The Uniqueness Of The Bible

The Uniqueness of the Bible *The Bible is the eternal word of God. It's unchanging, absolute, supreme, authoritative, infallible, and the pure standard for faith and practice. The Bible is by far the most important book ever written in the history of the word. It is the most loved and hated book of all. There is no question of the Bible's veracity. It consists of 66 books and took 1600 years to create. The authors include 40 people of a multitude of backgrounds like prophets, priests, cupbearers, a king, judges, fishermen, apostles, etc. and it was written on the three continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The Bible has been translated in over 1,200 different languages or dialects along with being faithfully preserved for this long. Theological, Philosophical, and Scientific arguments from both sides have existed in fierce debate of it. I feel it's very accurate and true. Newer archaeology has found more evidence to confirm the Bible more than any ancient document of ancient history. That's a fact. the Bible has the total divine revelation from God to man to use and follow.

I). Sources of copies Compared to other Documents: Dr. F. F. Bruce was the former Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester. He compared various manuscripts. If we were to compare the number of New Testament manuscripts to other ancient writings, we find that the New Testament manuscripts far outweigh the others in quantity:

Author

Date Written

Earliest Copy

Approximate Time Span between original & copy

Number of Copies

Accuracy of Copies

1100 yrs

2

----

750 yrs

7

----

1200 yrs

7

----

800 yrs

8

----

1300 yrs

8

----

800 yrs

8

----

1300 yrs

8

----

Lucretius

died 55 or 53

Pliny

61-113 A.D.

850 A.D.

427-347 B.C. 4th Cent. B.C.

900 A.D. 1100 A.D.

480-425 B.C. 75-160 A.D. 460-400 B.C.

900 A.D. 950 A.D. 900 A.D.

Euripides

480-406 B.C.

1100 A.D.

1300 yrs

9

----

Aristopha nes

450-385 B.C.

900 A.D.

1200

10

----

Caesar

100-44 B.C.

900 A.D.

1000

10

----

Livy

59 BCAD 17

----

???

20

----

circa 100 A.D. 384-322 B.C.

1100 A.D. 1100 A.D.

1000 yrs

20

----

1400

49

----

Sophocles

496-406 B.C.

1000 A.D.

1400 yrs

193

----

Homer (Iliad)

900 B.C.

400 B.C.

500 yrs

643

95%

Plato Demosthe nes Herodotus Suetonius Thucydid es

Tacitus Aristotle

New Testament

1st Cent. A.D. (50-100 A.D.

2nd Cent. A.D. (c. 130 A.D. f.)

less than 100 years

5600

99.5%

It's known that the NT alone has almost 25,000 total copies in existence today for comparison making the Bible very unique and precious. There are presently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. Other biblical scholars have maintained that proposition such as Sir Frederic Kenyon, one of the great authorities in the field of New Testament textual criticism: “The internal, then, between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation, for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament maybe regarded as finally established.” (Sir Frederic Kenyon, The Bible and Archaeology, 1940, 288). *The entire NT canon is not missing and the 86,000 quotations from the early church show nearly all of the verses from the NT. Even the great scholar A. T. Robertson said that the real concern over the text are only a thousandth part of the entire text so the NT is 99.9% free of significant variants. The NT Bible has one of its first copy found in about 64 A.D. (or ca. 200 A.D.) with the Magdelean Papyrus, which could be less than 35 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sir David Dalrymple says that all of the early church writings have every quote from the OT except 11 verses. So, yes, I’m very comfortable in believing the accuracy of the word of God. Christians used the OT before the NT was created. The Old Testament was created in that time as you know with the Massoretic text. The NT was developed by consensus among the early Church and NT Bible were formed as early as 147 A.D. with the Peshitta. 157 AD. The Old Latin Vulgate (Old Itala) was created. From 185-220 AD, Origen, born in Alexandria mentions all of the Books of the OT and NT. He makes over 18,000 citations.-250 AD was when the Sadhidic version was created from Upper Egypt. I have faith in God. I trust the Bible because of its accuracy, it‘s origin is very transparent, thousands of ancient and modern copies exist of it, accurate archaeological and scientific information manifest its words, and for other reasons. People died, so we can read it and I will not diminish the courage of men who preserved it like Tyndale, Wycliffe, Coverdale, and others. That's real. It’s hypocritical to doubt if the Bible is historically preserved then won’t question other ancient works when some took centuries to get their first copy alone.

II). Archaeological Accuracy There is now tons of archaeological evidence to validate the Bible. First the NT must be presented and then the OT to be coherent Here’s various evidences: a). The 49 A.D. Claudius expulsion of the Jewish people from Rome is mentioned at Acts 18:2. This is a proven fact from Suetonius’ Life of Claudius at 25:4: The Roman historian Suetonius records such an order: “As the Jews were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus, he banished them from Rome.” It is estimated some 20,000 Jews eventually were expelled, among them Aquila and Priscilla. Both Aquila and Priscilla were key in Paul’s ministry. They gave him a job in Corinth (Acts 18:3), they traveled with him to Ephesus (Acts 18:19) and they sent greetings to the Corinthian friends in one of the church members there (Romans 16:3). F.F. Bruce mentions that Chrestus could have simply been a Jewish troublemaker, but he adds: “It is more likely that [Suetonius] had the Founder of Christianity in mind, but that, writing some seventy years after the event and not being particularly interested in Christian origins, he consulted some record of the riots and imagined wrongly that Chrestus, who was mentioned as the leader of one of the parties concerned, was actually in Rome at the time, taking a prominent part in the strife. In fact, what we have in this statement of Suetonius is the dissension and disorder in the Jewish community at Rome resulting from the introduction of Christianity into one or more of the synagogues of the city” (The International Commentary of the New Testament, 1974, p. 368, “Acts”). This was during the time when the apostle Paul was beginning his trips throughout the Mediterranean world. The Bible cites a key part of Paul’s travels:

“…So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to [their] minister. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name [was] Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God…”(Acts 13:4-7) Now, the Bible says that Paul and Barnabas went from Antioch to Cyprus. Cyrus was Barnabas’ birthplace according to Acts 4:36. Many historical data have validate the background of Cyprus as mentioned in the Bible. Cicero in his Ad Familiaries XIII.48 confirmed that Paphos was indeed the Roman headquarters of Cyprus during Roman rule. Also, Luke is correct in mentioning that Cyprus was governed by a proconsul when Paul and Barnabas visited the island. Cyprus was annexed by the ancient Romans in 55 B.C. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible cites information that: “Cyprus became a senatorial province in 22 B.C., with a governor bearing the title of proconsul, as Acts 13:7 correctly names Sergius Paulus, who received Barnabas and Paul” (1962, Vol. 3, p. 648). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary adds: “That Luke distinguishes correctly between senatorial and imperial provinces and has the former governed by a proconsul on behalf of the senate and the latter governed by a propraetor representing the emperor says much for his accuracy, for the status of provinces changed with the times” (Richard Longenecker, Vol. 9, 1981, notes on Acts 18:12-13, p. 485). Archaeologists have also found evidence indicating Sergius Paulus was indeed a Roman governor of Cyprus. In 1877 an inscription was uncovered a short distance north of Paphos bearing Sergius Paulus’s name and title of proconsul. In 1887 also, Sergius’ name was found on a memorial stone in Rome: “…On a boundary stone of [Emperor] Claudius, his name [Sergius Paulus] is found among others, as having been appointed (A.D. 47) one of the curators of the banks and the channel of the river Tiber. After serving his three years as proconsul at Cyprus, he returned to Rome, where he held the office referred to” (“Sergius Paulus,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Bible Explorer software). William Barclay also confirms that men like Sergius Paulus would consult wizards and fortune tellers, who dealt in magic and spells. Therefore, the Bible is like a historical roadmap to figure out more of the past. The Bible in Acts 18:11-12 have Paul preaching and Gallio (including some Jewish people) rising up against Paul. There is plenty of evidence to show Gallio’s existence. Gallio was the brother of the great Stoic writer named Seneca. Seneca was Emperor Nero’s tutor. Gallio came from Spain and moved into Rome. His real name was Marcus Annaeus Novatus. Gallio is assumed to protect Paul at least temporary in his Gospel spreading: “If Gallio had accepted the Jewish charge,” adds The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “and found Paul guilty of the alleged offense, provincial governors everywhere would have had a precedent, and Paul’s ministry would have been severely restricted. As it

was, Gallio’s refusal to act in the matter was tantamount to the recognition of Christianity as a religio licita [an authorized religion]; and the decision of so eminent a Roman proconsul would carry weight wherever the issue arose again and give pause to those who might want to oppose the Christian movement ... For the coming decade or so, the Christian message could be proclaimed in the provinces of the empire without fear of coming into conflict with Roman law, thanks largely to Gallio’s decision” (Longenecker, p. 486, notes on Acts 18:14-16). Now, there is other archaeological evidence confirming Gallio’s existence as the proconsul of Achaia: At Delphi,” writes Professor McRay, “archaeologists found a stone which probably was once attached to the outer wall of the Temple of Apollo. Inscribed in it is a copy of a letter from Claudius to the city of Delphi, naming Gallio as the friend of Claudius and proconsul of Achaia” (McRay, p. 226). F.F. Bruce says about Gallio: “He left Achaia because of a fever and went on a cruise for his health (Seneca, Moral Epistles, 14.1) ... In 65, along with Seneca and other members of his family, he fell victim to Nero’s suspicions” (The International Commentary of the New Testament, 1974, p. 374, “Acts”). Therefore, when Nero became insane, Gallio was probably murdered. Later, Neo would began murdering innocent Chrsitians after falsely blaming them for the fire in Rome. Most historians believe that Nero started the fire himself. Paul's reference to Erastus as the treasurer of Corinth (Romans 16:23) was thought to be erroneous, but now has been confirmed by a pavement found in 1929 bearing his name. It is because of discoveries such as this that F.F.Bruce states, "Where Luke has been suspected of inaccuracy, and accuracy has been vindicated by some inscriptional evidence, it may be legitimate to say that archaeology has confirmed the New Testament record." b). In 1868, an inscribed store was discovered mentioning Mesha, King of Moab (in Jordan) and his overthrow of Israel, King Omri and has the name of the God of Israel (YHVH) as shown forth in the Holy Bible. According to the historians there were no Hittites at the time of Abraham, thus the historicity of the Biblical accounts describing them was questionable. Now we know from inscriptions of that period that there were 1,200 years of Hittite civilization, much of it corresponding with the Patriarchal period. c). The existence of the Lord Jesus Christ is recorded by Tactius, Josephus, Suetonius, Thallus, Pliny the Younger, the Talmud, Lucian, and others as early as 100 A.D. along with the Bible of course. An inscribed stone was found that refers to Pontius Pilate, named as 'Prefect of Judaea.

d). The Exodus and the plagues to Egypt are shown in the Bible and this is also validated by the recently discovered Ipuwer Papyrus which shows the plagues occurring to Egypt as well. e). There is the campaign of the Assyrian King Sennacherib against Judah. (2 King 18:13-16) which is recorded on Sargon’s II’s palace walls. f). In Caesarea in 1961, two Italian archaeologists excavated an inscription in Latin that read “Pontius Pilate, Perfect of Judea, has presented the Tiberium to the Caesareans.” This was the first non-Biblical reference to Pilate. g). Who can forget the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered by Bedouin boys in January 1947. It ranged from 200 B.C.-200 A.D. and matches in many areas of the Massoretic text of 1000 A.D. It details many OT chapters with verses expecting the Messiah (The Lord Jesus Christ) in prophecy. H). The Bible in Luke's account of Lysanias described him as being the tetrarch of Abiline in about 27 AD (Luke 3:1). An archaeological inscription was found that said Lysanias was the tetrarch in Abila near Damascus at the time that Luke said. It turns out that there had been two people named Lysanias and Luke had accurately recorded the facts. I). There is the location of Capernaum (as mentioned in the verse of Matthew Matt. 17:24).

Capernaum has been identified since 1856 with Tell Hum, and Capernaum has been sporadically excavated for the past 130 years. J). There Ebla tablets were 17,000 tablets from Tell Mardikh (Northern Syria), dating from 2300 B.C., that shows us that a thousand years before Moses, laws, customs and events were recorded in writing in that part of the world. The Tablet also show that the judicial proceedings and case laws were very similar to the Deuteronomy law code (i.e. Deuteronomy 22:22-30 codes on punishment for sex offenses). One tablet mentions and lists the five cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar in the exact sequence which we find in Genesis 14:8! Until these tablets were uncovered the existence of Sodom and Gomorrah had always been in doubt by historians. K). The Beni Hasan Tomb depicts Semitic Asiatics coming into Egypt during a famine. This corresponds to the Biblical account of the plight of the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The ancient Hebrews were called by many names. Recently (from November 2008), archaeologists from Hebrew Universityhave discovered a 3000 year old ostracon with five lines of Hebrew text written in Proto-Canaanite script at the Elah Fortress at Khirbet Qeiyafa. Carbon-14 dating puts this ostracon at the time of King David and the United Kingdom, and the location is in the area where, according to the Bible, David slew Goliath. L). King Cyrus allowed citizens of the empire to practice their native religion, as long as they incorporated the personage of the Persian Great King into their worship (either as a deity or semi-deity, or at the very least the subject of votive offerings and recognition). Further, Cyrus took the bold step of ending "state slavery.” These reforms are reflected in the famous Cyrus Cylinder and Biblical books of Chronicles and Ezra, which state that Cyrus released the Israelites from slavery and granted them permission to return to the Land of Israel. William F. Albright (a renowned archaeologist) says, "The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the 18th and 19th centuries, certain phases which still appear periodically, has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history." M. King David is a real historical figure. King David temporarily united the Kingdom of Judah and Israel. He served Israel more than 3,000 years ago. There is a dedicated and spunky archaelogist named Dr. Eilat Mazar. He is a world authority on Jerusalem's past. He is taking King David out of the pages of the Bible and put him again into living history. Mazar's latest excavation of the city of David in the southern shadow of the Temple Mount has shaken up the archaelogical world. Mazar believes that she has found the Palace of King David. She holds a doctorate in archaeology from Hebrew University, is author of The Complete Guide to the Temple Mount Excavations. She says that she has great joy when the details on the ground match the descriptions of the Bible. She believes that the palace was used for Jewish monarchs until the destruction of the First Temple 450 years later. She found out about a tiny clay item at the site. This was found on the 17th of Tammuz on the fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem before its destrcution. It's a bulla or clay disc. There is a Hebrew script with the name of the sender as a "return address"

used to seal papyrus scroll mail. The bulla presents the name of Yehuchal (or Jehucal) ben Shelmiah, which is mentioned in chapters 37 and 38 of the book of Jeremiah. Yehuchal was one of two emissaries dispatched by King Zedekiah to Jeremiah, asking him to pray for the people during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. In an about-face, chapter 38 tells that Yehuchal was one of four ministers who asked the king to kill Jeremiah, claiming that he was demoralizing the besieged nation with his prophecies of doom and destruction. Yehuchal’s ‘business card’ is actually one of several that have been discovered in the last decade, which give further testimony to the veracity of the biblical account of the king’s court activities prior to Jerusalem's destruction. There is another excavation site that is thought to be the remains of a public building where over 50 bullas have been discovered. They were located under the charred layers of destruction. King Nebuchadnezzar's fires razed the city. These fires ironically acted as a kiln to solidified the clay slays. It shows Hebrew names. 2 of them belong to Biblical character who were contemporaries of Yehuchai. One of these name is Gemaryahu Ben Shafan (show was one of King Jehiakim's scribes). Its chamber Baruch ben Neria read Jeremiah’s words of rebuke and repentance (Jeremiah 36:10). Another name is Azaryahu Ben Hilkiyahu, a member of the family of high priests who officiated before Jerusalem's destruction (1 Chronicles 9:10).” Time after time proves that more archaelogy confirms what the Bible says.

III). Science It might seem very shocking or weird, but even the Bible displays many fundamental Bible facts and realities dealing with science.

a). Pslam 8:8 dictates the paths of the seas or ocean paths (“…... and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas…”) which wasn’t too known for over 2,500 years ago by David. Matthew Maury, a U.S. Naval officer discovered water patterns way after this verse was conceived describing undersea currents. b). Isaiah 40:22 The Earth is round, a sphere: “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth.…” Job 28:25 says that the atmosphere has weight: “…To make the weight for the winds…” c). Job 26:7 This displays that the Earth hangs in space or hangs in nothing but outerspace. d). Leviticus 17:11 This manifests the point of the blood is directly involved in the life of the organism since blood carries all life processes of the body, causes growth, build new walls, grows bone , stores fat, develops flesh, hair, and nails. Blood also help fight disease, repairs your body, and gives life in a strong way. e). Eccelsiastes 1:6-7 The water cycle is conveyed since it describes condensation and evaporation. The sun or a heat source evaporates the water from the ocean, then the water vapors becomes clouds, then fall to the earth as rain, snow, etc. to the oceans to start up again. This wasn’t known until the scientist Galileo found out about it in 1630 A.D. and the writer of Ecclesiastes knew this at 1,000 B.C. Also, Job 26:8, 36:27-28, 37:16 outlines that as well. f). Job 28:25 This verse proclaim that the atmosphere with wind has weight. g). Pslam 102:26 This verse displays the concept of entropy or that energy is running down over time.

IV. The Prophecies of the Bible and the Signs of the End Times: Prophecy written in the Bible just elevates the Bible into a whole other class above many of the ancient religious texts from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, etc. The Bible more exquisitely flows of the future than any other literature and on many occasions. The Bible’s predictions came true in a span of hundreds or even thousands of years in advance. Peter Stoneer, a mathematician and scientist, in his book Science Speaks specified that just 8 out of

300 prophecies which fulfilled about the Messiah Jesus Christ are one in 10^17 chances of coming true. 48 out of just over 300 fulfilled prophecies are 1 in 10^157 chances of transpiring making the Bible very inspired and mightier than the odds. He researched this information extremely carefully as collaborated by the prestigious American Scientific Affiliation stating, “The Mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound and Professor Stone has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way.” Here’s a number of fulfilled prophecies outlined in the Holy Bible. a). Ezekiel 36:24 and Matthew 24:32-34 are references reference to the birth of Israel on May 14, 1948. “…For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land…” - Ezekiel 36:24. The fig tree=Israel is a metaphor that Christ always used to symbolize Israel being a nation realizing the end of the age is near. Thousands of Jewish people have migrated to Israel whether apostate Zionist extremists or authentic Messianic Jewish individuals or Jewish Christians honorably worshipping the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel is a testament to the validity of Bible prophecies. b). Ezekiel 26:16 outlines the destruction of the city of Tyre is outlined here and this was prophesied by Ezekiel in 586 B.C. The fulfillment came when Nebucchadnezzar destroyed the inland city of Tyre and Alexander the Great ruined the island plus even the re-built city of Tyre. Even today, the old site of Tyre is nothing more than a location where fishermen spread their nets. c). Matthew 24:7, Luke 2:11 Earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and hostile folly will plague mankind and now it has. Earthquakes have certainly increased in this world more than anytime in human history. From 1800-1900, 645 earthquakes existed and from 1900-1994, 1845 earthquakes existed. The crazy fact is that from 1994-2000 in just 6 years, there were 1163 earthquakes, which is 175.2 times higher than the ones from 1800-1900. I have to mention the newer earthquakes near Richmond, Virginia, the 6.5 Richter scale earthquake in Central California, and the earthquake killing thousands of innocent people in Iran all occurring just in late December 2003 alone!!! Prophecy is here. AIDS, SARS, STDs, Anthrax, mad cow disease, ricin, flu, biological warfare, etc. in the 20th-21st centuries and beyond have formulated more than all plagues in recorded history combined. Millions are dead in just 100 years. d). Matthews 24:6 Wars are common place now especially after when we were attacked in 9/11 with those hijackers having connections to the Western government. 8,000 treaties have been made and broken, on any day soldiers are fighting in 30-40 nations, 7 million people died since the 1970’s due to war, and over 100 million people have died in all wars during the 1900’s including the reign of Communism at Vietnam, Russia, China, Angola, China, etc.

e). Daniel 12:4 The time of the end is now with knowledge increasing at an unheard of rate. In 1991, knowledge doubled every 10 years and now it doubles in every 22 months. f). Nahum 2:4 is a verse that some believe describes the fast travel of vehicles in the future (even modern vehicles or chariots could be mentioned in that verse). The Some Biblical scholars believe that the Bible described flying vehicles or airplanes in prophecy. g). Matthews 24:2 Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and it happened along with its Second Temple at 70 A.D. when Roman armies under Titus killed 1.1 million Jewish people for 143 days. Josephus, the great Jewish historian, even recounted his very destruction and wrote about Christ. Josephus recounted that the city wall was, “so completely leveled with the ground that there was no longer anything to lead those who visited the spot to believe that it had ever been inhabited.” It is said that through the burning of the city, the gold in the temple melted and the greedy soldiers literally took the stone apart, piece by piece, to find it. h). Psalm 22:16 The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is shown here. This was written at 1020 B.C.-970 B.C. centuries before the Persians, Greeks, and the Romans invented crucifixions. This was fulfilled on Mark 15:25 plus ton of other verses. Over 300 prophecies exist describing the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. i). Revelation 9:21 Drug increase is made manifest. Sorceries is from the Greek word

Pharmacia meaning drugs or an enactment with drugs like alcohol, cocaine, tobacco, marijuana, heroin, etc. which are all evil inheritably in drug use. Therefore we use a pharmacy as a location to receive drugs. j). Revelation 3:13-17 The majority of the Christian churches today are lukewarm through Satan, the United Nations, WCC (World Council of Churches), ecumenicalism, etc. Many churches have compromised and even accepted abortion, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity among youth, adultery, pornography, evil sexual lusts, effeminate males, laziness, false doctrines, false doctrines like being rich=favor by God, racism, etc. as legitimate concepts to embrace. ‘Tis better to go to an independent, Post-Tribulational Church to acquire real truth and real doctrines. k). Genesis 11:4-7, Revelation 13:5-8 The formation of the one world government or the New World Order is just here. There are dozens of speeches orated by President George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, and others constantly referring to a “New World Order.” The Bible says that the Anti-Christ will head the global government as its ruler with the Satanic United Nations having a say in the one-world government as well. NAFTA, WTO, American Union, GATT, ASEAU, and the European Union (with its natural coin called the Euro Dollar formed at January 1, 2003) are basically the foundational groups for the coming one world government. K). The Bible predicts the end of the ancient Egyptian Empire as an international superpower: “…And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt... It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.” ( Ezek 29:14-15) L). 1 Timothy 4:1-3 describe moral values being broken down in the latter days: “…Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils... Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth…” Today in 2009, we see tons of groups like PETA bashing even voluntary meat eating. There are those who refusing to marry for the sake of having selfish interests. There is nothing wrong with not marrying if you wish, yet it’s a problem when that is utilized as an excuse to fulfill immoral desires. There is also a problem with having mandatory celibacy among clergy too. 2 Timothy 3:2 says that: “…But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…” This prophecy is very evidence today when you look at Television and the establishment’s entertainment industry promoting moral relativism and nihilism.

M). Jesus Christ predicted that: "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many." As found in Matthew 24:11. N). Matthew 24:14 says that: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." This means that the end of this age won’t come until the Gospel will be preached to all people in the world. O). Scoffers and mockers of Bible prophecy will exist especially about the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:1-18 says that: “…1This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord

will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know

these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in

grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen…” Here’s another example of scoffing. A Military study is in error indeed. An U.S. Army major said that Evangelical Christians beliefs ought not to be expressed. A research paper was written by an U.S. Army major for the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenanworth, Kansas is calling for Americans to lose the evangelical Christian belief of pre-millennialism because of the damage it does to the nation's foreign interests. Maj. Brian L. Stuckert wrote of this in his 2008 course requirement at the school for military officers. Stuckert falsely equates believing in the millennium as being extreme. There is nothing wrong with having a cogent Middle Eastern policy, but learning about biblical prophecy isn't extremist. The Bible clearly supports Israel as God's chosen nation, there is a 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ, and there is the ultimate victory for God. Yet, this major wants to ignore that. Robert Baumann, director of the graduate degree program at Fort Leavenworth told WND it was simply an "academic paper" like works at any college across the nation, "which is to say it reflects the author's own opinions." Bauman claims that his paper has no institutional consequences and it solely represents the views of the author. . "Gratuitous criticisms of a religious point of view would not pass academic muster unless it was evidence based and argument based," he told WND. Some like blogger John McTernan called it: "...the most dangerous document to believers that I have ever read in my entire life." Stuckert believes in the evil U.N., which has been involved in pro-abortion, pro-population control policies, and promotes an anti-national sovereignty mindset. So, Stuckett wants to suck up to the United Nations (and falsely equating believing in prophecy as being equal to paranoia and pessimism). So, this man is a liar. Now, the apostate religious crowd and ecumenicals from Emergent

Churches are demonizing prophecy Christians. This is the new anti-Christian movement. taking: ‘The leader of the nation’s largest Lutheran has called for a global Christian council to address an “identity crisis” on how churches interpret and understand the Bible. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America … called for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches to come together to combat a fundamentalist-millenialist-apocalypticist reading of Scripture’ [Religious News Service, Aug. 11, 2005]. They want to bash anyone believing in the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ after the Tribulation. Bishop Hanson believes that a global ecumenical group made up of Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans is the answer to the crisis he sees. They can have that Ecumenical group while people like us will stick to what the Bible says about prophecy. Tony Campolo and McLearn also believe in reject end times prophecies. The Preterist heresy ironically has been created by the Jesuits in the modern era.

*More and more prophecies can be presented, but these portions are strident. Other prophecies include microchip technology (or the Mark of the Beast), atomic, or nuclear weaponry, scoffers, public displays of persecutions of Christians as the Bible says embracing “the doctrine of devils”, television could be used as the whole world witnessing the execution of the death of the 2 witnesses (Elijah and Enoch), etc. The end of the Tribulation will be the resurrection, the coming of the New Millennium, final victory of Jesus Christ, the New Jerusalem, and a New Heaven and a New Earth with a peaceful eternity with Almighty God. Now that’s the truth and real prophecy in front of your eyes. By Timothy

March 10, 2009