Proof of The Bible’s Divine Inspiration

Proof of Divine Inspiration

Biblical inspiration is defined as the work
of the Holy Spirit by which, without setting
aside their personalities and literary or human
faculties, God so guided the authors of Scripture
as to enable them to write exactly the words
which convey His truth to men, and in doing so
preserved their judgements from error in the
original manuscripts.

The Word of God as given to us in the Bible
is a product of two free agents, human and divine.
Through (fallible) human authors, God manifested
the infallible and errorless writings, which
convey His messages.

A natural question is, why God chooses to have
humans write the Bible; couldn’t He write the
Bible Himself much like what He did in inscribing
the Ten Commandments on the tablets?

Wouldn’t  this have been an easier way of preserving
the accuracy of the Bible, instead of through the
hands of fallible men?

Although God is sovereign and can do anything
by Himself, He chooses to have humans interact
in His plan. This is one of the biggest
differences between Christianity and other
religions; with God reaching down to man,
instead of man reaching up to Him.

We have seen many examples in the Bible,
which God chooses to have human interaction.

We learn from 2 Timothy 3:16 that the entire
Bible is inspired by God, not just partially.

The process of inspiration is described in
2Peter 1:21, ‘for prophecy never came by the
will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit.’

The word ‘moved’ in 2 Peter 1:21 is the same word
used in Acts 27:15-17, meaning that the boat was
‘moved’ or ‘borne’ by the wind.  While the crews
(human authors) on the boat have full freedom of
steering the boat, the motion of the boat is
entirely borne by the wind (God’s holy spirit)
in a storm.  The use of this word indicates that
the Holy Spirit completely superintended the
human author in the process of recording His words.

It is important to point out that inspiration was
not a mechanical dictation of the Scripture to the
authors.  The authors are free to express their
emotions and style in the writing.  It is also
important to mention that only the Autographs
(the original written documents) are inspired.

Throughout the Old Testament it was mentioned
repeatedly that the Scripture is the word of God
(Jer 1:9, 31:2; 2 Sam 23:2; 1 Kings 20:13). 

God also instructed His spokesmen to write the
message down (Ex 17:14; Jer 30:2). 

Another strong proof for the inspiration of
the Bible is the fulfillment of the prophecies,
particularly those relating to Jesus
(His birth- Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2;
His impalement- Psalm 22:16-17, Isaiah 53:12;
and His resurrection- Psalm 16:10, 22:22).

Jesus taught that the entire Bible, both the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
(Matt 21:13, 26:31, 5:18 and Luke 4:27)
and the Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament)
(John 14:24, 16:12-13) is the infallible and
inerrant word of God.

The apostles also attested the inspiration of the
Scriptures, in both the Old Testament (Rom 3:2)
and the New Testament (2 Peter 3:15,16). 
Moreover, they proclaimed their own writings
as God’s words (1 Cor. 14:37), and their messages
as God’s words (Gal 1:12; 1 Thess. 2:13).

“The first christians relied on the Old Testament
as their chief religious book. To them it was of
divine origin and authority.”
-Dr. Samuel Davidson; The “Canon”
The Encyclopedia Britannica

Scientific Proof
of the Bible’s Inspiration

Scientific Knowledge found
in the Bible, before mankind was
even aware of it.

Suspended Upon Nothing

In ancient times when the Bible was being written,
there was much speculation about how the earth
was held in space. There were various mythological
explanations as to how the earth was situated.
It was thought at that time, that the earth rested
upon other objects and was supported by various
contrivances.

Even before the invention of telescopes and scientific
gazing devices – Bible writers were divinely inspired
to record accurate scientific data concerning the earth.

Rather than reflect the mythological views existing
at the time of its writing, the Bible simply stated
(in about the year 1473 B.C.E.):
“[God is] hanging the earth upon nothing.”
(Job 26:7)

In the original Hebrew, the word for “nothing”
used here means “not any thing,” and this is
the only time it occurs in the Bible.

The picture it presents of an earth surrounded
by empty space is recognized by scholars as a
remarkable vision for its time. Surely, only the
creator of the earth and the universe would have
known at that time, that the earth was being held
in space upon “Nothing” –

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
says: “Job 26:7 strikingly pictures the then-known
world as suspended in space, thereby anticipating
future scientific discovery.”

Yes, nearly 3,500 years ago, the Bible correctly
noted that the earth has no visible support,
a fact that is in harmony with the more recently
understood laws of gravity and motion.

“How Job knew the truth,” said one scholar,
“is a question not easily solved by those who
deny the inspiration of Holy Scripture.” 

A Circle – The shape of the earth.

You may be surprised to learn that the Bible
revealed that the earth is round.
Job 26:10, Prov 8:27, Isaiah 40:22, Amos 9:6.

Today, we chuckle at the people of the
fifteenth century who feared sailing because
they thought they would fall over the edge
of the flat earth. Yet the Bible revealed the
truth in 1000 B.C. – 2500 years before man
discovered it for himself!

The Encyclopedia Americana said:
“The earliest known image that men had
of the earth was that it was a flat,
rigid platform at the center of the universe…”

The concept of a spherical earth was NOT widely
accepted until the Renaissance.

Some early navigators even feared that they
might sail off the edge of the flat earth.

But then the introduction of the compass and
other advancements made possible longer ocean
voyages. These “voyages of discovery,” another
encyclopedia explains, “showed that the world
was round, not flat as most people had believed.”

Yet, long before such voyages, about 2,700 years ago,
the Bible said: “There is One who is dwelling
above the circle of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:22)

The Hebrew word here translated “circle” can also
mean “sphere,” as various reference works note.
Other Bible translations, therefore, say,
“the globe of the earth” (Douay Version)
and, “the round earth.”—Moffatt.

Thus, the Bible was not influenced by the
unscientific views prevalent at the time
regarding the earth’s support and its shape.
The reason is simple: The Author of the Bible
is the Creator of the universe.

He created the earth, so he should know what
it hangs on and what its shape is.

Hence, when he inspired the Bible, he saw to it
that no unscientific views were incorporated in it,
however much they may have been believed by others
at the time of the Bible’s writing.

This, too, gives invariable evidence of the Bible’s
Divine inspiration.

PATHS OF THE SEA

Matthew Maury (1806-1873) is considered
the father of oceanography. His wife was reading
a portion of the Bible to him. While listening,
he noticed the expression “paths of the sea”
in Psalms 8:8. Upon his recovery, Maury took God
at his word and went look ing for these paths.

We are indebted to his discovery of the warm
and cold continental currents. His book on
oceanography is still considered a basic text on
the subject and is still used in universities.
Maury used the Bible as a guide to scientific
discovery. This is yet another evidence of the
Divine Wisdom contained in Bible scriptures that
were written by men who were inspired beyond the
limited knowledge of the times.

The Hydrologic Water Cycle

The water cycle was not fully understood
until about 30 B.C. by a Roman engineer
named Marcus Vitruvius. Yet every aspect of
the water cycle was fully revealed to mankind
in 1600 B.C.! The Bible’s description is in
perfect harmony with modern science.
Eccl 1:6-7; 11:3; Job 26:8; Amos 9:6.
Vitruvius was 1600 years too late!

Yet, just another proof of the Bible’s Divine
Inspiration. 

MEDICAL ADVICE

Laughter is good for your health.
Laughter is good for your heart. 
Proverbs 17:22, 

“A merry heart doeth good like a MEDICINE.” 
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, 
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” 
(Proverbs 17:22)(NLT)-BibleGateway

“If you are cheerful, you feel good;
if you are sad, you hurt all over.”
(Proverbs 17:22)(CEV)-BibleGateway

“A relaxed attitude lengthens life;
jealousy rots it away.”
(Proverbs 14:30)(NLT)-BibleGateway

“A calm and undisturbed mind and heart
are the life and health of the body,
but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like
rottenness of the bones.”
(Proverbs 14:30)(AMP)-BibleGateway

Not only has it been proven by medical science
that laughter is good medicine for the heart
and even for cancer patients that have been
known to go into remission after watching
many hours of comedy – But even medicine
has proven that certain personality types
are more prone to stroke, heart attacks and
cancer.

An article in The Birmingham News,
titled ‘Laughter’ says :

“the LATEST medical evidence reveals that,
“At some point during laughter,
your body issues A PRESCRIPTION
from the pharmacy in your brain.”

How did the writer of Proverbs know that
– 3000 YEARS AHEAD OF MEDICAL SCIENCE? 

The Life of the Flesh is in the Blood 
Leviticus 17:11, 

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”

That is the most accurate, scientific statement
ever written about the blood!

For thousands of years, doctors treated people
by a practice called “bleeding.” They thought
that all illnesses could be cured by removing blood.

In 1799, a little more than 200 years ago, George
Washington was literally bled to death. They bled
poor George four times, the last time they took over
a quart of his blood! They didn’t know it at the time,
but they were literally draining away his life by removing
his blood.

It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that a man named
Dr. Lister discovered that the blood provides the
bodies entire immune system –
Indeed – THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD!

Again this is amazing proof that the Creator
of all mankind – did indeed inspire the writing of those
basic truths about blood,  long before mankind
was aware of those facts.

What Moses wrote in 1490 B.C.,
as recorded in Leviticus – is just now being
discovered in the past one hundred years. 

Yes, mankind is just now discovering
what had been revealed to Moses almost six thousand
years ago.  

The Wisdom of God’s Laws on Blood 

AND  WHAT   ADVICE  IS  THAT ?

“This is a lasting ordinance
for the generations to come,
wherever you live :
You must NOT eat… any BLOOD.”
(Leviticus 3:17)(NIV)-BibleGateway

“You must not eat the blood of any creature,
because the life of every creature is its blood;
anyone who eats it must be cut off.”
(Leviticus 17:14)(NIV)-BibleGateway

“…according to the hand of Jehovah…
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven,
let it be done exactly…”
(Ezra 7:6,23)(ASV)-BibleGateway

“You must abstain from eating food
offered to idols, from consuming blood
…and from sexual immorality.
If you do this, you will do well.  Farewell.”
(Acts 15:29)(NLT)-BibleGateway

“…they should keep themselves from things
offered to idols,  from blood…
and from sexual immorality.”
(Acts 21:25)(NKJV)-BibleGateway 

HOW  THAT  ADVICE  PERTAINS –  TODAY

“Many of those contributing to blood banks are people
you might not desire to drink from the same cup with,
let alone consume their blood into your circulatory
system.  Some critics of transfusions argue that it is
nothing more than a modern form of cannibalism.”
– JAMA, July 25, 1990:476.
The New England Journal of Medicine, 322-11:777. 

“Similar is the receiving of alien blood from
a cut vein, either through the mouth or by
instruments of transfusion…
…the divine law, prohibits the eating of blood,
Yet, either manner of taking blood accords with
one and the same. “
-Thomas Bartholin (1616-80), 
  Professor of anatomy
  at the University of Copenhagen

GOD’S  WISDOM  IS  VINDICATED

“We should be grateful to Jehovah’s Witnesses
because by raising this issue, they have not only
drawn attention to their own rights but also
helped the entire medical community to understand
the dangers of blood transfusions.”
-Michel de Guillenchmidt, professor of law in France
The medical newspaper Meditsinskaya Gazeta 

“The Patient Rights Act-1991 has repeatedly
echoed the same theme that Jehovah’s Witnesses
have sounded for years. Adult patients have the
right to decide for themselves what type of
medical treatment to accept or reject.
Few treatments in modern medicine have the
escalating risks of blood transfusions. The
history of the use of blood products is dismal
and does not promise to get any better.
Is it any wonder that not only Jehovah’s
Witnesses but the community-at-large demands
that physicians and hospitals offer medical
and surgical care without the use of blood
or blood products.”
-Sharon Vernon, RN ; Director, CBMS
St. Vincent Charity Hospital,
Cleveland, Ohio 

“Our patients who have chosen to receive non-blood
medical care have found that the benefits outweigh
the risk of transfusion.”
– Joan Karnell Cancer Center; 
at Pennsylvania Hospital
The University of Pennsylvania
Health System @2004 

“As a physician, I am absolutely thrilled
with the results we are seeing from bloodless
surgery,” says Dr. Burzon. “Our patients are
doing extremely well..”
– Meridian Health; July 3, 2003

“The excellent results of major surgery
without blood transfusion is a powerful argument
for transfusion-free surgery. We have performed
hundreds of open-heart operations without a drop
of blood.  Our success is due to careful planning
and execution of sound principles to avoid
transfusion.”
-Manuel Estioko, M.D.
Cardiovascular Surgeon
Good Samaritan Hospital
Los Angeles, CA 

“Bloodless medicine and surgery is a
driving force in the practice of medicine today.
It is quite possible that in the very near future
transfusion will be eliminated altogether.”
– Ciril Godec
Professor, Clinic of Urology
University of New York 

“Because of consistent success in
Jehovah’s Witnesses and the fact that blood
transfusion carries a risk of serious complications,
we are currently performing most of our pediatric
cardiac operations without transfusion.”
-Circulation, September 1984.

“…due to the efforts of the Witnesses, 
hospitals around the country have started
bloodless surgery units, said Dr. Jeffrey Carson,
medical director of the Center for Innovations
in Bloodless Surgery and Medicine at
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
in New Brunswick, N.J.  Studies have shown that
patients who refuse transfusions often gain
significant medical benefits,
Carson said”
-Steve Ellman; Miami Daily Business Review
     03-04-2004 

“No blood ! If you think that statement is
solely linked with Jehovah’s Witnesses,
then you are well behind the times.
Today, there is an ever increasing groundswell
of disdain for blood transfusions and the
dangers associated with them.  More and more
people, from all walks and life, are actively
seeking safer medical treatment. Worldwide there
are more than 90,000 doctors who specialise
in non-blood treatment.  The tragedy of AIDS
has made the public aware that the blood supply
can never be completely safe. In fact, a recent
poll in Canada showed that 89 % of people there
would prefer an alternative to donated blood.”
– Blood transfusion complications and alternatives;
   Copyright 2001 by PageWise Inc. 

“largely due to the stand of Jehovah’s Witnesses –
bloodless medicine and surgery has reached an
advanced level of development and is the preferred
treatment of many informed people. “
– Blood transfusion complications and alternatives;
   Copyright 2001 by PageWise Inc. 

“The practice of bloodless medicine
involves the delivery of medical and surgical
care without the transfusion of blood products.
This technique has long been applied to
Jehovah’s Witness patients, but it is now
experiencing widespread popularity with other
patients due to the lessened risk of infection
and immunologic complications.”
– University of Southern California
  Department of Surgery

So we see that even the Bible’s Divine wisdom
on the use of Blood was far ahead of its time.

Like blood letting – it might very well be that
in the next one hundred years, mankind will look
back at blood transfusions with horror, when they
realize fully, the true dangers of feeding patients
through intravenous pints of blood.

Indeed the Bible has proven over and over,
the Divine Wisdom and inspiration that
Jehovah God has given to its writers.