4/3/05 - “CAN THE BIBLE BE TRUSTED?” 
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today on station WHFD, we are beginning a journey in Bible study, that will thrill your soul. Friends I remember 50 years ago when Protestant denominations used to fearlessly proclaim God’s Word. But the Christian church has been under attack from Satan and has left it in a state of mystical confusion. Every wind of doctrine is circulating that has its basis in man’s ideas and man’s speculations and man’s conjectures. Well I’m here to tell you that God Himself is not pleased. Today we hear sermons on love that have no foundation in obedience. Awesome Truths and Amazing facts will change this as we are going to cover a wide range of topics, designed to bring God’s people back to a study and understanding of God’s Word.

Before I begin, shall we seek God’s presence as we pray, Heavenly Father, I pray through the power of the Holy Spirit, that you will open the ears of all those folks who are listening to this broadcast at this moment. Probation for this world is soon to end and your people are not ready. Most are only half converted, Dear God how I pray that you will speak through me to their understanding, in Jesus Name, Amen and Amen.   

As I do in South Hill, I will do every week on this Lawrenceville station, and that is to pledge myself to the command of God found in Isaiah 58:1   “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression.” Friends, that is what God has called me to do and I will not spare, but will give you the unvarnished truth from God’s word with no apologies. Listen Jesus is coming very soon and most Christians believe they are saved. But Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  
  7:22   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  
  7:23   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Now notice, Jesus is not talking about non-Christians, He’s talking about Christians because they are the ones who call Him Lord, Lord. He says depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. What is iniquity? It is commandment breaking. 99% of Christians today are breaking God’s law and don’t even know it. 

Many of these broadcasts will get into the deep prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. We will show from the Bible who the beast of Revelation 13 is, remarkably it is the same little horn power of Daniel 7. We will expose the meaning of the number 666 and what the mark of the beast really is. Friends, did you know that the most fearful warning in the entire Bible is that we should not receive the mark of the beast. Why? Because everyone that does, will be lost. They will suffer God’s wrath in the seven last plagues. The Bible makes it clear that most Christians today will receive the mark of the beast. 

In upcoming broadcasts we will deal with that very fact. Why should you be a faithful listener of Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts? Because you will be able to learn things most Christians will never learn, but more importantly, you will learn how to avoid the mark of the beast and receive the seal of God, and be saved. 

But today I want to establish the fact that we can trust God’s Word, as you know the Bible has been under attack, even by professed Christians.
What good would be studying the Bible if it cannot be trusted? I am here to tell you that not only can we trust fully in the King James Version of the Bible, and stake our eternal life on its truths, but also I can say after 45 years of studying God’s word that there is not a single contradiction in it.

I am going to give you now 7 Reasons why you can be absolutely confident that the Bible is true. 
Reason #1:  The evidence of internal consistency. What does internal consistency mean? The Bible, though it seems to be 1 book, is in reality 66 books, with 1189 chapters, 31,101 verses, 791,328 words.

The words of Scripture were written by some forty different men, with different backgrounds, scattered over different countries, with different occupations, and living at different times over a period of over 1500 years. Yet the words are unified in one personality: JESUS CHRIST! Fascinating!  The Bible is a miracle in itself!
Doesn’t it strike you as incredible that 40 different authors over a period spanning 1500 years, from a myriad of cultures, and social backgrounds, and areas could take the most controversial subject, and they could be in perfect agreement and harmony? God makes no mistakes!  When Paul wrote, he did not have to correct Moses; James didn’t contradict John and so on.  The Bible is a harmonious book and we’ll see that time and again as we study subject after subject. So we have the evidence of internal consistency.

	Reason #2:  The evidence of history. All true and genuine history confirms and corroborates the Bible record. The Bible predicted in advance that there would be 4 ruling world empires, and no more after them this side of the second coming. History books confirm what God said would happen, so we have the evidence of history.

	Reason #3:  The evidence or testimony of archeology.  
There has never been a single archeological discovery, that has ever contradicted what the Bible says is true.  Isn’t that incredible?  
Therefore, we have the evidence of archeology.

	Reason #4:  The testimony of Science. 
All true science agrees with the Bible.  Many today however try to take science and put it in one place, while putting the Bible in another, and then they try to create or proclaim a contradiction between the two.  Let me tell you something.  Anyone who is intelligent on the subject, will tell you that most of the great scientists of history, from Sir Isaac Newton, on down to today, have been Bible believing Christians and Bible believing Jews. There is no contradiction between true science and the Bible. Amen?  All true science will confirm what the Bible says, so we have the testimony of Science.
	Reason #5:  The testimony of Relevancy
Through the Bible I found the meaning that I was looking for. I found a Savior, I found God and I found true purpose to our existence on this planet.  The Scriptures were relevant back in the days of Moses, in the days of Jesus and Paul, and even two thousand years later in our very time, the Bible in this year still speaks to the exact needs of modern society.  Amen?
It’s incredible that a Book so old, could speak so precisely, and eloquently to a modern generation.  So we have the testimony of relevancy.

Reason #6:  The testimony of a changed life
Any Christian that you meet that has surrendered their life to the Lord Jesus Christ will tell you that his or her life was changed when they came in contact with the Bible.

And why is it that this book stands head and shoulders above any other?
It is the only book that can make a saint out of a sinner.
It is the only book that can change the thief into an honest man.
It is the only book that can change the adulterer into a faithful man.
It is the one book that can change the drunkard into a sober man, and Cannibals have become civilized through reading it.
The evidence is in the testimony of a changed life.

Reason #7:  The testimony of prophecy. Prophecy has been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled, even in our day.
There you have 7 reasons to believe the Bible is true and there are many more if time allowed, but I would especially like to address point #7.  You are going to hear a lot of prophecy in the weeks to come on these Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts radiobroadcasts.  And I can assure you that you are going to be blessed. 

Now let’s open the Scriptures and read what God’s word has to say on the subject of “Can the Bible Be Trusted?” It is best to have a paper handy to write down the scriptures and check them out after the broadcast, as I will be going through the scriptures rather quickly. Get in the habit of having pencil and paper ready each broadcast. 
2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” How much scripture friends? All scripture. That means the Old Testament as well. Let me tell you friends, when Jesus commanded His followers in John 5:39, to search the scriptures, there was no New Testament. Christians by the directions of Jesus are to search the Old Testament. 
Here’s an interesting fact. Did you know that the so-called closed book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus? Did you know that there are 404 verses in Revelation and 270 verses are quoting the Old Testament? Friends, the Old Testament is Revelation concealed, Revelation is the Old Testament revealed.

2 Peter 1:21 says, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
John 10:35 says, “…the scripture cannot be broken;” So friends, the Bible was written by men who were guided by the Holy Spirit and it cannot be broken or proven untrue.

Three times when Jesus was tempted by Satan, he demonstrated His confidence in Scripture as each time He met Satan with an, “It is written…” In Jesus’ prayer to His Father in John 17:17 He said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Did you know that in the Old Testament, there are more than 125 prophecies related to the first coming of Jesus? In closing I would like to point out that Dr. Peter Stoner of Pasadena College in California figured that the odds of one person fulfilling only 8 of those prophecies in a lifetime, was 1 in a 1 with thirty-three zeroes after it. Jesus fulfilled every one.
The Bible has always been under attack, but like the anvil that wears out many hammers, it survives all its scoffers. Why study the Bible, because in it is Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If we study daily and stay focused on Him, we will come into knowledge of truth and be ready when He comes soon, in the clouds of glory.

Yes the Bible can be trusted. Next week we will answer the question, “Can man be trusted.”

Time is up today, God bless you friends and study your Bibles daily,

Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.