The Holy Bible: Emergence Of God’s Own Book - 1

The word Bible is derived from Byblos, the Greek word for book. Byblos was a Phoenician city famous for the export of papyrus, the raw material of books in ancient times. Books in biblical days were not printed in our present format, but every letter, symbol and picture were carefully handwritten by well-trained scribes. In the 20th century, Nashville, United States, became a modern Byblos because it was the greatest Bible producing centre in the universe.

This is the order of which the Holy Spirit evolved the scrolls of the Holy Bible as we see it today. The Jews, God’s chosen people made do for hundreds of years with the Pentateuch, the first five scrolls of the Bible written by Moses, known to them as “the Law.”

They later added the “Earlier Prophets” among them the historical scrolls from Joshua to Kings. Next came “the Latter or Major Prophets” {Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel} and the twelve {12} “Minor Prophets.” Finally, the mind of God gave them “The Writings” {Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles}. By about 90 A.D., Jewish scribes and scholars had accepted these 39 books as “the Canon” {meaning rod or carpenter’s rule} of the Bible. The 27 New Testament books fell into three categories. The first are the “Historical Books” in the four gospels {Matthew, Mark, Luke, John}, and the Acts of the Apostles. The second category composed of the Epistles {Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, Peter, John}. The third group is The Revelation, a book of prophecy also known as the Apocalypse.

A general agreement was reached in Christendom by 350 A.D. that only these 27 books were fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and of permanent value to the church. They were bounded together in a Canon and joined with the 39 books of the Law to become the Old and New Testaments of today’s Holy Bible. Together, these 66 books give us a complete picture of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, the one consistent theme in the Word of God even as kings and rulers, nations and empires rose and disappeared across its holy pages. The personalities and professions of the writers were evident in their narratives. In the Psalms, David the shepherd sang of deep spiritual feelings and emotions about Christ the Shepherd of Israel, Isaiah prophesied with burning sarcasm about the rejection of the Holy One of Israel, while Jeremiah delved into deep pathos bordering on gloom about the idolatry of Israel while they have Jehovah the true God. Matthew zeroed in on Christ as King while Mark depicted Him as the Son of Man. Luke presented Him as a Servant Worker and John emphasized His Divinity.

Paul dwelt on doctrine as James levelled on practical Christian living. Luke the doctor clinically recorded in the Acts the expansion of the first century church as he observed it in Paul’s amazing missionary exploits. Peter the fisherman went to sea in his writings while Amos the farmer stayed on ground to prophesy. Yet, a beautiful symphony unites and entwines these diversity as divinely inspired priests, peasants, kings, scholars, lawyers, soldiers and farmers served as God’s instrument in penning the Holy Bible. The eleven {11} books of the Apocrypha adopted by the Roman Catholic Church in the Council of Trent in 1546, had their canonicity rejected and omitted from Protestant Bibles for the following reasons:

1. They were never quoted by the Lord Jesus Christ and never alluded to by any of His apostles! The churches of God of the apostolic age disregarded them wholly and totally.

2. Most of the early Christian Fathers regarded them as uninspired of the Holy Spirit and undeserving of placement in His Word.

3. They did not appear in the ancient Hebrew Canon, which is the foundation of the Christian Old Testament Scriptures.

4. The inferior quality of most of the writing as compared with the canonical books, stamps them as unworthy of a place in the sacred scriptures.

In reality, no author, editor or publisher planned the Bible. Its idea and schedule evolved from the divine designs of the Almighty Jehovah. The great “I Am, The Alpha and The Omega, The Beginning and The Ending” inspired over forty men and women to pen the Book of Life – 2 PET. 1:21. A progressive record of God’s dealing with mankind culminating in the redemption gift of God Himself, incarnate in Jesus Christ for man’s salvation, it climaxed in the birth and growth of the church and the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. Sin and suffering will not be known in this new world and God’s redeemed saints will live in His presence in perfect joy and peace forever.

From Genesis to Revelation, a marvelous progression of history is unveiled clearly showing the way to the end of history as men understands it and an impending date with divine destiny. This incredible amalgam is held by God’s love gift of Himself, “the Word Who was made flesh and dwelt among us” – JN. 1:14. While the Old Testament predicts and prepares the way of His coming, the New Testament proclaims the Saviour’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection and second coming.

Cardinal Hugo was inspired in 1200 A.D. to sequence the Bible books into chapters and Robert Stephanus was credited with adding verses in 1551.

Adorned in oriental form and imagery, the Bible walks the ways of all mankind with familiar feet, making calls on all peoples that belong to God. It communicates to the heart of men through their own languages. The Bible saunters into the palace of the monarch to inform him that he is a servant of the Most High God while entering into the sack of the downtrodden to reassure him that he is a son of the God who owns the earth. While wise men ponder its parables of life, children are delighted by its wondrous stories.

The Word of Life has an assurance in the time of peril, a word of light for the hour of darkness. Its oracles are relayed in the assembly of mankind and its counsel is the companion of the lonely. While the wicked and the proud tremble at its warning, the wounded and the penitent are soothed by its mother’s voice. Even the wilderness and the solitary place find gladness by it. The adorable pages of the Word of God smell of frankincense, aloes and myrrh, ensuring that no man is truly poor or forsaken who has a portion of the God of the Bible in his life.

Asked by Prince Henry van Dyke of Holland the secret of her country’s greatness, Queen Victoria of England replied; “the Bible my lord.” The Bible accounts for the weight of United States of America in world affairs, unbiblical legislations that support abominations like abortion, homosexuality and hard drugs notwithstanding. Except for the State of Israel, America is the only country that was biblically founded. America has its tap root in the Bible and was at birth dedicated to the God of the Bible. The Holy Bible was the spirit of the declaration of its independence and was imputed in the writing of the constitution of federal government many years later.

The constitution of Connecticut bound its citizens “to preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Delaware’s charter called for “the further propagation of the Holy Gospel.” The state of Maryland’s charter declared that its settlers were driven by a “pious zeal for extending the Christian religion.” In 1892, the Supreme Court rose from an exhaustive study of the relationship of biblical principles of government, laws and culture of the USA to conclude “that this is a Christian nation.” In 1931, the 1892 decision was again reaffirmed by Justice George Sutherland that “Americans are a Christian people.” In 1952, the Supreme Court headed by Justice William O. Douglas reviewed and agreed with the 1931 decision.

Biblical names like Salem, Bethlehem, Antioch, Macedonia, Lebanon and Plains, Georgia {birthplace of President Jimmy Carter} named after Plains of Dura where Daniel refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s giant golden image {DAN. 3:1} dot America.

A motion in the Continental Congress to make Hebrew the official language of the young nation failed narrowly, but the study of Hebrew and Greek, the languages of the Bible were compulsory subjects in many universities for many years. From its founding in ………….. to 1817, annual commencement addresses at Harvard University, the number one tertiary school in the world were given in Hebrew language. In …….., John Jay, the first Justice of the Supreme Court became the first president of the American Bible Society and in 1827, the ABS commenced provision of scriptures for foreign missions.. Over 100 Bible Societies were distributing free Bibles by 1876. The ABS launched a campaign in 1829 to provide every family in America with a Bible.

In 1846, the ABS commenced placing Bibles in hotel rooms, a missionary assignment that was later assumed by the Gideons after it began existence in 1899. The altar and ordered every copy of the Hebrew Scriptures to be found.

ENEMIES OF GOD AND THE HOLY BIBLE

Wickedness against God Almighty, His Word and His saints constitute an evil trinity. The Syrian despot Antiochus Epiphanes seized Jewish lands, plundered the sacred temple, sacrificed swine on the altar and ordered every copy of the Hebrew Scriptures to be found. Anyone seen with a copy of the Old Testament was killed on the spot. Three years later, Epiphannes suffered a humiliating death and the temple was repaired, worship reinstated and the Scriptures was again publicly taught.

Augustus Caesar was the Roman Emperor when Christ was born and Caesar Tiberius {A.D. 14-37} was on the throne when Jesus was crucified – LK. 3:1. Claudius {A.D. 41-45} was the second emperor after him and his appointee Herod beheaded “James the Just,” the brother of our Lord Jesus – GAL. 1:19. Nero became Roman Emperor in A.D. 54 and greatly persecuted Christians. Much of the New Testament was written during his reign, but his legion burnt every scroll of Jewish and Christian scriptures they found. Nero set Rome on fire and blamed Christians for the disaster. His methods of torture were most gruesome. Paul the Apostle penned his epistle to the Romans at this tortuous time and arrived in the city of Rome as a prisoner in A.D. 60. From Rome, he wrote to the Philippians saints. The despot Nero is held accountable for the deaths of Apostle Paul and Peter. In A.D. 70, Roman legions under General Titus besieged and burnt Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

Emperor Domitian surpassed Nero in bloodshed. Rewarding people for spying on Christians, he brutally massacred thousands of saints in Rome and the nearby towns. The tradition of St John Before The Latin Gate credits Domitian with ordering the Apostle John thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, which to him was a place of torture, but as a refreshing bath in “which the old man seemed to renew his youth …… seeing him come forth full of life and strength, Domitian attributed his deliverance to magic, but nevertheless was so far restrained by fear that he dared not inflict any further sufferings on him, but banished him to Patmos where he remained until the Emperor’s death, when he returned to Ephesus.” Emperor Trajan {A.D. 98-117} was the first to declare Christianity illegal and a threat to the empire though it had been so treated for years.

Under the influence of his cruel so in-law, Diocletian who became Caesar in A.D. 284 ordered the destruction of all Christian places of worship, had all Christian books burnt, stripped Christians of all honours and civic rights, imprisoned pastors and church officers. On the eve of his 20th anniversary as Caesar, Diocletian offered amnesty of release to Christians who would sacrifice to him and other Roman gods. In A.D. 304, he ordered every person in the empire to sacrifice and make offerings to heathen gods or suffer torture and death. Diocletian had a monument erected at the site of a burnt church bearing the inscription, “Extincto nominee Christianorum,” which means “Extinct is the Name of Christians.” The Middle Ages extending from Gregory the Great {540-604} to Martin Luther was the Dark Ages for the Bible.

In 1229, a Catholic Synod in Toulouse, France forbade the laity to even possess the Scriptures, except the Psalms and a few verses contained in prayer books. Other church synods followed suit, especially in Spain. The Bible became a closed book to common people, available only in Latin and only the clergy were deemed wise enough to read, interprete and apply God’s word. King’s were fearful that men reading the Bible without interpretation by recognised spiritual authority could put bad ideas into their subject’s heads.

Translations and translators fared no better. John Wycliffe, born in 1320 and Oxford educated, forced to retire from his parish, and privately translated the Bible into English. A clergyman wailed that “the pearl of the Gospel” would be “scattered abroad and trodden underfoot by swine” while “the jewel of clerics is turned to the sport of laymen.” The English Church stepped in and banned further distribution of the Wycliffe Bible.

An archbishop charged him with doing the work of the anti-Christ and called the translation Wycliffe’s “crowning act of wickedness.” John Huss of Bohemia, Czeck, a leading preacher and teacher was on July 6, 1415, burnt at the stake. The second English translation was made by William Tyndale who fled to the friendly city of Worms, Germany to complete 3,000 copies after refusal of permission by the authorities in England. He was finally caught, imprisoned and strangled on October 6, 1536. During her five year reign {1553-1558}, Bloody Queen Mary of England ordered Bible printing and distribution stopped at the price of blood.

A new foe of the Bible emerged from rationalism that placed the Bible in subjection to man’s reason. Rationalism was the ill-begotten child of the European Renaissance, a movement which somewhat paralleled the Reformation.

The Renaissance emphasized individual expression, literature, science and the arts. Some Renaissance figures questioned the authority of the Bible, joined by German and French philosophers. French romanticism rejected the biblical doctrine of sin and affirmed the innate goodness of man. German “higher critics” regarded the Bible as an imperfect human book, denied the Mosaic authority of scripture and saw miracles as natural events perceived by credulous, pre-scientific people who wanted to believe in the intervention of God in human affairs.

Voltaire {1694-1778}, a harsh critic of the Bible declared boastfully: “One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker.” Two hundred years later, a first edition of one of Voltaire’s works sold in Paris for eleven cents. That same day, the British Government paid Soviet Russian US$500,000 for the famous New Testament manuscript Codex Sinaiticus! Darwanian evolution weakened the foundation for biblical authority in many theological schools in Europe and America.

Communism came to dwarf all other foes of the Bible. Lenin and Stalin predicted that the Bible would become a relic in a new classless, atheistic society. They denied religious freedom, banished missionaries, seized Bibles, turned churches into museums and killed millions of citizens in purges including Christians in the 1920s and 1930s. To a lesser degree, the same thing happened in Communist China. During the Cultural Revolution, almost all churches were closed. Christian leaders attacked and imprisoned and Bibles burnt. Today, communism and the Cultural Revolution are labeled dismal failures. In Christian America, attack on the Bible continues.

Years ago, some Protestant “theologians” proclaimed that God is dead. In schools and in the media, many so-called intellectuals continue to ridicule God and the Bible. In many public schools, students and teachers are not allowed to bring Bibles to classrooms while curriculum that undermines Christian morality under the guise of “value education” is used. Attacks and the undermining of God’s word will continue right up to the instant when, as the Bible predicts, our Lord Jesus returns and takes His people to their eternal home - …. The New York World Fair was held in 1939.

A tiny capsule of items were buried at the fair, not to be dug up for 500 years when archaeologists of another era could learn about the 20th century. Only one full size book was stuffed into the capsule – the Bible. Asked why the Bible was chosen, an official said: “The Bible, of all books familiar to us today, will most likely survive throughout the ages. Therefore the Bible that we placed in the time capsule will be a sort of connecting link between the past, present and future.” Our Lord Jesus put it best: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” - MT. 24:35 {KJV}. Praise the living Lord Jesus! Halleluyah!

MY FRIEND, GOD INVITES YOU TO A LOVING, LASTING BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP

There are two contestants for man’s worship: God and gold. You either worship one or the other, for no man can double bow! If you bow to God, gold will bow to you – MT. 6:33.

There are two global religions today: Christianity and others. The latter teaches that humans must appease the sulphur anger of God through unending sacrifices and rituals, but is unsure whether this will even please the Almighty. Christianity differs from this view point. The Bible reveals Jehovah God as a most loving Father, eager to receive sinners back to Himself at no cost and without the rigours of everlasting sacrifices and rituals – PSA. 103:9-13; ISA. 61:10. It details how Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the living God painfully paid the ultimate price – death - on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the whole world – JN. 3:16.

The Bible is definite that man does not have to earn his way back to God because the Almighty extends a welcoming hand to all sinners through the loving arms of the Lord Jesus. My dear friend, what must you do to be reconciled to this loving Father God in heaven and have peace of mind? “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” - ACTS 2:38 {NIV}. This is my hope: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” – PHIL. 1:6 {NIV}.

While salvation qualifies you to see the kingdom of God, conversion entitles you to enter into it. The messages of Jesus are for our own examples, to prepare us to meet God, not to frighten repentant saints away from His loving embrace. Jesus is a peace broker, for Jehovah speaks peace in knowledge – ISA. 5:13.

My friend, please receive Jesus Christ now as your personal Lord and Saviour. It will be my great joy and privilege to relate with you in the worship of the living God. Please utilize these contact information for this purpose: Starplace Bible Church, c/o Childs Fountain Schools, Olorun Adaba Bus Stop, Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos. Phone – 08035380252, 09022424101. Email – [email protected].

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, amen.

Shalom!

Historian, freelance journalist and writer, Pastor Joseph Emeka Anumbor is the author of THE INTERCOURSE OF TROUBLED THOUGHTS, a critically acclaimed discourse on homosexuality published by AuthorHouse Inc, Indiana, USA.