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lesson 3 INTERNAL EVIDENCE FOR THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE I. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT ITSELF A. What The Prophets Say And What Is Said About Them 1. That they spoke by the Holy Spirit - Ezekiel 11:5 2. That God spoke to them in order for them to speak - Jeremiah 1:7 3. That they were inspired by the Holy Spirit - 2 Peter 1:21 B. The Prophets Were Certain Their Message Was From God 1. Jeremiah 1:7, 9, 12; 2:5; etc. 2. Isaiah 6:7-9; 50:1; etc. 3. Ezekiel 3:22; 4:13; 34:1; etc. C. The Witness Of The Apostles 1. Paul a. He said that he spoke with words taught by the Spirit - 1 Cor. 2:13 b. He also said that all scripture is inspired by God - 2 Tim. 3:15-17 2. Peter - Equated the writings of Paul with those of the O.T. ("the other scriptures") - 2 Peter 3:2, 15-16 II. THE UNITY OF THE BIBLE A. The Bible Was Written By Many Different People More Than 40 People Wrote Books Of The Bible, Nevertheless, There Is An Obvious Unity Among All The Writings, Without Contradictions. B. The Bible Was Written In Many Different Places, But Its Unity Is Maintained. A Few Of These Places Were Sinai, Rome, and Persia. C. The Bible Was Written In Different Ages Moses Wrote Some 1450 years before Christ; Daniel Began His Prophecy About 550 Years Before Christ, And John Wrote His Gospel Some 60 Years After Jesus Died On The Cross! CONCLUSION: Written By Different People, In Different Places; And In Different Ages, The Bible Maintained Its Unity; Keeping A Relationship Between All The Writings Without Contradicting Itself. Mankind Alone Would Not Have Been Able To Do That. III. FULFILLED PROPHECY Many Passages In The Bible Predict What Was Going To Occur. Many Of These Prophecies Are Very Detailed. Although There Are Some That Still Are To Happen In The Future, Many Others Have Already Occurred Exactly As They Were Prophesied. Such Exact Fulfillment Shows The Divine Origin Of The Bible. A. Some Prophecies About The Christ Already Fulfilled: 1. That he would be born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14 2. That he would be born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2 3. That his clothes would be divided up by casting lots - Psalms 22:18 4. That he would be resurrected - John 2:19 All these examples are verified internally, that is, the Bible itself is witness of their fulfillment. There are others that an be verified externally, by history. B. Prophecies About Pagan Nations 1.Nineveh - Nahum 3:1-7 This prophecy of the destruction of
Nineveh was given 650 years before Christ.
It was fulfilled some 40 years after it was given when the king of Babylonia destroyed it. 2. Tire - Ezekiel 26:1-14 The city was destroyed exactly as prophesied. Even now the place is useful only as somewhere to dry the nets of fishermen. C. There Are Many Example Like These That Show By Means Of External Evidence That What Was Prophesied In The Bible Was Fulfilled Exactly As Prophesied. MEMORY VERSE - 2 PETER 1:21 QUESTIONS - LESSON 3 1. T F The prophets doubted whether their message came from God. 2. T F The Bible itself says that the prophets were inspired by God. 3. T F Regarding some prophecies, the Bible itself speaks of their fulfillment.
4. T F Only 2 or 3 humans collaborated in the writing of the Bible. 5. T F Because it was written over a period of many centuries, there is little unity of the Bible. 6. T F Peter considered the writing of Paul to be inspired by God. |