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Gary Hill
Dr. Bill Carnagey
BBS 103 - Bible Studies 1
11 November 2014
Word Count: 3803
The Bible - The Most Important Book Ever
Is the story of the Bible a part of the history of the Jewish people who passed it on for
more than 3,000 years? Is the story of the Bible part of the history of the Christian Church for
2,000 years? How about the effect it has had on Western Civilization? The millions of lives
dynamically changed as a result of the God's Word. Yes, it is this, and much more.
The Bible is the most powerful document ever given to mankind. The Bible penned by
over 40 authors, from diverse backgrounds and education, resulted in a canonized sixty six
different books over 1,500 years. This Bible has changed millions of lives over thousands of
years, including mine.
The Bible is not a book to read when bored, but a living document that determines your
eternal destiny. From the origins of time and space, distinct from the legends, myths, and
folklore, to the single greatest piece of literature of all time is God's Word. The greatest love
story of all time, plus the drama of dark betrayal by the master of all evil, Satan. The greatest
good and highest achievements, deepest courage and ultimate sacrifice, the Kinsman
Redeemer, is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Hill, Evidence Mounts for the Bible)
The Manuscript Evidence
The critics of the Bible would like it both ways. They want to deny the Bible because it is
an ancient document with inaccuracies they say. This is not true, of course, but to do so they
would also have to reject other ancient documents like Homer, Aristotle, Pliny and others which
they are not willing. However, God is in power despite the Word continuing to be attacked all

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the way from the Garden of Eden to today. But the evidence for the Word of God continues to
be discovered as evidenced by the sheer number of manuscripts.
Of the number of Greek manuscripts available, the following numbers are
revealing: There are currently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the
New Testament. In addition, there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin,
Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The totals supporting the New Testament
manuscripts are over 24,000. (Geisler and Bocchino 256)
In addition to the total number of Greek New Testament manuscripts, which out-number
the previously mentioned historicity documents by the thousands, there is the relatively short
time between the oldest New Testament manuscripts compared to when originally penned.
Matt Slick, Founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, in a recent article at
CARM said, "Compare the Bible time-span with the next closest which is Homer's Iliad where
the closest copy of the original is 500 years later. Undoubtedly, a longer time-period allows for
more textual corruption in transmission. How much less so for the New Testament documents
with the time frame shrinking as original manuscripts are found?" (Slick, Manuscript Evidence)
Historical Evidence of Jesus Christ
There are many Bible critics who would like to think that Jesus Christ did not exist. To
answer this charge, Josephus, Jewish historian (AD 37-100) wrote of Jesus:
At this time, there was a wise man who was called Jesus. His conduct was good
and (he) was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and
the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and
to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship.
They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and
that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom
the prophets have recounted wonders. (Charlesworth 95)

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Josephus personally knew those who had seen Jesus Christ when He walked the
streets of Jerusalem, His crucifixion and resurrection. He knew those who had talked with Him
and walked with Him, who actually knew Him before His ascension. Josephus wrote what He
had heard and believed about Jesus. His writings lend insight into the people of the time, and
the days that Jesus Christ walked on the earth. (Josephus 18.3.3)
Bible translation was a dangerous profession during the Dark Ages. It still was
dangerous in the Sixteenth century mainly because the Bible had become a symbol of the
power struggle between the Church and those who tried desperately to change it. Sir Thomas
More spoke for many when he said it was heresy to think "we should believe nothing but plain
scripture" and allow people to read the Bible for themselves. (Green 113)
Despite the danger, William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English so that
"The boy that drives the plow in England would be able to read and understand the Bible."
The Bible, condemned in 1526, saw the church publicly burned the Word of God in every town.
Tyndale, himself betrayed, was captured and burned at the stake. However, boys who drove the
plow discovered for themselves what the Bible said, and Britain was transformed. Within fifty
years of Tyndale's death "no greater moral change ever passed over a nation than passed over
England." (Gelernter 14)
It is easy to believe that there was an actual Jesus Christ, even when not a Christian, by
the many evidences that are available to us. The Bible does not attempt to be neutral,
historically or otherwise, or an objective account of the events it relates. As Werner Keller has
said, "In other words if we do not wish to subject it in force, we must not squeeze the Bible into
the Procrustean bed of our demands for historical truth and scientific objectivity, which are
themselves sufficiently problematic. (Keller 23)
Archaeological Evidence
A 2003 location in Nazareth may dramatically rewrite the history of Christianity. A
shopkeeper in Nazareth, Elias Shama, found tunnels beneath his shop. Since then, forensic

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archaeologists and biblical scholars have been scouring over the site and think they have found
an almost perfectly preserved Roman bathhouse from 2,000 years ago - the time of Christ, and
in the town where he was raised. (Cook, Where Jesus bathed)
In an update on the remarkable discovery in Nazareth from 2007, Dr. Carsten Peter
Thiede, one of the original archaeologists on the site states:
Returning to the discovery of the Roman baths in Nazareth, we realize that such
an installation, should it actually turn out to be Roman, and to have been
available to non-Roman inhabitants like Mary, Joseph and Jesus, would merely
underline what we have gathered from the sources anyway. The only real
surprise to many may be the conclusion that Nazareth was anything but a
nondescript village with a handful of poor Jews. (Zoabi, Understanding of
Nazareth)
Another archaeological discovery that lends credence to Biblical accounts is the Abla
tablets, discovered in Northern Syria in the 1970s dates back as far as 2300 B.C.. In the tablets
the name "Canaan", a name critics once said was not in use at that time. Therefore, "Canaan"
could not be used in the first chapters of Genesis except written after the fact. The tablets
contained a reference to all five "cities of the plain" mentioned in Genesis 14, each previously
assumed to have been legends.
A scientist of faith, Sir William Ramsay, gets little respect for his tireless work, but one
piece of work stands out. He states, "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his
statements of fact trustworthy; he is possessed of the true historical sense; he fixes his mind on
the idea and plan that rules in the evolution of history, and proportions the scale of his treatment
to the importance of each incident. He seizes the important and critical events and shows their
true nature at greater length...In short, this author should be placed among the very greatest of
historians." (Hushbeck Jr 74)

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Sir William Ramsay, an agnostic at the time, went to Asia Minor specifically to discredit
the Book of Luke as an accurate historical record. His resulting investigation confirmed the Book
of Luke as historically accurate, and convinced him that what Luke wrote about was also true.
The result of Dr. Ramsay's research confirming Luke's Gospel; he gave his life to Jesus Christ.
(Missler, The Gentle Gospel, Dr. Luke)
There are literally hundreds of archaeological discoveries that verify the information in
the Old and New Testaments. These include the cities of Babylon, Ur, Jerusalem, Akko,
Apollonia-Arsuf and many more. (Halley 42)
Where Did The Falling Away Start?
We all can accept that the Church is heading down a precipitous path to the falling away
of Paul, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling
away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. (NKJV 2 Thessalonians
2.3)
But where did this start? It did not start with the break from the Roman Catholic Church
others have stated. It did not start with the Reformation as said by the Roman Catholic Church.
Nor did it start with the historical criticisms of the Bible as many Protestants have stated. It is my
conjecture that it started during the nineteenth century, when one by one the Theologians who
had been holding out, gave up the fight and gave into the Enlightenment Movement. (Cox 44)
Despite the effort by many who are trying to keep this heresy out of the Body of Christ,
the Word of God continues to be compromised today. There is a form of the Enlightenment
Movement, designated the Political Correctness Movement, or PC, which still has the specific
objective, which is to loosen the bands of power existing in the Word of God. This includes the
denial of absolutes and the involvement of God in the affairs of men.
The Word of God says a falling away must occur. However, this is truly sad to see, so
many men and women going down the wrong path. Instead of the Church being a life changing
power in a dark world, many of the Body of Christ have acquiesced to the whims of the world so

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they will not offend. Jesus spoke the truth despite the consequences wherever He went. This I
can say with certainty, it is not politically correct to say that homosexuality is a curse for denying
God as the creator. (Romans 1.24)
Prophecy as Evidence
Prophecy is one of God's gifts to mankind so that they might believe. Will all believe
because of Biblical prophecies fulfillment? Obviously not! For example, this prophecy from the
Book of Isaiah, "It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the
second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from
Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hannah and the islands of the sea. He will set
up a banner for the nations and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of
Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11.11, 12)
Combine this with Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy and the plethora of humanity is utterly
without excuse. Doubters have been around shortly after the beginning of time. Scripture
recognizes prophecy as a "medium for divine communication." (Edersheim 122, 126)
The prophet has always revealed God's will. There are almost 2,500 prophecies in the
Old and New Testaments with about 20 percent remaining to be fulfilled. A number of
prophecies will occur just before the rapture, then during, and the end of Tribulation, with the
remainder forming the scope of the Millennium. Some may even speak prophecies without
realizing it. For example, Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself a Lamb for the burnt
offering." (Genesis 22.8)
I'm sure Abraham was referring to Isaac as the sacrifice, but at the same time he spoke
prophetically about the forthcoming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Daniel was down on his knees
fervently praying to God near the end of the 70 year captivity by the Babylonians. He had been
reading the prophecy of Jeremiah and knew that the Jews were near the end of the captivity in
Babylon. The angel Gabriel startled Daniel by touching him on the shoulder, giving him the most
remarkable prophecy in the entire Bible Daniel 9.24-27.

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These four verses include the following segments:

9.24 The Scope of the Entire Prophecy;
9.25 The 69 Weeks;
9.26 An Interval between the 69th and 70th Week;
9.27 The 70th Week.
The entire scope of Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy, given to Daniel by Gabriel, is available
in this verse:
Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish
the transgression, and to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9.24)
Some Biblical scholars suggest this verse has already been fulfilled. However, can it be
said that there is a limit to the transgressions against the Jewish people? Is there an clear end
of sin in the world today? You cannot answer in an affirmative manner to any of those.
In the next verse, please note the location and time:
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to
restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in
troublesome times." (Daniel 9.25)
Weeks of years were common in the days of Jewish and Babylonian writings, as well as
the 360 day year. With that in mind, 69 weeks of 360 days totals 173,880 days. What Gabriel
was telling Daniel was there were to be 173,880 days between the commandment to restore
and rebuild Jerusalem to the unveiling of the Meshiach Nagid, the Messiah the King in
Jerusalem.

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It was Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 B.C. who issued the commandment to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem. The street and the wall in Daniel 9.25 clearly distinguishes this
command from the rebuilding of the temple, as some have stated. On many occasions, Jesus
Christ would not allow those around Him to say that He was King. Quite the opposite, He
carefully avoided it. Jesus told them, "My hour has not yet come." (John 2.4)
Then the day arrives just as prophesied by Daniel. The prophet Zechariah said, "Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to
you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."
(Zechariah 9.9)
The crowd lining the street sang, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the
Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19.38) Anytime we miss the significance
of any event, the Pharisees come to our rescue. Luke says, "And some of the Pharisees called
to Him from the crowd, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.'" (Luke 19.39)
Jesus, knowing the hour had come, told them, "I tell you that if these should hold their
peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19.40) Because this is "the time" spoken of
in the 70 Weeks prophecy, take the decree date of Longimanus, which was March 14, 445 B.C.
and count the days to Jesus presenting Himself as the King which occurred on April 6, 32 A.D.
I'm not a mathematician, but the time between those two dates totals precisely 173,880 days.
(Anderson 34)
There has been a 1,981 year gap between the 69th week of Daniel 9.25 and the 70th
week of Daniel 9.27:
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself; and
the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are
determined. (Daniel 9.26)

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It is difficult to argue against the Messiah's crucifixion for the sins of the world. The city
and the sanctuary were leveled in a flood of Titus Vespasian's Roman Legion occurring in 70
A.D. The prophecy by both Daniel and Jesus Christ occurred as they both stated. It is my
conjecture that Jesus Christ held Israel accountable for not knowing this prophecy. The
prophecy was clearly available to that generation in the Septuagint. It is also quite obvious from
Luke 19.44b, "because you did not know the time of your visitation."
The final verse of the prophecy is the one that is coming after the rapture of the Body of
Christ dividing the final week into 3 and a half years of peace with three and a half years that the
Bible calls, the time of Jacobs trouble. (Jeremiah 30.7):
"Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle
of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of
abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation,
which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9.27)
The last verse of Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy fits perfectly in understanding Revelation
chapters 6-19, the unveiling of what will happen to a sinful world in the most documented period
in the entire Bible. There are some strong indications that the near 2,000 year gap is about to
end. That being the case, the time is short.
Conclusion
What a pleasure it is to be able to explore the Word of God with eyes that see, and ears
that hear what the Spirit is saying to the Body of Christ. What is lacking in the present age is an
appreciation for truth, knowledge, and common sense. All of these are sorely lacking in the
information explosion. There is a profound difference between information that comes from all
sides and wisdom that comes from God.
God's warning through the prophet Hosea rings more true today than ever, My people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4.6). Clearly, there is a difference between wisdom
and information. The two are not synonymous. This is where the Bible enters the picture.

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Although there is greater access to the Word of God than there ever has been, most pay scant
attention to its contents, yielding disastrous results. Solomon warned us: There is a way that
seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14.12; 16.25).
"There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land." (Hosea 4.1) "The priest did
not say, 'Where is the Lord?' And those who handle the law did not know Me." (Jeremiah 2.8)
The apostle Paul stated to Timothy, "Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge
of the truth." (2 Timothy 3.7) Our generation, if wise, will repent and beg God for forgiveness,
and then come back to the Word of God.
What is the result of not repenting and getting back into the Word of God? Because you
have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have
forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children (Hosea 4.6). When looking into the
Book of Hosea, there are many parallels between Israel then and the current predicament of the
United States. There are consequences for a nation who turns their back on the God who
established them, and the same is true for individuals.
Ignoring or rejecting revealed spiritual knowledge alienates us from God, cutting us off
from His guidance. God's law, the primary source of knowledge in the way we should live
operates as a spiritual force everywhere. (Romans 7.14) Whether recognized or not, the law of
God is self-enforcing. Humanity pays a heavy penalty for breaking it; we see the confirmation
dramatized every day in media reports of human suffering (compare Jeremiah 2.19). (Hill, My
People are Destroyed)
Read and understand the prophet Jeremiah: "Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his
riches; but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the
Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight
says the Lord." (Jeremiah 9.23, 24)

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Jesus comforting words for we who are born-again is an ideal place to end, All that the
Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
(John 6.37) We can all thank God for that, amen.

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Works Cited
Anderson, Sir Robert . The Coming Prince. 1886. Reprint. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications,
2008. Print.
Charlesworth, James H. Jesus within Judaism. Garden City: SPCK Publishing, 1989. Print.
Cook, Jonathan. "Is this where Jesus bathed?." The Guardian [Washington] 21 Oct. 2003, US
ed., sec. World News: 14.
Cox, Harvey. Religion in the Secular City: Toward a Postmodern Theology. New York: Simon &
Schuster. 1985. Print.
Edersheim, Alfred. Prophecy and history in relation to the Messiah; the Warburton lectures for
1880-1884. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1885. Print.
Gelenter, David. Bible Illiteracy in America. Volume 10, Issue 34. 23 May. 2005. The Weekly
Standard. 9 Jun 2013.
Geisler, Norman L., and Peter Bocchino. Unshakable Foundations. Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany
House Publishers, 2001. Print.
Green, John Richard, and Alice Stopford Green. A Short History of the English People. Rev.
and enl., ed. New York: American Book Co. 1916. Print.
Halley, Henry Hampton. Halley's Bible Handbook. New Revised Edition ed. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1965. Print.
Hill, Gary. The Evidence Mounts for the Bible - Northern Maine Christianity. Welcome to
Examiner.com. N.p., 10 June 2012. Web. 14 June 2013.
- - -. My People are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge - Northern Maine Christianity.
Welcome to Examiner.com. N.p. 15 April 2013. Web. 14 June 2013
Hushbeck, Elgin L.. Consider Christianity evidence for the Bible. Rev. and expanded. ed.
Gonzalez: Energion Pub., 2005. Print.
Josephus. Josephus: Jewish Antiquities, Books 18-19 (Loeb Classical Library, No. 433)
(Bks. XVIII-XIX Vol 12). Loeb Classical Library, 1965. PDF.

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Keller, Werner. The Bible As History; 2nd Revised Edition. New York: William Morrow and
Company, 1981. Print.
Missler, Chuck. "The Gentile Gospel - Dr. Luke." Koinonia House. N.p., 1 May 2001. Web. 10
June 2013.
Slick, Matt. "Manuscript evidence for superior New Testament reliability." Christian
Apologetics and Research Ministry, 1 Jan 2013. Web. 8 Jun 2013.
The Old Scofield Study Bible, NKJV, Classic Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, USA,
1999. Print.
Zoabi, Heba. "The story of place: Discovery Roman Bathhouse Changes Understandings of
Nazareth's History ." The Ground Report. Open News Platform Inc, 12 Apr. 2007. Web.
9 June 2013.