The Dare
How do we know that the Bible was inspired by God Himself, and that men didn't just make it up?
God has given us many good reasons to believe His words; He doesn't expect us to blindly follow just anyone who claims to be speaking for Him. That would be a very dangerous road to walk! One of the main ways God authenticates His word is through biblical prophecy.
And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?' When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. ~Deuteronomy 18:21-22
If you study the prophets in the Bible, you'll find that the words they speak have both a near fulfillment (within a few years of the prophecy) and a far fulfillment (many, sometimes thousands of years into the future). The prophecies which take place within a few years function as God's stamp of approval on that prophet's words for the distant future!
These prophecies are specific, consistent with one another (despite being delivered by many different people, from all walks of life, and at different times), and, as history proves, completely accurate. It's staggering to see how God has proven time and time again that His words are true and trustworthy! It's because of this that we can believe with confidence that He knows everything, from beginning to end. It's been estimated that over 25% of the Bible is prophetic in nature. No other religious book even comes close to pulling off what the Bible regularly does in predicting the future.
And the best part? He has GOOD plans for those who trust Him and love Him with their lives! As the scriptures say:
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. ~1 Corinthians 2:9
By making specific claims about future events in our world, God has made it possible to prove His word to be either true or false. The following is a dare from God to man, which challenges everything we consider more important than God (our idols).
Will you seek out the truth?
He dares you.
"Set forth your case," says the Lord; "bring your proofs," says the King of Jacob. "Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you. I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, "He is right"? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. I was the first to say to Zion, "Behold, here they are!" and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news. But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. Behold, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their metal images are empty wind. ~Isaiah 41:21-29
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