Good News!

I've been wanting to write for a while now, and now I have so much to say I don't know where to start. First of all let me announce that I am 7 weeks pregnant (I only found out this week, which is weird as I thought I'll know immediately) – long story but needless to say we are delighted, ecstatic, humbled, thankful and a little nervous. I thought I'll get to print a baby grow for the little one that says 'Made in China' (since we traveled there last month) but luckily for him/her, it won't be necessary now. This baby is proudly South African, and it seems the due date is pretty much the week of my birthday. And to top it all my sister, Hilde, is also expecting her 3rd! She is 10 weeks now, so double the joy! Wow God is full of surprises! What a gift!!! Just as you think He has forgotten about you, you realise that His timing is perfect! We also want to thank all our friends and even people we don't know so well, for being so happy for us. A baby is always a happy tiding, but everyone seems extra super excited for us, which is so great! We really are very blessed to have you all in our lives! We are praying for a good pregnancy and safe delivery.

  

I've been wanting to write about the legitimacy of the Bible, the existence of God and the disputed deity of Jesus. So lets dig into this very worthy topic, that should take at least some time of careful thought for everyone on the face of this earth, whether Christian (you need to know why you believe what you believe), Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, New Ager, agnostic or atheist.

 

We are just about halfway between the resurrection and the ascension on the Christian calendar now. Of Jesus, that is -  the most famous religious/historical figure in the history of the world. How do we know that He actually existed? How do we know what we are told about Him is legit? Jew, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist will call him a prophet or a good man. Agnostics will say that no one can know for sure who he actually was, or if he even existed. Atheists also deny that he was more than a mere mortal like you and me, or they might also try and convince themselves that he is a fragment of people's imaginations, no more than a folk tale, a superstition or part of a conspiracy. How can we know the truth for sure? Some people believe that anyone who claims to be sure about anything concerning this life, and especially the next are arrogant, judgemental, or just unrealistic. Anyone who claims that the Bible is more than just a book with some helpful hints and fascinating stories and fables are labelled 'gullible'. 

I heard a boy at a coffee shop at the airport during our recent travels, ask his chaperone what he believes. The guy said he's not an atheist, and not a believer (in other words agnostic). He doesn't think that any of us can really know what goes for what - we are too small and unimportant compared to the universe. So they basically agreed that they believe in the big bang. I regret not barging in on the conversation to try and shed a light on a few things that I believe one can be sure of. I regretfully missed that opportunity but will now spill my thoughts here, please bear with me all you people of the human race with logical thinking abilities.

First of all, from a historical point of view - how can we trust the accuracy of the Bible? Even if we can, its so ancient, you might say, it can't possibly still be relevant today. Lets think about it. How do we know anything from history? How do we know that people from 100 years ago, 200 years ago or the previous millennium really existed? None of us were there! Obviously we have historical records. Someone recorded events about that person's life or they kept a diary or wrote letters that was saved for the next generations. Any literature of note was copied by scribes as accurately as possible onto tablets, animal skins or papyrus, until the printing press was invented in the 15th century.  Have you ever heard anybody question the existence of Columbus, Newton or Napoleon? Off course not. We know they existed because either they penned some information or there were eyewitnesses who recorded the events, and the information was preserved for many generations to come. 

The Bible consist of 66 different books, penned by 40 different authors. The books of the Old Testament record historical events of over 1000 years. It starts with the creation of the world and ends with the prophet Malachi promising that the next big event will be Jesus coming to the Temple (Mal 3:1) and that the next prophet will be John the Baptist (Mal 4:4-6), who would prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament starts with Jesus' birth (after 400 years of silence after Malachi's prophesies) and records Jesus' life, death and resurrection, as well as the first Church (body of believers) and how the news of Jesus was spread in the ancient world. It also contains the letters of instruction and encouragement to the Churches of different areas and ends with more prophesies by the apostle John in the book of Revelation.

The accuracy of historical manuscripts are measured according to certain criteria. The New Testament, for example, by far outweighs any of the other ancient manuscripts from the same era in terms of both the number of transmitted copies we possess and their proximity in date to the original. Manuscripts written by ancient figures like Plato, Ceasar and Aristotle have less than 10 discovered copies available, dating from roughly 500-900 years after the original writings, whereas the New Testament has over 14 000 discovered copies in different languages like Greek, Latin, Syraic, etc, dating from roughly the same generation as when it was originally written. In other words, the accuracy of the original writings to what we have today cannot be disputed. 

How do we know that what was written is factual and not just stories and fables? Lets first look at all the prophesies. More than 300 prophesies written on Jesus alone has come to pass. Not 300 out of 400, or more or less in accuracy. No, all of the prophesies, some containing seemingly unimportant details about Jesus, how He would die and the resurrection, came true 100%. No man other than the true prophets of God can say that everything they have predicted have come true. Only someone who knows the future can have that type of track record. Only God knows the future without fail, it is something even Einstein cannot figure out. So only people who were truly told by God what to say can possibly have known all the details hundreds of years in advance. Here are a few examples: Seven hundred years before Jesus' birth, Isaiah promised that Jesus' mother would be a virgin who would conceive by a miracle. (Is 7:14, fulfillment Matt 1:18-23)  Isaiah also predicted that Jesus would die and be buried in a rich man's tomb. (Is 53:8-9; Matt 27:57-60; Luk 23:46)

Seven hundred years before Jesus' birth, Micah promised that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. (Mic 5:2, fulfillment Luke 2:1-7) 

Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Zechariah promised that Jesus would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. (Zech. 11:12-13, Matt 26:14-15) 

One thousand years before the birth of Jesus, David promised that lots would be cast for Jesus' clothing (Ps 22:18; John 19:23-24) and that Jesus would be crucified (this was hundreds of years before crucifixion was even invented) (Ps 22:16; Luke 23:33)

Like I said, there are hundreds more. So if the books of the Bible are historically accurate (something not easily disputed), these prophesies had to be inspired by Someone who knows the future and in His providence caused all events to come together so that they can be fulfilled up to the letter.

So the Bible was written by people who could make mistakes. Yes, all people make mistakes. But God works through them nonetheless. How would you have preferred God to reveal Himself to humankind? He created the world (something we observe everyday) with details so intricate that no-one in their right mind (or shall I say no-one who is prepared to go to extremes and do anything EXCEPT bow their knee to the true God) can ignore it. Study any animal and you will see how they were designed for survival to the most creative details. Consider the miraculous eyesight of the eagle and the camouflaging abilities of the chameleon, the Owl-butterfly or the locust? How do you explain the reproduction process? Its intricate and miraculous, no-one can comprehend it. To attribute these things to a big bang needs a lot of gullibility. Its just unrealistic, no matter how you look at it. I will even call it arrogant, because I am humbled to tears when I learn about these things. God is BIG and we are small - that's all I can think about. That's the only way we can explain these things, unless you BELIEVE in a very low probability.

Is the Bible still relevant today? If the Bible is really about God revealing Himself to humankind, the time in history He does so is of no importance. Not only does God reveal himself to us every day by the wonderful complex design of the universe and life on this earth, He also gave us prophesies and symbols throughout the Bible as a clue that He would come down into human history as a Man, as The Saviour. And when He came down, He continued to see that everything gets recorded by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in His providence ensured that it is preserved for future generations, so that nobody can say they didn't know. There is indeed no excuse for our generation to stay naive on this matter. The Bible proves itself to be true. It even says of itself that it will stand the test of time, that it is unlike any book that was or will ever be written and that it will last forever because it is from God (Ps 18:30; Prov 30:5; Is 40:8) And here we are today still talking about it. No way! No other religious book in human history contains even one prophesy that came to pass.

Its one big conspiracy, you say. Why would it be? If someone was in it for the fame or fortune I could believe it, but not the prophets of the Old Testament nor the Apostles in the New Testament got anything out of it. In fact, they lived terrible lives, often being persecuted, jailed or murdered for what they said and believed. What idiots they would be if they were not obeying the Almighty God? What else would be worth dying for? Having a man claim that He is God, die a brutal death and be resurrected on the third day must be the biggest news event in the history of the world. Have you ever heard of anything similar? The eyewitnesses who wrote the gospels acted as the news reporters of the day. There was nothing in it for them if they made it up (or if they wrote down stories to make the prophesies of the old testament seem true). Why would they try and make a prophet that lived 700 years before them look credible? Why would people like John, Paul and Peter endure hate speech, being thrown in jail and being murdered if they just made it all up?

Theres no relative truth. Truth is absolute by definition. Jesus is either God or He is not. If He is not God as He said He is, he's not a good man, a good example or a prophet. Then he'd simply be a liar. A stupid liar, because if he simply admitted that he is not God, he could have saved himself from a brutal, inhumane, shameful and unnecessary death. Jesus was killed by the religious leaders of his day because they accused Him of blasphemy against God (because He called himself God). Only a stupid man would persist that he is God if he is not, if he knows its gonna get him killed.

On the other hand, if Jesus is God, in the flesh, sent by the Father God in the big Redemption Plan, as orchestrated from the very beginning, to save us from our sin, which leads to eternal death, the offer of salvation is just like the best offer on the planet, ever, and God deserves our all. Repent of your sins today and put your trust in Jesus. Don't just believe that he existed, trust Him as the only way to salvation and you will not be a stupid man. We need Him to bail us out because our sin is against Him, the God of the universe, who holds our planet in its circuit and our breath in His hands. He will trade your sin for His righteousness and you will not have to carry the punishment for your sins forever in the lake of fire called Hell. Its not fair but that's how much God loves us. 

If you have any questions about the legitimacy of the Bible or the existence of God or if there are open ends that you think don't tie up, please feel free to leave an anonymous comment. I will try to find an answer for you if I don't know myself. Just remember - even the most clever of us can't match up with the God of the universe, so if we don't understand, its best to ask humbly rather than to rebel against God.