The Bible as
a Divine Revelation
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A reasonable, thinking mind will examine God’s Word |
The Bible is the torch of
civilization and liberty. Its influence for good in society has been recognized by the
greatest statesmen, even though they for the most part have looked at it through the
various glasses of conflicting creeds, which, while upholding the Bible, grievously
misrepresent its teachings. The grand old book is unintentionally but woefully misrepresented by its friends, many of whom would lay down life on its behalf; and yet they do it more vital injury than its foes, by claiming its support to their long-revered misconceptions of its truth, received through the traditions of their fathers. Would that such would awake, re-examine their oracle, and put to confusion its enemies by disarming them of their weapons! |
The Bible has been miraculously preserved
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Since the light of nature
leads us to expect a fuller revelation of God than that which nature supplies, the
reasonable, thinking mind will be prepared to examine the claims of anything purporting to
be a divine revelation, which bears a reasonable surface evidence of the truthfulness of
such claims. The Bible claims to be such a revelation from God, and it does come to us with sufficient surface evidence as to the probable correctness of its claims, and gives us a reasonable hope that closer investigation will disclose more complete and positive evidence that it is indeed the Word of God. The Bible is the oldest book in existence; it has outlived the storms of thirty centuries. Men have endeavored by every means possible to banish it from the face of the earth: they have hidden it, burned it, made it a crime punishable with death to have it in possession, and the most bitter and relentless persecutions have been waged against those who had faith in it; but still the book lives. Today, while many of its foes slumber in death, and hundreds of volumes written to discredit it and to overthrow its influence, are long since forgotten, the Bible has found its way into every nation and language of earth, over two hundred different translations of it having been made. The fact that this book has survived so many centuries, notwithstanding such unparalleled efforts to banish and destroy it, is at least strong circumstantial evidence that the great Being whom it claims as its Author has also been its Preserver. |
Dating from
100 B.C. to 100 A.D., the Dead Sea Scrolls were preserved in clay urns in the Qumran caves
until their discovery in 1948. |
Priceless parchments of the Sinaitic Manuscript, 4th c. A.D., were preserved within the walls of St. Catherine’s Monastery in the heart of Sinai. Discovered in 1859 A.D. by Count Tischendorf, the Codex Sinaiticus contains the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament. |
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It is also true that the
moral influence of the Bible is uniformly good. Those who become careful students of its
pages are invariably elevated to a purer life. Other writings upon religion and the various sciences have done good and have ennobled and blessed mankind, to some extent; but all other books combined have failed to bring the joy, peace and blessing to the groaning creation that the Bible has brought to both the rich and the poor, to the learned and the unlearned. |
The
Bible points and refers to one prominent character:
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The Bible is not a book to
be read merely: it is a book to be studied with care and thought; for God's thoughts are
higher than our thoughts, and his ways than our ways. And if we would comprehend the plan
and thoughts of the infinite God, we must bend all our energies to that important work.
The richest treasures of truth do not always lie on the surface. This book throughout constantly points and refers to one prominent character, Jesus of Nazareth, who, it claims, was the Son of God. From beginning to end his name, and office, and work, are made prominent. That a man called Jesus of Nazareth lived, and was somewhat noted, about the time indicated by the writers of the Bible, is a fact of history outside the Bible, and it is variously and fully corroborated. That this Jesus was crucified because he had rendered himself offensive to the Jews and their priesthood is a further fact established by history outside the evidence furnished by the New Testament writers. The writers of the New Testament (except Paul and Luke) were the personal acquaintances and disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, whose doctrines their writings set forth. |
The pool is one of the few undisputed localities in ancient Jerusalem. Waters from the Spring Gihon flow into the Pool of Siloam through a tunnel which was engineered by King Hezekiah in 715 BCE. Hezekiah's 1750 foot tunnel can still be traversed by foot today. |
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The disciples were committed to an unpopular cause.
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The existence of any book
implies motive on the part of the writer. We therefore inquire, What motives could have
inspired these men to espouse the cause of this person? He was condemned to death and crucified as a malefactor by the Jews, the most religious among them assenting to and demanding his death, as one unfit to live. And in espousing his cause, and promulgating his doctrines, these men braved contempt, deprivation and bitter persecution, risked life itself, and in some cases even suffered martyrdom. Admitting that while he lived Jesus was a remarkable person, in both his life and his teaching, what motive could there have been for any to espouse his cause after he was dead?--especially when his death was so ignominious? And if we suppose that these writers invented their narratives, and that Jesus was their imaginary or ideal hero,
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What motivated the writers of Scripture?
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The fact that profane
history does not agree in some respects with these writers should not lead us to regard
their records as untrue. Those who do thus conclude should assign and prove some motive on
the part of these writers for making false statements. What motives could have prompted them? Could they reasonably have hoped thereby for fortune, or fame, or power, or any earthly advantage? The poverty of Jesus' friends, and the unpopularity of their hero himself with the great religionists of Judea, contradict such a thought. The facts that he died as a malefactor, a disturber of the peace, and that he was made of no reputation, held forth no hope of enviable fame or earthly advantage to those who should attempt to re-establish his doctrine. On the contrary, if such had been the object of those who preached Jesus, would they not speedily have given it up when they found that it brought disgrace, persecution, imprisonment, stripes and even death? Reason plainly teaches that men who sacrificed home, reputation, honor and life; who lived not for present gratification; but whose central aim was to elevate their fellowmen, and who inculcated morals of the highest type, were not only possessed of a motive, but further that their motive must have been pure and their object grandly sublime. Reason further declares that the testimony of such men, actuated only by pure and good motives, is worthy of ten times the weight and consideration of ordinary writers. Nor were these men fanatics: they were men of sound and reasonable mind, and furnished in every case a reason for their faith and hope; and they were perseveringly faithful to those reasonable convictions. |
The Biblical writers were honest and faithful to the Lord.
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And what we have here
noticed is likewise applicable to the various writers of the Old Testament. They were, in
the main, men notable for their fidelity to the Lord; and this history as impartially
records and reproves their weaknesses and shortcomings as it commends their virtues and
faithfulness. This must astonish those who presume the Bible to be a manufactured history,
designed to awe men into reverence of a religious system. There is a straightforwardness about the Bible that stamps it as truth. Knaves, desirous of representing a man as great, and especially if desirous of presenting some of his writings as inspired of God, would undoubtedly paint such a one's character blameless and noble to the last degree. The fact that such a course has not been pursued in the Bible is reasonable evidence that it was not fraudulently gotten up to deceive. |
Examine the character of the writings |
Having, then, reason to expect a revelation of God's will and plan, and having found that the Bible, which claims to be that revelation, was written by men whose motives we see no reason to impugn, but which, on the contrary, we see reason to approve, let us examine the character of the writings claimed as inspired, to see whether their teachings correspond with the character we have reasonably imputed to God, and whether they bear internal evidence of their truthfulness. |
The writers were acquainted first hand with the facts
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Historical Records The first five books of the New Testament and several of the Old Testament are narratives or histories of facts known to the writers and vouched for by their characters. It is manifest to all that it did not require a special revelation simply to tell the truth with reference to matters with which they were intimately and fully acquainted. Yet, since God desired to make a revelation to men, the fact that these histories of passing events have a bearing on that revelation would be a sufficient ground to make the inference a reasonable one, that God would supervise, and so arrange, that the honest writer whom he selected for the work should be brought in contact with the needful facts. The credibility of these historic portions of the Bible rests almost entirely upon the characters and motives of their writers. Good men will not utter falsehoods. A pure fountain will not give forth bitter waters. And the united testimony of these writings silences any suspicion that their authors would say or do evil, that good might follow. |
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It in no way
invalidates the truthfulness of certain books of the Bible, such as Kings, Chronicles,
Judges, etc., when we say that they are simply truthful and carefully kept histories of
prominent events and persons of their times. When it is remembered that the Hebrew
Scriptures contain history, as well as the law and the prophecies, and that their
histories, genealogies, etc., were the more explicit in detailing circumstances because of
the expectancy that the promised Messiah would come in a particular line from Abraham, we
see a reason for the recording of certain facts of history considered indelicate in the
light of this twentieth century. For instance, a clear record of the origin of the nations of the Moabites and of the Ammonites, and of their relationship to Abraham and the Israelites, was probably the necessity in the historian's mind for a full history of their nativity. Genesis 19:36-38 Likewise, a very detailed account of Judah's children is given, of whom came David, the king, through whom the genealogy of Mary, Jesus' mother, as well as that of Joseph, her husband (Luke 3:23,31,33,34; Matthew 1:2-16), is traced back to Abraham. Doubtless the necessity of thoroughly establishing the pedigree was the more important, since of this tribe (Genesis 49:10) was to come the ruling King of Israel, as well as the promised Messiah, and hence the minutiae of detail not given in other instances. Genesis 38 |
We find a reason for details |
There may be similar
or different reasons for other historic facts recorded in the Bible, of which by and by we
may see the utility, which, were it not a history, but simply a treatise on morals, might
without detriment be omitted; though no one can reasonably say that the Bible anywhere
countenances impurity. It is well, furthermore, to remember that the same facts may be more or less delicately stated in any language. While the translators of the Bible were, rightly, too conscientious to omit any of the record, yet they lived in a day less particular in the choice of refined expressions than ours. The same may be surmised of the early Bible times and habits of expression. Certainly the most fastidious can find no objection on this score to any expression of the New Testament. |
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The Books
of Moses The first five books of the Bible are known as the Five Books of Moses, though they nowhere mention his name as their author. That they were written by Moses, or under his supervision, is a reasonable inference; the account of his death and burial being properly added by his secretary. The omission of the positive statement that these books were written by Moses is no proof against the thought. Had another written them to deceive and commit a fraud, he would surely have claimed that they were written by the great leader and statesman of Israel, in order to make good his imposition. See Deuteronomy 31:9-27. Of one thing we are certain, Moses did lead out of Egypt the Hebrew nation. He did organize them as a nation under the laws set forth in these books. The Hebrew nation, by common consent, for over three thousand years, has claimed these books as a gift to them from Moses, and has held them so sacred that a jot or tittle must not be altered--thus giving assurance of the purity of the text. |
"He stretcheth out the north
over
the empty place, and hangeth
the earth upon nothing." |
These writings of
Moses contain the only credible history extant, of the epoch which it traverses. Chinese history affects to begin at creation, telling how God went out on the water in a skiff, and, taking in his hand a lump of earth, cast it into the water. That lump of earth, it claims, became this world, etc. But the entire story is so devoid of reason that the merest child of intelligence would not be deceived by it. On the contrary, the account given in Genesis starts with the reasonable assumption that a God, a Creator, an intelligent First Cause, already existed. It treats not of God's having a beginning, but of his work and of its beginning and its systematic orderly progress--
Then stepping over the origin of the earth without detail or explanation, the narrative of the six days [epochs] of preparing it for man proceeds. That account is substantially corroborated by the accumulating light of science for four thousand years. Hence it is far more reasonable to accept the claim that its author, Moses, was divinely inspired, than to assume that the intelligence of one man was superior to the combined intelligence and research of the rest of the race in three thousand years since, aided by modern implements and millions of money. |
The
Mosaic Law was unequaled. |
The Law of Moses Look next at the system of laws laid down in these writings. They certainly were without an equal, either in their day or since, until this twentieth century. The laws of this century are based upon the principles laid down in the Mosaic Law, and framed in the main by men who acknowledged the Mosaic Law as of divine origin. |
 Moses Teaching the People of Israel
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The Decalogue is a brief synopsis of the whole law. Those Ten Commandments enjoin a code of worship and morals that must strike every student as remarkable. If never before known, and now found among the ruins and relics of Greece, or Rome, or Babylon (nations which have risen and fallen again, long since those laws were given), they would be regarded as marvelous if not supernatural. But familiarity with them and their claims has begotten measurable indifference, so that their real greatness is unnoticed except by the few. True, those commandments do not teach of Christ; but they were given, not to Christians, but to Hebrews; not to teach faith in a ransom, but to convince men of their sinful state, and need of a ransom. The substance of those commandments was grandly epitomized by the illustrious founder of Christianity, in the words: |
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The Israelites lived under the government of God
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The government
instituted by Moses differed from all others, ancient and modern, in that it claimed to be
that of the Creator himself, and the people were held accountable to him. Their laws
and institutions, civil and religious, claimed to emanate from God, and, as we shall
presently see, were in perfect harmony with what reason teaches us to be God's character. The Tabernacle, in the center of the camp, had in its "Most Holy" apartment a manifestation of Jehovah's presence as their King, whence by supernatural means they received instruction for the proper administration of their affairs as a nation. An order of priests was established, which had complete charge of the Tabernacle, and through them alone access and communion with Jehovah was permitted. |
The Tabernacle, in the center of the Camp, had a manifestation of God’s presence in its Most Holy apartment.
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The privileges of the priests were limited
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The first thought of some in this connection would perhaps be: "Ah! there we have the object of their organization: with them, as with other nations, the priests ruled the people, imposing upon their credulity and exciting their fears for their own honor and profit." But hold, friend; let us not too hastily assume anything. Where there is such good opportunity for testing this matter by the facts, it would not be reasonable to jump to conclusions without the facts. The unanswerable evidences are contrary to such suppositions. The rights and the privileges of the priests were limited. They were given no civil power whatever, and wholly lacked opportunity for using their office to impose upon the rights or consciences of the people. This arrangement was made by Moses, a member of the priestly line. |
A theocratic government was established
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As
God's representative in bringing Israel out of Egyptian bondage, the force of
circumstances had centralized the government in his hand, and made the meek Moses an
autocrat in power and authority, though from the meekness of his disposition he was in
fact the overworked servant of the people, whose very life was being exhausted by the
onerous cares of his position. At this juncture a civil government was established, which was virtually a democracy. Let us not be misunderstood: Regarded as unbelievers would esteem it, Israel's government was a democracy, but regarded in the light of its own claims, it was a theocracy, i.e., a divine government. The laws given by God, through Moses, permitted of no amendments: they must neither add to nor take from their code of laws. Thus seen, Israel's government was different from any other civil government, either before or since.
See also verses 24 to 30 for an example of true and guileless statesmanship and meekness. Moses, rehearsing this matter, says:
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This form of government was calculated to cultivate the spirit of true liberty
If Moses had been ambitious, he would have misused his power
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Thus it
appears that this distinguished lawgiver, so far from seeking to perpetuate or increase
his own power by placing the government of the people under the control of his direct
relatives, of the priestly tribe, to use their religious authority to fetter the rights
and liberties of the people, on the contrary introduced to the people a form of government
calculated to cultivate the spirit of liberty. The histories of other nations and rulers show no parallel to this. In every case the ruler has sought his own aggrandizement and greater power. Even in instances where such have aided in establishing republics, it has appeared from subsequent events that they did it through policy, to obtain favor with the people and to perpetuate their own power. Circumstanced as Moses was, any ambitious man, governed by policy and attempting to perpetuate a fraud upon the people, would have worked for greater centralization of power in himself and his family. Especially as this would have seemed an easy task from the religious authority being already in that tribe, and from the claim of this nation to be governed by God, from the Tabernacle. Nor is it supposable that a man capable of forming such laws, and of ruling such a people, would be so dull of comprehension as not to see what the tendency of his course would be. So completely was the government of the people put into their own hands, that though it was stipulated that the weightier cases which those governors could not decide were to be brought unto Moses, yet they themselves were the judges as to what cases went before Moses:
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The people asked for a king
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Thus
seen, Israel was a republic whose officers acted under a divine commission. To the
confusion of those who ignorantly claim that the Bible sanctions an established empire
rule over the people, instead of "a government of the people by the people," be
it noted that this republican form of civil government continued for over four hundred
years. It was then changed for that of a kingdom at the request of "The Elders," without the Lord's approval, who said to Samuel, then acting as a sort of informal president,
At God's instance, Samuel explained to the people how their rights and liberties would be disregarded, and how they would become servants by such a change. Yet they had become infatuated with the popular idea, illustrated all around them in other nations. 1 Samuel 8:6-22 In considering this account of their desire for a king, who is not impressed with the thought that Moses could have firmly established himself at the head of a great empire without difficulty? |
Judges –
Breastplate of the High Priest which had the Urim and Thummim
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While
Israel as a whole constituted one nation, yet the tribal division was ever recognized
after Jacob's death. Each family, or tribe, by common consent, elected or recognized
certain members as its representatives, or chiefs. This custom was continued even through
their long slavery in Egypt. These were called chiefs or elders, and it was to these that Moses delivered the honor and power of civil government; whereas, had he desired to centralize power in himself and his own family, these would have been the last men to honor with power and office. The instructions given those appointed to civil rulership as from God are a model of simplicity and purity. Moses declares to the people, in the hearing of these judges:
Such hard cases were, after Moses' death, brought directly to the Lord through the High Priest, the answer being Yes or No, by the Urim and Thummim. In view of these facts, what shall we say of the theory which suggests that these books were written by knavish priests to secure to themselves influence and power over the people? Would such men for such a purpose forge records destructive to the very aims they sought to advance--records which prove conclusively that the great Chief of Israel, and one of their own tribe, at the instance of God, cut off the priesthood from civil power by placing that power in the hands of the people? Does any one consider such a conclusion reasonable? |
"Jubilee"
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Again,
it is worthy of note that the laws of the most advanced civilization, in this twentieth
century, do not more carefully provide that rich and poor shall stand on a common level in
accountability before the civil law. Absolutely no distinction was made by Moses' laws. As for the protection of the people from the dangers incident to some becoming very poor and others excessively wealthy and powerful, no other national law has ever been enacted which so carefully guarded this point. Moses' law provided for a restitution every fiftieth year--their Jubilee year. This law, by preventing the absolute alienation of property, thereby prevented its accumulation in the hands of a few. Leviticus 25:9,13-23,27-30 In fact, they were taught to consider themselves brethren, and to act accordingly; to assist each other without compensation, and to take no usury of one another. See Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36,37; Numbers 26:52-56. |
All the laws were read aloud
God’s government protected Israel from dictatorship. |
All the
laws were made public, thus preventing designing men from successfully tampering with the
rights of the people. The laws were exposed in such a manner that any who chose might copy them. In order that the poorest and most unlearned might not be ignorant of them, it was made the duty of the priests to read them to the people at their septennial festivals. Deuteronomy 31:10-13 Is it reasonable to suppose that such laws and arrangements were designed by bad men, or by men scheming to defraud the people of their liberties and happiness? Such an assumption would be unreasonable. In its regard for the rights and interests of foreigners, and of enemies, the Mosaic law was thirty-two centuries ahead of its times--if indeed the laws of the most civilized of today equal it in fairness and benevolence. We read: |
Laws displayed love for the stranger
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Animals were not forgotten, but were protected by laws of kindness. |
Even the dumb animals were not forgotten. Cruelty to these as well as to human beings was prohibited strictly. An ox must not be muzzled while threshing the grain, for the good reason that any laborer is worthy of his food. Even the ox and the ass must not plow together, because so unequal in strength and tread: it would be cruelty. Their rest was also provided for. Deuteronomy 25:4; 22:10; Exodus 23:12 |
| Tithing
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The Priesthood Not a Favored Class The priesthood may be claimed by some to have been a selfish institution, because the tribe of Levites was supported by the annual tenth, or tithe, of the individual produce of their brethren of the other tribes. This fact, stated thus, is an unfair presentation too common to skeptics, who, possibly ignorantly, thereby misrepresent one of the most remarkable evidences of God's part in the organization of that system, and that it was not the work of a selfish and scheming priesthood. Indeed, it is not infrequently misrepresented by a modern priesthood, which urges a similar system now, using that as a precedent, without mentioning the condition of things upon which it was founded, or its method of payment. |
The Priests had no inheritance in the land.
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It was,
in fact, founded upon the strictest equity. When Israel came into possession of the land
of Canaan, the Levites certainly had as much right to a share of the land as the other
tribes. Yet, by God's express command, they got none of it, except certain cities or
villages for residence, scattered among the various tribes, whom they were to serve in
religious things. Nine times is this prohibition given, before the division of the land. Instead of the land, some equivalent should surely be provided them, and the tithe was therefore this reasonable and just provision. Nor is this all. The tithe, though, as we have seen, a just debt, was not enforced as a tax, but was to be paid as a voluntary contribution. And no threat bound them to make those contributions. All depended upon their conscientiousness. The only exhortations to the people on the subject are as follows:
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| Is it, we ask, reasonable to suppose that this order of things would have been thus arranged by selfish and ambitious priests?--an arrangement to disinherit themselves and to make them dependent for support upon their brethren? Does not reason teach us to the contrary? | |
No provision was made for honoring the priests.
Protection for widows and orphans Wage protection... Honor for the elderly
"Thou shalt rise up
before the
hoary head
and honor the face
of the old man,
and fear thy God:
I am the LORD." |
In
harmony with this, and equally inexplicable on any other grounds than those claimed--that
God is the author of those laws--is the fact that no special provision was made for
honoring the priesthood. In nothing would imposters be more careful than to provide
reverence and respect for themselves, and severest penalties and curses upon those who
misused them. But nothing of the kind appears: no special honor, or reverence, or immunity
from violence or insult, is provided. The common law, which made no distinction between classes, and was no respecter of persons, was their only protection. This is the more remarkable because the treatment of servants, and strangers, and the aged, was the subject of special legislation. For instance:
All this, yet nothing special for Priests, or Levites, or their tithes. |
Scientific sanitation
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The
sanitary arrangements of the law, so needful to a poor and long-oppressed people, together
with the arrangements and limitations respecting clean and unclean animals which might or
might not be eaten, are remarkable, and would, with other features, be of interest if
space permitted their examination, as showing that law to have been abreast with, if not
in advance of, the latest conclusions of medical science on the subject. The law of Moses had also a typical character, which we must leave for future consideration. But even our hasty glance has furnished overwhelming evidence that this law, which constitutes the very framework of the entire system of revealed religion, which the remainder of the Bible elaborates, is truly a marvelous display of wisdom and justice, especially when its date is taken into consideration. |
All this is evidence of a wise, just and loving God.
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In the
light of reason, all must admit that it bears no evidence of being the work of wicked,
designing men, but that it corresponds exactly with what nature teaches to be the
character of God. It gives evidence of his Wisdom, Justice and Love. And further, the
evidently pious and noble lawgiver, Moses, denies that the laws were his own, and
attributes them to God. Exodus 24:12; Deuteronomy 9:9-11; Exodus 26:30; Leviticus 1:1 In view of his general character, and his commands to the people not to bear false witness, and to avoid hypocrisy and lying, is it reasonable to suppose that such a man bore false witness and palmed off his own views and laws for those of God? It should be remembered also that we are examining the present copies of the Bible, and that therefore the integrity for which it is so marked applies equally to the successors of Moses. For though bad men were among those successors, who did seek their own and not the people's good, it is evident that they did not tamper with the Sacred Writings, which are pure to this day. |
| "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction and of patience." James 5:10
Elijah Reproves King Ahab |
The Prophets of the Bible Glance now at the general character of the prophets of the Bible and their testimonies. A rather remarkable fact is that the prophets, with few exceptions, were not of the priestly class. In their day their prophecies were generally repugnant to the degenerating and time-serving priesthood, as well as to the idolatrously inclined people. The burden of their messages from God to the people was generally reproof for sin, coupled with warnings of coming punishments, intertwined with which we find occasional promises of future blessings, after they should be cleansed from sin and should return to favor with the Lord. Their experiences, for the most part, were far from enviable. They were generally reviled, many of them being imprisoned and put to violent deaths. See 1 Kings 18:4,10,17,18; 19:10; Jeremiah 38:6; Hebrews 11:32-38. In some instances it was years after their death before their true character as God's prophets was recognized. But we speak thus of the prophetic writers whose utterances claim to be the direct inspiration of Jehovah. |
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It is
well in this connection that we should remember that in the giving of the law to Israel
there was no priestly intervention It was given by God to the people by the hand of
Moses. Exodus 19:17-25; Deuteronomy 5:1-5 Furthermore, it was made the duty of every man
seeing a violation of the law to reprove the sinner. Leviticus 19:17 Thus all had the authority to teach and reprove. But since, as in our own day, the majority were absorbed in the cares of business, and became indifferent and irreligious, the few comparatively fulfilled this requirement by reproving sin and exhorting to godliness. These preachers are termed "prophets" in both the Old and New Testaments. The term prophet, as generally used, signifies public expounder, and the public teachers of idolatry were also so called. For instance, "the prophets of Baal," etc. See 1 Corinthians 14:1-6; 2 Peter 2:1; Matthew 7:15; 14:5; Nehemiah 6:7; 1 Kings 18:40; Titus 1:12. |
Exhorting the Israelites |
Deborah |
Daniel in the Den of Lions |
"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 Spirit." |
Prophesying, in the
ordinary sense of teaching, afterward became popular with a certain class, and degenerated
into Phariseeism-- teaching, instead of God's commandments, the traditions of the
ancients, thereby opposing the truth and becoming false prophets, or false teachers.
Matthew 15:2-9 Out of the large class called prophets, Jehovah at various times made choice of some whom he specially commissioned to deliver messages, relating sometimes to things then at hand, at other times to future events. It is to the writings of this class, who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the holy Spirit, that we are now giving attention. They might with propriety be designated |
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Divinely
Commissioned Prophets When it is remembered that these prophets were mainly laymen, drawing no support from the tithes of the priestly tribe, and when, added to this, is the fact that they were frequently not only the reprovers of kings and judges, but also of priests (though they reproved not the office, but the personal sins of the men who filled it), it becomes evident that we could not reasonably decide that these prophets were parties to any league of priests, or others, to fabricate falsehood in the name of God. Reason in the light of facts contradicts such a suspicion. If, then, we find no reason to impeach the motives of the various writers of the Bible, but find that the spirit of its various parts is righteousness and truth, let us next proceed to inquire whether there exists any link, or bond of union, between the records of Moses, those of the other prophets, and those of the New Testament writers. |
The link between the Old and New Testaments |
If we shall find one common line of thought interwoven throughout the Law and the Prophets and the New Testament writings, which cover a period of fifteen hundred years, this, taken in connection with the character of the writers, will be a good reason for admitting their claim--that they are divinely inspired -- particularly if the theme common to all of them is a grand and noble one, comporting well with what sanctified common sense teaches regarding the character and attributes of God. |
The Bible has one plan, one spirit, one aim, and one purpose
The Bible contains more than morals, maxims, and words of comfort. The Bible was written by many pens at various times under different circumstances. |
The Bible Harmonious This we do find: One plan, spirit, aim and purpose pervades the entire book. Its opening pages record the creation and fall of man. Its closing pages tell of man's recovery from that fall. Its intervening pages show the successive steps of the plan of God for the accomplishment of this purpose. The harmony, yet contrast, of the first three and the last three chapters of the Bible is striking.
Though written by many pens, at various times, under different circumstances, the Bible is not merely a collection of moral precepts, wise maxims and words of comfort. It is more. It is a reasonable, philosophical and harmonious statement of the causes of present evil in the world, its only remedy and the final results as seen by divine wisdom, which saw the end of the plan from before its beginning, marking as well the pathway of God's people, and upholding and strengthening them with exceeding great and precious promises to be realized in due time. |
There is the redemption theme...
"...with his stripes we are
healed."
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The teaching of
Genesis, that man was tried in a state of original perfection in one representative, that
he failed, and that the present imperfection, sickness and death are the results, but that
God has not forsaken him, and will ultimately recover him through a redeemer, born of a
woman (Genesis 3:15), is kept up and elaborated all the way through. The necessity of the death of a redeemer as a sacrifice for sins, and of his righteousness as a covering for our sin, is pointed out
The prophets, though credited with understanding but slightly the significance of some of their utterances (1 Peter 1:12), mention the laying of the sins upon a person instead of a dumb animal, and in prophetic vision they see him who is to redeem and to deliver the race led "as a lamb to the slaughter," that "the chastisement of our peace was upon him," and that "by his stripes we are healed." They pictured him as "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," and declared that "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:3-6 They told where this deliverer would be born (Micah 5:2), and when he should die, assuring us that it would be "not for himself." Daniel 9:26 They mention various peculiarities concerning him
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ransom price...
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The New Testament
writers clearly and forcibly, yet simply, record the fulfillment of all these predictions
in Jesus of Nazareth, and by logical reasonings show that such a ransom price
as he gave was needful, as already predicted in the Law and the Prophets, before the sins
of the world could be blotted out. Isaiah 1:18 They trace the entire plan in a most logical and forcible manner, appealing neither to the prejudices nor to the passions of their hearers, but to their enlightened reason alone, furnishing some of the most remarkably close and cogent reasoning to be found anywhere on any subject. See Romans 5:17-19, and onward to the 12th chapter. |
The
blessing
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Moses, in the Law,
pointed not alone to a sacrifice, but also to a blotting out of sins and a blessing of the
people under this great deliverer, whose power and authority he declares shall vastly
exceed his own, though it should be "like unto" it. Deuteronomy
18:15,19 The promised deliverer is to bless not only Israel, but through Israel "all
the families of the earth." Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4 And notwithstanding the prejudices of the Jewish people to the contrary, the prophets continue the same strain, declaring that Messiah shall be also "for a light to lighten the Gentiles" (Isaiah 49:6; Luke 2:32); that the Gentiles should come to him "from the ends of the earth" (Jeremiah 16:19); that his name "shall be great among the Gentiles" (Malachi 1:11); and that "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." Isaiah 40:5. See also Isaiah 42:1-7. |
The
selection of
a "little flock"... |
New
Testament Writers The New Testament writers claim a divine anointing which enabled them to realize the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the sacrifice of Christ. They, though prejudiced as Jews to think of every blessing as limited to their own people (Acts 11:1-18), were enabled to see that while their nation would be blessed, all the families of the earth should be blessed also, with and through them. They saw also that, before the blessing of either Israel or the world, a selection would be made of a "little flock" from both Jews and Gentiles, who, being tried, would be found worthy to be made joint-heirs of the glory and honor of the Great Deliverer, and sharers with him of the honor of blessing Israel and all the nations. Romans 8:17 |
These writers point
out the harmony of this view with what is written in the Law and the Prophets; and the
grandeur and breadth of the plan they present more than meets the most exalted conception
of what it purports to be–
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The Bible tells of Messiah and his kingdom...
And how death and sorrow will be wiped away |
The thought of
Messiah as a ruler of not only Israel, but also of the world, suggested in the books of
Moses, is the theme of all the prophets. The thought of the kingdom was uppermost also in
the teaching of the apostles; and Jesus taught that we should pray, "Thy
Kingdom come," and promised those a share in it who would first suffer for
the truth, and thus prove themselves worthy. This hope of the coming glorious kingdom gave all the faithful ones courage to endure persecution and to suffer reproach, deprivation and loss, even unto death. And in the grand allegorical prophecy which closes the New Testament, the worthy "Lamb that was slain" (Revelation 5:12), the worthy "overcomers" whom he will make kings and priests in his kingdom, and the trials and obstacles which they must overcome to be worthy to share that kingdom, are all faithfully portrayed. Then are introduced symbolic representations of the blessings to accrue to the world under that Millennial reign, when Satan shall be bound and Adamic death and sorrow wiped out, and when all the nations of earth shall walk in the light of the heavenly kingdom--the new Jerusalem. |
The Bible gives the hope of the resurrection...
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The Bible, from
first to last, holds out a doctrine found nowhere else, and in opposition to the theories
of all the heathen religions--that a future life for the dead will come through a RESURRECTION
OF THE DEAD. All the inspired writers expressed their confidence in a redeemer, and one declares that "in the morning," when God shall call them from the tomb, and they shall come forth, the wicked shall no longer hold the rulership of earth; for
The resurrection of the dead is taught by the prophets. The writers of the New Testament base all their hopes of future life and blessing upon it. Paul expresses it thus:
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The Old Testament is confirmed by the New Testament writers, written 2,000 years apart, as well as by other Old Testament writers.
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Like a watch, whose
many wheels might at first seem superfluous, but whose slowest moving wheels are
essential, so the Bible, composed of many parts, and prepared by many pens, is one
complete and harmonious whole. Not a single part is superfluous, and though some parts
take a more active and prominent place than others, all are useful and necessary. It is becoming popular among the so-called "advanced thinkers" and "great theologians" of the present day to treat lightly, or to ignore if they do not deny, many of the "miracles" of the Old Testament, calling them "old wives' fables." Of these are the accounts of Jonah and the great fish, Noah and the ark, Eve and the serpent, the standing still of the sun at the command of Joshua, and Balaam's speaking ass. Seemingly these wise men overlook the fact that the Bible is so interwoven and united in its various parts that to tear from it these miracles, or to discredit them, is to destroy or discredit the whole. For if the original accounts are false, those who repeated them were either falsifiers or dupes, and in either case it would be impossible for us to accept their testimony as divinely inspired. To eliminate from the Bible the miracles mentioned would invalidate the testimony of its principal writers, besides that of our Lord Jesus.
Really these are no greater miracles than those performed by Jesus and the apostles, such as the turning of water into wine, the healing of diseases, etc.; and as a miracle, the awakening of the dead is most wonderful of all. |
To eliminate the miracles from the Bible would invalidate the testimony of its principal writers. |
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These miracles, not
common to our experience, find parallels about us every day, which, being more common, are
passed by unnoticed. The reproduction of living organisms, either animal or vegetable, is beyond
our comprehension, as well as beyond our power--hence miraculous. We can see the
exercise of life principle, but can neither understand nor produce it. We plant two seeds side by side; the conditions, air, water, and soil, are alike; they grow, we cannot tell how, nor can the wisest philosopher explain this miracle. These seeds develop organisms of opposite tendencies; one creeps, the other stands erect; form, flower, coloring, everything differs, though the conditions were the same. Such miracles grow common to us, and we cease to remember them as such as we leave the wonderment of childhood. Yet they manifest a power as much beyond our own, and beyond our limited intelligence, as the few miracles recorded in the Bible for special purposes, and as intended illustrations of omnipotence, and of the ability of the great Creator to overcome every obstacle and to accomplish all his will, even to our promised resurrection from the dead, the extermination of evil, and the ultimate reign of everlasting righteousness. |
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Here we rest the
case. Every step has been tested by reason. We have found that there is a God, a supreme, intelligent Creator, in whom wisdom, justice, love and power exist in perfect harmony. We have found it reasonable to expect a revelation of his plans to his creatures capable of appreciating and having an interest in them. We have found the Bible, claiming to be that revelation, worthy of consideration. We have examined its writers, and their possible objects, in the light of what they taught; we have been astonished; and our reason has told us that such wisdom, combined with such purity of motive, was not the cunning device of crafty men for selfish ends. Reason has urged that it is far more probable that such righteous and benevolent sentiments and laws must be of God and not of men, and has insisted that they could not be the work of knavish priests. We have seen the harmony of testimony concerning Jesus, his ransom-sacrifice, and the resurrection and blessing of all as the outcome, in his glorious kingdom to come. Reason has told us that a scheme so grand and comprehensive, beyond all we could otherwise have reason to expect, yet built upon such reasonable deductions, must be the plan of God for which we seek. It cannot be the mere device of men, for even when revealed, it is almost too grand to be believed by men. |
The
Bible’s
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When Columbus
discovered the Orinoco river, some one said he had found an island. He replied: "No
such river as that flows from an island. That mighty torrent must drain the waters of a
continent." So the depth and power and wisdom and scope of the Bible's testimony
convince us that not man, but the Almighty God, is the author of its plans and
revelations. We have taken but a hasty glance at the surface claims of the Scriptures to be of divine origin, and have found them reasonable. Succeeding chapters will unfold the various parts of the plan of God, and will, we trust, give ample evidence to every candid mind that the Bible is a divinely inspired revelation. That the length and breadth and height and depth of the plan it unfolds gloriously reflect the divine character, hitherto but dimly comprehended, but now more clearly seen in the light of the dawning Millennial Day. |
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