Guidance from God

Exodus 20:1-17

How many of you have ever seen a gyroscope? A gyroscope is a very interesting object and I have brought one to show you this morning. If you have ever played with a gyroscope, you know that they can do all sorts of interesting tricks. They can balance on string, on your finger, or on the tip of a pencil. I can remember spending many hours playing with a gyroscope when I was a child. In fact, I thought the gyroscope was a toy!

A gyroscope is not a toy! It is actually a very important piece of scientific equipment. For example, an airplane uses gyroscopes in its compass and autopilot system to keep it flying in the right direction. The Russian's Mir space station uses gyroscopes to help keep it in the right position. The Space Shuttle uses gyroscopes to help keep it pointed in the right direction. Gyroscopes are even used to keep track of the movements of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Just as airplanes, space shuttles, space stations, and space telescopes need help from the gyroscope to keep them pointed in the right direction, you and I need help in keeping our life pointed in the right direction. God has given us just the right guidance system needed to keep our life headed in the right direction. It is called the Ten Commandments.

(Hold up the poster, if you made one, and read the Ten Commandments to the children.)

Now that God has given us the guidance system we need to keep our life on the right course, it is up to us to put that guidance system into operation in our daily life.

Heavenly Father, help us to follow the guidance that you have given to us to make sure that our life is headed in the right direction. Amen.

 Water from a Rock!

The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:5-6 (NIV)

How many of you have ever played the game Rock, Paper, Scissors? People all over the world play that game. Not just children either -- even adults play the game. Did you know that there is an international tournament each year and players from all over the world come together to compete in Rock, Paper, Scissors? Yes, Rock, Paper, Scissors is a very popular game.

As you probably know, each player holds one fist in front of him and hits it with his other fist three times. Then, on the fourth time, the player's top hand forms either a rock, paper, or scissors. (Demonstrate each as you say the words.) This is how you know who wins: a rock smashes scissors, paper covers a rock, and scissors cut paper.

Let's play! You can all play against me and you can keep track of how many times you win. Ready? One, two, three, go. Okay, I made a rock. If you made paper, you win. If you made scissors, I win. If you made a rock, we tied. (Play the Rock, Paper, Scissors for a few minutes.)

The great thing about Rock, Paper, Scissors is that any one of them can be a winner. I have a real rock, paper, and scissors this morning. If you are going to write a letter, a rock or scissors wouldn't be much help, but a piece of paper would, wouldn't it? If you wanted to cut a piece of paper, a rock or paper wouldn't help, but a pair of scissors would. If you were really thirsty and needed a drink of water, a piece of paper or a pair of scissors wouldn't be much help, but a rock might be exactly what you need.

What? Some of you are looking at me like you think I'm crazy! Don't you think a rock would help you if you needed a drink of water? Well, in our Bible story today, that is exactly what happened. Our Bible story today is called, "Water from a Rock."

Moses was the leader of the people of Israel. He was leading them from Egypt to a land that God would give to them. They were wandering through the desert and people were thirsty. They began to grumble and complain to Moses. "We are dying," they said, "our children are dying, our cattle are dying. Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die out here in the desert?"

Moses went to his tent and fell on his knees before God. "What should I do?" Moses prayed. "There is no water in the desert. The people are thirsty and they are ready to kill me."

God answered Moses and said to him, "Take your shepherd's staff and walk ahead of the people. I will meet you by the rock at Mount Sinai. When you come to the rock, strike it with your staff and water will flow from the rock. The people will be have plenty of water to drink."

Moses did exactly what God told him to do and guess what happened? He got water from a rock!

So, what should you and I do when we face an impossible situation? We should ask God for his help, and then trust in him. Sometimes we may not understand the way God is leading, but we just have to trust him. After all, who would have thought you could get water from a rock?

Dear Father, when we face impossible situations, help us to remember that we serve a God who can get water from a rock. Amen.

France to extend state of emergency
Overall unrest appears lower across country; 284 cars burned overnight

PARIS - The French Cabinet approved a bill Monday to extend the country’s state of emergency for three months, while youths set schools ablaze and waged other scattered arson attacks across France.

Though the unrest is abating, the bill, if approved by parliament as expected, would allow a 12-day state of emergency to be prolonged until mid-February if needed. The emergency measures empower regions to impose curfews on minors, conduct house searches and take other steps to prevent unrest.

“It is a measure of protection and precaution,” President Jacques Chirac said.

Chirac stressed that the measure was “temporary” and that regional officials would use it “only where it is strictly necessary.” About 40 French towns, including France’s third-largest city, Lyon, have used the measure to put curfews for minors into effect.

Overnight, the number of car-torchings — a barometer of the unrest — dropped sharply, with youths setting fire to 284 vehicles, compared to 374 the previous night, police said Monday. There were no clashes between police and rioters.

“The lull is confirmed,” national police spokesman Patrick Hamon said. A week ago, 1,400 cars were incinerated in a single night.

18 nights of riots
The 18 nights of arson attacks and riots — set off by the accidental electrocution deaths of two teens who thought police were chasing them — began in Paris’ poor suburbs, where many immigrants from North and West Africa live with their French-born children in high-rise housing projects.

France’s worst unrest since the 1968 student-worker protests is forcing the country to confront decades of simmering anger over racial discrimination, crowded housing and unemployment.

In scattered attacks overnight Sunday-Monday, vandals in the southern city of Toulouse rammed a car into a primary school before setting the building on fire.

In northern France, arsonists set fire to a sports center in the suburb of Faches-Thumesnil and a school in the town of Halluin, the North regional government said.

A gas canister exploded inside a burning garbage can in the Alpine city of Grenoble, injuring two police officers, the national police said. Three officers were injured elsewhere.

From Sunday to Monday, 115 people were taken into custody, police said. Since the beginning of the unrest, 2,767 people have been arrested.

Helping cities recover
Violence has decreased steadily since France declared a state of emergency Wednesday. The measure, unless extended, is set to end next Sunday.

Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said the bill approved by the Cabinet on Monday would leave open the possibility of ending the emergency measures before three months are up, if order is restored.

Officials already are turning their attention to helping riot-hit towns recover: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso proposed Sunday that the European Union give $58 million to France, and said it could make up to $1.17 billion available in longer-term support for suburban jobs and social cohesion.

Later Monday, Chirac was to make a televised statement about the violence — his third public comment since the unrest began, the Elysee Palace said. His comments Monday to the Cabinet were reported to journalists by Cope, the spokesman.

Within the next few days, France is expected to start deporting foreigners implicated in the violence, a plan by law-and-order Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy that has raised concerns among human rights groups, and questions among other ministers.

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he agreed that illegal immigrants could be sent home, but not foreigners with permission to live in France.

“A French person who carried out a crime or a misdemeanor in France cannot be treated in one way while a foreigner with papers in order is treated in another,” he told Europe-1 radio. “It’s not possible.”

Winter storm watch starts at noon today; 4 to 8 inches of snow predicted

By Susanne Nadeau

Herald Staff Writer

Snow predicted for Sunday in Grand Forks fizzled out, but forecasters said it's a sure thing today.

Saturday night, snow did fall, but it fell more heavily west of Grand Forks, with anywhere from 1 to 5 inches accumulating in places.

In Leeds, N.D., 5 inches of the fluffy white stuff fell, but it didn't stay long.

According to a dispatcher at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center, the small amount of snow that fell overnight in Ramsey County and Benson County "burned off during the day" Sunday.

In Pierce County, a dispatcher said a slight "dusting" of snow hit the area, but roads were clear Sunday night.

In Grand Forks, a little less than half an inch of moisture fell, but it just didn't stick, according to meteorologist Vince Godon of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Grand Forks.

"Anything that hit the ground pretty much melted," he said. Godon said a combination of warmer-than-average ground and not enough moisture kept the area devoid of snow.

"When it snows hard enough, it can overcome those warm ground temperatures," he said.

Winter storm watch

There's an 80 percent chance of snow today, with a winter storm watch going into effect about noon. The watch will continue through Tuesday afternoon, Godon said.

"It covers most of eastern North Dakota and a lot of Minnesota," he added.

Godon said the expected snow is part of a system moving from Montana.

"Northeast Montana already has a blizzard warning," he said Sunday night.

Temperatures are predicted to be cooler all week, matching normal November readings, according to Godon.

Four to 8 inches

It is likely snow will accumulate today, provided the storm system moves through as predicted. Anywhere from 4 to 8 inches are predicted to fall by Tuesday afternoon.

"Really, the big change comes when you can keep some (snow) on the ground," Godon said. "Temps will change - the highs and lows - when there is snow on the ground. Once that happens, you are never going to get those record highs anymore."

So, the snow might just be here to stay, after today's storm.

"It's looking pretty good because we're already cooler," Godon said.

Tropical Depression Forms in Caribbean; May Become Storm Today

Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The 27th tropical depression of the Atlantic storm season formed over the Caribbean Sea and may become a tropical storm later today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

With strengthening forecast, the depression may become a storm today, the center said. It would then be called Tropical Storm Gamma, the 24th named storm of the June 1-Nov. 30 season, breaking a record set last month by Hurricane Beta. The system is 4 mph short of the 39-mph threshold for a tropical storm.

The depression, with maximum sustained winds of 35 miles (55 kilometers) an hour, was about 150 miles west of St. Lucia just before 5 a.m. local time, the center said in an online advisory. The system was moving toward the west-northwest at near 10 mph, and forecast to keep that motion away from the Windward Islands.

The center's 5-day ``probability cone'' forecast shows the latest system heading northwest and then west across the Caribbean, south of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica on a path toward central America, where countries including Guatemala and El Salvador were devastated by floods and landslides brought on by Hurricane Stan in early October.

More than 1,500 people were killed or missing in the wake of Hurricane Stan in Guatemala alone, with dozens of deaths in El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Honduras, where floods and landslides destroyed infrastructure and washed away homes.

The latest storm would be named Gamma: the storms are named in alphabetical order, and after reaching Wilma last month, forecasters turned to the letters of the Greek alphabet.

Elizabeth II is target for al-Qaida

London, Nov. 14 (Guardian News Service): The second-in-command of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network has made Queen Elizabeth II a target for terrorist attacks, British security sources confirmed yesterday (November 13).

Previously unseen footage from a video message, parts of which were broadcast on the al-Jazeera satellite channel in September, shows Ayman al-Zawahiri calling the Queen "one of the severest threats to Islam". MI5 (British counter intelligence) alerted Buckingham Palace to the threat after studying a full version of the video and advised the Queen to take extra precautions.

In the video, al-Zawahiri says the Queen is responsible for the UK's "crusader laws" and is an enemy of Muslims. He also warns the country's Islamic leaders not to "work for the pleasure of Elizabeth, the head of the Church of England". Those who followed her, he said, were saying: "We are British citizens, subject to Britain's crusader laws, and we are proud of our submission ... to Elizabeth, head of the Church of England".

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, is an adviser to Bin Laden and, according to the FBI, is thought to be in Afghanistan. He has been indicted for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and is on the FBI's most-wanted list, with a $25m reward for information leading to arrest or conviction.

The Preacher's Donkey

A man bought a donkey from a preacher. The preacher told the man that this donkey had been trained in a very unique way, (being the donkey of a preacher). The only way to make the donkey go, was to say, "Hallelujah!" The only way to make the donkey stop, was to say, "Amen!"

The man was pleased with his purchase and immediately got on the animal to try out the preacher's instructions. "Hallelujah!" shouted the man. The donkey began to trot. "Amen!" shouted the man. The donkey stopped immediately. "This is great!" said the man. With a "Hallelujah," he rode off very proud of his new purchase.

The man traveled for a long time through some mountains. Soon he was heading toward a cliff. He could not remember the word to make the donkey stop. "Stop," said the man. "Halt!" he cried. The donkey just kept going. "Oh, no... Bible!....Church!...Please Stop!!" shouted the man. The donkey just began to trot faster. He was getting closer and closer to the cliff edge. Finally, in desperation, the man said a prayer. "Please, dear Lord. Please make this donkey stop before I go off the end of this mountain, In Jesus name, AMEN."

The donkey came to an abrupt stop just one step from the edge of the cliff.

"HALLELUJAH!", shouted the man.



Depression

A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody-- it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a priest and poured out his story of tears and woe.

When he had finished, the priest said, "Here's what I want you to do: Put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer, that will tell you what to do."

A year later the businessman went back to the priest and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom-tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket, gave it to the priest as a donation in thanks for his advice.

The priest recognized the benefactor, and was curious. "You did as I suggested?" he asked.

"Absolutely," replied the businessman.

"You went to the beach?"

"Absolutely."

"You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"

"Absolutely."

"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"

"Absolutely."

"And what were the first words you saw?"

"Chapter 11."

The Christmas Story

Terri asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle's picture, which showed four people on an airplane, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent. "The flight to Egypt," said Kyle. "I see. And that must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus," Ms. Terri said. "But who's the fourth person?"

"Oh, that's Pontius - the Pilot.



No meat on Friday

When Ole quit farming, he discovered that he was the only Lutheran in his new little town of Catholics. That was okay, but the neighbors had a problem with his barbequing beef every Friday. Since they couldn't eat meat on Friday, the tempting aroma was getting the best of them. Hoping they could do something to stop this, the neighbors got together and went over to talk to Ole. "Ole," they said, "since you are the only Lutheran in this whole town and there's not a Lutheran church for many miles, we think you should join our church and become a Catholic." Ole thought about it for a minute and decided they were probably right. Ole talked to the priest, and they arranged it.

The big day came and the priest had Ole kneel. He put his hand on Ole's head and said, "Ole, you were born a Lutheran, you were raised a Lutheran, and now," he said as he sprinkled some incense over Ole's head, "now you are a Catholic!"

Ole was happy and the neighbors were happy. But the following Friday evening at suppertime, there was again the aroma of grilled beef coming from Ole's yard. The neighbors went to talk to him about this and as they approached the fence, they heard Ole saying to the steak: "You were born a beef, you were raised a beef", and as he sprinkled salt over the meat he said, "and NOW you are a FISH!"

 Dinner on the Ground

    "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" Exodus 16:12 (NIV)

Do you like chicken nuggets? I do! I went by "The Chicken Shack" this morning and picked up a box of chicken nuggets. Would you like to share them with me? Look, they not only gave me some chicken nuggets, they even gave me some hot biscuits and honey! Mmmm, Mmmm! It doesn't get much better than this, does it?

Wouldn't it be great if every evening at dinner time, you could open your front door and walk out into the yard and pick up boxes full of chicken nuggets? All the chicken nuggets you could eat! And what if every morning you could open the front door and walk out into the yard and pick up boxes full of the hot biscuits with honey for breakfast? That would be great, wouldn't it?

Did you know that something almost exactly like that happened in the Bible? God's people, the Israelites, had been held as prisoners in Egypt for many years. When they were finally free and left Egypt, they were looking for the land that God had promised them. After they had been wandering around lost in the desert for a couple of months, the people started to grumble and complain against their leaders, Moses and Aaron.

They said, "We had it better when we were in Egypt. At least we had plenty to eat. You have brought us out here in the desert to starve us to death!"

God heard the people complaining and he told Moses that in the evening he would send quail to cover the camp so that the people would have meat to eat. Then, in the morning, after the dew was gone, there would be bread on the ground for all to eat. All they had to do was go out and pick it up and eat it.

Why did God do this for those grumblers and complainers? He did it so that they would know that he loved them and cared for them and that he would take care of them.

Sometimes you and I grumble and complain, don't we? We forget that God loves us and that he provides us with all that we need. Instead of grumbling and complaining, we should be saying, "Thank you!"

Dear Lord, we all grumble and complain at times. When we do, help us to remember that every thing we have comes from you. Amen.

The Oldest Trick in the Book

 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  Genesis 3: 5  [NKJV]

How many of you have ever eaten Cracker Jacks?  Cracker Jacks have been around for a long time.  I used to eat them when I was a boy so you know they have been around for a long time.  Do you think I ate Cracker Jacks because I liked them?  Well, the taste pretty good, but that isn't why I ate them.   I ate them because of what it says right here on the box.  "A prize inside!"  I wanted that prize!  You know, after I got the prize, I was always disappointed because the prize was some cheap little toy that wasn't worth anything.  You could say, the prize wasn't what it was "cracked up to be!"  But I kept on buying those Cracker Jacks and hoping that some day I would get a really great prize.  I never did.

I wonder if the prizes are any better now than they were when I was a boy?  Let's open this box and see.  I may have to have some of you help me eat some of these Cracker Jacks so I can get to that prize.  Look at that prize!  Why, it is just a little piece of paper.  What a disappointment.  I can't believe that after all these years people are still falling for that trick.

I don't guess I should be surprised.  After all, it is the oldest trick in the Book.  It is the same trick that Satan used on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Satan went to Eve and said to her, "If you will eat of that tree over there, you will be like God.  You will be as wise as He is."  So, Eve ate the fruit and gave some to Adam, and it sure wasn't like Satan promised.  In fact, they lost their place in that beautiful garden.  That is one of Satan's very best tricks and he still uses it today.  He will promise us great things if we will just do what he wants us to do, but the prize is never what he promised.  In fact, it may just end up costing us our place in God's kingdom.

Dear Lord, help us to remember that Satan will use every trick he knows to get us to do what he wants us to do.  Help us to remember that nothing he promises can compare to what we have in You.   Amen.

  A Thankful Heart

By: Jennilyn E. Mauler


So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Have you ever been overflowing with thankfulness?  It's an interesting concept.  But, we are to be that way, overflowing with thankfulness. Now, you may be asking, ok Jen, why should I be thankful?  I mean, look at my life, what have I to be thankful for?  

I have a very good answer to that.

When you were dead in your sins and in the un-circumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave ALL our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Makes you pretty thankful, huh?  Think about it.  We use to be dead, ugly, and disgusting before God.  But, God, in His mercy, sends His Son.  And then, He dies for us!  So we can be seen as pure and holy in God's sight.  

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle!  Do not taste!  Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. (Colossians 2:20-22)

As I was reading this, it hit me.  Why is it so hard to be thankful sometimes?  Maybe it's hard to be thankful, because we weigh things on the world's scale, and not God's.  How can we be thankful to God, when our lives are full of worldly things?  Now, I am not saying we cannot be thankful.  It is just harder when we are using what the world sees as right.  

I will leave you today with this verse.  Think about it.  Pray about it.  Ask that God will reveal areas in your life that are not focused on him. Ask him to set your eyes on things above.  He will show you, trust me.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

  Speed of Light

By: Tony B. Rhoda

"You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)

As Christians we are called to be the light of the world. We're supposed to be examples to the people around us who are not saved. It is our job to show this dying place a love from a Savior that will erase their deepest, darkest secrets and give them hope for a future. The only way to show the love of Christ is to act like He would.

The other day I was cruising down the highway in the city when a van past me by. I glanced down at my speedometer and I was going around 65 miles an hour. So this guy was hauling. After he passed me, a speed limit sign showed 45 miles an hour. "Wow, he's just asking for a ticket." I snickered as he continued to pass.

After he passed through, I was amazed to see that it was a van for the handicapped, and on the back it said, "We take pride in driving safe, see you at the next stop light." I couldn't believe what I just saw. Here was a guy already breaking the law and then to be speeding displaying that type of sign on the rear of his van, was just beyond my comprehension. Now, I don't know about you, but I started to think differently of how this person was. Sure he says one thing about driving safe, but then the next second he's speeding down the highway.

Of course it didn't take me long to realize that if I knew he was going faster than 65 there was a problem, because not only was he speeding, but so was I. Now I don't have a "drive safe" sticker on the back of my truck, but what I do have is a bumper billboard for the tailgate of my truck. I have two Christian bumper stickers and a sexy little gold plastic fish attached. So, when people see my truck, they know that a Christian is inside it, but, when they see me flying down the highway drag racing a handicapped van, people will start to wonder what kind of Christian I am.

When you claim Jesus as your Savior you also claim His name. You become a walking billboard for Christ. Everyone that passes by you knows there is something about you that sets you apart from the crowd. Knowing this, we have to strive to be as good a Christian as possible, because through our actions, we give people reasons to believe in us or to think that it's all a phony. I mean if you can't tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian then what's the use? Use this week to set yourself apart from the rest of the world and let your little light shine. You would be amazed at how fast light can travel. God Bless and Keep the Faith!

Page Four of Archeology Proves Bible History Accurate

A Recent Find

The contribution of archaeology to the Bible record is far from over. In August this year, an incredible find was unearthed in the Old City of Jerusalem. The event did not make national news. It should have!

Workers repairing a sewage-pipe break uncovered the Pool of Siloam in Old Jerusalem. This pool was a major gathering site for the Jews. The Pool of Siloam is central to the account of the miracle of Christ healing a man blind from birth (John 9:1-7). Christ put clay on the man’s eyes and then told him to wash at the Pool of Siloam. Obeying Christ by washing in the pool completed the miracle (verse 11). This created an incredible stir among the Jewish elite of Christ’s day (verses 14-41). Why? Jesus Christ had made the clay with His own spit on the Sabbath day. The Jews considered this act a breaking of the Sabbath command. Jealous and insecure, the Pharisees declared that Christ was not of God for healing the blind man on the Sabbath (verse 16). A study of the whole chapter makes plain that the entire incident was used by God to show the Pharisees how blind they were to God and what God was doing on this Earth. Of course, they failed to learn that lesson.

Why is all this important today? Here is what the Los Angeles Times reported about this incredible archaeological find: “‘Scholars have said that there wasn’t a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit’ to illustrate a point, said New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary. ‘Now, we have found the Pool of Siloam … exactly where John said it was.’ A Gospel that was thought to be ‘pure theology is now shown to be grounded in history,’ he said” (August 9). Do we get it? The scholars are wrong—again. The Bible is accurate—always!

Unfortunately, this archaeological event received very little attention. What if it had? Think about what this find tells us. It not only establishes the historical accuracy of John’s Gospel, it reinforces the historicity of Jesus Christ.  God is very real and very powerful. Our modern scholars have their part in making many men, women and children as spiritually blind as the Pharisees of Christ’s day.

It’s time for all people to seriously question Bible critics. It is time for all Bible critics to stop pointing their finger at God—to quit casting doubt on the Bible record and start learning the true knowledge that will solve all humanity’s problems.

Page Three of Archeology Proves Bible History Accurate

The Fabled Hittites

Bible critics had long sneered at references in the Bible to a people called the Hittites (Genesis 15:20; Exodus 3:8, 17; Numbers 13:29; Joshua 1:4; Judges 1:26 and elsewhere). Their opinion was that the Hittites were simply one of the many mythical peoples made up by Bible writers. Some critics said they may have been a small and unimportant tribe. But the critics were off the beam!

Toward the end of the 19th century, Hittite monuments were uncovered at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in Syria, proving the Bible right. Later, in 1906, excavations at Boghazkoy (ancient Hattusas, capital of the Hittite Empire) in Turkey uncovered thousands of Hittite documents, revealing a wealth of information about Hittite history and culture. The centuries-old Hittite rubbish showed they were a real and formidable power. They were once one of the dominant peoples of Asia Minor and the Near East. They exercised considerable control south into Syria and Palestine.

The Bible was right all along! Today, no one questions the existence of the Hittites. Volumes of books exist on the history, art, culture and society of the Hittites. Yet an anti-Bible prejudice still exists. Scholarly people usually believe that if it’s in the Bible, it’s wrong. But the Bible is right and has always been right.

In 1974, Italian archaeologists found approximately 17,000 cuneiform tablets and fragments at the site of ancient Ebla in northern Syria. The inscriptions on these artifacts date them prior to the 24th century b.c. Noachian Flood. Similar finds were uncovered in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The tablets show that writing was common centuries before Moses. The critics can no longer claim that Moses and his contemporaries were illiterate or that the Pentateuch was written by Ezra in the 5th century b.c.

No Jewish Captivity?

One of the most ridiculous claims of the critics has been that the Babylonian captivity did not take place. This is on a par with those who believe the Holocaust of World War ii did not happen. The Bible gives specific details about the captivity of Judah by the armies of Babylon early in the 6th century b.c. (ii Kings 24-25). Scholars have said it’s all just another Jewish myth. However, between 1935 and 1938, important discoveries were made 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem at a site thought to be ancient Lachish. Lachish was one of the cities recorded in the Bible as being besieged by the king of Babylon at the same time as the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34:7).

Twenty-one pottery fragments inscribed in the ancient Hebrew script were unearthed in the latest pre-exilic levels of the site. Called the Lachish Ostraca, they were written during the very time of the Babylonian siege. Some of them are exchanges between the city’s military commander and an outlying observation post, vividly picturing the final days of Judah’s desperate struggle against Babylon! Since the 1930s, there has been more unearthing of Babylonian historical texts describing the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The historical fact of the Babylonian captivity is firmly established.

We could discuss literally hundreds of archaeological finds that corroborate Bible history. Noah’s Flood, the Exodus, David, Solomon and the kings of Israel and Jerusalem as described in the Bible are proven to be historical by non-biblical sources. If you desire to know more, go to your local library and do some self-study. You may be surprised to find how much information is actually available to you. Unfortunately, you will not find this information on your nightly news. Two books we can recommend are The Bible as History by Werner Keller and On the Reliability of the Old Testament by K.A. Kitchen.

There are numerous biblically related artifacts in the British Museum located in London. They are breathtaking to see. Even though you may never be able to go to London, it is possible to log on to the museum website (www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk) and see pictures of the artifacts. Here is a short list of some of the more important treasures of antiquity:

    * The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.) shows Jehu, king of Israel, bowing before the Assyrian king. This is the only known picture of an Israelite king.
    * Tablets from the time of Tiglath-Pileser (744-727 B.C.) state that he received tribute from Jehoahaz of Judah. This is the full name of Ahaz (2 Kings 16:7).
    * A wonderfully detailed limestone relief from Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh shows the siege of Lachish.
    * One of the most important is the cylinder of Nabonidus (555-539 B.C.). He was the last ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. This stele proves that his son Belshazzar was co-regent with him (Daniel 5; 7:1; 8:1). Scholars previously scoffed at Belshazzar’s existence.

In his book A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Gleason Archer Jr. quotes author John Elder as saying, “It is not too much to say that it was the rise of the science of archaeology that broke the deadlock between the historians and the … Christian. Little by little, one city after another, one civilization after another, one culture after another whose memories were enshrined only in the Bible, were restored to their proper places in ancient history by the studies of archaeologists …. Contemporary records of biblical events have been unearthed and the uniqueness of the biblical revelation has been emphasized by contrast and comparison to newly discovered religions of ancient peoples. Nowhere has archaeological discovery refuted the Bible as history” (emphasis mine). That last statement is the most important. Archaeology has proven that the Bible is accurate history!


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Page Two of Archeology Proves Bible History Accurate

New Science: Archaeology

Most scholars have been ignoring pertinent facts. The willing (and sometimes willful) ignoring of the truth has been happening for decades. Even while Russell and Collingwood were writing their books, other scholars were unearthing spectacular discoveries that cast a bright light on the truth of the biblical record. Even prior to the mid-20th century, the new science of archaeology—the digging-up and study of the remains of man’s bygone years—caused an earthquake within the anti-God scholarship of the critics. The facts are amazing.

As a science, archaeology has expanded to include the study of all cultures. However, at its earliest stage of development, the infant science was concerned most with ancient civilizations. For centuries, robbers, religious pilgrims, even Napoleon had unearthed and carried away multiple thousands of ancient artifacts from sites throughout the Near East and Egypt. It was during Napoleon’s military expedition in Egypt in 1799 that the vitally important Rosetta stone was dug up.

Yet, it was not until the end of the 19th century that a systematic study and evaluation of the Near East began. This geographic region is known as the Fertile Crescent. Egyptologist James Henry Breasted first used the term “Fertile Crescent” to describe the lush, well-watered, crescent-shaped geographic region starting at the Persian Gulf moving up the Tigris-Euphrates valley, then westward over Syria and southward along the Mediterranean Sea through Palestine. The productive Nile valley is often included within the boundaries of the crescent. It is in this geographic region that the lands and peoples of the Old Testament history are located. For nearly two centuries, the Fertile Crescent has been the focus of intense archaeological scrutiny. Even Herbert W. Armstrong supported critically important digs in Jerusalem by sending Ambassador College students there as workers.

There should be strong public interest in the archaeological findings of this region. Although at one time archaeological findings did spark sharp interest by both secular and religious scholars, much is now forgotten or goes unnoticed.

Archaeology has confirmed without question the historical accuracy of the Bible.

Gainsaying Not Stopped

The scholars’ main attack on Bible history in the early 20th century was that no secular records existed to provide evidence of the Flood, the Exodus, or the lives of David and Solomon. Many claimed that Moses could never have written the first five books of the Bible, since writing had not been invented at that time. But when the curious, energetic men and women dug up the past, these commonly held ideas were proved to be without foundation.

Modern archaeology has challenged the world of education to admit that the Bible is factual. Solid, documented evidence outside the Bible record confirms events and persons that were at one time considered to be suspect or plain false.

Still, some people work tirelessly to discredit the Bible as a God-inspired record of critically important history. Some have stubbornly overlooked overwhelming evidence. Others have purposely misinterpreted the facts to hold on to pet theories. Are we surprised? Not really. Why?

The Bible has the answer. No man of himself can accept or submit to the authoritative Word of God. Paul wrote: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7). Men have been successful in getting rid of God and His great authority (though in reality, God is very much present). They don’t want Him back! To admit that the Bible is accurate historically would mean accepting that God does exist—and that His Word holds authority over the lives of all men. The brightest minds know that if the Bible is exact in its history, then its commands are in full force. You cannot separate Bible history from Bible law! The entire Bible is true, or it is false. It cannot be both.

Let’s be plain: You can rely on the historical accuracy of the Bible.

Behistun Rock Deciphered

Let’s look at several of the more important archaeological finds that confirm Bible history. Not all of these artifacts have been as publicized as some of the more spectacular ones like the Rosetta stone or the tomb of King Tut of ancient Egypt, yet they are momentous in regards to the evaluation of the Bible chronicle.

The deciphering of the Behistun inscription in the 19th century was one of the most remarkable archaeological advancements and the most vital to understanding ancient writings uncovered in the Fertile Crescent. The discovery opened the door for archeology to further confirm the Bible’s historical accuracy.

The inscription, like a billboard about the size of half a football field, is situated on a cliff about 300 feet above the base of a mountain in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. The site lies along the road that connected the ancient capitals of kingdoms of Babylonia and Media: Babylon and Ecbatana. The inscription dates back to 516 b.c. and is an account of Darius i’s assumption of the Persian throne (521-486 b.c.). This account was written in cuneiform in three languages (Babylonian, Elamite and Old Persian). In 1835, Sir Henry C. Rawlinson copied and began to decipher the text, finishing the Persian translation in 1846. He and other scholars were soon able to translate the Babylonian and Elamite portions.

Many ancient cultures in the Middle East used cuneiform, but these works were a mystery until the trilingual Behistun inscription was deciphered—the discovery made possible the translation of other cuneiform writings.

The Behistun breakthrough led to others, including the translation of 22,000 tablets at the ruins of Nineveh, Shalmaneser’s Black Obelisk, Shennacherib’s Prism, and the epic poems of Gilgamesh and Enuma Elish. (These poems contain accounts of the Flood, creation and the tower of Babel that closely parallel the Bible.)

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