“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
In 1889 a schoolteacher told a ten-year-old boy, “You will never amount to very much.” That boy was Albert Einstein. In 1954 a music manager told a young singer, “You ought to go back to driving a truck.” That singer was Elvis Presley. In 1962 a record company told a group of singers, “We don’t like your sound. Groups with guitars are definitely on their way out.” They said that to the Beatles. Man is prone to make mistakes! Those who reject the Bible should take the time to look at the evidence before they reach a verdict.
We could spend a lot of time talking about why the Bible stands alone, but here are just a few good reasons:
- The Bible is unique in its origination. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; others were politicians. The authors include generals and kings, shepherds and historians. They were from three different continents and wrote in three different languages. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet they wrote with agreement and harmony as if their words came from the same source. Try that today!
- The Bible is unique in its circulation. The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since that time, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. Today, Bible societies print hundreds of millions of Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies.
- The Bible is unique in its translation. The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
- The Bible is unique in its duration. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. For example, only 10 copies of the original writings of Julius Caesar are known to exist, and only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist. However, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts alone. God has promised to preserve His Word (see Psalm 12:6-7). In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned in his attempt to destroy Christianity. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, an avowed atheist, boasted that within 100 years of his death the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on! Ironically, 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles.
We could go on and on, but suffice it to say that, in spite of the fact that no other book has been so attacked and criticized throughout history as the Bible, it still stands! Do you know why? It is because the Bible is no mere book. It is the very Word of God. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8). Glory to God!