Building Bible Confidence: Part 4

Part 4: Evidence Outside the Bible

Introduction: A Secular Textbook?

When students go to school, there are usually written materials for various subjects. For example, students may use a specific textbook for Literature, Science, History, or Mathematics.

The Bible is not a textbook for scholastic subjects. (For example, the Bible student will not find the Scientific Method within the Scriptures.) The primary emphasis of the Bible is spiritual. It teaches people about a spiritual world in which we have a spiritual problem that can be solved by a spiritual Being.

We can, however, validate the Bible with secular truths. In fact, a great piece of evidence for the Bible as God’s word is that it is confirmed by Science and History. As in the previous study Fulfilled Prophecy, we will look at a sample of evidence. These outside sources build a case for the Divine inspiration in the Bible.

The Evidence of Historical Authenticity

The Bible’s narrative is often confirmed by secular history. From Egypt to Israel and around the Middle East, secular history supports what took place in the Scriptures. One renowned Bible archaeologist wrote: [...] “it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.  Scores of archaeological findings confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible,” (Glueck, p.31).

Hezekiah's Water Tunnels

The Bible says King Hezekiah was an effective ruler who oversaw an underground waterway to provide water for the city in case of siege:

It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook, (1 Chronicles 32:30, NIV).

Secular history confirms the Scriptures as tunnels survive to this day (Butt, 2022).

Kingdoms Predicted

Using figurative language, the Bible writer Daniel prophesied about the conquest of empires hundreds of years beforehand. For example, around 600BC, he wrote about the kingdom of Persia (represented as a ram) and its fall to Greece (represented as a goat):

And as I was considering [the ram], suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.  [...] And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns.  […] The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king, (Daniel 8:4-7, 16-17 (See chapters 7-8 for more details).

History shows Alexander the Great, represented as the goat’s single horn, conquered Persia in 331 B.C. nearly 300 years after Daniel wrote His prophecy.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Some skeptics may claim that historical authenticity is moot if the documents were written afterwards. In other words, what if the Bible was written by people in 1000AD who were pretending to write it in 600BC?

Until the middle of the twentieth century, the oldest copies of the Old Testament were the Masoretic texts (circa 700-1000AD). This gave skeptics the alleged proof that they were looking for about the Bible being a book written well after the timeframe it claimed. All that changed in 1947.

 Preserved in jars of clay in caves near the Dead Sea, 972 manuscripts from an ancient Jewish sect were discovered. Scholars have divided the discovery into three categories: biblical, apocryphal, and secular. The biblical manuscripts, containing the famed Isaiah Scroll, are dated at 200BC. These Dead Sea Scrolls not only corroborated the Masoretic texts (their content was the same) but also proved that Bible history and prophecy happened well before the time of Christ. These were not documents pretending to be older, but proven manuscripts that show the historical authenticity of the Old Testament.

Roman Observations of Christians

Tacitus was one of many first century sources who commented on the Christian faith. Tacitus wrote about events in AD 64:

Nero fastened the guilt ... on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of ... Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, (Tacitus, Annals 15.44, Strobel, p.82).

From this non-Christian source, we see an outsider’s perspective on the Christian faith. Christians were hated, their founder had suffered an extreme penalty under Pontius Pilate, and now the faith was spreading all over the world. This evidence corroborates the historical record given in the gospels and the book of Acts.

The Evidence of Scientific Authenticity

The Bible is not opposed to science. Both are interested in the pursuit of truth. This doesn’t mean we use the scientific method, rather that the Bible is consistent with scientific principles.

Waste Disposal

Thousands of years before man realized that human waste carried diseases, God commanded Israel to create healthy areas for disposing of waste away from the camp (read about this in Deuteronomy 23:12-13). Many civilizations did not discover the potential for human waste to carry disease until recent centuries. God’s divine wisdom is evident in this scientific foreknowledge.

Life in the Blood

Another example of scientific authenticity concerns blood. Medical doctors understand how valuable blood is to the survival of a patient; however, a common medical practice hundreds of years ago was to bleed patients. The belief was that the blood was dirty or impure. This practice was not only ignorant but often deadly. When the medical community finally corrected the practice, many were saved from death by blood loss. The Bible revealed the value of blood long before modern science came to this conclusion. The Bible says: For the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11).

Probability and the Beginning of Time

Generally speaking, there are two main claims for how the universe began. First, the naturalist view claims is that the universe created itself out of nothing. Such a conclusion inspired one mathematician to calculate the probability of life as we know it coming from nothing. He concluded, “The probability is much smaller than that of winning the Mega Millions jackpot for more days than the universe has been in existence,” (Aczel, Time).

The creationist view basis its claim in the Bible: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). This view concludes that it is more reasonable that the universe came from something rather than nothing. One will either put his or her faith in one of two possibilities: either nothing made everything, or God made everything.

Will Everyone Believe the Evidence?

In every place the gospel is preached, there are those who believe it. Many, however, do not accept the gospel nor the evidence supporting it. The Bible describes those who do not believe despite evidence:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:20-21).

Thankfully, God's word is constant and always showing the way to Him. These evidences are enough to produce faith in an honest heart.

In Review: Evidence Outside the Bible

Historical evidence, such as King Hezekiah’s aqueduct, Daniel’s visions about future kingdoms, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and extra-biblical witnesses support the Bible as historically genuine. Scientific authenticity, such as waste disposal, the life force of blood, and the mathematical probability of creation support the Bible’s scientific legitimacy. These factors further aid our trust and acceptance of the Bible as God's word.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm119:105).

*This article was taken from The Bible Series, a twelve-part study written by Jonathan Edwards. This study is available for free PDF download at www.pureandsimplebible.com

** Sources referenced include the following. Consider them for further study:

Aczel, Amir D. “Why Science Does Not Disprove God.” Time. Time, 27 Apr. 2014, www.time.com/77676/why-science-does-not-disprove-god/.

Butt, Kyle. “Archaeology and the Old Testament.” Apologetics Press, 14 Oct. 2022, www.apologeticspress.org/archaeology-and-the-old-testament-1347/.

Glueck, Nelson. Rivers in the Desert. Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1959.

Hagit Maoz, Lizbeth & Krupp, George. The Dead Sea Scrolls. www.imj.org.il/en/wings/shrine-book/dead-sea-scrolls. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus. Zondervan, Willow Creek Resources, 2016.