David Ben Gurion reads Israels DeclarationChristians make much of the veracity and reliability of the Bible, basing all of their beliefs on its tenets and teachings. For most people the Bible has long since been discredited by the findings of evolution and the discoveries of modern science! This latter view is the prevailing one within our Irish context, the Bible - a worthy religious read but not a book to be taken otherwise seriously. And we Christians spend a lot of time trying to convince people that the Bible is in fact a reliable book on every front coming from the very heart of God who cannot lie! That is why , through the centuries, men and women have given their lives rather than deny the truth and potency of the Scriptures, and succeeding generations of believers have turned to its pages for spiritual sustenance and guidance. But how to convince a sceptical secular world that the Bible is not just one more volume in the pantheon of religious texts that abound in every culture and corner of the world!
There is, in my opinion one solid verifiable fact that should convince the stoutest sceptic as to the unique reliability and divine inspiration of this Book of Books. That fact, commemorated on its 60 th. Anniversary yesterday is the rebirth of the nation of Israel on May 14th. 1948.Why this historical milestone vindicates the claim that the Bible is not just a book of human authorship but one that has a divine origin can be explained by looking at a few prophecies contained therein, which found their fulfilment on that fateful day sixty years ago.
The book we call the Bible is in fact a collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors over a period of about 1800 years. So the words of the Bible were indeed written by a human pen but under the direction and inspiration of the Spirit of God…For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (Peter 1:21) And the most compelling aspect of Scripture which proves its divine input is in the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy. Over a third of the Bible is prophetic and is concerned to a large part with the utterances of Godly men foretelling future events, some of which have already been fulfilled and some of which are still awaiting a future fulfilment. A major theme running right through the 66 books of the bible is Gods relationship with the people of Israel. Beginning with Abraham and continuing right up to Jesus of Nazareth, God made and sustained a covenant with the children of Israel. This covenant or agreement was first spelled out in the book of Genesis when God promised the Patriarch Abraham that his descendants would be numerous… The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3) In this Promise God assures the descendants of Abraham that they will have a nation state in which they can live. Historically the Jews occupied the land given to them by God and at times through their history they were invaded by others (like the Assyrians and the Chaldean's) and taken captive. Even at the time of Jesus, Israel was occupied by imperial Rome and not long after Jesus death the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world. Subsequently we know that the Nazis attempted to exterminate the race executing 6 million in the Holocaust. But through all their turbulent history the Diaspora clung to the promises of nationhood given in Gods Word and especially to those Scriptures which spoke about bringing them back to their homeland…I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. (Ezekiel 34:13) The world in the aftermath of the Holocaust began to arrange the circumstances that would lead to the re-establishment of the nation state of Israel to which the scattered remnant of Jews could return. Now here’s the prophecy written back 700 years before Christ by Isaiah that is truly astounding in the light of the events of May 14,1948...The prophet rhetorically asks…"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once?” (Isiah 66:8) And with the birth of the modern state of Israel that is exactly what happened…a nation was born in a day…as predicted! Not only did this single act fulfill the prophecies concerning Israel it also ushered in the beginning of the End Times, that is the period of time proceeding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The existence of the modern nation of Israel is tangible evidence that the Bible is an extraordinary book that predicts events centuries ahead of time, a book that can be trusted and believed in. Not only does the Bible address nations and historical milestones but primarily it is addressed to the individual, relating Gods cosmic plan of redemption for all of humankind through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells of the heart of God which is love and records the tangible expression of that love when Jesus gave up his life on the cross for our sins.
The Bible has verified itself over and over again through the centuries, religious and scientific fads come and go but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Today He is fulfilling His promises to Israel made so long ago, He will do no less for us as we read the Word and surrender ourselves to His rule through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The nation of Israel is established as prophesied, the Second Coming of Jesus as judge of the living and the dead will happen just as surely, it is our privilege and responsibility to respond!
Gerard O'Shea
4 comments:
the problem i find with jesus and all that stuff is that when you you read all the things he says to do its very hard to find anyone who does the stuff he said like turn the other cheek and love those that hate you and thye people who say that follow him are so arrogant they have it all worked out
Yep. That's the way i see. Israel is a great proof of biblical truth.
Another prophecy, there will be no peace in the Middle East as long as guns enforce the status quo.
You're right Anon those who proclaim loudest to be followers of Jesus seem least like Him in character ! I think it was Gandhi who said that he liked Christ but not the Christians.The rub is though even if every follower of Christ could be shown to be a hypocrite it still would not deal with the issue of how do we respond to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross.Maybe the world is still looking for one genuine follower of Christ, maybe you could be that person !- Ger
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