(Emeritus Professor of Music Arthur Birkby has been on the faculties of Westminster College, the Philadelphia Conservatory, Western Michigan University, the University of Wyoming, and Biblion College & Seminary. In the following article, Dr. Birkby addresses the question that many people ponder this season of the year: just who was this One who was born in the manger so long ago.)

Arguments about one’s religious convictions have been going on for as long as people have been able to communicate with each other. In the book of Job 6:25 one reads, “But what does your arguing prove?”* More often than not, there is no satisfying resolution despite the bickering because matters of faith are often not proved. Furthermore, “faith,” by definition, is unquestioning trust; it can stand alone and has its own virtue.

What will be presented here will not let one easily “off the hook,” so to speak. Anyone who reads words ascribed to Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible, will be “put on the spot” by having to declare that Jesus is indeed the very God Himself, or that He is a liar, deceiver, and charlatan.

When considering the quotations of the Savior as they occur in the four gospels, one cannot have it both ways: that is, if what He says is true, He necessarily must be the divine Creator. Even those who do not embrace Christianity in all of its ramifications will perhaps reluctantly admit that Jesus was likely a good man, a moral, loving person, a great teacher, and an undeniable influence on world history. On the other hand, if what He is quoted as saying is not true, He is asking His followers to believe in a fraud and a liar. And if what He says is falsehood, misinformation, deceit, pie-in-the-sky silliness, or ignorance, Jesus is a hypocrite and an imposter. Under such circumstance, Jesus would not measure up to minimal standards of a decent person. He would lack all credibility.

Why is it that those who hold to no particular religious tenets are unwilling or disinclined to challenge Jesus’ sayings? What would happen today if someone were to say he had the authority on earth to forgive sins, thereby assuring entrance into heaven? (Matthew 9:6). Would he not be the laughing stock of those who heard him? An ultimate decision must be made by any rational person, upon being shown many of Jesus’ declarations. Is He God or a phony?

In the quotes by Jesus that follow, when He uses the term “Son of Man,” He could just as well have said, “I.” “Son of Man” is dealt with in some detail in Merrill F. Unger’s highly respected Bible Dictionary, where it is stated that the term occurs in both Old and New Testaments, and is now theologically associated with Jesus Christ. The Lord used it about eighty times in referring to Himself. “Son of Man” portrays Christ as the Representation of Man. That is, He uses this designation as it relates to His mission, His death and resurrection, and His second advent; and it is in this name that universal judgment is committed to Jesus. The term also implies that, in Jesus, the Old Testament prophecies relating to the coming Messiah find their fulfillment.

“Son of Man” is also found in the book of Ezekiel when captive Israel is assured that God will not forsake her, and that she is only a small portion of humanity about which He is concerned. With the title, “Son of Man,” Ezekiel is chosen, spiritually endowed, and delegated by God. These elements apply also to Messiah; and thus it is that Christ adopts the title for Himself. Whatever other theological implications to the term, “Son of Man,” it is necessary at this time only to recognize that it is naturally and freely used by the Savior to identify Himself.

Now let us consider some of the claims made by Jesus Christ that, if stated by anyone else, would be so utterly outrageous as to warrant immediate condemnation as blasphemy or raving megalomania. Imagine how an ordinary person would react upon hearing someone say, “Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

When Christ said in Matthew 11:5, “[Through Me] the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them,” those who heard these words never denied their truth. Jesus’ miracles were evident to all of His critics. Unlike today’s self-proclaimed healers whose results are selective, hit-and-miss, or bogus, Jesus healed all who came to Him.

Not only does Christ proclaim His Lordship, but He verifies Bible events that many deny as having happened. Such is the case where He says in Matthew 12:40, “For just as Jonah was three days in the belly of the sea monster (He did not say `whale’), so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” In the next verse Jesus puts the “cherry on the sundae,” so to speak, by declaring, “and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here.”

These statements as well as many others to follow occur in other gospel accounts, and need not be repeated here for validation.

After mentioning the Queen of Sheba’s visiting King Solomon to verify his reputation as a mighty ruler, Christ states in Matthew 12:42, “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

Christ indicated that He was making manifest the words of the Old Testament when He stated in Matthew 13:17, “Many righteous men and prophets desired to see what you see (Messiah), and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

As in all instances where Christ identifies Himself, He said, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41,42). This is one of numerous references made by Christ to the reality and nature of eternal perdition. Although many people today would like to ignore the actuality of an everlasting hell for unbelievers, there are more references to such eternal damnation by the “gentle” Jesus than from any other person in the Bible.

Predicting His own future that was fulfilled exactly as He averred, one reads in Matthew 17:22,23, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered unto the hands of men; and they will kill Him. And He will be raised on the third day.” When, if ever, has anyone else made such an announcement that has been the essence of belief for millions of people for centuries?

Self-styled prophets, who attempt to persuade their devotees concerning magnificent futures, usually die in ignominy and their adherents have suffered horrible ends. How different will be the destiny of Christ’s disciples to whom He said in Matthew 19:28, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

No other leader of a cult or sect has had the temerity to tell his followers, as Christ did in Matthew 24:9, “They will deliver you to tribulation, and they will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.” It is evident even today that many of the world’s ills and wars are a result of the absolute abhorrence for the name and person of Jesus Christ, and for those who follow Him.

Imagine, if you will, the reaction today to someone’s saying about himself, “The Son of Man will appear in the sky; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).

Throughout centuries of history attempts have been made by political as well as religious bodies to quash the Bible. Its very existence has been threatened and acted upon in ways that would surely eradicate any other document from the face of the planet. Yet, the Savior decreed in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

And listen to these assurances of the Lord’s ultimate victory: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18), and, “I am with you, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

If advocates and devotees of a personage or a belief system want to portray their leader as having authority, power, or importance, it would seem reasonable to depict him as having plausible capabilities. It would be self-defeating to ascribe attributes to a champion that were clearly unbelievable. Perhaps a skeptic might reluctantly admit to a presumably miraculous healing having occurred. However, the “magic” required to pull off a stunt such as calming a storm at sea goes beyond rationality. Yet, this mighty act is related as a credible event in Mark 4:29 where the Lord commands, “Hush, be still.”

Not surprisingly, there are supposedly Christian churches these days that say Jesus never really asserted that He was divine. Such obstinacy is hard to believe, given the unassailable declaration of Jesus Himself. When asked whether He was the Christ, the Son of God, He gives His answer in Mark 14:62, which reads, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

This is not an isolated or obscure mention of Christ’s admitting to being divine. Luke 22:70 relates when asked by the chief priests and scribes whether He, Jesus, was the Son of God, He replied, “Yes, I am.”

Among the many usurpers of divine status who have made outlandish claims about themselves, few indeed have gone so far as to establish their reputations upon being recognized aforetime in the Old Testament. That this was unequivocally declared in behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ occurs in Luke 4:18-21 where He was reading the Scriptures in the synagogue. The passage from Isaiah 61:1,2 stated, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” After reading this passage, Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

One reads in Luke 11:53 that the religious leaders in high places were hostile to Jesus; and this becomes evident in Luke 7:48 when Jesus forgives sins, and the scribes and Pharisees ask, “Who is this who can forgive sins?”

Often one hears the charge that Christians are arrogant when they say that Jesus is the one and only way into the presence of God. The believer is obligated without compromise to confess the truth found in Luke 10:16, “He who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” Similarly, in Luke 10:22,24 Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son.”

Another among the abundant references in which Christ clarifies His exclusive access to God is His saying, “Everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8,9).

Many declarations by Christ are so unequivocal and striking that, despite what may appear to be hyperbole, they are affirmed without compromise. While the Lord was being adulated by the throngs during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem only a few days before His crucifixion, He acknowledged His worthiness to receive worship, when He said, “I tell you, if these became silent, the stones would cry out!” (Luke 19:40).

Again, identifying Himself as the subject of Old Testament Scripture, Christ quotes Psalm 118:22 by stating in Luke 20:17,18, “What then is this that is written: `The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief cornerstone? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.'”

Recognizing His being the essential topic of the Old Testament, Jesus cites another relevant passage from Isaiah 53:12, saying, “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, `And I was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment” (Luke 22:37).

Yet another citing in which Christ identifies Himself in Old Testament Scriptures is found in Luke 24:44 where He says, “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

The Lord gives an answer to those who deny His bodily resurrection following the Crucifixion, when they concoct dubious hallucination theories or some other ephemeral pretext. Luke 24:39 quotes Jesus as saying, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

The issue of whether heaven is a real place rather than a state of being or some other identity, and what characterizes it, is put to rest when one reads John 3:13: “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.”

Emphasizing His direct association with God and His heaven, Jesus also stated in John 6:46, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.”

For those who throughout the ages, and even now, yearn for the appearance of the Messiah, their longings are put to rest when Jesus says about Himself to the woman at the well in John 4:26, “I who speak to you am He.”

The Lordship of Jesus Christ can hardly be more unambiguous than that found in John 5:37,39 where one finds, “The Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You seek the Scriptures because you think in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.”

True Christians should be the first to acknowledge that they, like everyone else, are sinful human beings who required regeneration and forgiveness, which is available through the blood sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Entrance into blissful realms in heaven is not dependent upon one’s morals, behavior, works, heredity, or any other factor.

Evidence that true believers in Christ Jesus as Savior have a personal relationship with Him is verified by this declaration in John 6:40 which says, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone that beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” Now, that’s personal!

One of the generalities that pervade the minds of many people is that they are essentially “good,” and that everybody is a child of God. This notion is seriously flawed by Christ’s telling the religious elite in His day that, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44). John 8:24 states, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Even the so-called “do-gooders” of Christ’s era recognized their sinfulness, as evidenced by their strict regulations regarding temple worship and the offering of sacrifices for atonement. With this in view, it is astounding that the religious leaders were unable to respond to Jesus’ question in John 8:46, “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?”

When confronted by the religious rulers, Jesus infuriated them by His series of assertions as recorded in John 8:51, 8:56, and 8:58. “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” The religious experts of that time recognized that the term, “I AM,” was synonymous with Jehovah.

Does anyone think for a moment that Jesus and His betrayer, Judas Iscariot, were in collusion when Jesus in John 13:18 quoted Psalm 41:9 which states, “I know the ones I have chosen; but it is as the Scripture may be fulfilled, `He who eats my bread has lifted up his heel against Me?'”

Further evidence that Christ was omniscient becomes obvious in John 13:19 where He comments, “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.”

Finally, one of the most touching elements in Christian doctrine is described by Christ in His “High Priestly Prayer” documented in John 17:5. Jesus is clearly identifiable as the inimitable personage of being One with God Almighty, and existing from all eternity as He prays, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” No beginning, no ending. Christ was from eternity past, and ever shall be for eternity future. This is the essence of infinity!

At the outset of this essay it was postulated that anyone reading it would find it difficult to arrive at a middle-of-the-road decision concerning the Scriptures contained therein. These are some options: 1) All of the writers of the Old and New Testaments were complicit in managing to avoid errors and contradictions throughout the Scriptures. 2) Jesus must of necessity be fraudulent in order to make the bizarre statements attributed to Him. Most of the statements here would have no credence whatsoever if they were made by any mere mortal being. 3) Jesus, being God, cannot lie; and no one except an omnipotent Deity could make such statements. Choosing option 1) or 2) will assure an unequivocal eternity of abject misery, gloom, wretchedness, and desperation with no reprieve forevermore. Selecting 3) guarantees an eternity of bliss with the loving, omnipotent Creator of the universe. Are there other viable alternatives?

Dr. Birkby will be happy to respond to any question you might have regarding his comments in this article. You can write him at: abirkby@comcast.net.

* All Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Version.

One method of showing the truth of Scripture is by prophecy fulfilled. Another is to show that tangible, historical, secular evidence that non-believers accept is also established by the Bible. The branch of theology that deals with the defense and proof of Christian doctrine is known as “apologetics.” For us as believers, our faith in the Scriptures is all that is required, and our belief is all that is necessary. The reason, however, for resorting to defending the Bible by means other than mere belief is to have a testimony of reasonableness, common sense, and credibility which may win others to our faith. Let me give some examples of Biblical truth which make it difficult for non-believers to discredit the Bible as the literal Word of God.

Abraham came from Ur in Chaldea. Chaldea was the old name for Mesopotamia, or Babylon, which we now call Iraq. Excavations in the 20th century by the eminent scientist C. Leonard Wooley attest to the existence of Ur, long thought by many scholars as being completely mythical. Found in Ur were middle class houses having 10 to 20 rooms on upper and lower floors. A school was found that existed during Abraham’s era, and the pupils were taught the three R’s as today. They used multiplication and division tables and worked with square and cube root. Think for a moment about someone you know today who may be unable to do these kinds of calculations. A bill of lading dating from 2040 B.C. showed a highly developed commerce at the time of Abraham. Even the name “Abraham” was found on excavated tablets.

Modern scholars have said that there were no camels in Egypt at the time of Abraham, although the 12th chapter of Genesis says Abraham had camels. Archeologists have since found not only statuettes, plaques, and rock carvings of camels, but also camel bones, skulls, and camel hair rope dating from 700 B.C. back to 3000 B.C.

Chapter 15 of Genesis tells about God’s Word to Abraham, that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt for four centuries, but would return to Canaan in the 4th generation. Exodus 12:40 says that Moses led the Israelites from Egypt after 430 years in bondage; and Moses was the 4th generation from Jacob: Levi, Kohath, Amram, and then Moses. It has to be more than wild happenstance that Luke in the New Testament Book of Acts, written more than a thousand years later, mentions this same historical event.

What could be greater evidence of the Bible’s uncanny, long-term accuracy than the account of Ishmael, the child of Abraham and Hagar. You will remember that Hagar was the Egyptian servant of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. The Lord told Hagar that her child would have descendants without number, and that they would be wanderers and always in conflict. These of course are the Arabs of today, and the Arabs have been nomads for 4,000 years.

Chapter 17 of Genesis tells God’s promise that kings would be among Abraham’s descendants. This has been fulfilled countless times: all of the kings of Israel and Judah came from Abraham. Genesis contains many, many more evidences which confirm Bible truth; but our space limitations require that other Scripture passages be considered.

In Exodus, as one traces the route of the 40 year wanderings of Israel through the wilderness, it is discovered that the geographical features of that part of the world as described in the book correspond entirely to what a modern map would provide. Moses, the writer of Exodus, as well as the other of the first five books of the Bible, could not have come up with such a documentary by sheer chance.

Bible critics, upon reading about a seven-candle lampstand in the tabernacle in Exodus 25, declared that such a candelabra was unknown until 600 B.C. in Babylonia. However, excavations just south of Jerusalem by the renowned archeologist W. F. Albright revealed seven-sprouted lampstands dating from 1200 to 1400 B.C.

The Book of Leviticus states that, in spite of all the attempts of enemies to hate and destroy the Jews, the Lord will never allow them to be completely wiped out. Scattered for 25 centuries, and with never-ending attempts to eradicate them from the face of the earth, they not only continue to exist, but are a force that cannot be denied. Even if only a very few Jews were left in the world, after the diabolical effort to exterminate them, it would be more than sufficient evidence to trust the Word of God. By comparison, just ask what happened to the numerous other peoples whose future was not assured by God. Where are the Amalekites, the Amorites, Jebusites, Hittites, Philistines, Assyrians, and all the other nations that existed in history? There is not a trace of them today.

Although the Bible mentions the Hittites 48 times, critics have long contended that any such people, if they did exist, were of little consequence. The archeologist G. A. Barton mentions in his book, Archeology and the Bible, that an archive of clay tablets records a military treaty between the Hittites and Egypt thirteen centuries before the birth of Christ. This would certainly make the Hittites a significant culture with whom the Egyptians were politically involved.

Going on to another section of the Bible: The book of Joshua details how Israelite soldiers marched around the city of Jericho seven times in a day. Sir Charles Marston’s book, New Biblical Evidence, reports that the excavations of old Jericho show walls to be only 650 yards—which is a third of a mile—in circumference, enclosing an area of only seven acres. Thus a seven-lap march in one day is entirely feasible. Excavations of other ancient cities such as Troy, and even Jerusalem, show that the walled sections were places of refuge to which people could flee in time of trouble, and did not enclose the entire city where people regularly resided.

The Bible quotes Joshua as cursing anyone who would rebuild Jericho (Josh. 6:20), declaring that any such person would suffer the loss of his oldest as well as his youngest son. When the book of I Kings was written centuries later, it recounts how the evil King Ahab endeavored to rebuild the city (I Kings 16:34). Listen to this detailed description of the rebuilding: “The builder was from Bethel, and was named Hiel. As the foundation of the city was laid, Hiel’s first-born son, Abiram, died; and as the gates were set up in the walls, his youngest son, Segub, died.” It seems unreasonable to assume that a duplicitous plot between Bible writers who did not know each other, and who lived centuries apart, could have manufactured such a tale whose pieces fit together so perfectly. Anyone, or any group of conspirators attempting to plan a story like this by deceit would certainly be doomed to failure. But because the Scriptures are all divine in their authorship, one needs never to worry that close scrutiny will reveal anything but absolute truth.

Probably the most boring part of the entire Bible is, at the same time, a most revealing evidence of its being God’s truth. I am referring to the book of I Chronicles. I have read it through, and if you do not want to read it through, at least leaf through it to see the genealogies. No one—absolutely no one—would contrive such a book as a self-serving act with the pretext of promoting some religious dogma. One thing such a book does show is God’s personal concern for everybody—each individual who was ever born.

Today’s thinkers, philosophers, and so-called intellectuals place great importance on secular intellects of the past such as those of ancient Greece. Concerning the earth, those presumed masterminds came up with the most bizarre, hare-brained ideas as to be laughable by any civilized intelligent standard; and still the Greek scholars are revered today by those who refuse to recognize the wisdom of God and His Holy Book. If the Bible were to assert that the earth was carried on the shoulders of the god Atlas, who stood on the backs of giant tortoises, which stood on the backs of elephants, this would be more than sufficient reason to discredit the Holy Scriptures as being of God. What does the Bible say about the earth? What keeps it up? Job 26:7 states that God spreads the skies over empty space and suspends the earth on nothing. The Bible is not a book of science; yet in not even one point does it contradict any principle of modern science that has been established as fact rather than mere theory.

There are in this country, and in several European countries, chapters of the Flat Earth Society, whose members are convinced that the earth is not round. Up until the 15th century, centuries after Isaiah lived, no one knew, nor would many people believe, that the earth was not flat. Without benefit of a telescope or a knowledge of the physics of astronomy, Isaiah wrote in chapter 40, verse 22, that the Lord sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. Noted Bible teacher, J. Vernon McGee has stated that the word, “circle,” is synonymous with “globe,” a round geometric figure.

Moses was not an oceanographer, but in Genesis 7:11 he wrote that fountains, or springs, of the great deep burst forth, at the same time the rains fell from heaven, flooding the earth. Only relatively recently have our scientists discovered that there are, indeed, great water fountains erupting from the ocean floor.

There was a time when Babylon was where mighty kings exalted themselves above the God of heaven; and that Babylon might ultimately become only a memory would have been unthinkable. However, Isaiah prophesies in chapter 13, verses 20-22 that Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of their pride, will be overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah; she will never be inhabited throughout all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherd will rest his flocks there; jackals, owls, wild goats, and hyenas—only desert creatures—will lie there.

In contrast, the city of Tyre according to Isaiah 23:14-18, was to be devastated and desolate for 70 years, and then restored. What actually happened was that Tyre was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and was left in ruins for 70 years, but rebuilt by Alexander the Great. The 18th verse goes on to say that Tyre would return to a life of commerce, and the profits would not be hoarded, but instead be consecrated to God. Eventually, true religion did return to Tyre. Jesus visited Tyre as did Paul, as we can read in Matthew 15:21 and Acts 21:3-6. The historian Eusebius wrote that when the church was founded in Tyre, much of the city’s wealth was dedicated to God; and Jerome, another noted historian of the 4th century A.D., wrote that the wealth of Tyre’s churches was not stored away, but given to those of the church who were in need.

Mathematics is regarded as the purest of the sciences, and the value of the Greek letter “pi” as approximately 3.1416 is recognized as a basic numerical constant throughout the universe as well as a function of geometry. How easy it would have been for an author of one of the Bible’s books to err in recording some data involving mathematical computations. Only God’s inspired authorship, however, prevented any such thing from happening. In I Kings 7:23 is given a description of the huge water reservoir in the temple used for ceremonial washings. We are told that the basin was 10 cubits, or about 15 feet, in diameter and 30 cubits in circumference. Technically, using the value of “pi,” this should be 31.416 cubits rather than 30. But in verse 26 we learn that the basin was a “hand breadth” thick, or about three inches thick, which would make the inside circumference 30 cubits as the Bible says. Even the most nit-picky critic should be impressed with this evidence of Biblical accuracy.

Luke, in Acts 17:6, refers to a city official by using the Greek term, “Politarch.” This term has never before been found in Greek literature, so Bible critics have pointed out what seemed to be an invention by Luke. In the year 1835, an arch in Thessalonica was discovered with the term “Politarch” inscribed on it, and the Apostle Paul was in Thessalonica at the time of which Luke was writing. In 1867 the arch was destroyed, but the block containing the word “Politarch” was rescued and is now in the British museum. My wife, son, and I saw the display of Greek memorabilia when we visited the museum, but unfortunately we did not take note of this particular piece of stone. Incidentally, since the discovery in 1835, this same description has been found on 16 other monuments in various other localities in Greece.

In summary, all of the foregoing examples—which hardly scratch the surface—demonstrate the uncanny, inexplicable accuracy and complete reliability of God’s Word. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself in John 17:17 said that God’s Word is Truth. In John 10:35 the Savior says the Scriptures cannot be broken; and Matthew 5:18 quotes the Lord as saying that the smallest letter (which is iota in Greek) or the least stroke of a pen (referring to the minuscule embellishments added to the Hebrew alphabet) would not disappear as long as there was a heaven and an earth. The Bible teaches that there will be a heaven and an earth forever.

Let me conclude by suggesting that whenever we are confronted with presumably authoritative opinions that seem to be at variance with what one reads in our Bible, we take to heart the Apostle Paul’s words found in his first letter to the Corinthians. He triumphantly declares, “I know very well how foolish it sounds to those who are lost, when they hear that Jesus died to save them. But we who are saved recognize this message as the very power of God. For God says, `I will destroy all human plans of salvation no matter how wise they seem to be, and ignore the best ideas of men, even the most brilliant of them.’ So what about these wise men, these scholars, these brilliant debaters of this world’s great affairs? God has made them all look foolish, and shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. For God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never find God through human brilliance, and then He stepped in and saved all those who believed His message, which the world calls foolish and silly….This so-called `foolish’ plan of God is far wiser than the wisest plan of the wisest man, and God in His `weakness’—Christ dying on the Cross—is far stronger than any man.” Amen and amen!