The Perfect Book, Impervious to Its Detractors

Establishing the veracity of God’s Holy Book is actually commanded in the Scriptures.  I Thessalonians 5:21:

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

I must know.  Its commandments and instructions are life-changing. I recall when I was nine years old, my entire family and I gave our hearts to Jesus Christ.  My mother was dramatically changed—as we all were—and carried her new-found faith to her father, stepmother (her mother died in childbirth), sisters, and brother.  The situation became tense: her Catholic stepmother made it clear that our family was not welcome if we brought “that Bible” with us. For some time, the relationship was strained, but one-by-one, the entire family made Jesus Christ the Lord of their lives.

One fine Jewish brother, who was raised in an orthodox Jewish home, was not only excommunicated from his family because of his confession for Jesus Christ, but his father buried him in effigy—tombstone and all. 

When you give your life to Jesus Christ, everything changes: family relationships, friends, food and drink; what one wears, watches, the entertainment one chooses—it all changes.  II Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  

Jesus Christ calls it “born again” (John 3:3).  He surely picked the right term!  Born-again is not “churchianity,” it is a new life.  Born-again is not “turning over a new leaf,” it is a new life—really, literally born a second time, this time of the Spirit of God.  Here, everything changes. 

Have you been born again?  Are you ready to be free and forgiven for all your sin and its shame? Do you long for the marvelous cleanness of a soul set free of all Satan’s bondages? When God was dealing with me, minutes prior to my salvation, I said to God: I would love to be a Christian, but I have no willpower to overcome the lusts of my flesh.  He lovingly informed me that it wouldn’t be my willpower that would carry the day, but instead HIS Word-power.  All I needed was the sincere want to.  The power to stand would be supplied by His Living Word and He was truly faithful to His promise.  Will today be your day of eternal salvation?  Move now while you still have breath.  Follow my prompt: Click onto “Further with Jesus” for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  Everything changes here.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, II Samuel 5:6-7:

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.

7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.

GOD SAID, Joshua 19:35:

And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,

GOD SAID, Judges 2:12-13:

12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

MAN SAID: The Bible’s historical accounts are flawed and exaggerated!  Everybody knows that! 

Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature article 939 which will once again confirm the supernatural and inerrant Word of God.  All of these power-packed features are archived on this website for your edification and as ammunition in the battle for the lost souls of men.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one. Thank you for coming.  May your life be filled with God’s joy and peace. 

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GodSaidManSaid uses four proof platforms from which to certify beyond any reasonable doubt that God IS and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  The first of the four platforms listed on the navigation bar on your left is Archaeology, which includes the fields of geology, paleontology, ancient history, societal records, and, often, microbiology.  Skeptics have challenged just about every account given in the Word of God, but after 6,000 years of academia’s best efforts, none have prevailed.  There are presently 135 features in the Archaeology category that confirm, by third-party attestation, that God’s historic accounts and depictions are true and righteous altogether—from Adam and his ribbed-wife Eve; to the tempting serpent, exiled from paradise; to 912 average years of age before the flood; giants, men of renown, and dinosaurs; then on to the great flood; the Tower of Babel and so much more; even to the day Jesus died and, imagine, earthquakes and its fault lines; all the way to the very battle of Armageddon.  God’s Word is the beautiful book.

Archaeological confirmations of the Scriptures are abundant and new finds are continually unearthed.  Today, it’s Jerusalem, the city of Zer, and the wicked Ashtaroth. 

Jerusalem was originally a Canaanite city, and is mentioned in the Bible 806 times.  It is first mentioned by the name Jerusalem in Joshua, Chapter 10.  Here, its Gentile king Adonizedek and his allies fight against Joshua and the Israelites in what became the miraculous battle of the long day.  Joshua 10:11-14:

11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.  

Israel stakes its claim on Jerusalem at this battle, which chronologist Bishop Ussher dates at 1451 BC—just shy of 3,500 years ago.

Archaeology and Jerusalem

Jerusalem, whose name means “the city of peace,” makes the news again.  On October 11, 2018, PatternsOfEvidence.com published the following excerpts under the heading, “Oldest Known Stone Inscription of ‘Jerusalem’  in Hebrew Discovered:”

Excavations at the site have been ongoing for years, were it was determined that potters produced vessels for Jerusalem over a period lasting more than 300 years.  Kilns, pools for preparing clay, plastered water cisterns, and work spaces for drying and storing the vessels have all been found with an artisans village springing up in conjunction with the area located about 1.5 miles from the Temple in Jerusalem. 

An article at The Times of Israel notes that the inscription uses Aramaic and Hebrew, two primary languages used by residents of Jerusalem.  Its use of the word “Yerushalayim,” is unique, because it is the oldest known example in stone of how the capital city’s name is pronounced in Hebrew today.  Older examples are found in the Dead Sea scrolls.

According to the Times, the find was made by an Israel Antiquities Authority team headed by archaeologist Danit Levi. 

“A worker came to me in the office towards the end of the day and excitedly told me to grab my camera and writing materials because he’d found something written,” Levi told The Times of Israel.  As Levi brushed off the dirt, she began to read what was written. 

“My heart started to pound and I was sure everyone could hear it.  My hands were trembling so badly I couldn’t properly take a picture,” said Levi, who dates the inscription to about 100 BC.  [End of quotes]

The Muslim Palestinians dispute Israel’s ancient claim on Jerusalem, but archaeology says differently.  Recently, President Donald Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as the capital of Israel—which caused quite a global stir.  It is at Jerusalem where the world-ending (as we know it) battle of Armageddon is waged and where Jesus Christ reigns upon the earth for 1,000 years—commonly known as the millennium.  Expect big news very soon.

Archaeology and Zer:

Joshua 19:35:

And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,

Zer, a fenced city in the land of Canaan, was part of the inheritance of Naphtali, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  This event dates to just a little after the one long day battle, putting it around 1451 BC. 

Archaeology once again confirms the accuracy of the Bible’s historic record. 

The July 9, 2018 headline from ChristianHeadlines.com reads, “Archaeologists Discover Biblical Gate Related to 12 Tribes of Israel.”  Excerpts follow:

Archaeologists in Israel say they’ve uncovered the entrance gate to Zer, a Biblical city from the Old Testament they say was later known as Bethsaida in the New Testament. 

The find in the Golan Heights area was made in the past two weeks and was announced Sunday by the Golan Regional Council, according to the Jerusalem Post.  Zer is mentioned in Joshua 19:35 as one of the fortified cities for the people of Naphtali, one of the 12 tribes of Israel.  The verse reads: “The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth…” 

Archaeologists say Zer was known as Bethsaida in the New Testament.  Bethsaida is where Jesus healed a blind man (Mark 8) and fed the 5,000 (Luke 9).  It is also where Andrew, Peter, and Philip were from (John 1:44). 

The gate find was made by about 20 archaeologists working with Hebrew Union College, The Post reported.  Rami Arav, director of the Bethsaida Project, is helping lead the effort. 

“There are not many gates in this country from this period.  Bethsaida was the name of the city during the Second Temple period, but during the First Temple period, it was the city of Zer,” Arav said.  [End of quote]

Archaeology, Bethshan, and Ashtaroth:

I Samuel 31:8-10:

8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.

I Chronicles 10:10:

And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

Archaeologists found the rubble of Bethshan where King Saul’s body was impaled upon its wall.  Archaeologists also found the ruins of the temple of Ashtaroth where King Saul’s armor was put on display, and they found the ruins of the temple of Dagon where they fastened Saul’s head. 

The following paragraphs are from Etched in Stone by Lisette Bassell-Brody:

Although the Lord gave His people many warnings over a number of centuries, they continued to worship these false gods.  So, He sent Israel into Assyrian captivity in 721 BC, and He sent Judah into Babylonian captivity in 586 BC.  In the Museum Journal, Alan Rowe, late lecturer in Near Eastern archaeology at the University of Manchester in England, said, “This very house of Ashtaroth has been found… The temple was erected by the Egyptians to the goddess Ashtaroth, and it was, so far as we know, the only temple intact at Beth-Shan at the time the Philistines conquered and lived in the city.” 

The temple is about seventy-eight feet long and sixty-two feet wide.  A number of valuable artifacts were found in the temple, such as rings, earrings, ingots, and gold.  There were also cult objects in the form of such things as goddesses, serpents, and birds.  [End of quote]

The following excerpts are from The Bible as History:

On the edge of the Plain of Jezreel rises the great mound of rubble called Tell el-Husn, which is visible far beyond the Jordan valley.  This is the site of the ancient Beth-Shan.  On the north and south slopes, the strong foundation walls of two temple buildings emerge out of the piles of cleared debris. 

Archaeologists of the University of Pennsylvania, led by Clarence S. Fisher, Alan Rowe, and G.M. Fitzgerald, excavated them in 1921 and 1933, almost at the same time as King Saul’s castle was rediscovered at Gibeah. 

Religious objects found among the ruins, principally medallions and little shrines with a serpent motif, indicate that these temples were dedicated to Astarte, the Canaanite goddess of fertility, and to Dagon, the chief god of the Philistines, who was half-fish/half-human.  Their walls witness what the Philistines did to Saul, as the Bible records: “And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth; and the fastened his body to the wall of Beth-Shan” (I Samuel 31:10).  The house of Ashtaroth is the temple ruins on the south side.  “…and [they] fastened his head in the temple of Dagon” (I Chronicles 10:10).  That is the temple which has been excavated on the north slope. [End of quote]

The skeptics and the Biblical minimalists have been minimalized.  God’s Word is perfect in its histories—miracles and all.  I need to know it is the inerrant truth.  Everything depends upon it—absolutely everything. 

GOD SAID, II Samuel 5:6-7:

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.

7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.

GOD SAID, Joshua 19:35:

And the fenced cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,

GOD SAID, Judges 2:12-13:

12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

MAN SAID: The Bible’s historical accounts are flawed and exaggerated!  Everybody knows that! 

 

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

Bassell-Brody, L., Etched in Stone, WND Books, 2017

Foust, M., “Archaeologists Discover Biblical Gate Related to 12 Tribes of Israel,” ChristianHeadlines.com, July 9, 2018

Keller, W., The Bible as History, Barnes & Noble Books, 1995

Law, S., “Oldest Known Stone Inscription of ‘Jerusalem’ in Hebrew Discovered,” PatternsOfEvidence.com, October 11, 2018

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