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Study Guide 1: Is There Anything Left You Can Trust?
The Bible is not a collection of men's ideas. Its writers were guilded by the Holy Ghost 1. What does the Bible claim about itself?
The Bible says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." 2 Timothy 3:16. "Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21. "The scripture cannot be broken." John 10:35.

Answer: It claims to be inspired. It was written by men who were guided by the Holy Ghost. It cannot be broken or proved untrue.

Jesus quoted the Bible and stated that it was true. 2. How did Jesus demonstrate His confidence and belief in Scripture?
Jesus said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone." "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." "It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:4, 7, 10. "Thy word is truth." John 17:17.

Answer: Jesus quoted Scripture when meeting the temptations of Satan. He also stated that the Bible is truth (John 17:17). Jesus often quoted Scripture as authority for the truth He was teaching.


3. Do Bible prophecies confirm inspiration?
The Bible says, "I am the Lord . . . new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isaiah 42:8, 9. "I am God . . . Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done." Isaiah 46:9, 10.

Before Cyrus was born, God's Bible prophet named him as the general who would overthrow Babylon Answer: Bible predictions of things to happen in the future confirm the inspiration of Scripture as they come to pass. Notice the following examples of fulfilled Bible prophecies:
  1. Four world empires to arise: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8).
  2. Cyrus to be the warrior to capture Babylon (Isaiah 45:1-3).
  3. After Babylon's destruction, it would never be inhabited again (Isaiah 13:19, 20; Jeremiah 51:37).
  4. Egypt would never again have a commanding position among the nations (Ezekiel 29:14, 15; 30:12, 13).
  5. Earth-shaking calamities and fear toward the end of time (Luke 21:25, 26).
  6. Moral degeneracy and decline of spirituality in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5).


4. Can we expect scientific statements made in the Bible to be accurate?
The Bible says, "Thy word is true from the beginning." Psalm 119:160. "The Spirit . . . will guide you into all truth." John 16:13.

Answer: Yes, the Bible is true. The Holy spirit, who guided the Bible writers, always speaks the truth. Here are a few Bible statements that have been confirmed by science:
  1. "He . . . hangeth the earth upon nothing." Job 26:7. This scientific fact is from Job, the Bible's oldest book.
  2. "He . . . sitteth upon the circle of the earth." Isaiah 40:22. The Bible said the earth is round centuries before man found out.
  3. "To make the weight for the winds." Job 28:25. Long before scientists knew, God said air has weight.
  4. "By Him [Jesus] all things consist." Colossians 1:17. The word "consist" here literally means "hold together" or "cohere." Many Bible translations put it "hold together." This is the answer to the nuclear physicists' worrisome question about the atom. The real mystery of the atom does not involve its benumbing mega-power but rather, "Why doesn't the atom fly apart?" Scientific knowledge says it should, but it doesn't. Some scientists are wondering what puzzling power, completely unknown to them, is holding it together. The Bible says that that mysterious power is the Creator, God Himself.
 
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