Claims of the Bible

The Bible is a book that makes numerous claims and without fail, all have held to the test of time, proving the inspiration of the scriptures. It states that there is a spiritual being known as God, who is all knowing, powerful, good, merciful and loving. Within the scriptures are claims that there is only one God, one who has always been in existence and always will remain for eternity. There are claims that this one God authored the Bible and created the world and all things upon it.

God’s word, as recorded in the Bible, states that man, unlike all other living things created by Him, was given a spirit or soul that will never die. The Bible claims that a time will come when this one, omnipotent God will destroy all that he created with the exception of the soul of man (II Peter 3:9-10). Following the destruction of all living things and the Earth, the Bible states that some souls will dwell eternally with God in heaven, but all others will be rejected and spend eternity in a place called hell (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:12-15; and Revelation 21:3-8).

The Bible describes these two places in simplistic terms. Heaven is portrayed as an eternal place of abode where there will be no more tears, death, sorrow, crying or pain; whereas hell is mentioned as a place of eternal punishment, a lake of fire and brimstone (Matthew 25; Revelation 21:3-8; and Revelation 14:10). God, through the scriptures reveals that all of mankind from Adam to judgment day will ultimately reside in one of these two places eternally. The scriptures reveal that those that accept God’s plan of redemption from sin offered through Jesus Christ, his Son, will be granted an inheritance of heaven. Those failing to accept God’s law will be placed in torment (John 5:40; John 14:16; and I John 5:10-13 to name a few scriptures).

The Bible also claims that people accepting (obeying) God’s plan of redemption as given in the scriptures, will live a better quality of life while on Earth as opposed to those that reject God and his laws (Matthew 19:29 and I Timothy 4:8). If these and all other claims made by the Bible are true, then mankind has a great cause for rejoicing. Mankind, unlike the beasts of the field, will have a spiritual existence of eternal life when physical death befalls the body. The ending of this physical life becomes the point or time of passage from an earthly existence into another life infinitely greater and never ending.

Readers of the Bible become as weary travelers, who ultimately find a wonderful place to rest (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 2-3) or as a person moving from a run down home into a magnificent mansion (John 14:1-3). They become as a pilgrim leaving a small, dying village and taking up permanent residence in a city of extraordinary wealth and value. An eternal city that is so great its foundation of jasper is garnished with all manner of precious stones, has twelve gates of made of twelve pearls, and has streets paved with pure gold (Revelation 21:18-21).

If all the claims made by God within the Bible are indeed true one should not be surprised to hear Jesus Christ state, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26) Neither should one be amazed to learn that a great host of people endured unjust, harsh and cruel punishments for God’s sake in times past for the honor of citizenship in that wonderful spiritual city of Heaven (Hebrews 11). All mankind has had and will continue to have opportunity to enter this city but there are conditions. Jesus stated, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)