I was raised to believe that the Bible reveals the truth and to believe that the Bible could foresee the future. Prophets have foretold the rise and fall of nations. I believed that the Bible explained the real meaning and relevance to individuals and to nations of people.

The Bible, completed over 2,000 years ago, is indisputably the world's bestselling book of all time. Why is the Bible more unique than any other religious book? What should be put out trust in? Why should our spiritual beliefs be based on the scriptures of the Bible? Is the Bible still based on the same message as it was when the original 66 books that were compiled? What about the numerous translations of the Bible? Has this affected the meaning in any way? Is the Bible just a collection of myths and legends? Are all of the stories inspired by God?

Science is always trying to prove and disprove theories and hypotheses. Theologians are constantly explaining truths. Many are fearful to question. It is important to know that Apostle Paul encouraged questioning. He actually promoted others to question faith. Do not take my word for this. Read (1 Thessalonians 5:21) where Paul states “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” Paul recognizes his position of being a witness and gives his disclosure to this fact. “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).

The Apostle Peter recorded that the Scripture “never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Peter forewarned his followers to “be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets.” The Bible is written to give warning to all. Peter states that “scoffers will come in the last days” questioning and ridiculing Scripture, “saying, ‘where is the promise of His coming?’” (2 Peter 3:1–9). The “word of truth” is used repeatedly. “Thus says the Lord” is stated over 300 times in the Old Testament, indicating that the words of Scripture are inspired by God. Was this just to scare people into submission?

What about the numerous translations? Have you ever played the game where someone whispered something to someone, they in turn whispered something to someone else and they whispered it to someone else and so on. The message is distorted and that all happens in just a few minutes. The Bible was completed almost 2,000 years ago. Has the message been preserved with all the translations? If a message can become altered in a matter of minutes, what can happen in several thousand years? Over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts have been discovered thus far.

Scribes who were regarded as the Bible custodians until the time of Christ, the Sopherim (400bc to 200ad), worked with Ezra and they were followed by the Talmudists (100ad to 500ad) and finally by the Masoretes (500ad to 1000ad). It has been confirmed that these scribes copied the biblical texts and actually counted the number of words in the Bible and even the number of times a letter appeared in a Bible. There is more but my point is made. Such attention to minute detail leads one to conclude that the Bible was accurately transmitted. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, dating back to 1,000 years earlier than 1000 ad, helped to prove how precisely the Old Testament text was preserved. The scrolls are of two nearly complete copies of the book of Isaiah and were proved “to be nearly word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible. Some slips of the pen and variations in spelling were factored in.

The Bible claims to predict the future with great accuracy. Hundreds of prophecies have already come true. This is confirmed by historians. The Bible tells what is ahead for our nations and for the human race. Did you know that the Bible contains over 1,800 predictions? A quote from a notable archaeologist, Nelson Glueck: “it may be clearly stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference.” Skads of evidence prove the existence of Goliath, the ark, and much more. What does this mean for the facts and truths of the Bible?

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were prophesized in detail. It was foretold that Jesus would be born of a virgin, He would be named Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:3–8), He would be the son of God, His birth would prompt the mass execution of children (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16–18). He would live in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1–2; Matthew 2:19–23). He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1–5). He would die with transgressors and be buried in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9, 12). He would be resurrected after three days (Matthew 12:40; Jonah 1:17).

The book of Daniel is embedded with prophecies giving the detailed accounting of the return of Jesus Christ and what will lead to his return at the end of time. Locations and names are given in detail and are verifiable. Daniel had a dream about the four parts of the body: chest, belly and thighs, head and chest and feet. He stated that four empires would dominate the Mediterranean world. Scholars of the Bible now identify these empires. There is a present belief that the unfolding of Daniel’s prophesies are happening presently and can be pinpointed with the contributory factors. Jesus said that the culmination of all these events will occur at a time in history when the very existence of life on this planet will be threatened. Would nuclear power, global warming and international terrorism meet this description? Jesus said this would only be the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). He foretold of a world-wide persecution of Christians. He also said that none-the-less the truth would “be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Jesus said that “unless those days were shortened by His return no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

Do I or should I live in fear? Do I want anyone else to live in fear? The answer for me is emphatically no. I do not. I seek truth through the acceptance of others and by loving others. Do I slip up? You bet I do. I also know that I am forgiven when I repent. Do I use this to excuse my blunders? I try not to. When my own son was going through his years of questioning and doubting, I explained to him that until he can have faith and trust to think of God and Jesus as a power of light and love. It matters not to me if he calls that power by the name of God and Jesus. I know that he has his faith and in time he will find his way. My intent is to learn and to inform. Should you choose to believe and follow out of love then we can find a way together to spread Christianity and accept Christ’s alternatives.

If beliefs make people act angry, stern, self-righteous and judgmental, then I ask, would you want to sign on?