The Bible is From God

Super Sunday – Lesson 3

• ArcheologyArcheology – is from two words (archos – ancient) and (logos – discourse) = the study of human culture through recovery and analysis of documents and artifacts.

• Can the things we find in the earth, buried for centuries, prove the Bible is from God? YES!

• Why are they still there?Why are they still there?– DRY – In many areas of

the Middle East the rainfall is less than one half of one inch per year.

– SAND AND WIND – Things and even buildings are quickly buried in sand by the windstorms

• What do archeologists find?What do archeologists find?

• Documents – scrolls, parchments, writings on clay, stone, monuments

• Cities – whole cities have been buried in the sand, abandoned because of disease (Ephesus) or destroyed by invasion

• What do archeologists find?What do archeologists find?

• Artifacts – dishes, pottery, coins, tools, household items, furniture

• The rest of this lesson will look at The rest of this lesson will look at some of the discoveries that have some of the discoveries that have proved the Bible to be from God.proved the Bible to be from God.

• Dead Sea Dead Sea Scrolls Scrolls

• Qumran was occupied from 250 BC to about 150 BC

• Copied OT Scriptures

• Dead Sea Dead Sea Scrolls Scrolls

• Isaiah scroll was most important

• More than 1,000 years older then any known copy

• Preserved in clay jars

• Dead Sea Dead Sea Scrolls Scrolls

• Many coins found

• Emperor’s picture on coins

• Type of inks used help to date the time of the scrolls

• Moabite StoneMoabite Stone

• A German missionary discovered this stone in 1868

• It recorded an event from 850 BC

• Moabite StoneMoabite Stone

• King Mosha, king of Moab was in subjection to Israel

• This stone names Omri as king of Israel

• This event is recorded in 1 Kings 16:16

• BelshazzarBelshazzar

• The Bible teaches that Belshazzar was the last king of Babylon – Daniel 5:22; Daniel 7:1

• Critics said the Bible was wrong

• The last records showed that Nabonidus was king of Babylon

• Is the Bible in error here?Is the Bible in error here?

• BelshazzarBelshazzar• In 1876, Sir Henry Rawlinson

discovered more than 2,000 tablets relating to Nabonidus

• Nabonidus decided to travel and appointed his son, Belshazzar to be king in his absence

• They were co-regents for several years.

• Here is one of the tablets now known as the Nabonidus Chronicles.

• We now know that the Bible was correct. Belshazzar was king of Babylon

• Sargon IISargon II

• Isaiah 20:1 - In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it,

• For centuries – there was NO RECORD of any king of Assyria named Sargon.

• Sargon IISargon II •A team of archeologists were walking along in the desert.•One stubbed his toe on a stone.•As the sand was swept away they realized it was a stairway.•The stairway led to a room.

• Sargon IISargon II •Another room and then another room.•Sargon’s name on the walls•There was a huge entrance arch which led to the main palace.•THIS WAS THE THIS WAS THE PALACE OF SARGON!PALACE OF SARGON!

• Sargon IISargon II•The entire palace had a wall around•Here is a long section of the original wall.

• Sargon IISargon II

•Around the outer wall was a large moat with bridges that could be closed if under attack

• Sargon IISargon II •The entire area has now been excavated

•It is a 72 room palace

•Sargon’s name and exploits are all over the walls

• Sargon IISargon II •On the wall was the description of how Sargon captured Samaria (the capital city of Israel in the divided kingdom)

•SARGON REALLY DID SARGON REALLY DID EXISTEXIST

•Isaiah was right all the time.

• There are dozens more similar examples that could be given

• But I hope that these examples have given you a renewed assurance that the Bible is from God.

• It could not be the product of man – because many of these points would have been missed.

• You can be assured that:– The Bible is accurate in detail– The Bible is correct in names and

places– The Bible gives information that is

without error– THE BIBLE IS FROM GODTHE BIBLE IS FROM GOD