Tough Questions

The answer is actually "Yes", the Bible could have been changed years ago. So what we need in order to show that the Bible has not been changed is a "Time Capsule" of some sort, written before Jesus was here, which contains these same prophecies.

In the years 1947-1949 such a "Time Capsule" was found. Very old scrolls, written over 125 years before Jesus was on this earth were discovered in caves located close to the Dead Sea. These scrolls are commonly known today as the "Dead Sea Scrolls".

The writing on these scrolls could not have been changed recently because the scrolls are extremely brittle. In fact, many of these actually fell apart when they were opened.

All of the book of Isaiah was discovered and translated. (The book of Isaiah contains many prophecies that point directly to Jesus.)

The conclusion is that our Bible is 98½ percent textually pure. Through all the copying of the Biblical manuscripts of the entire Bible, only 1½% has any question about it. Nothing in all of the ancient writings of the entire world approaches the accuracy of the biblical documents. The 1½ percent that is in question does not affect doctrine. The areas in question are called variants and they consist mainly in variations of wording and spelling. (As an example, in one chapter of 166 words, only one 3-letter word is in question and it does not make a significant difference to the meaning of the text.)

These ancient scrolls prove that the prophecies written in our Bibles are the same as what was written over 2,000 years ago.

In summary, these scrolls prove that the prophecies in our Bible have not been changed and can be trusted. And in turn, these prophecies prove that every detail in the Bible is accurate, even the stories that seem odd. Stories like the donkey that talked, or 5,000+ people being fed by just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and a Man who walked on water are all stories that are true. We can trust our Bibles, even when we do not completely understand everything it says.

Special Link: Bibleinfo.com (Ask a specific Bible question for a direct-from-the-Bible answer, or just search their list of common Bible questions. Either way, this is a very helpful website.)

You need to ask yourself if you can prove anything, even that the computer you are sitting at right now didn't just grow, or appear out of thin air. No one can prove to you, beyond a "shadow" of a doubt, that these things were built by humans. (Even if you put your computer together yourself, you did not make all the pieces, nor see them all being made by humans.) There are some things that we just know. You can prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that these things were built by humans, but not beyond all doubt.

You can also prove "beyond a reasonable doubt", that God really does exist, but not beyond all doubt. Even if we actually saw God with our own eyes we could find a reason to doubt. Here is a quote that helps us to understand what is being said:

God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith. Steps to Christ, page 105

ÿ When we speak of faith, there is a distinction that should be borne in mind. There is a kind of belief that is wholly distinct from faith. The existence and power of God, the truth of His word, are facts that even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny. The Bible says that "the devils also believe, and tremble;" but this is not faith. James 2:19. Where there is not only a belief in God's word, but a submission of the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith--faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Steps to Christ, page 63

For more encouragement read the chapter, "What to Do with Doubt"

As stated before, please follow the links on the "Purpose Page" to the places where many examples of these evidences, called "prophecies", are listed. These "evidences" are not limited to Bible prophecies, though. Nature gives us many additional evidences that there really is a Master Designer, an amazing and loving God.

Its a fair question. At first glance it seems that God needs our praises to boost His self image or something, but let's think about this question some more. What's in it for God when we give Him all the glory? Is He really needing the praise, or is it because He is wanting to see the correct attitude in us?

When we give God real glory and praise it will stem from a heart full of gratitude and love. God wants us to be truly happy and when we are praising Him it is doing us the most good and we actually become happier and that makes God happier. So God wanting all of our praise is actually God wanting the best for us.

Another fair question. Does God hate sin because it made Him look bad? What's wrong with having a little "fun" now and then? It doesn't hurt anyone does it?

Actually, yes it does hurt someone. Sin is the breaking of one of God's laws and sin eventually will kill anyone who sins. In fact, sin caused the death of the only Person on earth who never sinned, Jesus. It may take awhile to see the results of sin, but if any of the 10 commandments are broken the end result is always death. Sin is a very bad thing (not just because God said so).

Let's look at an example. Let's say that "using God's name in vain" is the law that gets broken. Seems like such a little thing, but when we use God's name lightly we are really setting ourselves above God. We are saying that we do not need Him and that we do not need anything that He could possibly give us (even though all good things come from Him). So are we saying that we can live without the sun, the rain, the plants that provide our food, or even without the air we have been given to breath? We wouldn't have a chance, we would be dead in seconds.

Here's another example. The commandment that tells us we must honor our father and our mother seems like such a little thing too, yet if we fail to bring honor to our parents it is because we are failing to be good to ourselves (we are not letting ourselves be really happy). Again, God wants us to be happy. If we don't care about our parents then we will not be truly happy. A lack of happiness in a life leads to depression and eventually it will lead to self-murder in one form or another. In other words, it will eventually lead to death.

So, does God hate sin because it made Him look bad, or does He hate sin because of what it does to the one who sins?

The answer, of course, is that Jesus hates sin because it kills those He loves! And He loves us so much that He was willing to die (He took sin's end result, death.) so that we can live and be happy. This was the only way that sin could be eradicated from His entire universe and protect all those who trust Him! So put your trust in Him and don't sin anymore. (Remember that without Jesus we cannot do anything. So we cannot just quit sinning on our own, but He promised us that with His help we can do anything. So ask Him to eradicate sin from your life and then let Him do it. And don't resist when He tries to make those changes either.)

(To see this from a totally different perspective, view the PowerPoint presentation called The Big Picture.)

In order to understand the reason for so much suffering you need to look at the "big picture". Try to understand what would happen if God did not allow these things to happen. (You should find that studying The Trial of God timeline will help you understand this whole subject better.)

If you are trying to understand why God is letting "bad" things happen to you, think about this:

"...nothing befell Him [Christ] but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us. He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. The blow that is aimed at him falls upon the Savior, who surrounds him with His presence. Whatever comes to him comes from Christ. He has no need to resist evil, for Christ is his defense. Nothing can touch him except by our Lord's permission, and 'all things' that are permitted 'work together for good to them that love God.' Romans 8:28." Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, page 71

Remember also that it is not God who is the destroyer of life, but the Devil. God wants to give us life, not take it away. The Bible puts it this way, "...your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter 5:8 and "The thief [the Devil] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly." John 10:10