God and his Word
Ecclesiastes 8:4
In this lesson we are going to look at some scriptural facts concerning the word of God that will help us to know for sure that God is the author of his word. Many people have different reasons for not believing in God and one of the common ones that you hear is, “I cannot believe in something that I cannot see”. Now in reality this is just an excuse because the people who say this believe in things that they cannot see all the time for example their brain. Many have never physically seen their brain, but they still believe that they have one.
Some will say that this is different because they have seen a picture of their brain. If you ask someone if they believed that George Washington ever lived, they will say sure he did. But what if you asked them had they ever seen him? They would say no but they have seen pictures of him, or they might say that there is historical evidence that he existed.
This is funny because people will believe in things they have never seen or touched just because they see a picture of these things or someone has told them that they exist, but yet they will say that they don’t believe in God when they have the same evidence. See the word of God presents such a clear picture of the God that you cannot help but see that he is real. It provides documented evidence through the written word that has never been proven wrong. As a matter of fact as the word of God says you cannot look at nature without seeing God (Psalm 19:1-6 ; Romans 1:18-20). This is why so many people try to make gods out of things found in nature. We must remember that even though God created everything in nature we must still worship him and not nature (Romans 1:25)
Now the word of God plainly tells us that God is real, and he is the true God and besides him there is no other. Therefore, by showing that God is the author of his word and that his word is true we have no choice but to believe that he is real and that the only way to Heaven is by doing what his word says.
Proving that God is the author of his Word:
In the title of this lesson, we used Ecclesiastes 8:4. This verse says that where the word of a king is there is power. God is the King of Kings and Lords of Lords therefore his word should be powerful, and it most certainly is powerful. Two things demonstrate this very well in scripture.
1) When God created everything, he did it by his spoken word. (Hebrews 11:3)
2) When a person is born again it is by the word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)
This last reference also says that the word of God liveth and abideth forever. The word of God is the only book on the planet that is alive. This is proved repeatedly as you read its words. The same verse can help a child as well as an adult at the same time, and every time you read it you can find something new.
It is also interesting to note that in a King James Bible Jesus Christ is called the Word of God exactly 7 times. Now when God completes something the number he uses is 7. These 7 references are, 3 times in John 1:1, one time in John 1:14, one time in 1 John 1:1, one time in
1 John 5:7, and one time in Revelation 19:13. Now in each of these verses Word is capitalized denoting that it is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. What is also interesting about this is the fact that almost all modern Bibles such as the NIV and the HCSB leave part of 1 John 5:7 out so that in those bibles Jesus is only called the Word of God 6 times leaving them incomplete.
Therefore, Hebrews says that everything was created by the word of God (Hebrews 11:3). John says that everything was created by Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3). But noting that Jesus Christ is the Word of God then there is no contradiction. The word of God is therefore not only immensely powerful it is also very amazing.
Proving that God is the author of his word:
In 2 Peter 1:15-21 there is an interesting passage concerning how the word of God was written. We will go through the passage and make a couple of points to show these things.
- Peter is referencing when he and James and John were on the mount of transfiguration (verse 16-18). This is recorded in Matthew 17:1-13.
- In verse 19 Peter makes a most interesting statement. He says that we have a more sure word of prophesy. Now he has just said that he heard the voice of God on the mount. So, what could be surer than hearing the voice of God? Peter is talking about having the written word of God.
- If a person tells you something you may misunderstand them or you may forget what they said, but if they write it down it is surer than the spoken word.
- In verses 20-21 we see that the Holy Spirit told men what to write down for the word of God. See also 2 Timothy 3:16. That makes the Holy Spirit the interpreter of the word of God because he wrote it, and this is why verse 20 says that no prophesy is of private interpretation.
- This is why an unsaved man has trouble understanding the word of God; he does not have the Holy Spirit to help him. (1 Corinthians 2:9-14)
God used the Holy Spirit to author his word by having men write it down. Now we have a completed Bible found in the King James Version today. It consists of 66 books (Genesis – Revelation) which were written by over 20 different authors over a period of about 2000 years. This is one of the greatest proofs that God has to be the author of the word of God because there is no way that that many different authors writing that many years apart could come up with a book that never contradicts itself and fits together like a glove.
Let us give a couple Examples of how unique this book is and prove that God is the author at the same time.
1) The middle verses of the entire Bible are Psalm 103:1-2.
- In a King James Bible, there are 31,102 verses. When you add these numbers together you get the number 7 (3+1+1+0+2=7). Therefore, we know that when God completes something he does it with the number 7. This will not be true for some of the modern bibles like the NIV because they leave verses out, like Acts 8:37. Try to find that one in the text of a NIV.
- Since the number of verses in a King James Version is an even number then that means there will be two middle verses. That is why we listed Psalm 103:1-2 as the middle verses.
- Now it is also interesting that the numbers in Psalms 103:1-2 also add to the number 7 (1+0+3+1+2=7).
- Both verses begin with “Bless the Lord”. Right in the middle of the word of God is two verses that begin with Bless the Lord. That cannot be a coincidence. Only God could arrange his word that way.
- If you count up the total number of words in these two verses, you will find that there are 28 words which is 7 X 4.
- Therefore, the middle four words are “Bless His Holy Name”. Now that must be the work of God. There is no way that so many different men writing so many years apart could have made this work out. Right in the middle of the entire Bible is the phrase Bless His Holy Name.
- Now this is interesting because in Psalm 138:2 the word of God says that he has magnified his word above his name.
2) Are 66 books the right number?
Some say that there are missing books of the word of God, or that there should be more books than the 66 found in the King James Bible today. In the book of Isaiah, we have a picture of the entire word of God. We will list these things as follows.
- Isaiah has 66 chapters and there are 66 books of the bible. (Genesis through Revelation)
- If Isaiah is to picture the word of God, then in the 1st chapter we should see something that would match Genesis. Note Isaiah 1:2 and we see something that reminds us of creation.
- If Isaiah is a picture of the word of God, then in the 66th chapter we should see something that matches Revelation. Note Isaiah 66:22 and we see the new heaven and the new earth that is discussed in Revelation 21 and 22.
- Now there are 39 books in the Old Testament therefore that would make Matthew the 40th book of the Bible. In Isaiah 40:3 we see the prophesy of John the Baptist. In Matthew 3:1-12 we see the prophesy fulfilled.
- There is no way that Isaiah could have known what Matthew would write or what John would write hundreds of years later. Therefore, we see that God is the only one who could have worked out these things.
3) The word of God is totally against Man.
If man had written the word of God, then somewhere somehow, he would have written in a loophole for himself. But as we see the Bible is totally against man. Without the Lord Jesus Christ as your substitute and sacrifice there is no way for man to go to heaven (John 14:6).
These are just some of the proofs for knowing that God is the author of his word. Now it is up to you to do what his word says and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior (Romans 10:9-13).
God and his Word : Handout
Ecclesiastes 8:4
1) Why is Ecclesiastes 8:4 connected with God being the author of his word?
2) List the places where Jesus is called the word of God in the Bible.
3) Why is 2 Peter 1:15-21 important to the subject of God being the author of his word?
4) What are some unique facts that show us God is the author of his word?
5) What is one of the best proofs that God wrote the Bible and not man?