The Bible's Continuity

   The Bible is made up of 66 volumes by 40 writers "...over 1600 years languages on 3 continents" in "...deserts and mountains, prisons, and palaces, islands and tents....under various emotional conditions", such as "great joy and ...dismal despair." "...these authors were from every strata of society. Some were rich and some were poor. Some were renowned and others were unknown. Some were kings, others were peasants. among the authors were fishermen, scholars, politicians, philosophers, theologians, shepherds, farmers, and rabbis." (quotes from Morgan's book, "Beyond Reasonable Doubt")
   Even though the authors have such varied backgrounds, the writings fit together as if planned by one Person. That Person is the Holy Spirit Who inspired each writer as he penned his work. Once one gets to know the Bible some, he can see the thread of Christ through the whole of Scripture. Books have been written about Christ in the sacrifices, and in the Psalms, and in various other of the biblical volumes.
   Since God wrote the Bible through the Holy Spirit inspiring men, it should be different than any other book which a man wrote. It sure is! If one understands the Bible he will find no contradictions even though so many men and so many years were involved in writing it! Even though so many different cultures, emotions and levels of society were involved.
   Morgan quoted J. Sidlow Baxter, "To the prayerful explorer the Bible has its own way of revealing its internal credentials." He quoted A.T. Pierson, "Every study of the Bible is a study of the evidences of Christianity. The Bible is itself the greatest miracle of all." Morgan wrote about G. Campbell Morgan who when reading many books defending and critical of the Bible finally got so confused that he put away all the books and bought a new Bible to read." He said, "I am no longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be--the Word of God. But of this I am sure. If it be the Word of God, and if I come to it with an unprejudiced and open mind, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself.' As he looked into the book before him, studying its form , structure, unity, and message, he was amazed. He later said, 'That Bible found me. I began to read and study it then, in 1883, and I have been a student ever since.'"
   Morgan wrote about the circle and the thread of the Bible. By the "Circle" he means that the problems of the beginning chapters of the Bible are solved in the last chapters. He gave several examples such as: Gen 1:1/Rev 21:1; Gen 2:8/Rev 21:2,3; Gen 3:8/Rev 21:3;Gen 2:9/Rev 22:2; Gen 2:10/Rev 22:1,2 Gen 2:12/Rev 21:18,21; Gen 2:15/Rev 22:3; Gen 2:16,17/Rev 21:4; Gen 3:1,14,15/Rev 20:1,2,10; Gen 3:17/Rev 22:3; Gen 3:23,24/Rev 21:25. He continued, "In the Bible's first three chapters, God created the heaven and the earth, but it was spoiled. In the last three, He recreates them." In the first three chapters fellowship with God was broken, death entered,a curse was put on the earth, but in the last 3 chapters all these problems are solved.
   Morgan, then wrote about the "Thread". He stated, "This crimson thread tells us how God reclaimed paradise for fallen sinners, how He saved us from death and restored us to glory." He shows that there is a red "thread" all the way from Gen 3 to Rev 21. He mentions the sacrifices of the animals God used to clothe Adam and Eve; Abraham's offering a ram in place of Isaac, his son; the sacrificial lamb of the Exodus; the sacrificial offerings given to Israel; the prophets who foretold the coming Messiah; then, of course, the life of Christ in the Gospels; the letters to the churches; and the book of Revelation.
   He summarizes with, "So if you want to debunk Christianity, you have a formidable task. You have to deny the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. You have to explain away the creation and complexity of the universe. You have to ignore fulfilled prophecy, both historical and Messianic. You have to disregard the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. You have to explain how a book written over 1,600 years by 40 authors in three languages on 3 continents covering hundreds of controversial subjects can fit together as though written by a master author, having an opening and closing that come full circle and a unified theme that runs like a crimson thread from beginning to ending.
   No wonder it convinced a skeptic named Morgan."

Sincerely,
Rick

Jesus' Unusual Impact on History

   Remember, we are studying a book by Robert Morgan called "Beyond Reasonable Doubt". In that book Morgan gives 4 stories to show how Christ greatly affected their lives. First, he mentions an unknown writer who "...once summed it up with these well-worn words: 'He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He never went to college. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race, and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as has that One Solitary Life.'"
   Morgan then mentions Lew Wallace who"...was a famous general and literary genius of the nineteenth century who, along with his friend Robert Ingersoll, decided to write a book that would forever destroy 'the myth of Christianity.' For two years, Wallace studied in the libraries of Europe and America, then he started his book. But while writing the second chapter, he found himself on his knees crying out to Jesus Christ in the words of Thomas, 'My Lord and my God.' The book he was writing became the great novel about the times of Christ, 'Ben Hur'.
   He, then, wrote about Bill Murray and how he grew up in  athiest Madalyn Murray's home. She wanted him to be anything but a Christian. So he grew up sexually promiscuous, had marital problems, used drugs and drank alcohlic beverages while "...wanting more and more possessions..." Eventually he "...worked himself to exhaustion. He collapsed inwardly and found himself praying to the God he had rejected, 'Please get me out of this mess!'" He found a Bible in a book store and began to read about Jesus Christ.  He "...received Christ as his Savior and it changed his life." He quit all his bad habits and "...found the inner peace and joy he had always been looking for." Now he speaks out for Christ.
   Lastly Morgan writes about C.S. Lewis who "...came to Christ almost against his will, being convinced by the evidence that Christianity was true. He used the power of deduction, later explaining, 'A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'"
   The followers of Christ have had more compassion for the people of the world than any other group of people - religious or non-religious. Missionaries have gone to distant lands to help religious peorles be free from fearful worship of objects, animals, and spirits. They have helped treat their diseases and teach them to read and write. They have translated the Bible into their native language so they can better understand its message. They've built hospitals, and opened clinics. All of this because of the love they have for Christ and the people He created.
   Christ changed their lives and they want the same gift for any others they meet in this world so the others can be prepared for eternal life in the world to come and live with God avoiding the judgement of hell.
  Morgan concludes this chapter with, "There are only three logical options when it comes to Jesus. Either He was a liar, a hoax, a deceiver, an inpostor--in which case you have to explain how He could have been the wisest teacher the world has ever seen; or He is the God-man--which is just Who He claimed to be.
   Liar, Lunatic, or Lord.
   The answer, it seems, is obvious."