Some books that were written long, long, before Jesus was born, told in great detail how He would live and die! Let us find out more about these fantastic books, and discover a few of the many amazing things revealed for us there.
When Jesus was dying on the cross He could have described the soldiers’ behaviour in these words, “They divided My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” (verses 23-24.) But these were not words spoken from the cross, these are the exact words that were written down 1,000 years earlier describing Jesus death! (Psalm 22:18.)
At the end of the crucifixion, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two criminals, “but when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear.” But these happenings had also been written about in detail hundreds of years earlier. The prophets had said, “Not one of His bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the one they have pierced.” (verses 32-37. Psalm 34:20. Zechariah 12:10.)
How could these authors, writing so long before Jesus Christ came, have been able to describe so accurately the happenings of Jesus’ life and death? The only explanation is that God has spoken through the prophets to give us His Word. (2nd Peter 1:20-21.)
The all-wise and all-knowing God guided those authors to know what to write.
God had appointed the Jews to pass on to the world the books He wanted to be in the Old Testament (Romans 3:1-2.), and they gave us 39 books. After the Old Testament was completed, God spoke to us by sending us His Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2.) His message, which had been clearly outlined in the Old Testament, was passed on by the early Christian Church in the 27 books of the New Testament. God guided in the bringing together of all those special books that truly were His Word. (John 17:17.) Today all 66 of them are found in the Old and New Testaments of the HOLY BIBLE.
But, about 2,000 years after the Jews had completed the Old Testament other religions introduced other books they wanted to add to the Old Testament, or some introduced books to replace the Bible! That explains why in some Bibles there are extra books in the Old Testament that are NOT part of the wonderful message God has spoken.
No religion or person has the right to add to or take from the words God has spoken. (Deuteronomy 4:2. Revelation 22:18-19.)
What a miraculous book the Holy Bible is! In it God has told us (in the Old and New Testaments) that Jesus came to suffer and die for your sins, and He is the Messiah; the only Priest and Saviour, and the only One who can give to you Eternal Life.
Someone summed up the OLD and the NEW Testaments this way: “The NEW is in the OLD concealed. The OLD is in the NEW revealed.” The wonderful Holy Bible explains and supports itself from beginning to end. It is God’s inspired Word for mankind.
Some of these details that help to prove the Bible is reliable are there for you to read in John’s Gospel chapter 19, verses 23-37.
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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