Uniqueness of the Bible

Br. L.Saravanan
Church at Vadavalli, Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu
 The BIBLE

• The word “Bible” comes from

the Greek word “biblos”
meaning “book.”

• Bible is comprised of 66 books,

1189 chapters, 31,173 verses.
• Old Testament-39
• New Testament-27
• Yet, it is a single Book

2
 The Bible is Unique

1.Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else

2.Having no like or equal; unparalleled, incomparable
1. It is unique in its continuity
The Bible is the only book that was:
a. Written for around 1500 years

Moses John, the Apostle

(From 1450 BC to 90 AD)

 1. It is unique in its continuity
The Bible is the only book that was:
b. Written by more that 40 authors from every walk of life.
 1. It is unique in its continuity
The Bible is the only book that was:
c. Written in different geographical places: 3 Continents
 1. It is unique in its continuity
The Bible is the only book that was:
d. Written in different literary styles

e. Written in Three Languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek

 1. It is unique in its continuity
Despite its diversity…
The leading Character through all these books is the
one, true, living God made known through Jesus Christ.
The O.T:
• The Law provides the foundation for Christ.
• The Historical Books show the preparation for Christ.
• The Poetic books aspire to Christ.
• The Prophecies expect Christ.
The N.T.
• The Gospels show the manifestation of Christ
• Acts shows the spread of Christ.
• The Epistles show the interpretation of Christ.
• Revelation shows the completion of all things in Christ.
1. It is unique in its continuity
Despite it’s diversity there is one single unfolding story: God
becoming Man and redeeming human beings.

Genesis 3.21 Redemptive process started by God

Genesis 4.2-4 Necessity of the Lamb is known for God’s approval

Genesis 22. 7-8 Concept of provision of Lamb for Sacrifice

Exodus 12.3, 6-7, 12-13 Concept of necessity of lamb/blood for

redemption
Leviticus 22.21 Concept of character of the Lamb
Isaiah 53.5,6,7, Personality of the Lamb (described as Man)

John 1.29 Identification of the Lamb

I Peter 1.18-20 Redeemed by the precious blood of the

Lamb, the Christ
Rev. 5.6,11-12 Enthronement of the Lamb/Glory of the Lamb

Rev. 21.22,23,27 Whose names are in the Book of the Lamb are
redeemed/saved
 2. Bible is Unique in its Survival
a. Its survival through time-its care and copy
• No other book in history has been
copied as many times with as much
care as has been the Word of God.
• There were specialized Priests, Scribes,
Rabbis to copy the scriptures.
1. Parchment had to be made
from the skin of a clean
animal, prepared by a Jew
only.
2. Each column must have no
less than 48 or more than
60 lines
3. Ink must be black, and had
to be prepared according to
a special recipe
4. No word or letter could be
written from memory; the
scribe must have an
authentic copy before him;
and he had to read and
pronounce aloud each word
before writing it.
 2. Bible is Unique in its Survival
a. Its survival through time-its care and copy
• He had to wash his whole body
before writing the sacred name
Jehovah.
• One mistake on a sheet condemned
the sheet; if three mistakes were
found, the entire manuscript was
condemned.
• Every word and every letter was
counted, and if a letter were
omitted, an extra letter inserted, or
one letter touched another, the
manuscript was condemned and
destroyed at once.
 3. Bible is Unique in its Indestructibility
a. Its indestructibility in spite of political persecutions
• 600 B.C. King Jehoiakim, attempted to destroy the
Word of God, but miserably failed. (Jeremiah. 36:21-
32).
• In 303 A.D. the Roman Emperor, Diocletian
• Manuscripts, portions of the Bible-burned. Families
who owned any of these were martyred.
• After 2 years, he erected a column of victory over the
embers of a Bible with this inscription —“Extinct is
the name of Christians!”
• 20 years later Emperor Constantine wished to place
copies of the New Testament in all the churches of his
empire.
• He offered a reward for anyone who could discover
and deliver to him the Holy Book.
• Within 24 hours numerous copies were brought out
of hiding and presented to the Emperor.
 3. Bible is Unique in its Indestructibility
b. Its indestructibility in spite of religious persecutions

• Early RC popes opposed

the reading and
translation of the Bible
• In 1199, Pope Innocent III
ordered the burning of
the Bible
 3. Bible is Unique in its Indestructibility
b. Its indestructibility in spite of religious persecutions
• Persecution on those who
translated the Bible
• John Wycliffe
• Martin Luther
• William Tyndale
The RC church passed a ruling that anyone who read
the Scriptures in English "would forfeit land, cattle, John Wycliffe
life and goods from their heirs forever.”

Martin Luther William Tyndale On 6 October 1536

 3. Bible is Unique in its Indestructibility
c. Its indestructibility in spite of philosophical attacks

• “Another Century and

there will be not a
Bible”
Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

• “Ban the Bibles from Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

French philosopher
Russia and the minds of
Russians”
Stalin (1878-1953)

Stalin (1878-1953)
 4.Bible is unique in amazing circulation and translations

• >5 billion Bibles are printed

and distributed.
• Complete Bible-670 languages
• NT or more-1521
• At least some scriptures- 3312

Wycliffe.net/statistics Oct 2017

 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
a. Earth is spherical

• Ancient people believed the earth was

flat
• Aristotle (384-322 BC) argued that the
Earth was spherical.
• In 1492, Christopher Columbus
Isaiah 40.22 (Around 700 BC)

Aristotle
Christopher Columbus
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
b. Earth is suspended in space

• Job 26.7 (1500 BC)

Sir Issac Newton A.D.1687

 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
c. Stars are innumerable
• Genesis 15.5
• Jeremiah 33.22
Hippocrates (430-370 BC),
before the invention of
the telescope charted and
numbered 1,022 stars
Ptolemy declared the
number of stars to be
exactly 1056
Today scientists agree with
Jeremiah. There are
billions just in our galaxy

Hippocrates Ptolemy
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
d. Springs and fountains in the sea (Oceanography)

• Genesis 7.11; Job 38:16

• Proverbs 8.28
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
e. Watery paths in the sea (Oceanography)

• Psalms 8.8

Mathew Fountaine Maurey

1806 - 1873
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
f. The fact of Hydrological cycle (Hydrology)

• Water cycle-
Precipitation, evaporation,
cloud construction,
movements of moisture by
wind circuits etc.
• Job 26.8; 36.27-29
• Psalm 135.7
• Eccles.1.6,7
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
e. The fact of reproduction of living creatures (Biology)
• They reproduce after their own kind
• Genesis 1.21-25
• People believed theory of
spontaneous generation given by
Aristotle
• Louis Pasteur- Disproved the theory
• Gregor J. Mendel-Law of Heredity
Aristotle Gregor J. Mendel

Louis Pasteur-
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
f. The fact concerning the human blood stream (Medicine)

• Bible gives accurate

comment on blood
• Leviticus 17.11
• Ancient Greeks, Egyptians
practiced medical
practice of bloodletting
400 B.C until 19th Century
• Thousands of people died
due to this false practice
 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
g. The facts involved in the laws of thermodynamics (Physics)
The first law : Energy conservation
• It states that although energy can change
forms, it cannot be either created or
destroyed.
• Thus no energy is now being created or
destroyed anywhere in known universe.
• Genesis 2.1-3; Psalm 3.6-9
• First law into being after the original
Rudolf Clausius 1850 AD
creation (Gen.1.31)

William Thomson 1850 AD

 5. Bible is Unique in its Scientific accuracy
h. The facts involved in the laws of thermodynamics (Physics)

• The second law: Energy deterioration.

• It states that a system and its
surroundings are always proceed to
maximum disorder.
• Ps. 102.26; Romans 8.18-23; Hebrews
1.10-12.
• This law is in operation after man’s fall
(Gen.3.17) Rudolf Clausius,1850
 6. Bible is Unique in its historical accuracy (Archaeology)
a. Noah’s Ark found on Mt. Ararat, Turkey
Genesis 6.15
“This is how you are to make it: the
length of the ark 300 cubits, its
breadth 50 cubits, and its height
30 cubits”
Genesis 8.4
“and in the seventh month, on
the seventeenth day of the
month, the ark came to rest on
the mountains of Ararat”
 6. Bible is Unique in its historical accuracy (Archaeology)
b. Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.)
• Jehu, king of Israel, brought or
sent his tribute in around 841
BC.

• The caption above the scene,

written in Assyrian cuneiform,
can be translated as,

The tribute of Jehu, son of

Omri: I received from him
silver, gold, a golden bowl, a
golden vase with pointed
bottom, golden tumblers,
golden buckets, tin, a staff for
a king [and] spears.

Jehu, king of Israel, bowing before the Assyrian king.

 6. Bible is Unique in its historical accuracy (Archaeology)
c. Sennacherib's Prism (dates from 690 BC)
• It details the events of Sennacherib's
campaign against Judah .
• The text boasts how Sennacherib
destroyed 46 of Judah's cities, and
trapped Hezekiah in Jerusalem "like a
caged bird."
• They rarely mention their own defeats
or heavy casualties. 2 Chronicles 32
 6. Bible is Unique in its historical accuracy (Archaeology)
d. King Hezekiah tunnel in Jerusalem

A 1750-foot (530m) tunnel

2 Kings 20:20
2 Chr 32:30

Pool of Siloam
 6. Bible is Unique in its historical accuracy (Archaeology)
e. Cylinder of Cyrus the Great, King of Persia

539 BC
II Chronicles 36. 22-23
Ezra 1.7-11 British Museum, London,
Room No. 52
Isaiah 44. 28
 6. Bible is Unique in its historical accuracy (Archaeology)
Sir William M. Ramsay , Archaeologist

• Professor of Humanity, University of

Aberdeen, Scotland.
• Wanted to undertake a study on NT to
disprove its authenticity
• Before his study: (Not a believer of Christ)
• “The book of Acts is a highly imaginative and
carefully coloured account of primitive
christianity”
1851-1939 A.D.
• After the study: (Become a strong defender of
the Bible)
• “I take the view that Luke’s history is
unsurpassed in regard to its trustworthiness”
 8 .It is unique in its universal coverage
Countries mentioned
7. It is unique in its influence • Arabia
• Babylon-Iraq
on the Society • Crete
• Cyprus
• Western Civilization is • Edom
• Egypt
directly founded upon the • Ethiopia
• France
Bible and its teachings. • Gog, Magog (Russia)
• Greece
• It influenced the Literature, • India
• Iraq (Babylon)
Arts, music • Iran (Persia)
• Israel
• It has produced Law to the • Italy (Rome)
• Jordan
World • Judah
• Lebanon
• It has tremendous power • Lybia
• Macedonia
for transforming the sinful • Malta
• Spain
people • Sudan
• Syria
• Turkey
 9. Bible is Unique in its Prophetical accuracy
a. Prophecies concerning Israel

• Israel would become a great nation (Gen.12:1-3).

• She would spend 400 years in Egypt (Gen. 15.13)
• The nation would spend seventy years in Babylon
(Jeremiah 25.11, 29.10)
• She would return (in part) to Jerusalem after the
70 years (Dan.9.1-2)
• Israel would reject her Messiah (Isa. 53.)
• Jerusalem would be destroyed (Lk.19.41-44;
21.20).
• Israel would return to Palestine in the latter days
prior to the Second coming of Christ (Deut.30.3;
Ezek. 36.24; 37.1-14; 38.1-39.29).
 9. Bible is Unique in its Prophetical accuracy
b. Prophecies concerning Gentile nations-Edom

Esau, was the founder of the nation Edom

(Gen.36)
• Their commerce was to cease
• Their race was to become extinct
• Their land was to be desolate
(Jer. 49.17-18; Ezek.35.3-7; Obadiah,
Mal.1.4).
• All this has taken place in spite of her
unbelievably strong fortified capital, Petra.
• In A.D.636 Petra was captured by
Mohammed, and shortly after this Petra
and Edom drop from the pages of history.
 9. Bible is Unique in its Prophetical accuracy
c. Prophecies concerning Gentile nations-Babylon
• Babylon was one of the of world
powers
• Prophecies regarding its demise
(Daniel 2.31-43 and 7.1-8;
Isaiah13.17-19 and Jeremiah
51.11)
• This literally happened on the
night of October 13, 539 B.C.,
when Darius, the Median captured
the city.
• See Daniel 5
 9. Bible is Unique in its Prophetical accuracy
d. Prophecies concerning Gentile nations-Greek

• Daniel predicts the dissolution

of the Greek empire (upon the
death of Alexander) into four
smaller and separate powers.
Each ruled over by one of his
generals (Dan.7.6;8.8,20,21).
• This happened in exact detail
in 301 B.C. after Alexander
died of a fever at the age of
thirty three in Babylon.
 9. Bible is Unique in its Prophetical accuracy
e. Prophecies concerning Jesus Christ

• He would be born of a virgin (Isa.7.14 and Mt.1.22,23).

• He would be called Emmanuel (cf. Isa.7.14 with Mt.1.23).
• He would be rejected by his own (cf. Isa53.3 with Jn.1.11;
7.5).
• He would be born in Bethlehem (cf. Micah 5.2, 3 with Mt.
2.5-6).
• He would be in Egypt for a season (cf.Hosea 11.1 with Mt.
2.15).
• He would be called a Nazarene (cf. Isa.11.1 with Mt.2.23).
• He would heal many (cf. Isa.53.4 with Mt. 8.16-17).
• He would speak in parables (cf. Isa.6.9-10 with Mt. 13.10-
15).
• His friend would betray him for thirty pieces of silver (cf.
Ps. 41.9; 55. 12-14; Zech.11.12,13 with Mt.26.14-16, 21-
25.).
 9. Bible is Unique in its Prophetical accuracy
e. Prophecies concerning Jesus Christ (contd..)
• He would be forsaken by his disciples (cf. Zech
13.7 with Mt.26.31,56).
• He would be scourged and spat upon (cf. Isa.50.6
with Mt.26.67; 27.26).
• He would be crucified between two thieves (cf.
Isa.53.12 with Mt. 27.38; Mk. 15.27,28; Lk. 22.37).
• He would suffer the piercing of his hands and feet
(cf. Ps. 22.16; Zech.12.10 with Mk. 15.25; Jn.
19.34, 37; 20.25-27).
• He would be buried with the rich (cf. Isa. 59.9 with
Mt. 28.2-7)
• He would be raised from the dead (cf. Ps. 16.10
with Mt. 28.2-7).
 Purpose of this study is not…
• To study astronomy, archeology, biology, physics, history,
genuineness of prophecies, nations, societies….and to get
academic knowledge.
But
1. To know that it is written by GOD.
a. It is inerrant-there are no errors
b. Infallible- there can be no errors
c. It is authoritative in all areas
2. To know His plan of Redemption of mankind.
3. To know that Christ died according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15.3-5.
4. To authorize there is no other Name for Salvation. Acts 4.12
5. To believe in Jesus Christ and obtain eternal life.
John 20.30-31.