Hundreds of thousands of people died in the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But as described in these news reports, others saw warning signs, and escaped with their lives…
a 10-year-old British girl saved more than 100 people because she had just studied the killer waves in school. When the sea suddenly began to boil, then pulled away from the resort she was visiting, leaving fish and boats stranded high and dry, Tilly Smith recognized that a tsunami was approaching. Fortunately, her frantic warnings were heeded, and the beach was evacuated just moments before the huge waves crashed ashore…
Many other people in the region were less attuned to nature and paid with their lives.
As I’m typing, millions of people are tuned into live TV streaming news reporting on the progress of the latest hurricane barreling through Florida and up the east coast, making plans to save their and their loved ones’ lives.
Death is the biggest crisis we’ll face in life. The most important information, guiding our values and behaviors during our lifetime, is what happens after this lifetime.
Since science does not have the tools to explore this condition, any information about this is typically delegated to religion. But there are over 4,000 religions in the world offering hope for a quality of spiritual existence after death of the body, severely limiting the credibility of any one of them.
For many reasons it has become popular to trust in science instead of religion on which to base one’s belief in a God who demands submission to his law now and in any life after death, with the conclusion that there is no God, ergo no judge for one’s actions in this life and no eternal life after the death of this body.
However, defining religion and science as contrary to each other handicaps our understanding of both. We need all the knowledge and wisdom we can get.
As there is no consistency in the multiple religions or even denominations of religions claiming to be based on the same source, this study does not include religious beliefs. This blog-book investigates the claims of the source document, not religions or religious leaders spinning off from the sourcebook.
It is a fact that the Bible is the single most trusted collection of revelation of spirituality, history, future predictions including the end of the world, and life after death. Despite massive culture shifts from hunter-gatherer to high tech societies it has remained relevant over the past 3,500 years since Moses compiled even more ancient documents into the multi-national Hebrew Torah, developed into the monotheistic faiths of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
I did not set out to prove or disprove the Bible. I just wanted to satisfy myself that my decisions about it were informed, not contaminated by dogmatic religious beliefs or rejected due to religious corruption.
The Bible’s evidentiary value should be judged in the same manner as that of any other ancient document. There are three tests to determine whether any ancient document can be trusted as history:
Bibliographic Test. How many different copies exist, and how much time elapsed between the original writing and the first available copy?…
In most cases, relatively few copies of ancient documents exist, and in all but two cases the copies were made over 1000 years after the original. Only three ancient works have a significant number of copies ranging from 193 of Sophocles to 643 of Homer’s Iliad.
The New Testament, by comparison, is supported by over 24,000 different copies, the earliest of which was made only 25 years after the original. The New Testament has more bibliographic support than any other historical document of its time..
Internal Test of truth. Does the document contradict itself?
The Bible was written by numerous people over a period of about 1,500 years. I fully expected to find contradictions…I was amazed at the integrity I found, from cover to cover, through all the years and all the writers. That integrity and depth continues to amaze me and convince me that the Bible cannot have been written by humans on their own. Further study began to reveal patterns beneath patterns in the text…The Bible is specific, historical, and remarkably different from other books and writings that claim to be holy or inspired…
The gospels are extremely consistent with one another by ancient standards, which are the only standards by which it is fair to evaluate them…written by one careful historian (Luke) and three different eyewitnesses to the events (Matthew, Peter with Mark transcribing, and John).
When eyewitness accounts agree in every detail, it is evidence of copying or collaboration. The authors of the gospels recorded information that reflected unfavorably on themselves. Untruthful witnesses tend to edit that kind of information out! The writers had nothing to gain by publicizing their work except persecution, ostracism and martyrdom.
External Test of truth. Does the document contradict external sources of historical or archaeological fact?
The more overlap there is with other documents written during the same time period, the more authentic a record is considered to be. The document must also be consistent with archaeological discoveries. Over the years, archaeologists have successfully used the Bible to guide them to excavation sites. “Archaeologists were surprised when they discovered evidence of civilizations mentioned in the Bible, such as the Hittites, but previously assumed to be legendary.”
One expert documented 39 ancient sources that corroborate more than one hundred facts concerning Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion and resurrection…
If one discards the Bible as being reliable, then he must discard almost all literature of antiquity…One needs to apply the same test, whether the literature under investigation is secular or religious.
God reveals himself in Nature.
“That which may be known of God…the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;” (Romans 1:19-20)
“In the beginning…” (Genesis 1:1)
“God / elohim / powers / i.e. supreme holder of all powers created the heaven and the earth…and the Spirit of God moved upon the [sur]face of the waters. And God said, Let there be…and there was…” (Genesis 1)
The physicist Albert Einstein validates the Bible’s infinite God of Creation of finite time and matter with his simple physics formula E=mc² in which E / energy and m / mass are interchangeable when acted upon by an infinite Force / c².
In physics, infinite quantities cannot be used in an experiment or observation. Ergo, science believes Einstein’s infinite Force / c² as a revelation, i.e. in the realm of religion. Science may reject the Bible as revelation from an infinite hyperdimensional Being, but the fact remains that science accepts this part of the Bible at least.
This same infinite Force outside of finite space-time demonstrated purposeful intelligence of Personhood when establishing the Laws of Physics maintaining the universe.
“And the LORD / YHVH / Infinite One said unto Moses…I will proclaim the name / identity / attributes of the LORD before thee…The LORD / Infinite One, The LORD God / Infinitly Powerful One, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;” (Exodus 33:19, 34:6-7)
Scientists once thought that space and time were separate, and that the universe was merely an assortment of cosmic bodies arranged in three dimensions. Einstein however established that time is the fourth dimension, which meant that space and time were inextricably linked, once again validating the biblical model of physics.
“And the angel [in heaven] which I saw stand upon the sea / waters and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware that
- there should be time no longer…
- And…the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea / waters.” (Revelation 10:5-7, 21:1)
Einstein’s validation of the end of material existence of the entire interconnected universe being inextricably linked to the end of time is impressive credentialing for the Bible’s prediction of what happens to the life energy in your body at the end your time on earth when that mass decays back to dust / the elements of carbon, sodium, etc.
The claim made by some religions that is dissipates into a general pool of life energy is not scientific. Scientifically this specific, organized functional closed system of energy can only be converted to potential energy in the ground, perfectly described by Job in the oldest book in the Bible (predating Genesis by author).
“now shall I sleep in the dust;” (Job 7:21)
But, scientifically inquiring, where does this energy go when the whole universe of time-space-matter ends?
This is scientifically investigated in the concerns of Atomic Scientists and physicist Stephen Hawkins’ over CERN’s irresponsible manipulation of matter, as well as insanely irrational efforts by scientists to contact extraterrestrials who would obviously be far more advanced than humans so highly unlikely to treat us as anything but parasites on their turf, as Stephen Hawkins also noted. Does it really take a genius physicist to figure that out?
The scientific answer is found in the scientific equation E=mc². Each segment of life energy is bound to the Force that initially converted part of its infinity into finite mass and energy and holds the totality in itself as c²= E/m.
“the spirit / energy shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
The same Infinite Power that with intellect and purpose set in motion the Laws of Physics to maintain the universe also determines its outcome.
If we want to be informed about how it all ends, no other religious documents match the detail provided in the Bible about the end of this world, and of each individual life.
And if that’s not enough, the last book of the Bible provides astounding legally admissible eyewitness testimony passed from one witness to another.
- The Revelation of Jesus Christ / Yeshua Messiah / YHVH’s Appointed Savior / The I Am Infinity’s Promised Savior which God gave unto him
- to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass – those who acknowledge YHVH / Eternal Being / Creator as being, logically, Authority on the rules of life.
- and he [Jesus Christ] sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John (Revelation 1:1-2)
The word angel ἄγγελος / aggelos in Greek simply means “messenger” which may be a hyperdimensional or mortal envoy.
The word “signified” sémainó in Greek, means to give a sign / sēmeíon to confirm, corroborate or authenticate the veracity of a message, often with a seal from a signet ring on the wax sealing a document.
How was the person of Jesus Christ the seal of approval of this revelation to John?
The text gives the answer. “Who / John bare record
- of the word of God,
- and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,
- and of all things that he saw.“
“I John…
was in the Spirit [energized beyond four dimensions in order to interact with hyper dimensionality] on the Lord’s day [AKA the day of the LORD, i.e. out of space-time viewing future events], and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last…- And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw…one like unto the Son of man [looks like a human but is more than human]…And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead [getting that close to that much power shocks the life out of you].
- And he laid his right hand upon me [restoring the power of life], saying unto me, Fear not…
- I am he that liveth,
- and was dead;
- and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen [This Is The Truth!];
- and have the keys of hell and of death [for everyone who will trust that what you are witnessing IS true!].
- Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter [as my messenger, witness.]” (Revelation 1:9-19)
John could authenticate that the immortal being he saw was Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, because he had personally witnessed Jesus Christ transformed from mortal to immortal after he had been definitely killed, isolated in a tomb for three days, then risen again.
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus…his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved [bonded, close in spirit, was one with, as demonstrated by his action when], he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. After this, he said…It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost…Then came the soldiers, and…saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe…(John 19:25-35)
The first day of the week cometh…Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved…And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying…And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself…and he saw, and believed [on the basis of the evidence] For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” (John 20:1-9)
I learned the sign-ificance / sign-ifying of the napkin’s placement to John when I was in the Middle East where meals stretch out with lots of socialization. One’s napkin is a silent message to the guests. As long as the host keeps his napkin in use the event continues, often long into the night. The host can fold his napkin and place it to the side while he relieves himself, to mingle with the crowd at the event, but he is not finished until he crumples his napkin and places it on top of his place setting.
This sign still lingers in today’s customs.
In the event that you need to leave the table during a meal, lay your napkin on the seat of your chair, loosely folded. A napkin is never returned to the table until you are ready to depart;
The meal that Yeshua was hosting was the Last Supper, begun the night on which he was betrayed, four days earlier.
“the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew [demonstrate, re-enact] the Lord’s death till he come.” (I Corinthians 11:23-26)
The position of Yeshua’s napkin signified to John that Yeshua wasn’t finished. He would rejoin his friends when he came back from where-ever it was he had temporarily gone.
“Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead…Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved…This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.” (John 19:25-20:9, 21:14-24)
The veracity of John’s Revelation is irrevocably established by John’s testimony in the Gospel of John and the preceding messages of God’s prophets since the beginning of time. To deny it is sheer rejection of every established criteria of truth.
- Who – ““I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it…And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;“
- When – Trumpet calls are a universal signal to battle (Revelation 8-10). The Bible’s prophecy of the end of the world through warfare has been validated by Robert Oppenheimer, the maker of the atomic bomb – “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”, seconded by astronomer Carl Sagan’s A Path Where No Man Thought: Nuclear Winter.
- What – “and the books were opened…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Revelation 20:11-15)
“who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?…I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD / YHVH / I am / Eternal Life,,,For I am the LORD, I change not…Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance…And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
- How – “Then…a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name / titles / attributes [of Creator, Sustainer of Life, Judge]…And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day…and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him…and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” (Malachi 3)
“all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly…the day that cometh shall burn them up…hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched..And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire…And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” ( (Malachi 4:1, Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 20:10-15)
But unto you that fear my name – YHVH, Creator – shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.“ (Malachi 4:1-2)
Consignment to eternal fire is not cruel and unusual punishment by a jealous God, but the only possible option for humans created with free will who choose to rejection unity with the only source of infinite life energy. It’s science – energy can never be destroyed.
Kingdom Come 