How The Bible Differ From Other Books

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

IS EVERYTHING WRITTEN in the Bible true? Are there valid proofs or pieces of evidence that the Bible really came from God? Must we believe the Bible? How does the Bible differ from other books written by man? These are the questions that we will seek answers for. And we will do it by using the Bible as our basis. We must not accept other people’s contention that the Bible must not be believed in because it was simply written by man. It does not always follow that if a work was just written by man, it is no longer true, and that we must not believe it anymore! Actually, the Koran as well the Book of Mormons was also written by men. But there is something unique about the Bible—written by 40 penmen, the Bible was guided and inspired with the Holy Spirit. Must we believe everything that was written in the Bible? We are going to answer all these, one by one, through the Holy Scriptures. One of the vital issues that many people raise is that the Bible contains many contradictions. We must investigate the validity of this claim. Besides, it is wise for a Christian to know the deepest part of the Bible, which is the basis of our faith. Are there really contradictions in the Bible? In a commentary made by Ahmed Deedat about the Bible, he said that, the Bible contains a number of errors and contradictions. And on that premise, we will begin our discussion: insofar as the word of God is concerned, Will there ever be a possibility that God would contradict Himself? First of all, to contradict oneself is against the law. The law, particularly under the Rules on Evidence, states that, you cannot contradict yourself. You just cannot stand on something today, which you will deny, or falsify, the next day! The following are the instances of conclusive presumptions: a. Whenever a party has, by his own declaration, act or omission, intentionally and deliberately led another to believe a particular thing true, and to act upon such belief, he cannot, in any litigation arising out of such declaration, act of omission, be permitted to falsify it; (Rule 131 (a), Rules on Evidence) b. A witness may be impeached by the party against whom he was called, by contradictory evidence, by evidence that his general reputation for truth, honesty or integrity is bad, or by evidence that he has made at other times

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

inconsistent with his present testimony, but not by evidence or particular wrongful acts, except that it may be shown by the examination of the witness, or the record of the judgment, that he has been convicted of an offense. (Rule 132, Rules on Evidence)

If we are given the responsibility not to contradict ourselves, more so with God! Just like what Romans 14:22 says— “Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” That is the principle of the Bible: Happy is he that condemns not himself in that thing which he allowed. It is not right that a person condemns, or contradicts, the things that he had previously agreed to. It will appear that he is unprincipled. But God is a principled God! Therefore, God will never contradict Himself; God will never oppose Himself! Verses that will prove that God will not contradict Himself is in Proverbs 8:8-9— “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.” This is the God’s claim in the Bible, quite a tough claim. This is a statement of assurance, or guarantee, to the readers of the Bible. Unfortunately, the Vedas (Hindus), the Book of Mormons, as well as the other books that claim that they are of God, do not offer that kind of assurance. It is only in the Bible where you can read such definite pronouncement. And it was God, Himself, who said this, through the writings of King Solomon— “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness.” God said, ALL! When a pronouncement comes from God, they are all of righteousness. And should you find any false pronouncement, they did not come from God. Unlike the book of Bahaula’s teaching that God created everything by pair. At first glance, the claim may seem correct. Left hand is paired with right hand; right foot is paired with left foot; right ear paired with left ear; man is paired with a woman; tall and short, etc. However, in recent studies, one-celled organisms like the spirogyra could reproduce without a pair. These organisms do not need a female to reproduce. They reproduce by cell division. There are no males and females. In other words, Science had proven Bahaula’s claim to be wrong.

The Bible declares that— “ALL the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.” If anyone can prove that God gave

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

false pronouncements – or, even a single wrong pronouncement – then, we must not believe the Bible anymore! God, however, says that there is nothing false or perverse in His words. On the other hand, if there are no contradictions in the Bible, why is it that one verse in the Bible says that Joaquim will reign for 8 years, while another verse tells that he will reign for 18 years? Are they not contradictory? Granting without accepting, the question is, why do situations like that arise? Genesis 2:16-17 says— “And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” These verses were read by Mr. Damian Sotto. He even continued reading until Genesis 3:4— “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” Are they not contradictory? God told Adam, on the day that you eat the fruit you shall surely day. On the other hand, the serpent said, you shall not die. Some people insisted that those verses contradict each other. On the surface, it may appear to be right, but, if we study the verses very well, we will come to realize why those statements are contradictory. The first statement comes from God, while the other comes from the serpent. None of His words are contradictory. Do you know who is that serpent whose words are against the words of God? In Revelations 12:9— “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Who is the serpent? It is Satan. No wonder, why he was uttering statements that contradict God’s, because he is an enemy of God. But, as far as the words of God are concerned, there are no contradictions! NONE! Therefore, if statements contradict each other, for sure, one of them did not come from God. Another example is 1 Corinthians 6:12— “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” If we are to ask some people, they will say all their actions are lawful and correct. For example, there are people who add little sugar to their “adobo” because they prefer that their “adobo” taste a little bit sweet. For these people, nothing is wrong with adding sugar to their “adobo” because for some people, all the things that they do are lawful and correct. But if we continue reading, it says, not all things are expedient. That is why conflict and contradictions are bound to arise.

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

But, God is an absolute God! He is upright and righteous! Unlike man! Not everything that man perceives to be righteous is also righteous in the sight of God. Why? Proverbs 14:12 says— “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” A person may perceive one particular path/way to be right, but is only insofar as his personal perception is concerned. For example, whatever man thinks to be right may not be absolutely right for God. More often than not, what man perceives to be right is wrong. For these reasons, contradictions are bound to happen. If the Bible contains contradictions, it is primarily because, not all the words there came from God! The Bible is a compilation of truths. But whether something is a lie or the truth, that is the reality. They did happen, and they were all written in the Bible. Everything had been recorded in the Bible so that man will be able to distinguish the truth from lies. We have to exercise our wisdom in discerning which words are of God, and which are not. The Bible exemplifies the whole world. In this world, there are cheaters and there are people being cheated; there are robbers, and there are those who are being robbed; there are fornicators, while the others are their objects of fornication. All kinds of people are there. And, if we adopt everything that these people do, our world would become a very chaotic place. The Bible is picture of the entire world, and it tells the complete story to the whole of humanity. And it is up to us to choose what is good or bad for us. However, there are people who prefer the bad from the good, that is why the outcome is also bad. Whenever you read the Bible, identify where a certain pronouncement came from: are they from God, or not? If they came from God, you can be sure that they are absolutely correct, they are free from all flaws and errors, and they are free from any kind of contradiction. But if they did not come from God, definitely, they will oppose God’s words. Not all things written in the Bible are words of God. It also contains words of angels, and also words of those who do not believe in God. In fact, Psalms 53:1 says— “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt they are, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.” The fool denies the existence of God. There are a lot of people today who do not believe in God. There are a lot of people today who do not believe in God. What some people say that the Bible is the word of God is wrong. Even the words of the fool are also written in the Bible, even the words of the devil and even the words of those who do not believe, just like Thomas when our Lord Jesus Christ

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

resurrected, written in John 20:25— “The other disciples therefore said upon him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and thrust my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” What kind of words are those? Those are the words of someone who does not believe. He will never believe unless he sees. That is where the saying, “to see is to believe,” came from. But is that correct? Can you see your mind? No! Does that mean that simply because you can not see your mind you do not believe the existence of your mind? To say that you will not believe unless you see it is a wrong principle. In the Bible, there are words that came from non-believers, and there are also words that came from believers, like the centurion. In Matthew 8:5-10,13 it says— “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him. And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. … And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believeth, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” Those are the words of a person with a very strong faith. He believes that even if Christ would not go to his place, his servant would be healed. No need to touch the TV screen, as a point of contact. Christ simply uttered the word, and the servant was healed. But, was the servant that was healed, a man of faith, or not? He had been bed-ridden, so how could he have faith? How could he believe? Nowadays, preachers who introduce themselves as “men of God,” still instruct their ailing viewers or listeners, to touch their radio or TV set, if they want to be healed. That is plain “acting.” When Christ healed the servant, He did not have to go to the house of the centurion. He only said the word, and the servant was healed. And Christ healed even the non-believers. Unlike today when pretentious pastors act to show they are men of God, then, they must have the capacity to heal all of those who are sick. They must prove that they can do what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. They are just fooling the people. Even the Passion (“Pasyon”) gave a stern warning against false pastors: “Ang mga pagmimilagro (The miracles that they perform) Tutulungan ng demonyo (will be assisted by the devil)

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

Anopa’t mangangabayo (He will go riding a horse) At dito sa buong mundo (And in this whole world) Maghahari itong lilo (This deceiver will reign) They are very dangerous, my fellowmen. Please, take caution. Going back to our topic, definitely, there are contradictions that can be read in the Bible, inasmuch as not everything that it contains came from God. The Bible is a compilation of all the events. The Bible contains the words of those who are on the side of God; there are also words coming from those who are against God. As there are words coming from the preachers of God, there are also words from the preachers of the devil. It contains words from the prophets of God, and also words from false prophets. It contains the words of man, the words of animals, and the words of plants. In fact, King Solomon was able to converse with a plant. Others might say, “That is not true! How can a plant talk?” Recently, it was discovered in Japan, through modern technology, that a plant has the capacity to listen and to feel. Scientists placed a connecting rod and sensor to the plant, and they played a jubilant music. As a result, the plant became happy. But when they played a melancholic music, the plant also became sad. The leaves began to wither. That is why, if you are growing flowering plants, you must talk to them. You should also talk to animals. There are also things that make pigs happy. Try playing fast music in the pigpen, and see how the pigs relish their food. But try playing a solemn and somber music, and probably the pigs will no longer eat with gusto. What the Japanese discovered about plants and animals must be true. Just try observing your pet dog at home. If a stranger comes to your house, it will surely bark. But once you try stopping him, the dog will obey. In the Bible, King Solomon understood the language of the plants and animals. St. Paul, on the other hand, understood the language of the angels. This is the reason why we are saying that the Bible is a compilation of every truth regarding life here on earth and in the heavens. In other words, there are many speakers in the Bible, but not all utterances came from God. For that reason, we cannot claim that there are no flaws in the Bible, because there are pronouncements here which came from the non-believers. Like what we can read in Job 22:15— “Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?” When this part was read by those who lacked understanding of the Bible, they readily remarked, “Those who are in Eli Soriano’s Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) are wicked!” Simply because they read that, “the old way was trodden by wicked men,” they already made a sweeping conclusion. Obviously, the ones who said that verse were not using their heads. If that pronouncement really came from God, then, by all means, we will not be against it. But, it did not! Now, if God will be asked, what did He say about the “old path”? In Jeremiah 6:16, it says— “Thus said the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” God said that, the old path is the good way. Let us study some claims that the old way was trodden by wicked men? Did that statement come from God, or from somebody else? In studying the Bible, we have to find the speaker. Then, with whom the speaker is talking with, and the time the conversation happened. You have to establish all these details to see and understand the truth. For example, did God really say, “Be fruitful and multiply?” Yes, He did! But the question is: to whom did He say it? Was it to the drunkard? If that is the case, then, the earth will be filled with drunkards! There might be a shortage of liquor, when it happens. Was God, then, talking to the drug addict? In the Bible, let us read to confirm with whom was God talking to (Genesis 6:13-14,17)— “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without pitch. … And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.” Was humanity wiped out, or not? How many were left? Eight: Noah and his household. All the wicked were eliminated. And after the universal deluge, God spoke to Noah. Genesis 9:1 says— “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Who was God talking to? God was addressing the upright men. Otherwise, if he was also addressing the wicked why then did He have to eliminate the rest of mankind? The ones who were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply” were the 8 upright souls – Noah and his family. The problem is, even those who lack sense of responsibility, even the jobless who have nothing to feed their children, thought that they were also being commanded to multiply! This world will become a miserable and a despicable place if it will be filled with irresponsible people. The commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply,” concerned only a particular group of people at a particular period of time. Do not interpret the Bible by yourself because your interpretation may be wrong! What do we mean to say? If you are going to study the Bible, you must bear in mind that the Bible contains the words of God. And, although it is a revelation of the Almighty, although it is a compilation of old truths about men and God, it also contains pronouncements which did not come from God. It also contains words that contradict God’s words.

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

But we are not concerned about those. Our main concern is the words of God written in the Bible. And how are we to know whether a pronouncement came from God? Proverbs 8:8-9 says— “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.” In the Bible, King Solomon understood the language of the plants and animals. St. Paul, on the other hand, understood the language of the angels. This is the reason why, we are saying that, the Bible is a compilation of every truth regarding life here on earth and in the heavens. In other words, there are many speakers in the Bible, and not all utterances came from God. For that reason, we cannot claim that there are no flaws in the Bible, because there are pronouncements here, which came from the non-believers. Like what we can read in Job 22:15, “Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?” When this part was read by those who lacked understanding of the Bible, they readily remarked, “Those who are in Soriano’s Dating Daan (the Old Way) are wicked!” Simply because they read that, they old way was trodden by wicked men, they already made a sweeping conclusion. Obviously, the ones who said that were not using their heads. If that pronouncement really came from God, then, by all means, we will not be against it. But, it did not! Now, if God will be asked, what did He say about the “old way”? In Jer. 6:16, it says, “Thus said the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” God said that, the old path is the good way. But, why was there a claim that the old way was trodden by wicked men? Did that statement come from God, or from somebody else? In studying the Bible, you have to find out first who is the one speaking. And then, verify who is he talking to, and when did it happen. You have to establish all these details first for you to see and understand the truth. For example, did God really say, “Be fruitful and multiply?” Yes, He did! But the question is, to whom did He say it? Was it to the drunkard? If that is the case, then, the earth will be filled with drunkards! There might be a shortage of liquor, when it happens. Was God, then, talking to the drug addict? Why don’t we read the Bible to confirm, whom was God talking to. In Gen. 6:13-14,17, it says, “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without pitch. … And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.” Was humanity wiped out, or not? How many were left? Eight: Noah and his

How the Bible differ from other books? Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano

household. All the wicked were eliminated. And after the universal deluge, God spoke to Noah. Gen. 9:1 says, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Who was God talking to? God was addressing the upright men. Otherwise, if he was also addressing the wicked, why, then, did He have to eliminate the rest of mankind? The ones who were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply” were the 8 upright souls – Noah and his family. The problem is, even those who lack sense of responsibility … even the jobless, who have nothing to feed their children, thought that they were also being commanded to multiply! This world will become a miserable and a despicable place if it will be filled with irresponsible people. The commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply,” concerned only a particular group of people … at a particular period of time. Do not interpret the Bible by yourself. Chances are, your interpretation is wrong! What do I mean to say? If you are going to study the Bible, you must bear in mind that, although the Bible contains the words of God. And, although it is a revelation of the Almighty … although it is a compilation of old truths about men and God, it also contains pronouncements, which did not come from God. It also contains words that contradict God’s words. But we are not concerned about those. Our main concern is the words of God, written in the Bible. And how are we to know whether a pronouncement came from God? Prov. 8:8-9 says, “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.”