Bible: Two Proofs and Two Mis-Translations

Summary

This book deals with the explosion of scientific knowledge in the twentieth century and how this new knowledge compares with the creation account in the Bible.

This new knowledge required scientists to change their thinking about how some physical things behaved, and it required Bible believers to change their thinking about the meaning of certain Bible passages.

But some refused to change, and fighting between groups ensued.

The creation account in the original Bible agreed with the new scientific knowledge.

When translated versions of the Bible were used, there was some disagreement. For this, we first blame the translators, who did not consider new discoveries in science. When they had a choice of words to use in a translation, because of multiple meanings of the original words, they often chose the wrong meanings. Translators usually followed the choice of words of previous reputable translators even when the previous translators chose the wrong words. The Septuagint version was an early version that was usually followed.

The Septuagint was first translated around 289 BC from Hebrew to Greek by seventy-two Jewish scholars. It was considered reliable by subsequent translators. The Greek Septuagint was used during the time of Christ, so translators consider it blessed. When this version is translated into English, it differs somewhat from versions translated directly from Hebrew into English.

The twentieth century brought to light a few of the translation errors, especially those that scientific discoveries made obvious. This book is about the amazing agreement of the original versions of the Bible when compared with new science.

This book also reports the amazing proof of God found within all known versions of the Bible itself. Only the Deity could have been responsible for the message that served to prove the author was the Deity; hence, it is called the Word.

This is to say that proof of its authorship is embedded within the text of the Bible, and the author is the all-powerful God. The Word also bears its own proof when compared with God’s creation.

In the twentieth century, there has been animosity between old geologists and new geologists and between translated-Bible believers and the original-Bible believers. People tend to adhere to beliefs they first had and to resist new facts when they surface. This trait of human nature has caused grief among Christians especially when their first beliefs were based on a faulty translation of the Bible. 2

Introduction

We can learn about God in two ways. One obvious way is to study the things He created, and the second is to read and study the Bible that He inspired. This book offers two (of several) proofs that God inspired the Bible and created the universe.

Historically, religious leaders have disparaged scientific findings and called scientists heretics, but God has made available in the sky much about how He created and is still modifying the universe. God has placed humanity in a good location to observe the cosmos; humans, with the help of God, have created the equipment needed to do so. Because of time required for light to travel large distances, we can look back eons of time and learn much about how God created the universe. In many respects, He made creation an open book for us to study, and Psalm 111:2 says that His works are great and that studying them is a pleasure.

The Bible says in several places something about how God created the universe, but these recordings were not understood until scientific knowledge had advanced to a certain level. For example, the Scriptures say that the universe was made “from things that are not visible” (Hebrews 11:3 RSV), and now, science has told us what that material was. The Scriptures relate in several places that God made the universe and spread it out. Einstein (in 1913), Hubble (the astronomer, in 1929), Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman (in 1948), Penzias and Wilson (in 1964), and many others later in the twentieth century told us what “spread out” (Isaiah 48:13 NIV) and “stretched out” (Job 9:8 RSV) meant. In the past century, astronomers have observed that distant suns were old and exploded and new suns and planets were formed from fragments of these supernovae, which have heavier elements. Psalm 102:26; Hebrews 1:11; 2 Pet 3:13; Revelation 21:1; and Isaiah 34:4, 51:6 said it first.

In 1935, it was often said by scientifically minded people eager to disprove the Bible that it was silly to say something was made of nothing because that would be impossible. Now we know how matter was made from nothing.

Long before people knew the earth was not flat but a sphere, Isaiah wrote about the circle or sphere of the earth in Isaiah 40:22. This is another example of the Bible foretelling something that scientists had not yet uncovered, and that many people did not understand until it was discovered. Job 26:7 is another example, for who but God in 2000 BC knew the earth was hung on nothing? The earth is hung on gravitational attraction to the sun, but we cannot see a force of gravity, so in the Bible, it is called “nothing.” This is much like energy, from which matter was made, being called nothing. We can’t see energy.

Psalm 119:89 says that the Word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Astronomers of the twentieth century have made discoveries that lead to a confirmation of this verse.

Since 1929, there have been numerous observations and studies of the universe, the solar system, the earth, and how it all got here. These studies were often conducted to prove there is or was no God, but they proved just the opposite. More recently, scientists have chosen such research projects because of the great interest and sometimes because they offer good thesis research topics for PhD candidates.

In spite of the numerous, well-performed, and well-documented scientific studies that show agreement with the Bible, there are very few Bible believers who take note or even know about those findings or even care. Some adhere to their tradition that the Bible alone tells us all we need to know even though the Bible tells us to consider nature. They are missing a great opportunity to convince millions who do not believe the Bible but believe science. The correlation of recent scientific observations and studies with the Bible is like a pot of gold just sitting there waiting for somebody to find it, wake up, tell the world, attract more members, and help many suffering souls to see the light and live better lives.

There are several reasons why God inspired the Bible in addition to His desire to give us knowledge of Jesus Christ and how to get to heaven. The most overlooked reason is this: Bible principles when followed lead to a happier life on earth.

People in the news like to quote the Ten Commandments when telling us how to live. I think a better verse that tells us how to live is “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NIV).

Some church leaders have inadvertently made the incorrect age, 6,000 years, of the earth part of their churches’ creeds. This is due in part to an incorrect interpretation of translated versions of the Bible and in part to certain (not very scientific but profitable) publications and books.