How can we be sure that the Bible hasn't changed in 4,000 years?
88610
One passage deserves consideration. Second Peter 1:21 [KJV/NIV] states that the Old Testament writers spoke "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." In its context this verse suggests the uniqueness of Scriptures when compared to humanly inspired statements. The men who wrote the Scriptures were moved, or carried along, by the Holy Ghost. The uniform witness of the Scriptures themselves is clear: God spoke the concept (revelation) to the mind of the writer; the Holy Spirit guided the transmission (inspiration) of that concept into the objective form of words; and, through the continual guidance of the Holy Spirit (illumination), we receive the original revelation as we read the Scriptures.\nFirst, the science of textual criticism has assured us, by the estimates of competent scholars, that our present texts (Greek and Hebrew) are without errors of significance. The text we work with is therefore trustworthy and deserving of the most careful and detailed study.Second, to reject the doctrine of inerrancy transfers the question of truth from the objective into the realm of the subjective. Who is to decide what part of the Scripture is true and what part of it is false? What part is trustworthy and what part is untrustworthy? The Scriptures' claim to divine authority is lost when we subject them to the rationalistic, subjective appraisals of men.
62667
God promised to preserve his Word, not the English language. He knew about the translations, and the annomalies that may arise.\n\nYou can bet the translations (not all of them), but a few of them, potray the message in a clear and concise manner.\n\nWhile the enemy may taint some avenues of the Gospel, the Lord will not allow them all to be corrupted.\n\nI posted this in another thread:\n\nThe Bible is made up of 66 books, written by 40 authors on 3 continents, using 3 languages, and penned over a 1600 year span of time, yet it uniquely fits together without contradiction, making up one volume we call, “The Bible”.\n\nCharles Spurgeon said, "This Bible is the anvil on which many a hammer of critics has been worn out." It has truly withstood every test and trial while remaining the undisputed bestseller of all time! Over 1/2 billion Bibles were printed in1997 alone!\n\nWhat makes the Bible so different from all other books? It's incredible accuracy both historically, scientifically, geographically, and prophetically.\n\nArcheological findings, have proven the Bible’s literal accuracy. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, substantiate the accuracy of the Old Testament scriptures written 2,500 to 3,500 years ago!\n\nThe Bible revealed many truths thousands of years ago long before they were discovered. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica; Volume 4 page 937 "Columbus discovered America by Bible prophecy rather than by astronomy." Columbus believed the Bible and convinced the Queen after reading to her the following scriptures:\n\nIsaiah 40:22 (about 800 B.C.)\n\n"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth..."\n\nJob 26:7 (Almost certainly over 1,000 B.C.)\n\n"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing."\n\nMan thought the earth was flat and perhaps sat on the back of a turtle, just 500 years ago, yet God revealed the earth's true Geography over 3,500 years ago, a circle that hangs on nothing.\n\nIncredible as it may sound, we probably killed our first president, George Washington, by bleeding him to death. A practice called blood letting, the cutting of ones wrist and removing life giving blood. If we had only read and believed God's word:\n\nLeviticus 17:11\n\n"For the life of the flesh is in the blood..."\n\nThere are hosts of incredible proofs like these throughout the Bible. The water cycle and evaporation process is revealed in Ecclesiastes 1:6-7 and Psalms 135. \n\nThe Bible is the only book that foretells the future with 100% accuracy. It foretold the birthplace of Jesus 700 years before He was born! (Micah 5:2), That He would be crucified over 500 years before this inhumane practice ever began! Details about Jesus’ crucifixion such as: His hands and feet would be pierced, His beard would be torn out, His garments would be gambled for, and that He would die between two thieves, and be buried in a rich mans tomb (Isaiah 53, Psalms 22). Jesus fulfilled 30 different prophecies in just one day. There were about 300 prophecies that foretold His first coming and over 500 that tell of His second coming.\n\nOne such prophecy was fulfilled and witnessed by millions of people alive today! On May 14th, 1948, three million Jews from all over the world speaking 85 different languages returned to a tiny piece of desolate desert land, that most had never seen. God foretold of this incredible event through His word over 2,500 years ago.\n\nJeremiah 30:3\n\n"For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."\n\nEzekiel 36:24\n\n"For I will take you (Jews) from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."\n\nZechariah 8:8\n\n"And I will bring them, and they shall dwe
1026743
4 500 000 000 years, given or taken a few.
615866
if you arent sure about somethign someone has told you then you need to check it out in an OLD bible, such as the KJV, because people change and have opinions that are their own feelings.. God doesnt change , we do and we have totally lost how things used to be and come so far from the truth... dont trust people only the bible
1054219
We're made in the spiritual image of God, but that doesn't mean we ARE God; we make mistakes.  The Bible does have some internal inconsistancies, but it's also about 4000 years old.  You can't expect a story to be reproduced perfectly all throughout that time.  And I don't think it really matters anyway, since the creation story is more meant to be a parable than a factual history.  The message is more important than the individual details.
726974
One of the best books on this is "The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict" by Josh McDowell.  He is a lawyer who spent years trying to prove that the Bible is false and that Jesus never existed and from independent texts and archaeological sources ended up proving the opposite.  He has a section detailing how priests who copied the manuscripts would, after double checking their copy, go back and count letters in every verse just to insure they hadn't accidently left out or added a letter.\n\n     There are so many manuscripts in existence that they can be compared fairly easily to show there has been no change.  As earlier manuscripts are found it only confirms this more.  It was assumed this would not be the case in the mid 60s and 'experts' from that time are still quoted in academia because they don't like the results of new archaeological discoveries.\n\n     Scholar John Lea compares Shakespeare and the Bible:  He says that it seems strange that the text of Shakespeare, which has been in existence for only a few centuries "should be far more uncertain and corrupt than that of the New Testament, now over eighteen centuries old, during nearly fifteen of which it existed only in manuscript..."\n\n     "With perhaps a dozen or twenty exceptions (mostly involving numbers - my own note) the text of every verse in the New Testament may be said to be so far settled by general consent of scholars, that any dispute as to its readings must relate rather to the intrepretation of the words than to any doubts respeting the words themselves.  But in every one of Shakespeare's thirty-seven plays there are probably a hundred readings still in dispute, a large portion of which materially  affects the meaning of the passages in which they occur."\n\n     Doctor Bernard Ramm notes that "to be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament..."\n\n     "Jews...kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph.  They had special classes of men within their culture whose sole duty was to preserve and transmit these documents with practically perfect fidelity-scribes, lawyers, massoretes.  Who ever counted the letters and syllables and words of Plato or Aristotle?  Cicero or Seneca?"\n\n     Very few manuscripts exist of most writings we accept from antiquity without question.  I believe Plato is still in the lead with 27 manuscripts in existence of one of his works.  In contrast, thousands of manuscripts of scripture exist that can be crossreferenced and checked for accuracy.\n\n     The party who wrote above that King James had a political agenda with his translation is correct.  It probably colors less than 1% of his translation.  Nevertheless, the New International Version is probably the most accurate translation currently available as it used a multitude of scholars cross checking each others work and went to original Hebrew manuscripts dating to centuries before the latin translation the King James version used (as the original Hebrew ms. had yet to be discovered at the time).  If you read the King James side by side with the New International Version you will find very little difference.  And no difference where core doctrines (teachings) of Christianity are concerned.
653069
The Earth is 4,570,000,000 years old, approximately; though many Creationists think it to be only 6000 "without proof otherwise" they are wrong: we have proven it using gravitational measurements of other planets, measurements of solar brightness over time, radioactive dating, continental drift, and many other factors. If you want to  force religion on people, don't do it in a SCIENCE forum! You will only cause heated debates and great offense from both sides.
1185485
consider:  virtually NO information appears in historical textx that can verify the existence of Jesus.  \n\nConsider: Most of the items in the Bible that can be examined for their historical accuracy, including the importance of Jerusalem in the ancient world, have been found, through archaeology, to be false, or gross exagerations.
563726
as old as time. traditions and religions have changed and evolved over time.
1179172
I have studied this topic for nearly 4 years. I believe it is less than 7,000 years. I had trouble with this until I saw how things are dated. Then I knew that there was no "proof" of anything over  about 5500 years old. Every thing over that age, whether 20,000 years or 4.5 billion years is speculation. I have worked in the science industry for about 30 years. I know my way around a lab. I certainly don't know everything, but I know these old dates given to fossils and rocks are speculation. Recent discoveries in DNA and Micro-biology have placed serious doubt in a lot of scientist minds about evolution. I know for a fact that creation is debated by scientists daily. Many can no longer support theories once held by the majority.
826729
its been millions of years
830958
Not only that, but *originals* for the vast majority of books in the bible haven't existed for thousands of years.  All the translators have to work from are copies of copies of copies of copies...\nOh, but of course, we *know* that nobody made any errors, changes, or intentional additions or deletions when they made those hand-written copies, right? ;-)\n\nForget about the actual content, OF COURSE there are errors in just getting what's called the bible into your hands from the people who originally wrote the books.  Anyone who thinks there are no errors of any kind in the bible is very, very deluded.
677257
No,  the Bible is already facing a lot of criticism, even the majority of it's followers do not believe the book is literal.  In another 2000 years our knowledge of the Universe will be enormous, such people that believe in the Bible will be considered insane, and probably treated.\n\nIf Science and Society were to push Biotechnology, along with Nanotechnology there is a possibility that some of us could live to see the year 4000.  After all the body is just a machine programmed to live a certain age.
124024
Cyanne, think!!  The Dead Sea scrolls show that almost the entire Old Testament had not changed a single word in well over two thousand years.  Of the thousands of New Testament manuscripts in existence, there are very minor discrepancies (eg. the second half of Mark 16 - was it added later?) but the underlying content can be demonstrated as being unchanged.  Those who claim the Bible has been 'changed' repeatedly simply do so as a crutch to avoid considering the claims made BY the Bible.\n\nAs for apostles and miracle workers, the Bible states that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  GOD is the same; however, the way He works changes.\n\nThe passages in Paul's letters referring to spiritual gifts make no distinction between 'miraculous' gifts and 'natural' ones such as administration.  No-one claims that administration should have disappeared from the church, so why miracles or prophecy?\n\nThe scriptural arguments on both sides are complex, but the bottom line for me is that the Bible gives no indication that these gifts should disappear.  If they were supposed to be gone from the church, the Bible would tell us!
1173906
Honestly there is no way to prove the bible. You can prove some of the history the bible tells us but you cannot "know" if its real or not. It takes Faith.  And to me and the things that have been revealed to me in my life it takes more faith for me NOT* to belive the bible then for me to belive it.
972850
Be thankful people don't use the standards of 2000+ years ago! We really are more understanding than in those days. \n\n'Who made GOD?' and other type questions; I see many questions of this nature, and wonder how can humanity put into human understanding GOD and his plan. I mean I understand humanities need to understand things - but we are never going to understand these big concepts. \nDeath, GOD, etc. \nI totally agree that "it's clear Jesus said his Kingdom is not of this world."
1139981
I'm of the christian faith. I live in the bible belt of the United States, though I've rarely been inside a church.... I put effort into my religion every day, every second of every day, and have done so since I was 4 or 5, am not even sure of my age when I began to seek God....since that time I've read and studied my bible( nearly every home in the bible belt has several bibles at the least); however, since gaining internet access 4 years ago, I've extended my research to studying the origins of christianity (which originates in Judaism; big DUH but the statement make s my line of thought flow more smoothly:)... and have found the books of the Bible ( especially the new testament) to be the best documented piece of ancient literature yet found and Judaism to be non polluted/diluted by other ancient religions...the Bible was penned by 40 different authors from many different social backgrounds and over 1500 years worth of writing; and all of those writings don't conflict in any way.. the bible can be argued with ( though all arguments so far can be traced to mistranslation of original language or ignorance of cultural context) but not proven false.... in a nutshell,there is no physical/scientific evidence to disprove either Judaism or its culmination,Christianity... Shalom v'shalom