Acknowledgments L
iving Logos was the heart-work of Bro Dale Starks and Sis Josephine Starks, missionaries to Singapore in the early 1980s. As the original authors of this devotionals, the Starks meant for these self-study materials to help new converts (and matured saints alike) get a hold of an understanding of God’s written Word. Since Sis Stark’s passing in 2013, the couple had graciously entrusted Tabernacle of Joy with its copyright. Therefore, with every print run, we would like to honour their life work and sacrifice in bringing the gospel to Singapore. This copy is an updated and revised version. Be blessed as you immerse yourself in the Word and allow God to transform you into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
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Bible Introduction
Bible Introduction
Lesson
Two
HOW WAS THE BIBLE WRITTEN? God used forty men over a period of approximately 1600 years and 60 generations to bring the Bible into existence. These men wrote with divine and not human inspiration. A poet may see a beautiful sunset and be inspired to write a poem about it. A songwriter may hear a pretty melody and be inspired to write lyrics for it. A painter may get his inspiration from the natural beauty that surrounds him. These are all examples of human inspiration. The Bible was not written like that at all! Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. — II Peter 1:20, 21 All scripture is given by inspiration of God... — II tImothy 3:16
The word “inspiration” comes from the Latin word “inspirare”, which means: “to breath”. To say the Bible was written by inspiration of God is to say it is as though God spoke every word of it with His own lips. The followers of Jesus Christ regarded the Old Testament in such manner, as evident by Luke’s writings in the book of Acts: Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas. — Acts 1:16
Here Peter, the spokesman, refers to the writings of David (Psalm 41:9) concerning the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, hundreds of years before that event actually took place. David had no understanding of this event, but what he wrote, he wrote by the Holy Ghost.
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In a sermon preached by Peter after he and John had healed a lame man, Peter said: But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. — Acts 3:18
Peter reminded the Jewish crowd (who should all possess an understanding of the Old Testament--from the time a Jewish child is old enough to understand, he is taught the law and the prophets) that God had shown by the mouth of all his prophets that Christ should suffer. Hundreds of years before Jesus suffered at Calvary, many of the prophets spoke of the pain He would endure and the price He would pay for our salvation (read Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 for two examples). These prophets spoke and wrote as the Holy Spirit moved upon them.
WHY WE CAN ACCEPT THE BIBLE AS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD 1. the uniqueness of the bibLe Webster’s dictionary defines the word “unique” as: rare, single, uncommon, unusual, having no like or equal, unparalleled. This fits the Bible! Compare the Bible with the so-called sacred books of other religions, you will need no other argument to force you to believe in the Bible--and to accept the fact that Bible writers were moved by a power far greater themselves. 2. the harmony of the bibLe The Bible was written over a period of sixteen hundred years by forty writers from different walks of life. Yet what they wrote is in perfect harmony with each other! Moses and David were shepherds. Amos was also a herdsman and “a gatherer of sycamore fruit”. Nehemiah was a cup bearer, while Daniel was a prime minister. Solomon was a king and the wisest man that ever lived. Peter, James, and John were fishermen, while Matthew was a tax collector. Luke was a doctor, and Paul was a Rabbi, being one of the most learned men of his time. They wrote in different places: Moses in the wilderness; Jeremiah, in the dungeon; Daniel, on a hillside, and in the palace; Luke, while travelling; Paul, behind prison bars; and John, a prisoner on the isle of Patmos.
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They wrote on three different continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. They wrote in three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Their writings involved hundreds of controversial subjects. Yet there is not one contradiction because there was only one author of all their writings-the Holy Spirit. The Bible is, without a doubt, the product of one master mind! They all wrote about the Oneness of God. Before the birth of Christ, when the Old Testament prophets spoke and wrote, the whole world, except the Jews, was polytheistic--meaning, they believed in and worshipped many gods. They worshipped, among other things, the sun, moon, stars, beasts, and creeping things. Even during the birth of Jesus and throughout the time of the apostles, the Greeks and Romans worshipped Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mars, and a host of false divinities. Under these circumstances, when we find a large group of men, separated from one another by so many things (time, miles, etc.), and all writing about the truth of one God--we must conclude that they did not discover this truth unaided by the Spirit of God! 3. fuLfiLLed ProPhecy Fulfilled prophecy is the greatest proof of the accuracy of the Bible. For instance, the Old Testament is filled with the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah (Christ). These words were written hundreds of years before God came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ. They were written by many different writers. Yet not one contradicted the other--and Jesus fulfilled them all! There are over sixty prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. It has been mathematically calculated that the chances of any man fulfilling just eight of these prophecies are one in 100,000,000,000,000,000! This calculation is based on the prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth, the messenger to prepare the way, entering Jerusalem on a donkey, betrayed by a friend, sold for thirty pieces of silver, hands and feet pierced, money to be thrown in God’s house and given for the potter’s field, dumb before his accusers, and crucified with thieves.
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OLD TESTAMENTS PROPHECIES THAT WERE FULFILLED BY JESUS CHRIST
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ProPhecy And scrIPture
scrIPtures showIng FulFIlment
1. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1)
Luke 1:17
2. Christ was to be the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15)
Galatians 4:4
3. Seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18)
Galatians 3:16
4. Seed of David (Psalm 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5)
Acts 13:23
5. Of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)
Hebrew 7:14
6. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
Matthew 1:18-23
7. Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
Matthew 2:1
8. Kings to visit him (Psalm 72:10)
Matthew 2:1-11
9. Slaughter of children (Jeremiah 31:15)
Matthew 2:16-18
10. Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18)
Acts 3:20-22
11. Special anointing (Psalm 45:7; Isaiah 61:1; 11:2)
Matthew 3:16; Luke 4:15-21
12. Melchizedek Priesthood (Psalm 110:4)
Hebrews 5:5,6
13. Servant of the LORD (Isaiah 42:1)
Matthew 12:18-21
14. Ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1,2)
Matthew 4:12-23
15. Enter Jerusalem by colt (Zechariah 9:9)
Matthew 21:1-5
16. Enter the temple (Haggai 2:7-9; Malachi 3:1)
Matthew 21:12
17. Zeal for the Lord (Psalm 69:9)
John 2:17
18. Teach with parables (Psalm 78:2)
Matthew 13:34
19. Miraculous ministry (Isaiah 35:5,6)
Matthew 11:4-6; John 11:47
20. Rejected by His brethren (Psalm 69:8; Isaiah 53:3)
John 1:11
ProPhecy And scrIPture
scrIPtures showIng FulFIlment
21. Stone of stumbling (Isaiah 8:14)
Romans 9:32; I Peter 2:8
22. Hated without a cause (Psalm 69:4; Isaiah 49:7)
John 15:24, 25
23. Rejected by the rulers (Psalm 118:22)
Matthew 21:42; John 7:48
24. Betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Psalm 55:1214)
John 13:18-21
25. Forsaken by disciples (Zechariah 13:7)
Matthew 26:31-56
26. Sold for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12)
Matthew 26:15
27. Potter’s field bought (Zechariah 11:13)
Matthew 27:7
28. Smitten on the cheek (Micah 5:1)
Matthew 27:30
29. Spat on (Isaiah 50:6)
Matthew 27:30
30. Mocked (Psalm 22:7,8)
Matthew 27:31, 39-44
31. Beaten (Isaiah 50:6)
Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30
32. Hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10)
John 19:18, 37
33. Not a bone broken (Exodus 12:46, Psalm 34:20)
John 19:33-36
34. Soldiers will gamble for Messiah’s garments (Psalm 22:18)
Luke 23:34; Matthew 27:3536
35. Given vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21)
Matthew 27:34
36. Numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12)
Matthew 27:38
37. Buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9)
Matthew 27:57-60
38. Not see corruption (Psalm 16:10)
Acts 2:31
39. Raised from the dead (Psalm 16:10)
Acts 13:33,34
40 Ascended to the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1)
Hebrews 1:3; Acts 1:9
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These are just some and not all of the Old Testament Scriptures fulfilled by Jesus Christ. There can be no doubt as to His identity. He is the Christ, the Saviour of the world, the true God revealed to us! There also can be no doubt as to the inspiration of the Bible, because these Scriptures were written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ came into this world. As we have seen, the odds against anyone accidentally fulfilling them (as some would like us to believe) are absolutely impossible!
OTHER FULFILLED PROPHECY The Bible foretold the captivity of Israel and Judah, the destruction of Jerusalem, the deliverance of the Jews from exile and their becoming a nation again--all of which has taken place. Jesus Christ Himself foretold of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which took place forty years later. Every day we see results, conditions, and experiences that are the direct fulfilment of the prophetic teaching of God’s Word, many of which teachings from a human standpoint seemed ridiculous and absurd years ago. 4. the bibLe comPared with bioGraPhies Most biographies, especially autobiographies, seek to remain silent concerning the sins of the main character--but this is not true with the Bible. It “tells it like it is.” It deals very frankly with the sins of its characters, even the most popular ones such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Peter. 5. the bibLe and history books The Bible has been accepted by a multitude of scholars as the most accurate and complete history, not only of Israel, but also of many nations of the world, including Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Phoenicia, and Rome. The Old Testament contains the oldest history writings in existence. 6. the bibLe and archaeoLoGy Much of the Old Testament, regarding people, places and customs have been confirmed by archaeology. The findings of archaeology have strengthened the faith of believers in the accuracy of the Word of God and caused sceptics to become believers.
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7. science and the bibLe What would the Bible be like if we tried to change it to suit every scientific fad? What would the Bible have been like if man had changed it to go along with scientific teaching in 500 B. C.? 1000 A.D.? Or even 1995 A.D.? Any science book over one year old is outdated, because men are constantly discovering the errors of their suppositions and theories, but the word of God never changes. For example, for hundreds of years, men believed that the earth was flat, not round. If they had simply accepted the word of God, they would not have erred in this matter. The Bible confirms that the earth is round in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 40:22). 8. the PoPuLarity of the bibLe: The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book. There have been more copies printed of the Bible, and portions of it, than any other book in history. There is no other book that begins to compare to the circulation of the Bible. The entire Bible has been translated into more than 250 languages and dialects. Parts of it have been translated into more than 750 additional languages. 9. PersonaL exPerience: The Bible is filled with many wonderful promises from God for those who follow its teachings and give their lives to Jesus Christ. When we make the Bible the guide for our lives, God will reveal Himself to us in a very real and wonderful way. The author has had literally thousands of prayers answered. He has been healed miraculously of sicknesses and diseases--without the aid of doctors and medicines. His life has been tremendously changed and blessed by the power of God and His Word. There is no argument that can defeat a personal experience.
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VOCABULARY
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contradiction
—
a statement in opposition to another
prophecy
—
prediction of future events by a prophet
biographies
—
life stories of people
autobiographies —
life stories authors write about themselves
genius
—
great natural or mental ability
archaeology
—
the study of the life of ancient people, as by excavation
theories
—
beliefs about something, without positive proof, such as “the theory of evolution”
harmony
—
accord, agreement, oneness
controversial
—
arguable, debatable, disputable, questionable
transgressors
—
those who disobey, break the law, sin
fad
—
fashion, craze, style, rage, what is popularly accepted at a certain time
Lesson Two Test Bible Introduction
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How many men were used in writing the Bible? ____________
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The Bible was written over a period of ________ years.
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The Bible was written under __________ inspiration.
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To say that the Bible was written by inspiration of God is to say: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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Prophecy came not in old time by _______________________________ __________________________________________________________
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Holy men of God spoke and wrote as they were moved by ___________________________.
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Why is it miraculous to us that the Bible was written with perfect harmony? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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Why is it that there is no one contradiction in the Bible? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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What is the greatest proof of the accuracy of the Bible? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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Give five prophecies concerning Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures which show their fulfillment:
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What other prophecy (concerning Israel) has been fulfilled? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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How does the Bible compare with other history books of its accounts of nations? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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How does the Bible compare with archaeological evidence? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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How does the Bible compare with science? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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How can a person prove for himself the accuracy of the Bible? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
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What did you find of special interest in this lesson?
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