Got Questions? - Week 12

How Does World History Correlate with Scripture?

According to many secular scholars, the earth is around 4.5 billion years old, with the universe itself being around 14 billion years old. However, these numbers are based off of flawed dating methods, and sometimes, just straight up guesses.

If we take the Biblical record, and trace the genealogies back to Adam and Eve, we can estimate the earth is roughly 6,000 years old.

So how do the events of Scripture explain different major world events such as the Ice Age, Dinosaurs, and the first civilizations?

I. The Purpose of the Bible

In order to answer the question, we must first make note of the purpose of the Bible.

The primary purpose of God’s Word is to provide a way for mankind to know Who God is and how to have a relationship with Him

Every book, every chapter, and every verse points to the unfolding drama of redemption. It all points to the Cross of Jesus Christ and thus pointing us to how we can know God personally

Another purpose of God’s Word is to show the history of the nation of Israel. We can trace Israel’s entire history back to Genesis 12 and see all of the major events of Israel up until the New Testament was written

The Bible contains local history, not world history. The reason why we dont see major world history events recorded in the Bible is because that was not God’s intent. The Bible records the history of Israel and the surrounding area.

The main reason the Bible does not contain accounts of the Ice Age, Dinosaurs, and other major world events is because that does not fit into the Bible’s purpose. The Bible primarily focuses on the stories and teachings relevant to the people alive at that time and at that particular place,

II. Secular History vs Biblical History

This is the timeline of world history according to secular historians

Big Bang - 13.7 Billion years ago

Earth Forms - 4.5 Billion Years ago

First life on earth - 3.8 Billion Years ago

End of the Dinosaur Age - 65 million years ago

Mankind appears on earth - 200,000 years ago

Last Ice Age - 20,000 years ago

First Civilization - 8-10,000 years ago

This is the timeline of world history put together by Biblical historians by using the timeline of events used in the Bible

Creation of the Universe - 4000 BC

Sin in the Garden of Eden - 4000 BC

Global Flood - 2348 BC

Tower of Babel - 2242 BC

Call of Abraham - 1922 BC

Ice Age Peak - 1848 BC (500 years after the flood)

Time of the Judges (beginning with Moses) - 1491 BC (God appears to Moses in the Burning Bush)

Time of the Kings (beginning with Saul) - 1095 BC

Split kingdom of Israel - 975 BC

Christ was born - around 4 BC

III. The Historical Accuracy of the Bible

The entire Bible centers around what God has done in history. Within the pages of Scripture we find many references to people, places and events. Thus, the question of whether the Bible is historically precise in its description of these references is of crucial importance.

Were the people mentioned in Scripture real people? Did the places which are named actually exist? Did these events take place as the Bible says they did? What does the evidence say?

We will discover that the Bible is different from all other ancient literature in its historical precision. Indeed, the science of archaeology, along with the testimony of secular historical records, confirms the precision of the references in the various biblical books. This minute attention to detail observed by the biblical writers is unparalleled in any other ancient literature. We can make the following observations:

A. The Old Testament Matches up with Known History

It matches up with the local laws of the time

For example, when Sarah the wife of Abraham was childless, she suggested that Abraham take Hagar his handmaiden as a secondary wife and raise up an heir through her. This fits well with the practice at that time as recorded in the Eshnunna law code - a law code that dates about 1900 B.C.

The Nuzi tablets, 20,000 clay tablets that were discovered 150 miles north of Baghdad; also confirm such customs as to the role of secondary wives and their rights of inheritance. Therefore, the episode of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar fits the local laws of the time.

2. It Matches up with local customs

From the Nuzi tablets we also find that one brother sold his birthright for three sheep—similar to Esau selling his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of soup. This confirms that the practice was legally binding at that time in history. It also tells us that the price paid for the birthright did not have to be of equal value.

3. The Geography is minutely accurate

We find that the Scripture is very specific as to the route that the nation of Israel took from Egypt on its way to the Promised Land. For example, in Numbers 33:45-50, there is a detailed description of where the Israelites camped on their way to Jericho.

Notice the detail. We are told specifically where the nation camped on their way to Jericho. This route was once considered to be unhistorical. Yet the discovery of three ancient Egyptian maps, dating from the thirteenth century to the fifteenth century B.C., shows that this was the same route that was taken in those days. The cities mentioned in Numbers were also mentioned in the Egyptian maps. It was a heavily traveled road in those days. Again, the historical details of the Scripture prove to be true.

4. The Correct titles were used to describe people

For example, in the story of Joseph, there are a number of titles that are mentioned. We are told that Joseph was put in prison with the “chief” or “royal” baker. Genesis 40:1-2.

While this was once considered to be an incorrect reference, an ancient Egyptian picture recorded acknowledgment of wheat by the royal baker of the Temple of Amun. Thus, the title “royal baker” or “chief baker” was accurately used. This gives credence to the story as literally occurring instead of being some type of parable or myth.

5. The List of Pagan Kings is Amazingly Accurate

The Bible lists a number of kings who ruled countries other than Israel. Although they were not the main characters in the story, they are always recorded in an accurate manner. Indeed, the writers of Scripture placed these kings in the exact chronological order in which they ruled. This is in contrast to some of the historians from these same countries who did not have the correct chronology.

This has been documented in the work of the great Old Testament scholar Robert Dick Wilson. In examining the Old Testament Scripture, Wilson noted that there are twenty-six pagan kings of various nations that are mentioned. The names of these rulers are also found on the monuments of these kings as well as in documents of their own times. Wilson found that all of these names of the pagan kings are spelled correctly in the Hebrew text. In contrast to the accuracy of the Bible, in the secular literature of the same period, the names of those rulers are frequently garbled. Indeed, there are times when it is hard to identify the person.

An example of this is Ptolemy; an ancient writer who drew up a list of eighteen Babylonian kings. However, on his list, none of the names of these eighteen kings is spelled correctly.

On the other hand, the biblical writers were always precise in the spelling of the names of their enemies. So we ask the question, “If the Old Testament writers took this much concern to spell the names of the pagan kings correctly, how much more effort would they have given to spell the names of their own people correctly as well as to accurately record the events connected with their rule?” The answer seems obvious. This is a further testimony of the basic reliability of the Old Testament.

6. The Existence of the Temple on the Temple Mount

In recent years, there has been an effort to discredit the fact that there has ever been a temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is mainly coming from Muslims who wish to remove any claim the Jews may have to that piece of land.

But not only does the Bible specifically mention that there WAS indeed a real temple on the Temple Mount, there is even Archaeological evidence to support this as well. Many archaeological digs on the site of the Temple Mount have provided evidence that there was indeed a Jewish Temple that once stood there

There are many more examples we could give, but you get the idea. The Bible is not only God’s Word, but it is meticulously accurate even in its recorded history.

Conclusion

We must remember what the purpose of the Bible was in relation to History - to show God’s working in human history through His people, Israel.

The history of the Bible is a LOCAL history, pertaining mainly to the characters and people groups mentioned within the pages.

But what history IS mentioned, is extremely and meticulously accurate in its recording. So much so that historians will often refer to the Bible rather than history books.

You can trust that the Word of God is accurate in every facet!