| This article is the first in a series of | | | | supernatural event, one that is beyond our |
| articles that present the ideas of my | | | | understanding. Can the scientific process be |
| print-on-demand book, "The Fourth Day: Why | | | | used to validate an "irrational" event? Jesus |
| the Bible is Historically Accurate". | | | | Christ thought so. Jesus was explaining this |
| | | | idea of being "born again" to a Pharisee |
| When I was college student, I was introduced | | | | named Nicodemus in the New Testament (John |
| to the concept of biblical inerrancy. My | | | | 3:8): "The wind blows where it wishes, and |
| pastor, Al Jackson of Lakeview Baptist Church | | | | you here its sound, but you do not know where |
| in Auburn, Alabama, drove the point home that | | | | it comes from or where it goes. So it is with |
| the Word of God, the Bible, was | | | | everyone born of the Spirit." Nicodemus was |
| "God-breathed". He explained that since the | | | | clearly confused by this concept of being |
| Bible was "God-breathed" it was created in | | | | "born again" but Jesus was saying that even |
| the same manner as Adam when God breathed | | | | if you didn't comprehend or believe this |
| life into man in the book of Genesis. The | | | | supernatural phenomenon could occur, just |
| Bible was designed, just like man was at | | | | like something as intangible as the wind, |
| creation, when God instructed over forty | | | | there would be tangible evidence of it. |
| authors exactly what to write. The Bible was | | | | |
| designed in the sense that the whole book's | | | | Certainly not all scientists believe in this |
| purpose is the revelation of the messiah of | | | | manner, but the great majority of them do. |
| mankind, Jesus Christ. The Bible points to | | | | How many of these scientists will view the |
| Christ in very direct ways by giving the | | | | Bible with no preconceived notions? When |
| specific characteristics of his human life. | | | | these scientists read in the Bible that the |
| The prophecies of the Old Testament indicated | | | | Earth was created in seven days they will not |
| he would be born in Bethlehem, through the | | | | consider this as true because they have been |
| line of Jesse, and by a virgin. The spiritual | | | | trained that the universe is billions of |
| aspects of Christ are alluded to in the | | | | years old. When these scientists read that a |
| symbols of the atonement sacrifices where | | | | man lived to be 969 years old in the Bible |
| animals were put on an altar and then | | | | they dismiss it as myth or fairy tale because |
| sprinkled with salt, a symbol of eternity, to | | | | men don't currently live to be that old. They |
| represent the once-and-for-all sacrifice that | | | | will not consider the possibility that at one |
| the Son of God would make on a cross one day. | | | | time in history men did live that long. When |
| God coordinated all this information to point | | | | these men read the account of Noah and a |
| to Christ, God's plan for man's salvation. | | | | worldwide flood they have always attributed |
| | | | it to "local" flooding. This may have some |
| Since the time that my pastor explained these | | | | ring of truth to it since until that time, |
| things to me I have taken them to heart and I | | | | according to the Bible, the world was one big |
| have studied the Bible with the attitude that | | | | land mass (the world was all in one place, |
| the Bible is historically correct as well as | | | | i.e., local). According to the Bible the |
| spiritually correct. Conservative Christians | | | | continents didn't divide until the life of |
| have adopted this philosophy in every subject | | | | Peleg, a descendant of Noah. Again, the |
| covered in the Bible except for one, | | | | scientists certainly are not going to agree |
| chronology. Chronology, the study of the | | | | with this theory of the land mass shift |
| historical timeline, has been a subject where | | | | because they will insist that this geological |
| it seems the Christian community has conceded | | | | process needed millions of years to |
| defeat. For whatever reason, Christians in | | | | accommodate the movement of the continental |
| the modern era have sought compromise with | | | | land masses. Since these archeologists |
| scholars, many of whom are downright | | | | disagree with Christians in so many |
| antagonistic to Christian beliefs, so that | | | | fundamental matters described in the Bible |
| the timeline of the Bible would have the | | | | how will we ever reach an agreement on a |
| stamp of authenticity from historians. | | | | historical timeline? |
| | | | |
| An article in Biblical Archaelogy Review | | | | The present chronological model of the Bible |
| effectively demonstrates the level of | | | | is based on a mixture of Biblical truth and |
| Biblical antagonism that archeological | | | | theoretical historical models. I believe it |
| community can exhibit. Consider an excerpt | | | | is time that we consider a new approach to |
| from the opening paragraph of an article | | | | Biblical chronology. The model I propose is |
| entitled Minimalists on Parade (Biblical | | | | based solely on the information in the Bible. |
| Archaeology Review, Jan/Feb 2005, Vol 31, No. | | | | If the Bible is true then historians will |
| 1, Page 16-17): "At a recent conference on | | | | confirm the result of the theologians |
| reconstructing Israelite history held in | | | | (assuming the theologians have interpreted |
| Rome, the so-called Biblical minimalist | | | | the Bible correctly). Why should God's Word |
| position was upheld by a number of prominent | | | | have to be authenticated by men? If the Bible |
| scholars. This position is not monolithic, | | | | is truly trustworthy the truth of the Bible |
| however, and different minimalist scholars | | | | should be laid out for men to see and respond |
| stressed different arguments. Among them: | | | | to its truth. In 1995 David Rohl, an |
| | | | Egyptologist, wrote his book A Test in Time |
| * The Bible cannot be used as a historical | | | | to propose a radically different theory in |
| source. [The position that defines a Biblical | | | | chronology. He proposed a timeline that was |
| minimalist.] | | | | based on some Biblical evidence. In fact, |
| | | | Rohl's proposed date of Solomon's reign is |
| * Neither can archaeology, which can only | | | | consistent with the timeline developed from |
| tell us whether ancient Israelites ate from a | | | | my literal interpretation of the Bible. What |
| bowl 20 or 30 centimeters wide. A history of | | | | is even more amazing about David Rohl is that |
| Israel based on archaeology is useless. | | | | he is described among archaeologists as a |
| | | | maximalist, someone who believes the Bible is |
| * There was no Exodus. | | | | historically accurate, yet he characterizes |
| | | | himself as a spiritual "agnostic". If David |
| * The famous Tel Dan inscription mentioning | | | | Rohl is a maximalist then I am a "maximum" |
| David, excavated by Israeli archaeologist | | | | maximalist, someone significantly to the |
| Avraham Biran, is probably a forgery; and the | | | | right of David Rohl's view since I believe |
| Hebrew words in the inscription that read | | | | that the Bible is historically accurate and |
| "House [Dynasty] of David" probably mean | | | | indeed the very word of God as it claims to |
| something else. | | | | be. Therefore I believe my perspective on the |
| | | | chronology of the Bible is unlike anything |
| * David and Solomon are only symbolic | | | | you have ever heard before. |
| characters, not real characters. | | | | |
| | | | The purpose of my book, "The Fourth Day: Why |
| * The Biblical accounts of the United Kingdom | | | | the Bible is Historically Accurate", was to |
| of Judah and Israel under David and Solomon | | | | prove a biblical concept that I believe will |
| are simply later projections into a distant | | | | synchronize the events recorded in the Bible |
| mythic past. | | | | with Egyptian history, Babylonian history, |
| | | | Persian history and Archaeology. The |
| * Judah did not even become a state until | | | | recognition of this concept will allow the |
| about a hundred years after David-if he | | | | reader to tie together all these areas of |
| lived." One scholar mentioned in this | | | | study in one neat package so that when viewed |
| article, Giovanni Garbini of the Universita' | | | | together there is no discrepancy between the |
| di Roma La Sapienza, makes a particularly | | | | Bible and these other elements of ancient |
| provocative comment in this article: "The | | | | history. The recognition of this concept will |
| name Jacob "is clearly an artificial creation | | | | also illustrate that the Bible is not only a |
| of post-exilic age [after the Babylonian | | | | trustworthy religious document but a |
| Exile]. It was not Jacob who became Israel, | | | | trustworthy historical document because of |
| but Israel who became Jacob...". These | | | | its chronological precision. First, assume |
| minimalists, who appear to represent the | | | | that from the beginning of creation to the |
| majority of the archaeological community, | | | | end of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ |
| don't regard the Bible as historically | | | | is a period of 7000 years; a time period |
| accurate. Among their objections: they don't | | | | analogous to the 7 day period of creation of |
| believe that David, Solomon or Jacob existed | | | | the world mentioned in the book of Genesis. |
| and don't believe the Exodus ever occurred. | | | | Next, recognize that the sacrifice of the |
| These positions are as idealogically opposed | | | | Passover lamb in the Old Testament is |
| to the conservative Christian view of the | | | | symbolic of the fact that Jesus Christ was |
| Bible as one can image. So why should we | | | | crucified exactly 4000 years after the |
| (Christians) seek the counsel of this group | | | | creation of the world. According to the |
| in the understanding of such a precious | | | | Mosaic Law each family that observed Passover |
| concept as the historical timeline of the | | | | was to purchase a lamb 4 days prior to the |
| Bible? Yet this is what has happened. | | | | day of Passover and that lamb was to live in |
| | | | that household until the late afternoon of |
| Here's another problem with relying on the | | | | the day when the Israelite priest had to |
| scientific community to authenticate the | | | | sacrifice the lamb and it was to be |
| Bible: they have "rational" blinders on. | | | | accomplished by nightfall. I believe these 4 |
| Scientists that have no faith in Christ are | | | | days were God's way of illustrating that the |
| limited in their ability to investigate | | | | lamb of God, Jesus Christ, would be |
| because they assume that certain phenomena | | | | sacrificed on a cross 4000 years after the |
| are impossible even before the investigation | | | | creation of the world. Therefore, |
| has begun. Since they consider themselves to | | | | symbolically and in actuality, Jesus Christ |
| be "rational" scientists the assumption that | | | | was sacrificed on the fourth day. |
| an "irrational" event has occurred is | | | | |
| implausible. The scientific method basically | | | | When you recognize this concept to be true, |
| allows anyone to make an assumption (any | | | | several significant conclusions regarding |
| assumption), conduct research of known facts | | | | history become evident. The Israelite |
| or run an experiment and use the research and | | | | Monarchies of David and Solomon occurred |
| or the experiment to validate the assumption. | | | | about 180 years later than held by |
| These "rational" scientists when confronted | | | | historians. The period of the Persian Empire |
| with an "irrational" assumption simply leap | | | | from Cyrus the Great's announcement of the |
| over the research and experimental process | | | | rebuilding of Jerusalem until Alexander the |
| and declare that the assumption in invalid | | | | Great's invasion lasted only 21 years (not |
| because they have assumed the "irrational" | | | | the approximately 200 year period currently |
| assumption is just not possible. So why do | | | | held by historians). Egypt did not have a |
| these "rational" scientists behave this way? | | | | king (a Pharaoh) for 300 years between the |
| Well, consider the following possibility. | | | | 20th and 21st dynasties. I support these |
| Let's say that an "irrational" event is | | | | conclusions using the Bible, Astronomy, |
| assumed and information is collected or an | | | | Archaeology, the writings of ancient |
| experiment is performed to confirm its | | | | historians and the monuments of ancient |
| validity. Let's say that the irrational event | | | | kings. |
| has been validated. What would be the | | | | |
| response of the "rational" scientist? More | | | | In the next installment of this series of |
| than likely, complete denial. Such an outcome | | | | articles I will address one of the most |
| would create complete chaos in his philosophy | | | | provocative discoveries of this approach to |
| since his "rational" method of investigation, | | | | history; the discovery that the Persian |
| the scientific method, would have been used | | | | Empire described in the book of Daniel only |
| to prove that an "irrational" event was | | | | lasted for 21 years and not the 200 years |
| possible. So what is an "irrational" event? | | | | claimed by historians. |
| It is just another way of saying a | | | | |