- Have you ever wished that
you really had a good chance
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to develop your understanding
of the Bible a little more?
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Today, we're gonna
start a special series
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that we hope will be designed
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to help you do,
well, exactly that.
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So if you've got a
Bible somewhere in your house,
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you might want to go and get it
00:00:14.98\00:00:16.34
because, well,
it's just about time
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to kick off today's
all important episode of
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"Authentic." [bright music]
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You've probably noticed
that the real star of the show
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is not a person, but a book.
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And if you've been
following along, you've noticed
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that what I usually do
before the show is over
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is to challenge you
to go and read this book.
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And by that I don't mean
read books about the Bible,
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but actually sit down
and read the Bible itself.
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Because sadly in
the 21st century,
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we have a lot of
people who think they know
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what the Bible says, but when
you ask them a few questions,
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you find out they've
never actually read it.
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And to that end, I was
thinking that maybe sometimes
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this show could
actually become a little bit
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of a Bible course,
because after all the people
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who produced this show,
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the good folks at the
Voice of Prophecy also happened
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to run the world's biggest
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and oldest
correspondence Bible school.
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And if that's news to
you, you should probably know
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that our Discover
Bible School is mostly free,
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at least for you.
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Now, it's not actually
free because we invest millions
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to make sure it remains
one of the best Bible courses
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in the world.
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We believe so strongly
in the value of this book
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that we don't want
people to actually have to pay
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to just learn about it.
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So for well over 80 years,
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our Bible School has
been made possible thanks
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to the generous help of donors.
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So if you've never
looked at our Bible school,
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you might want to head
on over to biblestudies.com
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and have a gander
at what we've got.
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Honestly, I think
it'll blow your mind
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because it will give
you all the tools you need
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to really understand
the Bible for yourself.
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And if English isn't your
first or strongest language,
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I think you'll be
pleasantly surprised to find out
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that we've got
material in dozens of languages.
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And when I say it's
free, I actually mean that.
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But if you've already been
studying your Bible for years,
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or you've taken advantage
of our courses already,
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maybe consider paying
it forward and help me
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to keep it going
for everybody else.
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And how could you do that?
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Well, if you've been
enjoying this program,
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or even using some
of our Bible materials,
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maybe do me a huge favor
and go to voiceofprophecy.com
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and just click on
the bright orange button
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that says donate up
near the top of the page.
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And that would help us
continue providing this stuff
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to the whole planet.
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As a bonus, when you get there,
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you can watch all of
the "Authentic" episodes
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in one convenient
place, and I mean all of them.
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And if you are so inclined
to help, let me say thank you
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because well, we don't
have anybody underwriting
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this ministry and we've been
operating by faith since 1929.
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We've been going now for nearly
100 years thanks to the help
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of generous donors.
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But enough about
that because now it's time
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to start our study.
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And today I wanna start
examining the Bible itself,
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who wrote it, why
they wrote it, what it is,
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where it comes from,
and why you can trust it,
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and then a whole lot more.
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And of course that's not
gonna happen in 30 minutes
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because it's way
too big of a topic.
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But maybe let's
start in the ancient world
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of the Mesopotamians
where the opening chapters
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of Genesis take place.
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The word
Mesopotamia is a Greek term,
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and it just means
between the rivers,
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and it's a reference to
the Tigris and Euphrates,
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which are two of
the four rivers you find
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in the second
chapter of Genesis.
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Now in reality, the
area we now call Mesopotamia,
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is it bigger than that
patch of ground between
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the two rivers.
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And it kind of reaches
from Turkey up in the northwest
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all the way down to the
Persian Gulf in the Southeast.
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And it's widely
recognized as the birthplace
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of human civilization.
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Way back when in
nearly prehistoric times,
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the region was populated by
people we call the Sumerians.
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And the Sumerians were not so
much a distinct race of people
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as they were a group of people
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who were joined
together by a common language,
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which of course would
be the Sumerian language.
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That's the
language we find on a lot
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of the ancient clay tablets
that we find in the ground.
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Now, if you take a
peek at Genesis chapter 10,
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you'll find a passage
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that some people
call the table of nations.
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And that's because
it describes the places
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the descendants of
Noah decided to settle.
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And at one point,
Noah's great grandson,
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a man the Bible calls
Nimrod established a number
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of really
important population centers.
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Here's what it
says in Genesis 10:10,
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"The beginning of
his kingdom was Babel,"
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and of course that
would be the location
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of the Tower of
Babel and the city
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that eventually
becomes Babylon the Great.
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It continues,
Erech, Accad, and Calneh
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in the land of Shinar."
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Now that word Shinar is
probably a cognate for Sumer
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as in the land of the Sumerians.
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Verse 11, "From that
land, he went into Assyria
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and built
Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah
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and Resen between
Nineveh and Calah,
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that is the great city."
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These were really resourceful
and inventive people.
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And you'll notice that some
of the cities mentioned here
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are still on the map today.
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Babylon, of course is
pretty much just a pile
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of ruins not too far from
the modern city of Baghdad.
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And Nineveh of course, is famous
because that's where Jonah,
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the reluctant prophet was
supposed to go and preach.
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And the ruins of Nineveh
are right by modern day Mosul
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in Iraq.
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Then we have the city of Akkad
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which was home to a Semitic
tribe known as the Acadians.
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And today we're not
exactly sure where that was,
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but it's still a
really important place
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because once the Semitic
tribe started to dominate
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the region, the Acadian
language took off like wildfire.
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And because it was
a Semitic language,
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that means it's
closely related to Hebrew.
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Actually, later on
in the same passage,
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you'll meet a guy
named Eber who was the father
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of the Hebrew people,
which is the Semitic tribe
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that most of us recognize.
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The reason we call
these people Semitic
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is because they're the
descendants of Noah's son, Shem.
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So they're actually Shemites,
today we just say Semites.
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The Semites would
include the Assyrians,
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the later Babylonians,
the Canaanites, the Assyrians,
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the Elamites, the Venetians,
and of course the Hebrews.
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Today we use
the word anti-Semite
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to describe people who
don't like Jews, but in fact,
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the Semites are a much
broader collection of tribes.
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In fact, when some people
say that some of the Arabs
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in the Middle
East are anti-Semitic,
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well that's a bit ironic
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because the Arabs are
actually also Semitic.
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Another city mentioned
in Genesis 10 is Erech,
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which is the
ancient city of Uruk.
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And according to the clay
tablets we discovered in the
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ruins of Nineveh back in
the middle of the 19th century,
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Uruk was once governed by a
brutal dictator named Gilgamesh.
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You've probably heard
of the Gilgamesh tablets.
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Now, some people believe
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that Gilgamesh was
actually the biblical Nimrod,
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and the reason the
Bible calls him Nimrod
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instead of Gilgamesh
is because the Israelites
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didn't want
mention his name out loud.
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They wanted to not
give him any airtime
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because he was so evil.
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The word Nimrod
just means rebel,
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and it's kind of
like the great dictator,
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that old Charlie
Chaplin film about Hitler.
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At the time, there was no
need to mention Hitler's name
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because everybody
knew what Charlie Chaplin
00:08:02.71\00:08:05.01
was talking about.
00:08:05.01\00:08:06.58
Or maybe it's
more like what happens
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at the Feast of Purim
when they're reading the book
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of Esther in a synagogue.
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Every time
Haman's name is mentioned,
00:08:12.79\00:08:14.69
the kids will make
a whole bunch of noise
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to drown that name out
because Haman was the arch enemy
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of God's people.
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Now, it's not entirely certain
that Gilgamesh was Nimrod,
00:08:21.90\00:08:25.90
but in my opinion, one scholar
at the University of Chicago
00:08:25.90\00:08:28.84
built a very convincing case,
00:08:28.84\00:08:31.31
and I'm personally
convinced this is true,
00:08:31.31\00:08:34.18
and maybe we'll
tackle that on another day
00:08:34.18\00:08:36.24
because right now I really
just want to draw your attention
00:08:36.24\00:08:38.61
to the city of Erech or Uruk
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because a lot of
scholars are convinced
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that Uruk was the place
where writing was invented.
00:08:43.45\00:08:47.12
And of course, if
you're gonna study
00:08:47.12\00:08:48.32
the origins of the
Bible, that would mean
00:08:48.32\00:08:50.86
that we can partially
thank the people of ancient Uruk
00:08:50.86\00:08:54.10
for the Bibles that
we still have today.
00:08:54.10\00:08:56.53
And I know it's very
strange to think about a world
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that has no writing
because we're so used to it.
00:09:00.40\00:09:04.01
We can't imagine
being completely illiterate.
00:09:04.01\00:09:07.04
I mean, just think
about all the things
00:09:07.04\00:09:08.38
that would suddenly disappear
00:09:08.38\00:09:09.91
if we didn't have the
ability to read and write.
00:09:09.91\00:09:13.11
But once upon a time,
that was absolutely the case.
00:09:13.11\00:09:15.72
Nobody did any
writing of any kind.
00:09:15.72\00:09:18.22
We were an
entirely oral civilization,
00:09:18.22\00:09:21.46
and we preserved the
really important information
00:09:21.46\00:09:24.33
by memorizing
stories and passing them down
00:09:24.33\00:09:26.80
to the next generation.
00:09:26.80\00:09:28.90
And now I've gotta
take a really quick break,
00:09:28.90\00:09:31.33
so that the good folks at the
Voice of Prophecy can tell you
00:09:31.33\00:09:34.60
about this, I'll be right back.
00:09:34.60\00:09:36.87
- [Narrator] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:09:40.61\00:09:44.91
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:09:44.91\00:09:49.48
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:09:49.48\00:09:51.69
and come away scratching
your head, you are not alone.
00:09:51.69\00:09:54.72
our free Focus on
Prophecy guides are designed
00:09:54.72\00:09:57.66
to help you unlock the
mysteries of the Bible,
00:09:57.66\00:09:59.93
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:09:59.93\00:10:02.30
for you and our world.
00:10:02.30\00:10:03.97
Study online or
request them by mail,
00:10:03.97\00:10:06.40
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:10:06.40\00:10:09.34
- A lot of people think of
the Bible as a Jewish document,
00:10:10.71\00:10:13.07
which makes some sense
because Jesus was Jewish,
00:10:13.07\00:10:15.84
which means He was a
member of the tribe of Judah.
00:10:15.84\00:10:19.25
So instinctively we
mentally tie the Bible
00:10:19.25\00:10:21.68
to the land of Canaan
or the land of Palestine
00:10:21.68\00:10:24.92
as the Romans called it, after
the emperor Hadrian evicted
00:10:24.92\00:10:28.46
all the Jews from Jerusalem
00:10:28.46\00:10:30.06
about a hundred
years after Christ.
00:10:30.06\00:10:32.09
The region was
renamed Palestine in honor
00:10:33.16\00:10:35.86
of the Philistines who
lived there before the children
00:10:35.86\00:10:38.57
of Abraham came up from Egypt.
00:10:38.57\00:10:41.20
But of course, the
story of the Bible deals
00:10:41.20\00:10:42.90
with a lot more than
just the land of Israel,
00:10:42.90\00:10:45.47
we've already seen that the
story begins in Mesopotamia.
00:10:45.47\00:10:48.81
In fact, the first
11 chapters of Genesis
00:10:48.81\00:10:51.11
are pretty much
all in Mesopotamia.
00:10:51.11\00:10:53.85
Then in Genesis 12, we need
Abraham who lives in the city
00:10:53.85\00:10:57.12
of Ur and
Caldea and travels west
00:10:57.12\00:10:59.69
to live in the land of promise.
00:10:59.69\00:11:01.56
Shortly after that,
the story takes us down
00:11:01.56\00:11:03.69
to the land of Egypt where
the children of Jacob lived
00:11:03.69\00:11:06.26
for a while because of a famine.
00:11:06.26\00:11:08.90
Several generations went
by and they became slaves.
00:11:08.90\00:11:12.40
So in the Book of Exodus,
God delivers them from slavery,
00:11:12.40\00:11:15.54
and returns them
to the land of Canaan.
00:11:15.54\00:11:18.81
Much later on, the
story returns to Mesopotamia
00:11:18.81\00:11:21.94
because about 600
years before Christ,
00:11:21.94\00:11:24.68
the Babylonians
sacked the city of Jerusalem,
00:11:24.68\00:11:27.32
and took a lot of the Jews
as captives back to Babylon.
00:11:27.32\00:11:30.85
So in a way, the descendants
of Abraham were being returned
00:11:30.85\00:11:33.76
to their ancestral birthplace,
back to the region of Caldea.
00:11:33.76\00:11:37.93
And then after 70
years of captivity,
00:11:37.93\00:11:40.20
a Persian general named
Cyrus conquered Babylon,
00:11:40.20\00:11:43.30
and the Jews returned home
to build the second temple.
00:11:43.30\00:11:46.77
So that means that the
Persians get added to the story,
00:11:46.77\00:11:49.94
and after a while, the Greeks,
00:11:49.94\00:11:51.24
or the Macedonians
make an appearance as well
00:11:51.24\00:11:53.91
and then the Romans.
00:11:53.91\00:11:55.44
Then in the Christian
period in the New Testament,
00:11:55.44\00:11:57.65
the missionary journeys of
Paul take 'em up to Turkey,
00:11:57.65\00:12:00.38
and Greece and Rome and probably
even further west to Spain.
00:12:00.38\00:12:05.25
So now the story of this book
00:12:05.25\00:12:06.92
is spread across the
Middle East, Africa and Europe.
00:12:06.92\00:12:11.53
Of course, over time it
spread a lot further than that
00:12:11.53\00:12:14.03
because today
nearly half the planet,
00:12:14.03\00:12:16.10
or a little more
than half can trace
00:12:16.10\00:12:17.77
their religious
beliefs back to Abraham.
00:12:17.77\00:12:20.00
That would include the Jews,
00:12:20.00\00:12:21.24
the Muslims, and my
tribe, the Christians.
00:12:21.24\00:12:24.14
Today there are roughly
16 million observant Jews
00:12:24.14\00:12:27.01
on the planet,
about 1.8 billion Muslims,
00:12:27.01\00:12:29.61
and 2.3 billion Christians,
00:12:29.61\00:12:32.25
a grand total of more
than 4 billion people,
00:12:32.25\00:12:34.72
about half the planet.
00:12:34.72\00:12:36.85
But that's today and
the canon of scripture,
00:12:36.85\00:12:39.52
the books that are accepted
as having divine authority,
00:12:39.52\00:12:42.02
well, that was formed
nearly 2000 years ago.
00:12:42.02\00:12:45.23
So at the time the story
was anchored in the Middle East,
00:12:45.23\00:12:48.20
the northern part of Africa
and the southern part of Europe.
00:12:48.20\00:12:51.30
And of course, today the
whole planet practically knows
00:12:51.30\00:12:54.84
about this book.
00:12:54.84\00:12:56.37
Whether or not they believe
that this is the word of God,
00:12:56.37\00:12:59.24
that's another story.
00:12:59.24\00:13:00.58
In the interest of
full disclosure, though,
00:13:00.58\00:13:02.91
I happen to be a Christian
who does think that the Bible
00:13:02.91\00:13:04.55
is divinely
inspired and who knows.
00:13:04.55\00:13:07.18
If I managed to
convince you to read it,
00:13:07.18\00:13:09.48
you might just be
joining me in that opinion.
00:13:09.48\00:13:11.99
So where exactly
did we get the Bible?
00:13:13.09\00:13:16.09
Well, I think I wanna start
with where it didn't come from
00:13:16.09\00:13:18.59
because in the
age of the internet,
00:13:18.59\00:13:20.00
there's an awful lot
of, well modern mythology
00:13:20.00\00:13:23.03
about the scriptures.
00:13:23.03\00:13:24.53
And sadly, I've noticed that
a lot of people seem to think
00:13:24.53\00:13:26.84
that the internet
is this awesome source
00:13:26.84\00:13:28.77
of reliable
religious information.
00:13:28.77\00:13:30.94
And I assure you it's not,
00:13:30.94\00:13:33.54
like, for example,
the nonsense that came out
00:13:33.54\00:13:37.31
of Dan Brown's famous
book, "The Da Vinci Code."
00:13:37.31\00:13:40.72
I think a lot of
people failed to notice
00:13:40.72\00:13:42.38
that this book was
sold in the fiction section
00:13:42.38\00:13:45.25
because that's what it is.
00:13:45.25\00:13:46.76
It's absolute fiction and
not even historical fiction,
00:13:46.76\00:13:49.72
because while there's
not any real history here,
00:13:49.72\00:13:53.23
in fact even secular historians
have been quick to say
00:13:53.23\00:13:55.83
that Dan Brown's so-called
history is really pretty bad.
00:13:55.83\00:13:59.90
And that would
include what it says
00:13:59.90\00:14:01.27
about the origins of the Bible.
00:14:01.27\00:14:03.37
According to
"The Da Vinci Code,"
00:14:03.37\00:14:05.07
the canon of the New
Testament was decided
00:14:05.07\00:14:07.51
that the Council
of Nicea in 325 AD.
00:14:07.51\00:14:11.25
Now the word canon
comes from a Greek word
00:14:11.25\00:14:13.55
that described a
ruler or a yardstick.
00:14:13.55\00:14:16.32
It was used to measure things.
00:14:16.32\00:14:18.05
And so Christians
adopted that word to describe
00:14:18.05\00:14:20.72
the authority of scripture.
00:14:20.72\00:14:22.69
The Bible they said,
is the rule of faith.
00:14:22.69\00:14:25.76
This book is how you measure
00:14:25.76\00:14:28.06
whether or not your
belief system actually squares
00:14:28.06\00:14:30.47
with the teachings of Christ.
00:14:30.47\00:14:32.17
When we say the
Bible is a cannon,
00:14:32.17\00:14:34.27
we're saying it's
the ultimate authority,
00:14:34.27\00:14:36.20
the final court of arbitration,
00:14:36.20\00:14:37.91
because it's been
infused with divine authority.
00:14:37.91\00:14:41.44
Christians believe that
God Himself was the source
00:14:41.44\00:14:45.11
of this book, but
Mr. Brown would like you
00:14:45.11\00:14:48.65
to believe something else.
00:14:48.65\00:14:50.15
And in "The Da
Vinci Code," he suggests
00:14:50.15\00:14:51.82
that when the bishops
met in the city of Nicea near
00:14:51.82\00:14:54.19
the beginning of
the fourth century,
00:14:54.19\00:14:56.02
they had more than 80
books that claim to be gospels.
00:14:56.02\00:15:00.16
Out of those 80 some
books the story goes,
00:15:00.16\00:15:02.66
they settled on four,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
00:15:02.66\00:15:06.07
And the reason they
settled on those books according
00:15:06.07\00:15:08.57
to Dan Brown's silly fiction
is because they just invented
00:15:08.57\00:15:13.24
the concept of
the deity of Christ.
00:15:13.24\00:15:15.21
And they picked
those four gospels
00:15:15.21\00:15:17.15
because they supported
this so-called brand new idea
00:15:17.15\00:15:20.92
that Jesus was
God in human flesh.
00:15:20.92\00:15:23.62
And sadly, a lot of
people now seem to think
00:15:24.69\00:15:26.62
that's what actually happened.
00:15:26.62\00:15:28.12
It's not, in fact it's nonsense.
00:15:28.12\00:15:30.66
First of all,
there were no AD gospels
00:15:30.66\00:15:32.93
and the church had
already settled on the four
00:15:32.93\00:15:34.83
we now have a long time
before the Council of Nicea.
00:15:34.83\00:15:39.23
Secondly, the deity of
Christ was not invented
00:15:39.23\00:15:41.90
in the fourth century as
anyone who takes the time
00:15:41.90\00:15:44.41
to actually read the
New Testament can see.
00:15:44.41\00:15:47.38
Paul's letters were
already in circulation
00:15:47.38\00:15:49.71
between the
40's and the 60's AD,
00:15:49.71\00:15:52.41
and the entire New
Testament was in place
00:15:52.41\00:15:55.02
by the end of the first century.
00:15:55.02\00:15:56.92
So we're talking
something like 200 to 250 years
00:15:56.92\00:15:59.95
before the Council of Nicea.
00:15:59.95\00:16:02.36
And there's no question
00:16:02.36\00:16:03.59
that those New
Testament books firmly underline
00:16:03.59\00:16:06.70
the divinity of Christ.
00:16:06.70\00:16:08.30
Like for example, this famous
passage from Paul's letter
00:16:08.30\00:16:11.83
to the Colossians, I
mean, just listen to this.
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.67
"He is the image
of the invisible God,
00:16:14.67\00:16:17.74
the firstborn of all creation."
00:16:17.74\00:16:20.71
Now, that word firstborn
has confused some people
00:16:20.71\00:16:23.48
because they assume it
means that Jesus was created
00:16:23.48\00:16:26.61
at some point in
the very distant past.
00:16:26.61\00:16:29.28
But the Greek word
here is prototokos,
00:16:29.28\00:16:31.69
and it means first in
the sense of priority,
00:16:31.69\00:16:34.62
not necessarily chronology.
00:16:34.62\00:16:36.73
You could think
about it like this.
00:16:37.79\00:16:39.79
Mary Todd Lincoln
was the first lady,
00:16:39.79\00:16:42.40
not because she's the
first woman who ever existed,
00:16:42.40\00:16:45.20
but because she was considered
the first among women.
00:16:45.20\00:16:48.04
And just in case there's
any doubt, Paul continues
00:16:48.04\00:16:50.61
to tell us that
Christ was not created,
00:16:50.61\00:16:53.21
but actually created everything.
00:16:53.21\00:16:54.81
Here's what it says.
00:16:54.81\00:16:56.68
"For by Him, all things were
created in heaven and on earth,
00:16:56.68\00:16:59.85
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions,
00:16:59.85\00:17:02.52
or rulers or authorities,
all things were created
00:17:02.52\00:17:05.32
through Him and for Him.
00:17:05.32\00:17:06.89
And He is before all things."
00:17:06.89\00:17:09.16
Now, that's the
sense in which He's first,
00:17:09.16\00:17:11.79
"And in Him all
things hold together.
00:17:11.79\00:17:14.20
And He's the head of
the body, the church,
00:17:14.20\00:17:16.43
He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
00:17:16.43\00:17:18.73
that in everything
He might be preeminent.
00:17:18.73\00:17:21.77
Now, the reason it says He's
the first born from the dead
00:17:21.77\00:17:24.21
is because His resurrection
as a human being guarantees
00:17:24.21\00:17:28.01
the future resurrection
of all the faithful.
00:17:28.01\00:17:30.21
And you can find
that described in detail
00:17:30.21\00:17:32.61
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15, but let's continue.
00:17:32.61\00:17:35.98
"For in Him all the fullness
of God was pleased to dwell
00:17:35.98\00:17:39.69
and through Him, to
reconcile to Himself all things,
00:17:39.69\00:17:42.36
whether on earth or in heaven,
00:17:42.36\00:17:43.99
making peace by
the blood of His cross.
00:17:43.99\00:17:46.96
Now, if that
wasn't clear enough,
00:17:46.96\00:17:48.80
how about this passage
from Philippians chapter two
00:17:48.80\00:17:51.17
where it says, "Therefore
God has highly exalted Him
00:17:51.17\00:17:54.40
and bestowed on Him the
name that is above every name,
00:17:54.40\00:17:57.44
so that at the name of Jesus,
00:17:57.44\00:17:58.87
every knee should bow
in heaven and on Earth
00:17:58.87\00:18:01.31
and under the earth,
00:18:01.31\00:18:02.81
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
00:18:02.81\00:18:05.08
to the glory of God the Father."
00:18:05.08\00:18:07.78
Now, at first blush, that might
not look like ironclad proof
00:18:07.78\00:18:11.39
of Christ's divinity, but
what many people don't realize
00:18:11.39\00:18:14.62
is that Paul is quoting
from Isaiah 45 where God says,
00:18:14.62\00:18:18.19
and it's clearly God speaking,
00:18:18.19\00:18:20.33
there is no other
possibility in that passage.
00:18:20.33\00:18:22.66
God says, "To me
every knee shall bow,
00:18:22.66\00:18:26.27
every tongue
shall swear allegiance."
00:18:26.27\00:18:28.54
Alright, time for
another really quick break,
00:18:28.54\00:18:31.11
I'll be right back after this.
00:18:31.11\00:18:33.17
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:18:36.88\00:18:39.28
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:18:39.28\00:18:42.68
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:18:42.68\00:18:45.12
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:18:45.12\00:18:48.19
Here at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:18:48.19\00:18:49.72
we've created the
Discover Bible guides
00:18:49.72\00:18:51.89
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:18:51.89\00:18:53.53
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:18:53.53\00:18:55.96
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:18:55.96\00:18:59.00
and they're absolutely free.
00:18:59.00\00:19:01.00
So jump online
now or give us a call
00:19:01.00\00:19:03.34
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:19:03.34\00:19:05.67
- All right, we've debunked
that idea that the deity
00:19:07.01\00:19:08.98
of Christ was invented
at the Council of Nicea,
00:19:08.98\00:19:11.65
but what we're
really looking at today
00:19:11.65\00:19:13.58
is the origin of
the New Testament Canam.
00:19:13.58\00:19:16.55
Dan Brown and a handful
of other wishful thinkers
00:19:16.55\00:19:19.42
have suggested that the
books of the New Testament
00:19:19.42\00:19:21.69
were chosen in order to
bolster this supposedly new idea
00:19:21.69\00:19:25.26
that Jesus was
God in human flesh.
00:19:25.26\00:19:27.96
Before the break, I told you
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.33
that "The Da Vinci Code"
insists there were more than 80
00:19:29.33\00:19:31.43
gospels in
circulation at the time,
00:19:31.43\00:19:33.60
and the bishops of
Nicea chose the four
00:19:33.60\00:19:36.37
that we currently have,
00:19:36.37\00:19:37.91
and then willfully
suppressed all the others.
00:19:37.91\00:19:40.58
Here's what Dan Brown's
ridiculous book actually says,
00:19:40.58\00:19:43.41
beginning on page 251,
"Teabing paused to sip his tea,
00:19:43.41\00:19:47.95
and then place the
cup back on the mantle.
00:19:47.95\00:19:50.49
More than 80 gospels
were considered for the New
00:19:50.49\00:19:53.36
Testament, and yet only a
relative few were chosen for
00:19:53.36\00:19:56.49
inclusion Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John among them.
00:19:56.49\00:19:59.26
Who chose which gospels
to include.? Sophie asked.
00:19:59.26\00:20:02.83
Aha teabing being
burst in with enthusiasm.
00:20:02.83\00:20:05.57
The fundamental
irony of Christianity,
00:20:05.57\00:20:08.00
the Bible as we know
it today was collated
00:20:08.00\00:20:10.11
by the Pagan Roman
emperor, Constantine,
00:20:10.11\00:20:13.34
the great, well, that might make
00:20:13.34\00:20:15.58
for an exciting novel,
but it's horrible history.
00:20:15.58\00:20:18.65
And of course the implication
00:20:18.65\00:20:20.05
is that you
can't trust the Bible,
00:20:20.05\00:20:22.08
that the Bible some kind of
human or political document.
00:20:22.08\00:20:25.52
If Mr. Brown is
right and he's not,
00:20:25.52\00:20:28.22
but if he was right, that
would mean that your Bible
00:20:28.22\00:20:30.83
is nothing more
than a human invention,
00:20:30.83\00:20:32.76
created for political purposes
00:20:32.76\00:20:35.23
to help the
emperor expand his power.
00:20:35.23\00:20:38.10
But that's a bald-faced lie.
00:20:38.10\00:20:40.04
And then once upon a
time, I might've been tempted
00:20:40.04\00:20:42.54
to be more charitable
and say that Dan Brown
00:20:42.54\00:20:44.67
was just writing fiction,
but when people asked him
00:20:44.67\00:20:47.74
if it was true, he
wouldn't admit that it wasn't.
00:20:47.74\00:20:51.25
And honestly, you
don't have to dig very deep
00:20:51.25\00:20:53.78
to find the truth.
00:20:53.78\00:20:55.08
Around the year
100, well over 200 years
00:20:55.08\00:20:57.42
before the Council of Nicea,
00:20:57.42\00:20:59.19
there was a church
manual being circulated called
00:20:59.19\00:21:01.52
the Didache.
00:21:01.52\00:21:02.82
And at one point
the Didache says this,
00:21:02.82\00:21:05.56
"Nor should you
pray like the hypocrites,
00:21:05.56\00:21:07.93
but as the Lord
commanded in his gospel,
00:21:07.93\00:21:10.23
you should pray as
follows, our Father in heaven."
00:21:10.23\00:21:14.47
Now, you recognize that
passage because it's a quotation
00:21:14.47\00:21:16.87
from the New Testament.
00:21:16.87\00:21:18.51
So you tell me how in
the world did the Christians
00:21:18.51\00:21:21.28
from 100 AD know about
a gospel quote from Jesus
00:21:21.28\00:21:25.11
if the gospels
didn't exist until 325?
00:21:25.11\00:21:28.35
It's obvious that the
author of that church manual
00:21:29.65\00:21:32.42
was quoting from Matthew,
and that was roughly 15,
00:21:32.42\00:21:35.26
or 20 years after the
Matthew Gospel was written.
00:21:35.26\00:21:38.99
A few years after that,
another popular work known
00:21:38.99\00:21:41.63
as the Epistle of
Barnaba started to circulate,
00:21:41.63\00:21:44.60
right around the year 130.
00:21:44.60\00:21:46.70
So we're still 200 years
before the Council of Nicea,
00:21:46.70\00:21:50.11
and at one point the
epistle of Barnabas says this,
00:21:50.11\00:21:53.24
"As it is written, many
are called but fewer chosen."
00:21:53.24\00:21:58.21
Now, that's a direct
quote from Matthew 22,
00:21:59.41\00:22:01.15
which would be a strange
thing to quote if the gospel
00:22:01.15\00:22:04.32
of Matthew wasn't going to
be considered authoritative
00:22:04.32\00:22:06.79
for another 200 years.
00:22:06.79\00:22:09.26
Furthermore, we had an Egyptian
bishop by the name of Papias
00:22:09.26\00:22:13.06
who said in about AD 125
that John Mark's writings
00:22:13.06\00:22:17.17
were a collection
of Peters sayings,
00:22:17.17\00:22:19.47
and he's clearly
referring to the gospel of Mark.
00:22:19.47\00:22:22.80
What real scholars have noticed
00:22:22.80\00:22:24.51
is that the four
gospels you currently have
00:22:24.51\00:22:26.47
in your Bible were
being quoted very frequently
00:22:26.47\00:22:29.64
at a very early date,
00:22:29.64\00:22:31.15
almost immediately
after they were composed.
00:22:31.15\00:22:34.42
So in other words, the
church understood Matthew, Mark,
00:22:34.42\00:22:37.19
Luke, and John to be
authoritative scripture
00:22:37.19\00:22:40.39
pretty much right away.
00:22:40.39\00:22:42.32
Another confirmation
for the New Testament comes
00:22:43.46\00:22:45.46
from the early church
father Ireneaeus who was bishop
00:22:45.46\00:22:48.96
of Leon in the last
half of the second century.
00:22:48.96\00:22:52.40
Now, remember, the Council
of Nicea was in the first half
00:22:52.40\00:22:56.04
of the fourth century,
00:22:56.04\00:22:57.31
so we're still way in
advance of Constantine.
00:22:57.31\00:23:00.14
Somehow without
the help of the emperor
00:23:00.14\00:23:02.61
or the members of that council,
00:23:02.61\00:23:04.58
Irenaeus quotes from most of
the books of the New Testament,
00:23:04.58\00:23:07.85
and he calls them scripture.
00:23:07.85\00:23:10.19
He even contemplated the fact
00:23:10.19\00:23:11.39
that there are four
gospels by saying this,
00:23:11.39\00:23:14.69
"For it is impossible
00:23:14.69\00:23:16.39
that the gospel should
be a number either more
00:23:16.39\00:23:18.73
or fewer than these.
00:23:18.73\00:23:20.30
For since there are four regions
of the world wherein we are
00:23:20.30\00:23:23.13
and four principle winds,
and the church is as seed sown
00:23:23.13\00:23:26.74
in the whole earth, and the
gospel is the church's pillar
00:23:26.74\00:23:29.57
and ground and
the breadth of life,
00:23:29.57\00:23:31.71
it is natural that it
should have four pillars.
00:23:31.71\00:23:35.31
Strange, right?
00:23:35.31\00:23:36.54
I mean, how in the
world did he figure that out
00:23:36.54\00:23:38.21
without the help of Constantine?
00:23:38.21\00:23:40.02
He even mentions all
four gospels by name.
00:23:40.02\00:23:43.39
I'll be right back after this.
00:23:43.39\00:23:45.32
- [Narrator] There
is a place so still
00:23:52.46\00:23:55.66
you can almost
hear your imagination,
00:23:58.70\00:24:01.20
so free your spirits can soar,
00:24:09.18\00:24:14.25
so vast it needs to be explored.
00:24:18.69\00:24:23.76
So high, you can
touch the clouds,
00:24:32.77\00:24:37.84
a place called
Discovery Mountain.
00:24:40.74\00:24:45.81
- Let me give you
just one more example
00:24:57.96\00:24:59.46
of an ancient
Christian document that verifies
00:24:59.46\00:25:02.13
the four gospels we
have, a document that predates
00:25:02.13\00:25:05.07
the Council of Nicea.
00:25:05.07\00:25:07.14
[bright music]
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There's a famous Abbey and
Bobbio, Italy that was founded
00:25:11.97\00:25:14.81
by the Irish
missionary Columbanus.
00:25:14.81\00:25:17.65
It's really a
pretty amazing place.
00:25:17.65\00:25:19.41
It's in Italy, but if
you go down in the basement,
00:25:19.41\00:25:21.88
you'll suddenly find
Celtic artwork on the walls.
00:25:21.88\00:25:24.52
And that's
because the missionary's
00:25:24.52\00:25:26.42
actually buried down there.
00:25:26.42\00:25:28.12
And one of the
things that emerged
00:25:28.12\00:25:29.62
from this church's library
is a very old document known
00:25:29.62\00:25:32.59
as the moratorium fragment,
00:25:32.59\00:25:34.30
or some people call
it the moratorium cannon.
00:25:34.30\00:25:37.57
It's a copy of a
much older document dating
00:25:37.57\00:25:40.17
to about the year 170.
00:25:40.17\00:25:42.54
So we're talking
about the second half
00:25:42.54\00:25:44.51
of the second
century, and this is a list
00:25:44.51\00:25:47.38
of New Testament books that
the author knew to be scripture.
00:25:47.38\00:25:51.15
Now, we don't have the whole
thing because it's a fragment,
00:25:52.51\00:25:55.35
but it does list 22
books of the New Testament,
00:25:55.35\00:25:57.85
including the four
Gospels, the book of Acts,
00:25:57.85\00:26:00.39
all of Paul's
letters, first and second John,
00:26:00.39\00:26:02.92
Jude, even the
book of Revelation.
00:26:02.92\00:26:05.33
And again, if Dan
Brown is right and he's not,
00:26:05.33\00:26:08.23
you'd have to admit that would
be a really remarkable feat
00:26:08.23\00:26:10.70
for somebody
writing more than 150 years
00:26:10.70\00:26:13.40
before the Council of Nicea.
00:26:13.40\00:26:15.57
It'd be like somebody in
the 1870's anticipating an act
00:26:15.57\00:26:19.17
of Congress that
got passed this week.
00:26:19.17\00:26:22.38
So let me just sum
it up by saying this.
00:26:22.38\00:26:24.25
Even unbelievers in skeptics
know "The Da Vinci Code"
00:26:24.25\00:26:27.45
is nonsense.
00:26:27.45\00:26:28.82
Bart Airman, a
skeptic and ex Christian
00:26:28.82\00:26:31.45
who can hardly be
described as a Bible believer,
00:26:31.45\00:26:34.56
was appalled enough to
tackle Dan Brown publicly.
00:26:34.56\00:26:37.99
And here's what he said.
00:26:37.99\00:26:39.39
"The oldest and best
sources we have for knowing
00:26:39.39\00:26:41.70
about the life of
Jesus are the four gospels
00:26:41.70\00:26:44.57
of the New Testament,
Matthew, mark, Luke, and John,
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"This is not simply the
view of Christian historians
00:26:47.60\00:26:50.37
who have a high
opinion of the New Testament
00:26:50.37\00:26:52.44
and its historical worth,
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it is the view of
all serious historians,
00:26:54.14\00:26:56.08
of antiquity of every kind,
00:26:56.08\00:26:58.08
from committed
evangelical Christians
00:26:58.08\00:26:59.88
to hardcore atheists."
00:26:59.88\00:27:02.05
And with that, I rest my case.
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Now we know where the books
00:27:05.39\00:27:07.06
of the New
Testament didn't come from,
00:27:07.06\00:27:08.82
and of course, we
still need to explore
00:27:08.82\00:27:10.36
the actual origins
of the whole Bible.
00:27:10.36\00:27:13.19
How exactly did we
come up with this book
00:27:13.19\00:27:16.56
and why is it
considered to be the rule
00:27:16.56\00:27:18.43
of faith for Christians?
00:27:18.43\00:27:19.93
I'm gonna pick that up
again the next time we meet.
00:27:19.93\00:27:22.30
But in the
meantime, I'd encourage you
00:27:22.30\00:27:24.41
to read the Bible for yourself.
00:27:24.41\00:27:27.68
Just head on over
to biblestudies.com
00:27:27.68\00:27:30.35
and take a look at what
we've got waiting for you there.
00:27:30.35\00:27:33.11
Take advantage of these
resources, they're free to you.
00:27:33.11\00:27:36.45
Now, again, if you've taken
advantage of those resources,
00:27:36.45\00:27:39.32
head on over to
voiceofprophecy.com,
00:27:39.32\00:27:41.42
and maybe consider just clicking
on the orange Donate button
00:27:41.42\00:27:45.03
to help us keep providing
these things for everybody.
00:27:45.03\00:27:49.10
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:49.10\00:27:50.63
My name is Shawn Boonstra,
00:27:50.63\00:27:52.13
and this has been
another episode of "Authentic."
00:27:52.13\00:27:55.84
[cheerful music]
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