What About All Those Mistakes in the Bible?
by Jon Quinn
It is quite amazing to me that a common complaint made about the Bible is that it has so many contradictions and mistakes. It is not surprising that such a charge would be made by some unbelieving scholar who will investigate the Bible’s pages and turn logic on its ear in order to force a mistake into it here and there. The surprising part is that so many will use such alleged mistakes as an excuse not to obey its teachings, but when asked for an example simply do not have a single one.
Most want you to think that they have made a careful examination, and only after months of painstaking search have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Bible is not reliable because of all the mistakes they have found. But when asked to show one, it is quickly apparent that no such examination has taken place, no specific error is in mind, and it is all an excuse. “Oh, I just heard that mistakes are in there….”
But what of the “scholar” who has investigated and does have a list of contradictions? Well, each alleged mistake has to be treated individually. We have to consider whether it has merit, or is just an unfair attack on the Bible by an unbeliever who is either ignorant or malicious.
I have several books in my library that deal with such matters. If it were not so serious a matter, some of these “mistakes” would be funny. For example, a passage which says God dwells in heaven (Psalm 123:1) and another which says He dwells in Zion (the mount upon which the temple was built in Jerusalem) (Psalm 9:11). He can’t dwell at both places, can He? Contradiction! But only if one ignores the omnipresence of God, a characteristic that is taught throughout the Bible. “‘Do I not fill the heaven and earth?’ Saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). Yes, God can dwell in both places, and many more.
Concerning the execution of Christ, John records the words of Jesus’ enemies. In one passage, they say, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die” (John 19:7). But just a bit earlier, they are recorded as saying, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death” (John 18:31). Another contradiction! How could the same people say both things? They could easily do so if they were talking about two different laws, which they were. The first law they are referring to is the law of Moses. They considered Jesus a blasphemer which was a sin for which the Law of Moses prescribed death. However, Judah was not an independent nation at the time Jesus was crucified. By Roman law, the Chief Priests did not have the authority to execute those they deemed as criminals. For this reason, they had to secure the Roman governor’s permission, which they did. Once Pilate granted the permission, the roadblock of civil law was overcome and Jesus was crucified.
There are others, but you get the picture. Rather flimsy, weren’t they? How sad that so many have heard that there are some “discrepancies” in the Bible, and use that as an excuse not to believe, but never take the time to investigate the charge. One must not let Satan win the victory so easily. Examine the Scriptures daily! (Acts 17:11)
The Historical Accuracy of the Bible
by Jim Sasser
To be divinely inspired, a book must be historically accurate. For if its credibility cannot be established on the basis of known events, it certainly cannot be relied upon as an adequate guide in matters beyond our ability to check. On the other hand, if we can demonstrate that such a book is correct in historical matters, to an extent unknown among human writings, then we have strong evidence that the authors were inspired by God. In this lesson we shall learn that this is true of the Bible.
Down through the centuries, enemies of the Bible have attacked its historical accuracy. Time after time, the Scriptures have been thus questioned, only later to be shown correct by archaeology. Archaeology is a study of relics, monu ments, tombs, artifacts, etc., of ancient civilizations. Peoples and events, known before only in Biblical accounts, have been brought to light by the excavations of ancient cities. Always, the Bible has been proven right. Let us consider a few of the cases of such findings:
2,500-Year-Old Seal Discovered in Jerusalem
2,500-Year-Old Seal of First Temple Family Mentioned in Nehemiah Discovered in Jerusalem: Teresa Neumann (January 18, 2008) “One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the Biblical source as seen by the archaeological find.”
(Jerusalem)—A 2,500-year-old black stone seal bearing the name “Temech” on it was uncovered during an excavation near Jerusalem’s Dung Gate this week. (Photo: Edwin Trebels courtesy of Dr. Eilat Mazar)
The 7th chapter of the Book of Nehemiah indicates that the Temech family were servants of the First Temple who were sent into exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC. and later returned to Jerusalem.
According to a Jerusalem Post report, the seal is engraved with two bearded priests standing on either side of an incense altar with their hands raised forward in a position of worship. A crescent moon, the symbol of the chief Babylonian god Sin, also appears on the top of the altar.
The Israeli archeologist leading the dig, Dr. Eilat Mazar, said: “The fact that this cultic scene relates to the Babylonian chief god, seemed not to have disturbed the Jews who used it on their own seal. The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the Biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible. One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the Biblical source as seen by the archaeological find.” [Copyright 2008, Agape Press: Used By Special Permission]
Wall Built by Nehemiah Discovered
Last week, archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar announced she had discovered remnants of the fifth century B.C. wall built by Nehemiah. She is reportedly urging Christians to help save the site. 
(Photo: present day wall in Jerusalem-WND)
According to a WorldNetDaily report, Mazar was working on an emergency project to shore up remains of an ancient tower when, she says: "Under the tower, we found the bones of two large dogs—and under those bones a rich assemblage of pottery and finds from the Persian period. No later finds from that period were found under the tower."
Nehemiah described 10 gates in the wall around Jerusalem "as well as several towers designed to protect the entrances to the city, among them the Tower of the Hundred, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Ovens, and an unnamed tower ‘projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard’ in the vicinity of Mazar’s most recent dig." [Copyright 2007, Agape Press: Used By Special Permission]
Amarna Letters
[One of the Amarna letters, 14th century] Of all the ancient documents that have been discovered, the Amarna Letters are a special lot. These tablets contain correspondence between Egyptian Pharaohs and the kings of the neighboring countries whom the Egyptians ruled.
These letters contain all kinds of information, inventory, requests and even history. Since they were written at a time when the Israelites had entered Canaan, they provide a vast amount of information for reconstructing the socio-economic structure in and around Canaan. The discovery of the Amarna Letters came as a great blessing to Christians and Bible students.
Dehumanization: The Humanistic Agenda
Dehumanization: The Humanistic Agenda, P. Andrew Sandlin
Humanism has been around since Genesis 3. It is the belief that there is no God or, better yet, that man himself is a god. The temptation of the serpent to Eve was simple: If you establish your own moral standards, and act on them, you can be as God (Gen. 3:5). The history of depraved man is the history of an unending quest for an ever more consistent humanism. From the ancient world empires - Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Rome - to the Italian Renaissance to the European Enlightenment to Romanticism and finally to today’s “postmodernism,” man’s root sin is humanism - the desire to be his own god.
The Idolatry of Rationalism
The Idolatry of Rationalism, Jeremy Swanson
“It is not sufficient for everyone to obey and to listen to the Divine message of the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. In order to propagate that message among the heathen, nay, in order to understand it as clearly and as fully as is humanly possible, one must also consider to what extent man could discern the outlines of that City if left to himself, to the proper exercise of his own powers.”
– Leo Strauss, The City and Man
These words of prominent twentieth-century political philosopher Leo Strauss are a clear manifestation of his rationalistic spirit, of his rationalistic desiderata. But let’s make this personal: I fear that the impure, unsubmissive, hidden corners of our hearts find a certain needfulness or security in the desiderata of Leo Strauss’ rationalism. May the Holy Spirit be with us as we compare the spirit of these words of the man Leo Strauss with the Word, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the Word of God pierce to the bone and marrow; may the contact not be mere external superficiality, mere “argument.”
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