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The Bible is the world’s best seller. It is the most widely distributed and read book on this planet. But it is also the most misunderstood and most criticized book ever written. Why?

       Millions of people believe the Bible is the infallible Word of Elohim; to them, the Scriptures are inerrant. But to others, the Bible is merely a collection of ancient, uninspired writings that may have some historical, poetic and inspirational value. Is this venerable book, referred to by U.S. President John Adams as “the Volume of Inspiration,” really the unquestionable, authoritative Word of the living Elohim? Bruce Barton once wrote a book about the Bible, entitled The Book Nobody Knows. Truly, many of those who believe in the Bible don’t really believe it – because they don’t believe what it says.

Opposing views

The professed agnostic Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) wrote: “The real oppressor, enslaver and corrupter of the people is the Bible. That book is the chain that binds, the dungeon that holds the clergy. That book spreads the pall of superstitions over the colleagues and schools. That book puts out the eyes of science and makes honest investigations a crime. That book fills the world with bigotry, hypocrisy and fear”.

Mr. Ingersoll also asserted: “Elohim made a great number of promises to Abraham, but few of them were ever kept, He agreed to make him the father of great nations, but He did not. He solemnly promised to give him a great country, including all the land between the river of Egypt and the Euphrates, but He did not…Their (Israel’s) Elohim was quick-tempered, unreasonable, cruel, revengeful and dishonest. He was always promising, but never performed.”

What about these claims? Many of the world’s great men have been readers of the Bible and confessed that some of their beliefs and wisdom came from that book. President Abraham Lincoln, for instance, often read the Bible and regularly quoted from it.

Sir Winston Churchill was also familiar with many of the teachings of Elohim’s Word. He said:

“We reject with scorn all these learned and labored myths that Moses was but legendary figure. We believe that the most scientific view, the most up-to-date and rationalistic conception, will find its fullest satisfaction in taking the Bible story literally…. We may be sure that all these things (mentioned in the Bible) happened just as they are set out according to Holy Writ; we may believe that they happened to people not so very different from ourselves, and that the impressions these people received were faithfully recorded, and have been transmitted across the centuries with far more accuracy than many of the telegraphed accounts we read of the goings-on of today.”

Mr. Churchill went on to make this challenge: “Let the man of science and of learning expand their knowledge and probe with their known researches every detail of the records which have been preserved to us from these dim ages. All they will do is to fortify the grand simplicity and essential accuracy of the recorded truths, which have lighted so far the pilgrimage of man” (Thoughts and Adventures). What is the truth? Is there any accuracy in either of these widely divergent views?

The Bible speaks

Now, let us look at the Bible, to see what it says about itself. David said, “The words of Yahweh are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6).

Yahshua gave ample testimony to the authenticity of the Holy Scriptures. He referred to them as being the very Word of Elohim: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He (The Messiah) expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).

“And He said unto them, “These are the words which I spoke unto you….that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me. Then He opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (verses 44-45).

The Apostle Paul, writing in the middle of the first century, said: “All Scripture is written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of YAHWEH may be perfected, and complete for every good work.” (2nd Tim 3:16-17).

Humans visit museums and other repositories of historic documents such as Britain’s Magna Carta and America’s Declaration of Independence and stand in awe at the sight of those documents. How much more should we stand in awe of the very Word of the living Elohim?

Like a puzzle

Through the prophet Isaiah Elohim revealed that He deliberately inspired the Bible in such a way that it is not easily understood. Isaiah asked: “Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? …For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people (Isa 28: 9-11).

The Word of Elohim is written so that its various pieces must be put together like a puzzle picture. All the scriptures on any one subject must be viewed together to get the entire picture. But why?

Isaiah answers, “That they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared and taken” (verse13). When Yahshua was asked why He spoke to the multitudes in parables, He said: “Unto you (His disciples) it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of Yahweh; but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables; that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them (Mark 4:11-12).

He is only calling out of this world His Congregation (Greek word for Church, ecclesia, means the “called out ones”). Speaking of true Believers, Elohim said, “For the time is come that judgment must begin (right now, today) at the house of Yahweh” (1st Pet 4:17). Yahweh is now judging us – His Congregation.

Elohim has given the vast majority of mankind over to Satan to let him blind them at this time: “But if our Good-News be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the “god” of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest light of the glorious Good-News of Yahshua, who is the image of Elohim, should shine unto them” (2nd Cor 4:3-4).

How does Satan deceive the masses – the whole world (Rev 12:9)? He does it primarily through false religious organizations and false clergymen: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Yahshua. And no marvel: for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (2nd Cor 11:13-15).

Just as Satan often quotes scripture (e.g. Mat 4:6), so do his ministers, but they always either quote it out of context or put a clever but perverted twist on it: “For we are not as many,” wrote Paul, “which corrupt the word of Elohim: but as of sincerity” (2nd Cor 2:17).

Yes, Elohim deliberately inspired the writing of the Bible in such a way that the worldly wise and the disobedient will misunderstand it and stumble over it. The Apostle Peter admitted that some of Paul’s writings were not easy to understand. He said that “our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you: As also in all his epistles… in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do so also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2nd Pet 3:15-16).

How, then, are we, the elect, to understand Elohim’s Word? Isaiah informs us of the attitude required: “But to this man will I look says Yahweh, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word” (Isa 66:2).

If we wish to truly understand the Bible, we must “Search the Scriptures” (John 5: 39) as did the open- minded Bereans (Acts 17:11). One must be careful about how he handles or expounds the Word of Elohim. Paul told Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto Elohim, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2nd Tim 2:15). Many, instead of “rightly dividing the Word of Truth”, corrupt Yahweh’s Word and, as Peter said, wrest it to their own destruction.

How inspired?

Just how was the Word of Elohim inspired? Peter tells us: “We have also a more sure Word of prophecy… Knowing this first, that not every prophecy of scripture is made clear in its own book. For the prophecy (in the Scripture) came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of Elohim spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2nd Pet 1:19-21).

On some occasions when Old Testament prophets were inspired with a message, they themselves didn’t even understand it. The prophet Daniel said: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said, O my Master, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Dan 12:8-9).

Apparent contradictions

Is the Word of Elohim infallible, or does it contain discrepancies, contradictions and untruths? You may have heard someone say, “The Bible is full of contradictions!” Or “You can’t prove anything in the Bible!” But are there any real errors in the Word of Yahweh?

Let us examine some so called biblical contradictions to prove the veracity of Yahweh’s Word. One of the most striking examples of a copyist’s error is found in 2nd Chron 22:2, where we are told that Ahaziah was 42 years old when he began to rule. 2nd Kings 8:26 says he was 22. Which is correct?

None of the original documents extant solves the difficulty for us. Obviously, a copyist error was made thousands of years ago, and has been perpetuated to this day. How did this mistake come about? It is clear what happened. Though the Jewish copyists were extremely meticulous and copied previous manuscripts letter for letter, human error crept in.

The Jews used letters to express numbers, and the ancient Hebrew letter for 40 was quite similar to that for 20 – so that one might easily be mistaken for the other. But Elohim has left us in no doubt as to which is the correct reading. Ahaziah was only 22, as mentioned in 2nd Kings 8:26. The age given in 2nd Chron 22:2 is incorrect. If Ahaziah was 42, he would have been two years older than his father Jehoram, who was only 40 when he died (2nd Kings 8:17).

Elohim made the truth plain for those who want to know it. But those who want to stumble or scoff certainly may. Some think that the four accounts of what was written on Yahshua’s crucifixion contradict. What was actually written on Yahshua’s tree?

Matthew’s account says, “This is Yahshua the king of the Jews” (Mat 27:37). Mark: “The king of the Jews” (Mark 15: 26).

Luke: “This is the king of the Jews” (Luke 23: 38).

John: “Yahshua of Nazareth the king of the Jews” (John 19:19).

The Bible shows that “Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross beam…and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin” (John 19:19-20). The Bible does not say that any one of the four titles was the only title written on the tree. Obviously, the answer to this supposed contradiction lies in the fact that the title on the tree was written in three languages. Each Good-News writer quoted from one of these, or else each combined a portion of what was written in two of the three languages. There is no discrepancy.

Scientifically accurate

The Bible is not a science textbook. Nonetheless, whatever the Scriptures mention is always scientific. Notice these accurate Bible statements: “It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers” (Isa 40:22). This verse clearly reveals that the earth is round, even though man did not discover this fact by himself until centuries after this was written.

“He (Elohim)…hangs the earth upon nothing” (Job 26:7). The earth is held in orbit around the sun by the law of gravity. But it is not fastened to anything material.

Notice the truth in this biblical statement: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of Elohim, so that things which are seen (the physical universe) were not made of things which do appear” (Heb 11:3). In plain language, this verse says Elohim created the physical, material, tangible world that we see out of invisible, intangible, nonphysical essence – out of spirit or spirit essence.

Most scientists, steeped in evolution, are unwilling to admit the possibility that an intelligent, all powerful Designer of the universe exists. But they are forced to agree that, as the Bible says, the physical universe came into existence from that which does not now appear (spirit). It is hard for humans to realize that, just as the Bible says, “In the beginning Elohim created (brought into existence) the heaven and the earth” (Gen 1:1). Thus, you can envisage how scientists see the big bang as the sudden, explosive appearance of both space and matter from literally nothing.

Of course, Elohim most certainly did not use a big bang to create the universe. But the more research scientists perform, the more they are forced to admit that what the Bible says is true.

The Bible is true not only scientifically, but also historically. And, again, although the Bible is not a history book, whatever is mentioned as history in the Bible is always true. For example, just a few decades ago, skeptics doubted the very existence of ancient cities such as Nineveh and Sodom. But archaeologists have uncovered abundant evidence to prove that those cities actually existed, just as the Bible said thousands of years ago.

Is the Word of Elohim infallible? It certainly is. Yahshua said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away” (Mat 24:35). Through the centuries, many have tried – unsuccessfully – to discredit or destroy the Bible, “But the Word of our Master endures forever” (1st Pet 1:25).

Just how important is the Word of Yahweh – The Bible – in Yahweh’s eyes? We know that Yahweh is very concerned about magnifying and protecting His name: “You shall not take the name of YAHWEH your Elohim in vain; for YAHWEH will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain” (Exo 20:7).

But Yahweh is even more jealous concerning His Word than He is for even His own name. “For You have magnified Your Word above all Your name” (Psalm 138:2).

Of what real value is the Word of Yahweh? Why has Yahweh given it to men? King David said, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Without that brilliant lamp, this world would be in total darkness. It is only through the light of Yahweh’s infallible Word that man can ever come to know who he is, where he came from, what is his ultimate destiny, and how he is to attain that incredible potential. By mankind doing away with the Bible, this world has become full of darkness, and evil with no moral absolutes.

It would be impossible for human beings to have any kind of true, real relationship with their Creator without having the Bible to learn about the will and character of Yahweh. Let us all thank the Great Creator, Yahweh for the precious gift of His infallible Word.