusual weather, new discoveries in space, UFO’s, etc.)
II. Signs of Society (Matthew 24:12,37-39 & 2 Timothy 3:1-4)
Lawlessness
Violence
Immorality
Greed
Selfishness
Hedonism
Rebellion
Despair
III. Spiritual Signs
Negative:
False Christs & Prophets and their cultic groups (Matthew 24:5,11,2-4; Mark 13:6,21-22; and Luke 21:8)
Apostasy in the professing church (2 Thessalonians 2:3; and 2 Timothy 3:5, 4:3-4)
Widespread heresy in the church (2 Timothy 4:1-4)
Movement toward a one world religion (Revelation 17)
Persecution of true believers (Matthew 24:9-10; Mark 13:9,11-13; and Luke 21:12-19)
Outbreak of demonic and occultic activity (1 Timothy 4:1)
Positive:
Outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29)
Revival of Davidic worship (1 Chronicles 16:1-39; Psalm 150; and Amos 9:11)
Worldwide evangelism (Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10)
Understanding of Bible prophecy (Daniel 12:4,8-9)
Note: If you look at what’s popular in the media, it’s truly shocking. Harry Potter, New Moon, etc are embraced by Christians. They have no problem with their children viewing the movies or reading the books. Books and movies like The DaVinci Code, The Moses Code, The Secret, The Shack, etc. are embraced. There are many Pastors and Christians that hand out books like The Shack to non believers in an attempt to witness to them. The god character in The Shack states that there is no need to punish people for sin. Talk about a lack of discernment.
IV. World Political Signs
Re-establishment of Israel. (Ezekiel 36:22-37:1-2; Zechariah 12:1-6; Matthew 24:32-34; Mark 13:28- 30; and Luke 21:29-31)
Arab hostility toward Israel (Ezekiel 35:1-36:7)
Russia as a menacing power to Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-39:16)
Asian nations capable of fielding an army of 200 million (Revelation 9:15-16 and 16:12)
Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6-7; Mark 13:7-8; and Luke 21:10)
Kingdom against kingdom — that is, civil wars and ethnic wars (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; and Luke 21:10)
Reunification of Europe (Daniel 2:41-44, 7:8, 24-25, and 9:26)
Movement toward a one world economy (Revelation 18)
V. Technological Signs
Nuclear weapons. (Matthew 24:22; Luke 21: 25-26; and Revelation 6:8, 8:7 and 16:2)
Television and satellite transmission (Revelation 11:3-12)
Robotics (Revelation 13:14-15)
Computer and laser technology (Revelation 13:16-18)
High speed transportation (Daniel 12:4)
Note: RFID chips and supercomputers are now being integrated into the world’s economic system. Governments are using them to track people. World banks and the UN are seeking a cashless society as a result of the current world economic crisis. All of this is setting the stage for the AntiChrist to rule the world.
VI. The Accelerator Sign
Population explosion (Revelation 9: 15-16 and 16:12)
Increase in knowledge (Dan-iel 12:4)
Increase in violence (Matthew 24:12)
Increase in transportation (Daniel 12:4)
Rapid disintegration of society (1 Timothy 3:1-4)
Signs in general to be like birth pangs, that is, increasing in frequency and intensity (Matthew 24:8)
VII. Signs of Israel
Regathering of the people (Isaiah 11:10-12 and Ezekiel 37:1-12)
Re-establishment of the state (Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah 12:1-6; and Matthew 24:32-35)
Reclamation of the land (Isaiah 35:1-2,7 and Ezekiel 36:34-35)
Revival of the language (Zephaniah 3:9)
Resurgence of the military (Zechariah 12:6)
Refocusing of world politics (Zechariah 12:2-3)
Reoccupation of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-6)
Note: The Sanhedrin reformed recently after being dormant for almost 1600 years! They are now pushing for the rebuilding of the temple. In fact, the alter has already been built. Jews are being trained to conduct sacrificial rituals in the temple. The pure Red Heifer has been born. This is amazing because the bible clearly indicates that the temple will exist again in the tribulation. It has not existed in almost 2000 years!
For a list of 101 biblical “end times” prophesies and how they’re coming true now, check out this website: http://www.eternal-productions.org/101prophecy.html
No other spiritual “holy book” on the planet can validate itself via prophecy the way the Bible can! To give you a proper perspective about how truly mind blowing the prophecy of the bible is, I now present the fifth way you can prove that there is only one God, and it’s the God of the Bible...
5) STATISTICS
A Professor named Peter Stoner was chairman of mathematics & astronomy in 1953 when he wrote a very influential book called “Science Speaks”. The book is divided into three sections. Two relate directly to Bible prophecy.
Stoner calculated the probability of just 8 Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in the life of Jesus. As you read through these prophecies, you will see that all estimates were calculated as conservatively as possible.
The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
The average population of Bethlehem from the time of Micah to the present (1958) divided by the average population of the earth during the same period = 7,150/2,000,000,000 or 2.8x105.
A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).
One man in how many, the world over, has had a forerunner (in this case, John the Baptist) to prepare his way?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
One man in how many, who has entered Jerusalem as a ruler, has entered riding on a donkey?
Estimate: 1 in 100 or 1x102.
The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
One man in how many, the world over, has been betrayed by a friend, resulting in wounds in his hands?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
Of the people who have been betrayed, one in how many has been betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13).
One man in how many, after receiving a bribe for the betrayal of a friend, has returned the money, had it refused, and then experienced it being used to buy a potter’s field?
Estimate: 1 in 100,000 or 1x105.
The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
One man in how many, when he is oppressed and afflicted, though innocent, will make no defense of himself?
Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).
One man in how many, since the time of David, has been crucified?
Estimate: 1 in 10,000 or 1x104.
Multiplying all these probabilities together produces a number (rounded off) of 1x1028. Dividing this number by an estimate of the number of people who have lived since the time of these prophecies (88 billion) produces a probability of all 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidently in the life of one person. That probability is 1in 1017 or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That’s one in one hundred quadrillion!
Stoner illustrated the meaning of this number. He asked the reader to imagine filling the State of Texas knee deep in silver dollars. Include in this huge number one silver dollar with a black check mark on it. Then, turn a blindfolded person loose in this sea of silver dollars. The odds that the first coin he would pick up would be the one with the black check mark are the same as 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of Jesus.
Keep in mind that Jesus did not just fulfill 8 prophecies, He fulfilled over 100. The chances of fulfilling 16 is 1 in 1045. When you get to a total of 48, the odds increase to 1 in 10157. Accidental fulfillment of these prophecies is simply beyond the realm of possibility. Statistics prove that the Bible is authentic, Jesus is the Messiah, and that the only true God is the God of the Bible.
For more information about this, check out David Regan’s site:
6) THE EMPTY TOMB OF JESUS
There have been many spiritual leaders throughout history. Some have claimed to be God or the Messiah. Only one however said He was, then rose from the dead to prove it! That was Jesus Christ of the Bible (which is NOT the same Jesus Christ that followers of Mormonism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholicism, etc believe in by the way). You can dig up the graves of Muhammad, Joseph Smith, any Yogi’s, etc and find them still buried there. Jesus said He had the power over life and death, and then rose again to prove it! He stands alone in that statement, and the empty tomb validates that He spoke the truth. Many have come up with convoluted reasons why the tomb was empty, but simple logic and facts can only lead you to one conclusion - Jesus did indeed rise from the dead, just as God foretold He would via the Bible.
For more info on the validity of the empty tomb, please refer to this link:
CONCLUSION
So there you have it. Six unique and different ways that you can validate that there is a God, and He is the God of the Bible.
MANUSCRIPTS
ARCHEOLOGY
SCIENCE AND MEDICAL FOREKNOWLEDGE
PROPHECY
STATISTICS
CHRISTS’ EMPTY TOMB
No other religion can be put to that test! As I mentioned at the beginning, two contradictory statements cannot both be true. Now, if you believe that the Bible is true, then when Jesus famously stated “I am the way, the truth and the life - NO ONE comes to the Father but through Me”, it must lead you to the conclusion that all other religions are false. Why? Because they all contradict Jesus’ statement.
Please check out what I am saying. Take any religion and see if you can validate it to this extent. Consider the fact that they ALL require works on YOUR part for salvation, or an eternal relationship with God. The Bible stands alone in saying that your works CAN’T save you, or be used to obtain God’s favor.
Socrates once stated “I suppose that God could forgive sin, but I don’t know how”. What he couldn’t figure out is this. If God is truly Holy, then he must punish those who sin by sending them to hell. Since everyone sins, God couldn’t have an eternal relationship with them then. But if He forgave them, then He wouldn’t be holy because justice wouldn’t have been served. No other religion can answer the sin question the way the Bible can. From the beginning in Genesis, to the end in Revelation, the Bible is about one thing. God’s redemptive plan for man through Jesus Christ. God had a solution to the problem that Socrates couldn’t solve! Consider this:
No one is a “good person”. Most think they are. Just ask someone where they are going to go when they die. Most will say heaven. When you ask them why, they will say “Because basically I’m a good person. I try and do what’s right. I mean I’m haven’t killed anyone like Hitler”. What they don’t understand is that on judgement day God won’t be using THEIR criteria of what a good person is, but HIS! His criteria are the 10 commandments. If you think that you’re a “good person”, then let’s use God’s criteria and see how you do.
1) Have you ever lied?
2) Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of value
3) Have you ever looked at looked at another person with lust? (Remember that Jesus said “if you just look at another person with lust, you have already committed adultery with them in your heart)
4) Have you ever coveted something that wasn’t yours?
How are you doing? We’ve only looked at four out of the ten. If you’re honest with yourself, you would have to say that you would be in trouble! Let’s face it, God’s standards are so high, that no one can live their entire lives (or one day for that matter) without breaking His commandments. So because God is a God of justice, He has no choice but to condemn you to hell for eternity. I know what you’re thinking. If that’s true, and none of my works can pay for my sin, then how can I be saved and spend eternity with God? Good question!
Imagine you’re in a court room. The evidence has been presented, and you have been found guilty. The judge says “because I am a just judge, I have no choice but to fine you a Billion dollars (or some amount you could never possibly pay).” You say “I can’t pay that”. So the judge says “OK. Then off to prison you go”. Just then, a man walks into the court and says “WAIT! Even though I am not guilty of any of these crimes, because I love this person, I will pay his fine!” The judge looks at you and says “You are fortunate indeed! Because this man has paid your fine, justice has been served. You are free to go”. That is exactly what Jesus did on the cross almost 2,000 years ago. God manifested Himself in human form, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for your sins. He offers that sacrifice to you as a GIFT of grace. All you have to do is accept it, turn from the evil of this world as best you can, and follow Him. God had the solution that Socrates couldn’t figure out. Jesus Christ!
You can choose to ignore the evidence that I’ve given you, but you can’t ignore this fact. One day, no matter who you are, you will pass from this life to the next. No one knows when that day will come. We’re not guaranteed another day. So please consider this information. Please seek the truth while you still can.