Reasons for believing in the Bible as the literal word of God.

[TLK Valentine]

I think Bible is inspired by God, because it has information, wisdom and love that I don't think humans would otherwise have. Like for example about the great flood, how Jews would be scattered and later gathered back, as it is happening nowadays and especially this:

But would that be happening nowadays if it hadn't been written down?

 

[1213]

But would that be happening nowadays if it hadn't been written down?

Maybe. I think it would not happen, if God would not keep His promises.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Maybe. I think it would not happen, if God would not keep His promises.

But it wan't God keeping the promise, it was the United Nations. And would they have gone to the effort if it hadn't been good Public Relations with the world's Christian population?

We may never know, but I'm always suspicious of prophecies getting "fulfilled' by people who are fully aware of the prophecy's existence.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Are they really His thoughts, though?
...to be expected when the writers of the later books had the earlier books in front of them.
Or, in lieu of Jesus, the Gospel writers put words in his mouth... and having the OT available to them, they knew which words to put.

Thank you fr your reply.
To me the Bible is His God's thoughts: God's thoughts towards ->mankind.
Whereas often clergy put -> man's thoughts toward God.
Jesus' teachings show we can re-discover why God sent Jesus to Earth for us.
Unlike those who teach only a heavenly hope for the dead, we can find Jesus shows by what means it will be possible for everlasting life on Earth.
Why did an earthly hope have to be rediscovered is because as Jesus forewarns us many would try to mislead us.
Mislead by ' tickling the ears ' of people in order to have followers for themselves and obscure the wonderful religious truth about God's purpose for man and the Earth.
Sure the Christian writers had the old Hebrew Scriptures and they wrote down what was available to them as to which words to put down.
They knew which words because God's spirit was helping them and we find they are complimentary to God's original purpose that humble meek people to inherit the Earth.
Inherit, Not Heaven (except for a few - Luke 22:28-30) but inherit an Earth that will be free from enemy death - 1st Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8

 

[URAVIP2ME]

But it wan't God keeping the promise, it was the United Nations. And would they have gone to the effort if it hadn't been good Public Relations with the world's Christian population?
We may never know, but I'm always suspicious of prophecies getting "fulfilled' by people who are fully aware of the prophecy's existence.

Interesting that you mention the United Nations because the UN can prove to be the 8th king of Revelation 17:11.
In the past we find that God used the political/military world to carry out His will. ( Babylon for example and the Roman armies in the year 70 )
So, the pattern is set and the UN can prove to be God's modern-day arm of the law to carry out His will.
In our time we find the 'shaking of the nations' which causes people to make a decision.
Either support God's kingdom (Daniel 2:44) or place one's confidence in the world's kingdom/ governments.
This is a choice we are all going to face: to remain completely neutral with regard to political policies that conflict with God.
It won't be long before the powers in charge will turn on the religious world...............

 

[metis]

Interesting that you mention the United Nations because the UN can prove to be the 8th king of Revelation 17:11.
In the past we find that God used the political/military world to carry out His will. ( Babylon for example and the Roman armies in the year 70 )
So, the pattern is set and the UN can prove to be God's modern-day arm of the law to carry out His will.
In our time we find the 'shaking of the nations' which causes people to make a decision.
Either support God's kingdom (Daniel 2:44) or place one's confidence in the world's kingdom/ governments.
This is a choice we are all going to face: to remain completely neutral with regard to political policies that conflict with God.
It won't be long before the powers in charge will turn on the religious world...............

I believe that such references in the Book of Revelation deal with events in the 1st century, not today, although we can still learn from such teachings.

 

[Audie]

Interesting that you mention the United Nations because the UN can prove to be the 8th king of Revelation 17:11.
In the past we find that God used the political/military world to carry out His will. ( Babylon for example and the Roman armies in the year 70 )
So, the pattern is set and the UN can prove to be God's modern-day arm of the law to carry out His will.
In our time we find the 'shaking of the nations' which causes people to make a decision.
Either support God's kingdom (Daniel 2:44) or place one's confidence in the world's kingdom/ governments.
This is a choice we are all going to face: to remain completely neutral with regard to political policies that conflict with God.
It won't be long before the powers in charge will turn on the religious world...............

You are a prophet?

 

[TLK Valentine]

Thank you fr your reply.
To me the Bible is His God's thoughts: God's thoughts towards ->mankind.
Whereas often clergy put -> man's thoughts toward God.
Jesus' teachings show we can re-discover why God sent Jesus to Earth for us.

Agreed so far, but let's remember that the clergy are hardly the only people placing their own thoughts into the God --> mankind equation.

Unlike those who teach only a heavenly hope for the dead, we can find Jesus shows by what means it will be possible for everlasting life on Earth.
Why did an earthly hope have to be rediscovered is because as Jesus forewarns us many would try to mislead us.
Mislead by ' tickling the ears ' of people in order to have followers for themselves and obscure the wonderful religious truth about God's purpose for man and the Earth.

Absolutely -- Jesus stressed again and again that the "Kingdom of God" was not some Castle in the Clouds, but a complete social upheaval which would take place here on Earth.

The problem is that Jesus came and went (and if you're a Christian, came back and went again), and the world stayed pretty much the same as it ever was. This lead the "Church" into a mad scramble to reinterpret his message, lest it look like either:
1: He was wrong when he said it, or
2: They were wrong for following it.

Which one they would've considered worse is a question I leave for the philosophers.

Sure the Christian writers had the old Hebrew Scriptures and they wrote down what was available to them as to which words to put down.
They knew which words because God's spirit was helping them and we find they are complimentary to God's original purpose that humble meek people to inherit the Earth.
Inherit, Not Heaven (except for a few - Luke 22:28-30) but inherit an Earth that will be free from enemy death - 1st Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8

The Jewish writers, you mean, has their Hebrew Scriptures and they wrote down what was available to them.

Never forget that of the five people who wrote about Jesus in the New Testament, all but probably one (John) were Jewish writers communicating to a Jewish audience. Christianity was considered a sect of Judaism until well into the first century... the earlier writers used their own Scriptures to tell the story of Jesus, whom they considered to be not just a new addition to their religious teachings of the Law and the Prophets, but as superior to all who had come before.

That's a big claim, and it's going to take some big language to attempt to back it up... where were they going to find such language besides their own holy texts?

 

[TLK Valentine]

Interesting that you mention the United Nations because the UN can prove to be the 8th king of Revelation 17:11.
In the past we find that God used the political/military world to carry out His will. ( Babylon for example and the Roman armies in the year 70 )
So, the pattern is set and the UN can prove to be God's modern-day arm of the law to carry out His will.

Indeed they can... and wouldn't they just love for you to believe that they are God's chosen instrument to carry out His will?

Come to think of it, who wouldn't jump at the chance to have you believe that they were carrying out God's will?

In our time we find the 'shaking of the nations' which causes people to make a decision.
Either support God's kingdom (Daniel 2:44) or place one's confidence in the world's kingdom/ governments.
This is a choice we are all going to face: to remain completely neutral with regard to political policies that conflict with God.
It won't be long before the powers in charge will turn on the religious world...............

As has happened countless times before... even in Daniel's time, the "shaking of nations" was not unheard of... Israel itself had been "shaken" to near destruction, only to be restored when Babylon received similar treatment.

"More of the same" is not very impressive, as prophecies go.

 

[Trailblazer]

"More of the same" is not very impressive, as prophecies go.

Nor are people's interpretations of prophecies which lead them to believe they know what is going to happen.

 

[Palehorse]

What are your best reasons for believing in the Bible as the literal word of God, if that's your thing? Heck, just give me reasons they don't even have to be good.

But I'm coming to the conclusion/opinion that there isn't really a "good" reason to believe in the Bible as the literal word of God.

I feel like I've just about fully shaken off my Christian convictions and beliefs. I've been an apostate for over a year now I'm pretty sure. The first few months I still had my doubts about my decision to reject Christianity. Just, it was ingrained into my head from birth pretty much that Jesus is literally God. All my family told me that and brought me to church where I was told that too.

Growing up, I dived into Christian apologetics in an attempt to reinforce my faith. I let apologetics convince me as a teenager of the soundness and literalness of the Bible. But apologetics is weak. It doesn't provide a solid reason for saying that the Bible is literally from God.

I realize now that it was two things that developed and fed my Christian convictions and beliefs.
1. Authority figures who I trusted told me the Bible was from God. This is not a good reason.
2. It was a comfort to believe that I have in my hand the literal word of the god of the literal universe. And it tells me how to live my life and that everything will be okay in the end. Very comforting, but not a valid reason to believe imo.

Those are the two reasons I identified why I used to believe so much and dearly. I now understand that I had no good reason to believe in the Bible, and I feel like I haven't a modicum of Christian faith or conviction in me anymore. Which is what I was going for, I'm no longer thinking there's a slight chance ima burn in hell for my apostasy.

So, do I have it right? There is no good reason to believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God.

There is over 400 bibles....one word can change the entire meaning of a sentence...in English not Latin or hebrew...lols....

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I believe that such references in the Book of Revelation deal with events in the 1st century, not today, although we can still learn from such teachings.

Difference is: Revelation was written at the very end of the first century.
1st-century people did Not have the Book of Revelation.
Revelation's setting (Rev. 1:10) is set for our day or time frame.
Rev. 1:1 speaks of ' come to pass....' ( future) Not came to pass.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

There is over 400 bibles....one word can change the entire meaning of a sentence...in English not Latin or hebrew...lols....

One Bible reads do Not be conformed after the world, another says do Not be fashioned after the world, but the meaning comes across.
Also, the old Hebrew and Christian Greek manuscripts can be consulted which do support Bible canon.
Not everything is the Bible is addressed to everyone, so setting and who is being addressed to needs to be taken into consideration.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

...................Absolutely -- Jesus stressed again and again that the "Kingdom of God" was not some Castle in the Clouds, but a complete social upheaval which would take place here on Earth.
The problem is that Jesus came and went (and if you're a Christian, came back and went again), and the world stayed pretty much the same as it ever was. This lead the "Church" into a mad scramble to reinterpret his message, lest it look like either:
1: He was wrong when he said it, or
2: They were wrong for following it.
Which one they would've considered worse is a question I leave for the philosophers.............................

Yes, social upheaval (Daniel 2:44-45) Jesus proves to be that figurative ' stone ' ushering in God's kingdom government over Earth.
World does stay pretty much the same except we are in it last days of badness on Earth before Jesus takes kingdom action - Isaiah 11:3-4; Rev. 19:14-15
This is a reason Jesus said to Keep Awake! Stay Alert ! - Mark 13:33-37
The apostles asked Jesus when there would be fulfillment - Mark 13:4 and at Matthew 24 Jesus gave a two-fold fulfillment.
The first fulfillment came in the year 70 when unfaithful Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies.
The second fulfillment is for our day, our time frame for these last days of badness on Earth as described at 2nd Timothy 3:1-5,13.
1 ) Remember before the 1st century there was No nuclear war threat in the hands of government.
2 ) Notable is the adjective GREAT found at Luke 21:11 describing the Earthquakes that would be taking place as they now are.
3 ) Food shortages with 1 in 7 hungry even though modern technology / science can't help on today's world-wide scale.
4 ) Besides GREAT Earthquakes (Luke 21:11) we have diseases (now some man made) as never before in history.
5 ) Matthew 24:12 the lawless world grows colder - Isaiah 5:20 - with blatant disregard for God.

Not wrong when Jesus said it, Not wrong in following because Jesus taught the kingdom would Not immediately appear - Luke 19:11
Wrong guesses or wrong calculations does Not make Jesus as wrong. - Habakkuk 2:3 - there is a coming God-appointed time.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Indeed they can... and wouldn't they just love for you to believe that they are God's chosen instrument to carry out His will?
Come to think of it, who wouldn't jump at the chance to have you believe that they were carrying out God's will?
As has happened countless times before... even in Daniel's time, the "shaking of nations" was not unheard of... Israel itself had been "shaken" to near destruction, only to be restored when Babylon received similar treatment.
"More of the same" is not very impressive, as prophecies go.

Shaking to destruction, or shaking as to sift out all that is good ____________.
Please notice at Haggai 2:7 the word "all" because this shaking includes ALL nations.
The good or desirable things, the precious things, of ALL nations will come into God's house (of worship).
Sometimes in Scripture 'mountains' do refer to governments as towering over people. - Isaiah 2:2; Isaiah 66:12 A.
So, there will be a separating work ( a sifting work so to speak ) as found at Matthew 25:31-34,37.
Because there will be shaking, so to speak, to separate (sift) the figurative sheep from the goats.
The sheep to gain everlasting life forever on Earth to be part of the humble meek to inherit the Earth as promised at Matt. 5:5; from Psalm 37:9-11,29
So, No, Not more of the same, but Very Impressive as prophecies go.
After all, why be invited to pray the invitation to God for Jesus to come - Rev. 22:20 - if it would be more of the same ________
Not more of the same, but Jesus to bring ' healing ' to earth's nations - Rev. 22:2
Healing to the point on Earth that No one will say, " I am sick......" - Isaiah 33:24
Even enemy death will then be No more on Earth - 1st Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8

 

[TLK Valentine]

Yes, social upheaval (Daniel 2:44-45) Jesus proves to be that figurative ' stone ' ushering in God's kingdom government over Earth.
World does stay pretty much the same except we are in it last days of badness on Earth before Jesus takes kingdom action - Isaiah 11:3-4; Rev. 19:14-15
This is a reason Jesus said to Keep Awake! Stay Alert ! - Mark 13:33-37

Which he said 2,000 years ago... and ever since then, people have been claiming we're in the "last days" since shortly after the first days.

Their 0-for-lifetime streak seems in no danger of being broken.

The apostles asked Jesus when there would be fulfillment - Mark 13:4 and at Matthew 24 Jesus gave a two-fold fulfillment.
The first fulfillment came in the year 70 when unfaithful Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies.
The second fulfillment is for our day, our time frame for these last days of badness on Earth as described at 2nd Timothy 3:1-5,13.
1 ) Remember before the 1st century there was No nuclear war threat in the hands of government.
2 ) Notable is the adjective GREAT found at Luke 21:11 describing the Earthquakes that would be taking place as they now are.
3 ) Food shortages with 1 in 7 hungry even though modern technology / science can't help on today's world-wide scale.
4 ) Besides GREAT Earthquakes (Luke 21:11) we have diseases (now some man made) as never before in history.
5 ) Matthew 24:12 the lawless world grows colder - Isaiah 5:20 - with blatant disregard for God.

Not wrong when Jesus said it, Not wrong in following because Jesus taught the kingdom would Not immediately appear - Luke 19:11
Wrong guesses or wrong calculations does Not make Jesus as wrong. - Habakkuk 2:3 - there is a coming God-appointed time.

A lot of creative interpretations here; nothing relevant, I'm afraid. The streak remains unthreatened.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Shaking to destruction, or shaking as to sift out all that is good ____________.
Please notice at Haggai 2:7 the word "all" because this shaking includes ALL nations.
The good or desirable things, the precious things, of ALL nations will come into God's house (of worship).
Sometimes in Scripture 'mountains' do refer to governments as towering over people. - Isaiah 2:2; Isaiah 66:12 A.
So, there will be a separating work ( a sifting work so to speak ) as found at Matthew 25:31-34,37.
Because there will be shaking, so to speak, to separate (sift) the figurative sheep from the goats.
The sheep to gain everlasting life forever on Earth to be part of the humble meek to inherit the Earth as promised at Matt. 5:5; from Psalm 37:9-11,29
So, No, Not more of the same, but Very Impressive as prophecies go.
After all, why be invited to pray the invitation to God for Jesus to come - Rev. 22:20 - if it would be more of the same ________
Not more of the same, but Jesus to bring ' healing ' to earth's nations - Rev. 22:2
Healing to the point on Earth that No one will say, " I am sick......" - Isaiah 33:24
Even enemy death will then be No more on Earth - 1st Corinthians 15:24-26; Isaiah 25:8

A lot of wish fulfillment here...

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Which he said 2,000 years ago... and ever since then, people have been claiming we're in the "last days" since shortly after the first days.
Their 0-for-lifetime streak seems in no danger of being broken.
A lot of creative interpretations here; nothing relevant, I'm afraid. The streak remains unthreatened.

Nuclear War is Not a creative interpretation. There was No Nuclear threat before the last century.
Science and technology was Not as advanced as it is right now, and Science and technology can't solve mankind's food and disease problems.
Never before in history has the good news (gospel) about God's Kingdom (Daniel 2:44) been proclaimed on a grand-international scale as is being now done world wide just as Jesus said at Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8.
Thus, finally mankind is at the ' final phase ' of Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10 with modern technology making rapid Bible translation possible so that now people living even in remote areas of Earth can now have Scripture in their mother tongue or native languages.
This means we are nearing the ' final signal ', so to speak (1st Thess. 5:2-3) when the powers in charge will be saying, " Peace and Security...." as the precursor to the coming great tribulation of Revelation 7:14 before Jesus as Prince of Peace ushers in global Peace on Earth among persons of goodwill.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

A lot of wish fulfillment here...

Not a lot of wish, but a lot of what is scriptural.
We are all invited to pray the invitation to God for Jesus to come ! - Rev. 22:20
And according to Scripture coupled with the world scene today that coming is coming sooner than mankind thinks - Rev. 22:2
The coming of the coming is coming like a run away freight train on fire.

 

[Aupmanyav]

.. but a lot of what is scriptural.

With no guarantee or evidence that it is true. We are supposed to take it 'as it is'.
Would you buy a laptop with no guarantee?

And Bible is your scripture and not mine.
Christianity is followed by 32% of the people of the world (2,383 million in 2020, PEW research). That leaves 68% non-Christians.

Christianity - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Muslims make 24% of the world population with 1.9 billion in 2015 (Wikipedia).
Hindus too consist of some 1.2 billion people (15%).