The Signature of the Creator

Just Proving the Bible, No Biggie

Often in the course of conversations with folks who are skeptical about the authenticity of the Bible, the question arises as to how it could even be proven if it were true. The argument is that since the Bible was written so long ago there's no way to prove it is actually the Word of God. 

Well, as it turns out there is a way to prove the Bible is from God. We can authenticate the Bible the same way we authenticate works of art. There are indeed the undeniable brushstrokes of the Creator all over this Book, and His signature is also present. But, what would the signature of an omniscient, timeless Being look like? In this case the signature comes in the form of history being written in advance - prophecy.

Unlike other so-called holy books, the Bible is full of prophecies. Many have been fulfilled. A few have not yet come to pass. But in all of them there is one which stands out. One that never ceases to impress me. The prophecy Gabriel gave to Daniel in the ninth chapter of his book is that prophecy.

I Dare You

Read to the end and tell me this isn't the most astounding messianic prophecy you've ever heard of. And that is a double-dog-dare.

Did you ever notice how a few different times the crowds had attempted to take Jesus and declare Him king, but that every time He slips away? Ever wonder why, especially in light of the account in Matthew 21 when He actually took the time and effort to arrange his entry into Jerusalem as King? Read on.

Way back in Daniel 9, the angel Gabriel payed a special visit to Daniel as he was in the middle of prayer. His purpose for the visit? To share a few pieces of headline news... from the future! Doc Brown wouldn't have been cool with that, but he wasn't even born yet, now was he?

The Triumphal Entry

In this chapter Jesus makes His "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem. As the crowd waved palm branches and shouted "hosanna," just like the prophet Zechariah foretold so many decades prior.

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." - Zec 9:9

"Hosanna" means "oh! save," so the people shouting Hosanna directly ties into this prophecy as well - "... having salvation..." or "having the power to save."

But this isn't the the most amazing prophecy by far...

In part 2 I'll get into the angel's message to Daniel.

My God's No Molech, Man!

What's with that title? Just read, man... it's all down there.

Want to know something shocking about the God you and I worship? Here's something: God told the patriarch Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, whom he loved to an as-yet-unknown location and present him as a burnt offering. Aside from the fact that Isaac wasn't Abraham's only son, which makes it look like the author momentarily forgot about Ishmael, this passage seems to blatantly contradict God's character, since He clearly condemns the murder of innocents, and especially the act of human sacrifice (Lev. 18:21), as was practiced in worship of the pagan god Molech.

Almost as shocking was Abraham's response, which was to essentially say, "alright, Lord, Your will is my command." Talk about a mindless automaton, right?

So, what about God here? Is Richard Dawkins at least partially right when he accuses the God of the Old Testament of being, "arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."? (for a guy who doesn't believe in God he sure seems to hate Him a lot...)

So, what's really going on here? Of course a Bible-believing, Christ-follower like myself doesn't believe any of those facetious statements and questions. But if we are honest with ourselves we will have to admit that, at face value, this incident might seem to validate some of the terrible things unbelievers say about our God. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if many of you reading this have, at one time or another - or possibly right now - felt uneasy about this chapter. There are some who likely avoid this story, skimming it quickly when they come to it and never looking back!

Well, my goal with this four-part series on Genesis 22 is to not only dispel the fears and misunderstandings about this wonderful section of Scripture, but to also tear away the ugly veil woven from false preconceptions, misinformation, and plain old ignorance, to reveal possibly the most radiantly beautiful story in all of the Old Testament.

To that end I will craft this into three distinct sections, meaning that there will be three more blog entries on this subject. The first will be an in depth look at something called the "law of first mention" and its presence in Genesis 22. You do not want to miss out on the information which will be found in that entry! In the second phase we will explore the prophetic - messianic really - significance of the event. The third and final will be a special treat, as we will look beyond Moriah all the way to the end times. I assure you that whatever your eschatological stance may be, you will be comfortable with this portion. Of the three this third one seems to be the most revelatory and profound to those I have shared with, so keep an eye out for that!

Next time: The Mysterious Law of First Mention...