What Evidence Proves the Bible is Divinely Inspired?
The Bible is a compilation of 66 individual books—39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament—and is the only divinely inspired religious book ever to exist. It is God-breathed in its origin by an all-knowing and perfect God, yet it is human in its penmanship as God used the writing styles, personalities, and backgrounds of godly men to reveal Himself, His gospel, and His plan of redemption.
There are many proofs authenticating the Bible as the only divinely inspired Word of God. These proofs include but are not limited to its internal consistency, prophetic fulfillment, archaeological discoveries, extrabiblical verifications, and scientific accuracy.
Internal Consistency: The Bible was written over a span of 1,500 years by 40 authors living on three continents speaking three different languages with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds—yet it reads as one cohesive story from Genesis through Revelation. All 66 books of the Bible are perfectly harmonious and consistent in their message, especially when answering and addressing life’s essential questions, “Where did we come from, and why are we here? Do we have a purpose? Does God exist, and if so, what is He like? Why is there suffering, evil, and trouble in the world? Is there life after death, and if so, where do we go and why?”
If a survey were taken of twenty people from the same generation with similar backgrounds asking them these crucial questions, their responses would be diverse. Yet, the biblical writers’ content and doctrines are entirely coherent and congruent, fitting together within a logical framework. This fact is one powerful evidence of its divine origin.
Prophetic Fulfillment: The fulfillment of predictive events, things, and occurrences foretold in the Bible is another strong evidence of the Bible’s divine inspiration. There is no other religious book—past, present, or future—containing even one verifiable fulfilled prophecy. Yet, the Bible contains hundreds of precise and detailed prophecies about people, places, and incidents, many of which have already been fulfilled.
When the Bible was written, approximately 27% of its contents were prophetic (Payne, J. B., The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, Baker Pub. Group, 1980, p. 675). In other words, God inspired its writers to record hundreds of future occurrences in advance. This percentage is staggering because it encompasses over one-fourth of the Bible.
The conservative number of prophecies contained in the Bible is over 1,800. With time, many of them have been fulfilled, converting them to verifiable historical facts. Over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament alone are related to the coming Messiah who would save people from their sins. Each of these Messianic prophecies was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was not born until 400 years after the Old Testament's completion.
Using the science of probability, Peter W. Stoner, in his book, Science Speaks, calculated the likelihood of one person fulfilling only 8 prophecies. He determined that number to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power, which is 1 in 100 quadrillions. To put this probability into a relatable example, it would be like filling the entire state of Texas two feet deep with silver dollars—marking one of the coins with a red “X” and stirring the whole mass thoroughly—then having a blindfolded individual go anywhere in the state and choose only one coin, which must be the marked silver dollar.
This example expresses a 1 in 100 quadrillion chance of success. It is the same probability the Old Testament prophets would have for eight of their prophecies to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ using their own wisdom rather than God’s divine inspiration. Therefore, according to Peter Stoner, “the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of those prophecies to a definiteness, which lacks only one chance in 10 to the 17th power of being absolute.”
Peter W. Stoner took it a step further by calculating the likelihood of one person fulfilling 16 prophecies. The plausible number increased to 1 in 10 to the 45th power, which is 10 with 45 zeros after it. When he mathematically computed the probability of one person fulfilling 48 prophecies, the figure jumped to 1 in 10 to the 157th power, which is 1 in 10 unquinquagintillion. Yet, all 300 Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled in one person—Jesus Christ. This truth is not surprising, given the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe inspired men to record these facts hundreds of years in advance of Christ’s birth (Isaiah 46:9-10).
A small sampling of fulfilled prophesies about Jesus include His supernatural conception (Isaiah 7:14; fulfilled as recorded in Matthew 1:23), Him opening blind eyes and mute mouths and healing the deaf and lame (Isaiah 35:5-6; fulfilled as recorded in Mark 10:52 and Matthew 15:30), His death for humanities’ sins (Isaiah 53:11-12; fulfilled as recorded in 1 Peter 2:24-25 and Hebrews 9:26-28), His crucifixion (Psalm 22:14-18; fulfilled as recorded in Matthew 27:27-50 and Luke 23:32-34), and Him rising from the dead (Psalm 16:10; fulfilled as recorded in Mark 16:6 and Acts 2:24-28.
Archaeological Discoveries: The historical reliability of people, places, events, and things mentioned in the Bible have been verified by over 25,000 archeological discoveries in the Middle East. Incredibly, this vast number of findings were unearthed by excavating only 1% of Israeli soil. Furthermore, many of these findings were discovered and confirmed by non-Christian archaeologists, which is significant.
Dr. Nelson Glueck, one of the world’s most prominent archaeologists in history, said, “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made, which confirm, in clear outline or exact detail, historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries.” For in-depth, detailed information on archaeological evidence for the Bible, see Archaeological Evidence for the Bible: Exciting Discoveries Verifying Persons, Places, and Events in the Bible by Charlie H. Campbell and Archaeology and the New Testament by John McRay.Extrabiblical Verifications: There are dozens of writings from non-Christians that exist outside of the Bible that confirm the historical accuracy of various people, places, and events recorded in the Bible. These written records include those of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans.
First-century historian, Flavius Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews, verified and documented facts about more than a dozen biblical figures, including John the Baptist, Herod Antipas, Herod’s unfaithful wife, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Jesus’ half-brother James, Felix, Festus, and Jesus.
More than 30 other non-Christian sources confirm facts about Jesus in their writings, including Cornelius Tacitus (Roman historian), Gaius Suetonius (Chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian), The Jewish Talmud, and Philo Judaeus (Jewish philosopher). Their documented works were penned within 150 years of Jesus’ life and verify more than 100 facts concerning His life, teachings, death, and resurrection (see The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ by Gary R. Habermas).
Other non-biblical historical sources substantiate particulars in the Bible, including those related to the worldwide flood, the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, the Assyrian invasion of Israel, Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Judah, the extended darkness when Jesus died, Herod Agrippa’s immediate death, and the Jews’ expulsion from Rome. (For full citations and footnotes, see Archaeological Evidence for the Bible: Exciting Discoveries Verifying Persons, Places and Events in the Bible and Scrolls and Stones by Charlie H. Campbell.)
Scientific Accuracy: The Bible is not a science textbook but is 100% scientifically accurate. All known, testable, and verifiable scientific facts are in perfect harmony with what the Bible states. Furthermore, many scientific beliefs adhered to in the past were found false as technology advanced and scientific practices evolved. Today, most scientific understanding concerning the earth’s solar system, atmosphere, structure, oceans, and living organisms all confirm what God declared in the Bible thousands of years ago. These truths are further evidence of the Bible’s divine origin, given the absence of microscopes, telescopes, satellites, and modern technological advances when the Bible was written.
Some critics of the Bible reject its scientific accuracy and divine inspiration based on its first statement in *Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” They also reject it based on passages like Joshua 10:13 and Revelation 7:1. Joshua 10:13 says, “And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day.” Revelation 7:1 states, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.”
Given that science has proven the Earth is a sphere that revolves around the stationary Sun, critics discredit the Bible by asserting these passages teach the Sun revolves around a flat Earth. However, despite their assumption, the Bible plainly states the Earth is a sphere in Isaiah 40:22. Therefore, the biblical writers’ use of metaphors, figures of speech, or unscientific terminology to describe things they saw does not undermine or invalidate the Bible’s 100% scientific accuracy and divine origin.
In context, the writers of Joshua 10:13 and Revelation 7:1 were not penning a scientific textbook on astronomy. Joshua was relating what he saw with his eyes, which appeared to him as the Sun no longer moving. In reality, God miraculously stopped the Earth from revolving for a day, which Joshua described as the “Sun stopping.” This same type of unscientific terminology is used in the modern 21st century to explain what is seen with the eyes. For example, meteorologists and multiple smartphone weather applications use the terms “sunrise” and “sunset” to refer to the time when the true Sun's center is on the observer's rational horizon. These common everyday terms are unscientific yet commonly used to convey what is observable to the eyes rather than using technical terms to describe the Earth’s rotations around the Sun.
Likewise, John used the figurative term “the four corners of the earth” in Revelation 7:1 to describe a colossal, futuristic event he witnessed, which affected the entire globe from its outermost borders or most distant parts (to the North, South, East, and West). John was not providing a scientific geography lesson or insinuating the Earth was flat by his statement, but accurately expressed the magnitude of what is to come using relatable language to describe it.
*Genesis 1:1 is rejected by those who support the Big Bang Theory and Biological Evolution because they claim the universe came into existence from nothing and that all living things can be traced back to a common ancestor, evolving into what they are through mutations and the natural selection process (i.e., “survival of the fittest). However, the only thing nothing can create is nothing, and mutations do not and cannot add new genetic information (or increase existing information) to cause one species to evolve into a different species. Mutations can only produce small changes within a species’ existing genetics. Furthermore, “Natural selection only operates on the information that is already contained in the genes—it does not produce new information” (Lane P. Lester, The Natural Limits to Biological Change).
For a species to evolve into a different species, a new genetic blueprint would be required to develop the new limbs, organs, and functions necessary. For example, a great white shark cannot evolve into a human over time without new genetic information added to transform its gills into lungs for breathing outside air and its fins into legs to walk on land. In other words, a great white shark’s DNA only provides instructions to develop gills for extracting oxygen exclusively from water—not for growing lungs to breathe outside air. Furthermore, its DNA does not give instructions to grow or develop legs for mobility on land. It only provides instructions to develop fins for maneuvering exclusively in water. Therefore, a great white shark cannot evolve into a human or any other species without new or additional DNA added to its "blueprint." Mutations do not and cannot add or increase genetic information that would result in one species evolving into another (and another and another), despite The Theory of Evolution’s claims.
Dr. Werner Gitt, director and professor at the German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology, stated, “Can new information originate through mutations? Although the idea is central in representations of evolution, mutations can only cause changes in existing information. There can be no increase in information, and, in general, the results are injurious, not helpful. New blueprints for new functions or new organs cannot arise from mutations. Mutations cannot be the source of new information.”
Dr. Lee Spetner of Johns Hopkins University stated, “In all the study I have done in my career in life sciences, I have never found a mutation that added information. All mutations that have been studied on a molecular level turn out to reduce the genetic information and not increase it. Information cannot be built up by mutations that all lose information. That is like saying a business can make money losing it a little at a time.”
Another fact that cannot be overlooked regarding the claims of biological evolution is the lack of evidence in the fossil record to support it. If all living things evolved from a common ancestor, the fossil record would contain numerous species in different stages of transition. Yet, the fossil record conclusively confirms that each species fossilized millions or billions of years ago is the same as today. Furthermore, if biological evolution were true, there would be thousands upon thousands of observable species currently in various stages or forms of transition—yet there are none.
In addition to the Bible’s accurate statement that God created the heavens and the earth, it also refuted, in advance, the false theory of “biological evolution through mutations” hundreds of years in advance. It says in 1 Corinthians 15:39-41, “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory” (NASB).
The Bible also foretold what DNA now proves, which is that each species is its own kind and reproduces after its own kind:
It says of vegetation in Genesis 1:11-12, “Then God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them’; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good” (NASB).
It says of marine life and birds in Genesis 1:20-21, “Then God said, ‘Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.’ God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good” (NASB).
It says of insects and land animals in Genesis 1:24-25, “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind;’ and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good” (NASB).
It says of humanity in Genesis 1:26-31, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food;’ and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (NASB).
Therefore, everything in existence did not evolve from "nothing" to "something" to "something else" over time but was created by an all-powerful God who spoke everything into existence from nothing, as Genesis chapter one repeatedly proclaims.