EXPLORE - Lesson 02 | Where Did We Get Our Bible?

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness…” – 2 Timothy 3:16

In our last lesson, we studied about man’s origin. Every act must have an actor. Every work demands a
worker. And everything that is, must have been made. The Maker of all things – the Creator of earth,
plants, animals, man, etc. – we call God.

One of the noted radio news commentators wrote how he began to search for truth. He summed it up
like this: “Every automobile has a manufacturer. And the manufacturer knows how the automobile
should be operated and cared for, so he supplies a manual with each car. Certainly, the Maker of the
world would not start it off and leave it without a guide as to how its inhabitants were to live and what
they were expected to do.” Yes, our Maker has given a guide book – a book of directions – The Holy
Bible. That will be the basis of all our lesson studies.

1. Who wrote the Bible?

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never
came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”– 2 Peter
1:20, 21

The Bible is composed of sixty-six books. Under the inspiration of God, various human writers were
“moved by the Holy Spirit” through inspiration. Yet, though with the apparent human side of the Bible, it
remains as God’s book. This is made possible through divine revelation and divine inspiration.
Ultimately, the Bible’s author is God and the human authors were “God’s penmen, not His pen” (Ellen G.
White, 1SM 21).

The Bible is self-authenticating. Jesus himself quoted from the Old Testament, thus making it as a source
of authority. The New Testament by no sense is less authoritative because it is part and parcel of the
entire Scriptures. Paul supports this idea when he said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” – 2
Timothy 3:16

2. What did Jesus say about the importance of the Holy Scriptures?

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify
of Me.” – John 5:39

The Bible is our guide to eternal life. That is why we should be interested in the study of God’s Word, so
that we can learn how to obtain eternal life with Jesus!

3. Can we trust God’s written Word?

“Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth.” – John 17:17

Jesus says plainly, “Your word is truth.” When you read the Bible, you can believe every word in it.

4. Who gave us the Holy Scriptures and for what purpose?

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly complete for every good
work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Notice the word “ALL”. The Bible is God’s Book entirely. It will show you the perfect way to live. The
Bible gives us a complete picture of life. To take away part of it is to mar that picture.

5. What power does the Word of God have?

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12

“Then Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And
he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in
Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge
him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not
receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last
day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command,
what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore,
whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.’” – John 12:44-50

The Bible is life-changing. It has the power to change life. Only the Bible tells us (a) who made the world
(b) where man came from (c) why we are here, and (d) where are we going. The Bible gives the only
complete picture of man’s future. It is also the Bible that points us to the Savior. No wonder God invites
us, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” – Isaiah
45:22

PROPHECIES PROVE THAT THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED

It is not hard to prove that the Bible is written by God who alone knows the future, instead of being
written by men. Over and over, God told the prophets to write of coming events, so that when those
things happen, people would know it was God who had foretold them. Let’s study some of these
wonderful stories which fulfilled prophecy.

6. What did the prophets say would become of the great, rich, strong, and proud city of Babylon?

“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew
Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. But wild
beasts of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of owls…” – Isaiah 13:19-21 “Babylon shall
become a heap… without an inhabitant. Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘The broad walls of Babylon shall
be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire…’” – Jeremiah 51:37, 58
The Babylonians thought they could never fall. Its great stone walls were over 300 feet high and 60 feet
thick. The city was a mighty fortress. Yet the humble prophets wrote the messages that God dictated
and they were fulfilled – every single word. No one can doubt that the Bible prophecies are true. Let’s
see what happened to Babylon:

a. When Babylon was attacked many years after the prophecies were given, her great walls were broken
to pieces;

b. The city of Babylon was destroyed by fire; c. She is still in ruins and has never been rebuilt and will
never be;

d. She does not have a single inhabitant;

e. Beasts and birds of the wild now occupy the ruins of that once great city;

f. The proud Babylonians no longer exist but the roaming Arabs still pitch their tents in those lands;

g. No matter how much the travelers offer to the Arabs, they refuse to spend a single night at the ruins
of Babylon.

Can anyone read these amazing predictions as well as their wonderful fulfillments and still doubt God in
the Bible?

7. More than 100 years before Cyrus was born, what did the Lord say he would accomplish?

“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held – to subdue nations before
him… to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: I will go before you and
make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron.” –
Isaiah 45:1-2 “Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers.’” – Isaiah 44:27

Here is a prophetic picture of how Cyrus, the ruler of the Medes and Persians, would attack the city of
Babylon. Let’s review what occurred:

a. Cyrus turned the Euphrates river (which ran under the outer wall across the city of Babylon) out of its
usual course. Consequently, it dried up the old riverbed and he was able to march his men under the
great outer wall;

b. That night, the Babylonian king, Belshazzar, and his leading government men were all drunk. The
watchmen were also drunk that night and they failed to lock the gates of the inner wall. Cyrus was able
to march his men right into the city and capture it;

c. He cut up the gates of bronze and carried away the gold and silver of that city.

And remember, God told Isaiah to write all of these more than one hundred years before Cyrus was
born and even called Cyrus by name! Surely, no one can doubt the wisdom of believing God’s Word.
GOD’S WORD OUR ONLY SAFE GUIDE

8. In these solemn times as we face the future, what can we be sure of?

“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” – Amos
3:7 It is a wonderful comfort to realize that God knows what is coming and He has foretold those events
in the Bible prophecies.

9. Why have these events of the past and God’s picture of the future been written down so carefully in
the Bible?
“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the ages have come.” – 1 Corinthians 10:11

We should be thankful that we have the Bible because it explains the past, helps us to understand the
present, and gives us help, counsel, hope, and comfort for the future.

10. What do we have today that is stronger than armies and sharper than sword?

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the division of soul and spirit… and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12

For more than 2000 years, men have attacked the Bible. They have tried to change and destroy it but it
still stands for God has protected His Word from His enemies.

Everyone should have a Bible of their own and should learn to find Bible references quickly. Never let
anyone steal away your faith in the Bible. It is our greatest safeguard. It cuts out every sin in our heart
and in our life. You can always trust it. It will always help you. And it will bring salvation to all who follow
it.

NEXT LESSON:

We have an interesting topic for our next lesson. Here are some of the many questions we shall study:
Who made the devil? Why God did not destroy him? Where did he come from? Does he have horns and
hoofs? What are angels? Are they the spirit of little children who have died? Do angels eat?