2. The historical accuracy of the Bible record is remarkable. At the time the United States was becoming a nation, many were skeptical about the accuracy of Scripture. They doubted the Bible record because they could not prove biblical events from the documents of secular history. Scripture spoke of battles, cities, and even entire civilizations which secular historians did not mention.

Today many archaeological discoveries have dramatically confirmed the accuracy of the biblical record. Historians have discovered clay tablets and stone monuments which have brought to light names, places, and events previously known only from the Bible.

For example, according to Genesis 11:31, Abraham and his family “set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to [the land of] Canaan.” Because only the Bible spoke of Ur, certain scholars stated that no such city had ever existed. Then archaeologists uncovered a temple tower in southern Iraq with a cylinder at the base written in cuneiform that contained the name Ur. Later finds revealed Ur as the thriving metropolis of a highly developed civilization. That city’s identity had been forgotten and lost to later historians. Only the Bible preserved its name—until the spade of the archaeologist confirmed its authenticity.

Ur is but one of many examples of archaeological information that now confirms the accuracy of Bible history. You can obtain fascinating books on biblical archeology from your local public library. Such books give hundreds of other examples of how history proves the historical reliability of Scripture.

3. The accurate fulfillment of Bible predictions shows that you can trust the Bible. Our confidence in the Word of God can also be strengthened by a look at Bible prophecies. Scripture contains many remarkable predictions of future events that are now being fulfilled before our very eyes. You will examine one of these exciting prophecies in guide 7. You will discover that God revealed the entire future course of history in advance from 606 B.C. (before Christ) right down the centuries to our day. This prophecy also looks into the future and tells us what is coming in our world today.