How archaeology confirms the Bible

Archaeology is the scientific study of ancient things, which enables us to take a fascinating journey back in time to examine stones and artifacts that bear mute, but compelling witness to the truth of Scripture.

Sir Henry Rawlinson deciphered the Behistun Rock inscription cuneiform (images composited from WikiCommons)

It was not until the 19th century that scientific methods were rigorously applied to the excavation of historical sites. Flinders Petrie is generally considered the individual who put archaeological methodology on a scientific footing. But as early as the late 1700s Napoleon Bonaparte, who had an interest in Egyptian culture and wanted to decipher the strange drawings he had seen on ancient monuments, set up an institute in Egypt to study the writings and ancient relics.

Accurate translations of ancient inscriptions were finally made possible in 1799 when French soldiers discovered a large black basalt rock at the town of Rosetta. Later to be known as the Rosetta Stone, it bore a trilingual inscription in Old Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic (a later, simplified form of Egyptian hieroglyphics) and Greek. With this stone as a reference, Jean François Champollion in 1822, was finally able to decipher the writings.

The credit for the deciphering of cuneiform, another ancient form of communication, goes mostly to Henry C. Rawlinson. He began a systematic study of cuneiform writing found on the Behistun Rock inscription, sometimes known as the “Rosetta Stone of cuneiform.” This was an inscription, chiselled in three scripts: Persian, Elamite and Babylonian when, thousands of years earlier, Darius the Great, king of Persia, had an account of his exploits recorded on the face of a 1,700-foot cliff.

As a result of these and other successes during the next decades the great cities, mentioned in the Bible, such as the ancient Assyrian capital, Nineveh, Calah and Troy were discovered and excavated, with many of the unearthed ancient artefacts making their way to the British Museum.

Unfortunately, the zeal for fame and treasure also led to unfounded claims, such as the supposed discovery of King Solomon’s mines and David’s tomb, which were later proven false. This fed the skepticism regarding the accuracy of the biblical accounts in spite of the many authentic discoveries.

Added to this Charles Darwin, Karl Marx and others, espousing theories of evolution and an economic, materialistic interpretation of the past further encouraged a questioning of the historicity of the Bible. A tugging match ensued between believers in the inspiration and accuracy of the Bible and scoffers, influenced by Spinoza, Kant, and Hegel.

In spite of this genuine archeological discoveries continued, with irrefutable evidence being found of the existence of the Hittite empire and the fall of Jericho finally being correctly dated to the time of the judges as recorded in the Bible. This finding overturned Kathleen Kenyon's original conclusion that Jericho’s downfall could not have happened during those years. Another important event confirming the accuracy of the Bible was the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, which contained books of the Old Testament written more than 100 years before Christ’s time, in an ancient Hebrew script.

The abundance of archaeological evidence in support of the Bible can strengthen faith, and in some cases it has greatly contributed to giving birth to belief where none existed before. An example of this is the life of Englishman William M. Ramsay (1851-1939). He was raised as a nonbeliever by his atheist parents, graduating from Oxford with a doctorate in philosophy and eventually becoming a professor at the University of Aberdeen. Determined to undermine the historical accuracy of the Bible, he studied archaeology and eventually travelled to Palestine expecting to refute the accounts in the book of Acts as nothing more than myth.

However, after a quarter-century of work, Ramsay was awestruck by the accuracy of the book of Acts. He had to concede that Luke’s account of the events and setting were exact in the smallest detail. Far from attacking the biblical account, Ramsay produced a book entitled, St. Paul, the Traveller and Roman Citizen, which supported it.

Eventually, William Ramsay shook the intellectual world by converting to Christianity. Ironically, this man who set out to refute the Bible, found himself accepting the Bible as God’s Word because of his explorations and discoveries.

• Source:

  The Good News magazine (May-June 1996)

• https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/the-bible-and-archaeology-how-archaeology-confirms-the-biblical-record

 

Who’s telling you what to think?

The world’s media outlets are the major means of communicating information worldwide. The way they are used and the content they carry can be helpful and positive, neutral or enormously destructive.

As you consider whether to accept the reports and opinions in newspapers and television programs or hear the seductive, suggestive lyrics of many songs, be sure to ask yourself who is telling you what to think and whether you should listen. Ultimately what we put into our minds determines our values and approach to life.

Steve Allen, longtime actor, comedian and songwriter who died in 2000, wrote perceptively about the depraved vortex of television programming in his book ‘Vulgarians at the Gate: Trash TV and Raunch Radio’: “There has always been a market for vulgarity and licentiousness, but at present it is undeniable that motion pictures, theater, television, radio, the recording industry and, to a lesser degree, journalism are enthusiastic participants in the general collapse of standards and behavior.” His book then goes on to document the many ways in which journalists slant their reporting to subtly change the way readers think.

TV networks such as ABC, NBC and CBS, and major newspapers like The New York Times, do publish many unbiased reports but, when it comes to stories touching on moral values and ideology they often present those with a liberal or ungodly spin. It’s important to differentiate between viewpoints arising from biblically- based standards and those that are rooted in amoral thinking.

Journalist William Proctor in his book titled ‘The Gospel According to The New York Times’ examines the profound effects an influential newspaper like The New York Times has on America and the world, playing a major role in shaping thinking and values. “In effect, you are being exposed to a gospel, but one that is a far cry from the traditional good news of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Rather, this gospel is rooted in a kind of secular theology that purports to convey infallible social, moral, and political truth...” (2000, pp. 11-12).

On a closely related topic, Phillip Johnson, author and law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has written several revealing books about how the uncritical acceptance of the theory of evolution has influenced our moral values. “This philosophy controls academic work not only in science but in all fields, including law, literature and psychology. It is promulgated throughout the educational system and the mainstream media, and government backs it” ( The Wedge of Truth , pp. 13-14).

The Bible reveals there’s a spiritual power behind these developments leading humans away from God. The Apostle Paul calls this unseen force “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Apostle John tells us how successful Satan has been in his manipulative, deceptive work. He writes that “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” and that this evil being “deceives the whole world” (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9).

In other words, Satan presents his ways as enlightened and wise when in truth they are the opposite. Paul tells us the devil has successfully “blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV). False religions, naturalism, the theory of evolution and related belief systems have kept humanity cut off from right knowledge and in darkness for centuries. Our best source for the unbiased truth as it relates to the world we live in is the Bible.

• Source:

  The Good News Magazine (May-Jun 2002)

• https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/whos-telling-you-what-to-think

 

A Remarkable 4th of July

It is among the most remarkable coincidences in history. It was called a “visible and palpable” manifestation of “Divine favor.” Fifty years to the day from the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the two most intimately connected with this document of freedom, died within hours of each other.

In Quincy, Massachusetts, Adams’ heart stopped at just past six in the evening. A thunderstorm had sprung up, and as the second U.S. president drew his last breath, “There was a final clap of thunder that shook the house, the rain stopped and the last sun of the day broke through dark, low hanging clouds—’bursting forth…with uncommon splendor at the moment of his exit’” (David McCullough, John Adams, 2001, p. 647). Through the prophet Daniel, God said He places and removes rulers of nations. We might wonder if God orchestrated the exit from life of these two giants of American history.
Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration and Adams was its prime advocate on the floor of Congress. Its words speak a fundamental message of human freedom. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Those words continue to stir powerful emotions among people who are yet to experience freedom from fear, from injustice and the tyranny of evil.
What is often overlooked in the details of today’s world events is the desire of people to be free. Freedom is indeed a gift from God. We humans are “hard-wired” with the desire. But when freedom comes it carries great opportunity and responsibility. God, the author of true freedom, also shows us the obligations and responsibilities that come with freedom.
As America celebrates the Fourth of July this year, it is good to recall the divine reasons for the emergence of America from the mists of history. And even though America has not restored freedom to the entire earth—only God’s Kingdom will do that—it may well be a type of the time to come when we’ll see the restoration of all things.

From:  https://www.ucg.org/learn/blogs/remarkable-4th-july  

 

How important are our choices?

The parable about the sower and the seed, found in Matthew 13:3-9, describes how people respond to the Gospel message of the Kingdom of God and highlights the importance of the choices we make.

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside". (Free Bible Images)

When Jesus explained the meaning of the parable of the sower to His disciples He, first of all, described the response of someone who hears the Gospel message, but God has not yet opened his or her mind to understand it: "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside" (Matthew 13:19 NKJV).

Jesus then goes on to explain three different responses from those who understand His message, with each one responding differently for different reasons.

• "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles" (Matthew 13:20-21). This person's initial response is joyful acceptance, but this enthusiasm is quickly quenched as he reacts to pressure from others. Conforming to the customs and expectations of family, friends and society is more important than serving God and the calling of God is eventually rejected.

• "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). This person is not as concerned about the opinions of his peers, but also refuses to put God first. Satisfying personal needs and maintaining status consume time and energy. There is no time left for God and, through neglect, God's calling is rejected.

• "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23). This person understands God's Word and takes it seriously, putting it into practice and changing His life. God is first in his or her life. Of all the examples in this parable, only this person is chosen for salvation.

Our modern world is full of distractions—the rocks, thorns and birds— conspiring to prevent God's Word and His calling from taking root and bearing fruit. This parable shows us how the devil, the allure of the world and the cares of life conspire to root the eternal truths of the Kingdom of God from our lives.

It is vital to understand the spiritual battle taking place with those God is calling. Most of us experience only the physical, while the greater, more powerful and pervasive unseen spiritual realm revealed in the Bible remains unknown. There is a spiritual battle taking place, and we are at the center of it, with this spiritual realm having much more influence on us than we realise.

When Jesus later explained the meaning of the parable, He began by telling His disciples something quite surprising: “...‘You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them” (Matthew 13:11-13, New Living Translation, 1996).

The inability to hear and understand this parable is the result of humanity being caught in a web of spiritual deception. False religious teachings, events and circumstances can crowd out the seed of truth that has been placed in your life by God. Modern life is geared to lure us away from time spent thinking about life’s meaning, studying the Bible, talking with God in prayer, and spiritual fellowship.

What we do with the knowledge of the Gospel message comes down to the choices we make each day. God allows us to choose between His way and begin to produce fruit for eternal life, or the way of this world.

• Source:

  Bible Study Course - Lesson 8, The Good News magazine (Jan-Feb 2015), The Good News magazine (Mar-Apr 2015)

• https://www.ucg.org/learn/12-lesson-online-bible-study-course/bible-study-course-lesson-8-what-christian-conversion/how-important-are-our-choices

 

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has been around since rudimentary computers were invented during World War II to help break secret military codes. The cyber revolution has led to smartphones being thousands of times more powerful than the computers used to put a man on the moon, and AI continues to significantly advance.

AI generated image

In 1969, the IBM 360 computers used by NASA could hold approximately six megabytes of information. Today’s average smartphones have at least 16 gigabytes, or more than 2,500 times more storage than those NASA IBM computers. A decade ago the Economist magazine noted, “The McKinsey Global Institute, a think-tank, says AI is contributing to a transformation of society ‘happening ten times faster and 300 times the scale, or roughly 1,000 times the impact’ of the Industrial Revolution” (June 25, 2016, p. 3 of Special Report Section). Computers can now not only perform analysis faster than ever on data sets of unprecedented size, but they can weigh the value of the data and “learn” as they accumulate more successful results, simulating how neural pathways are strengthened in the brain during learning.

In 2014, tech billionaire Elon Musk, founder of the Tesla electric cars and of SpaceX, warned the rise of artificial intelligence was “potentially more dangerous than nukes [nuclear weapons]” (p. 13). He later added: ”Increasingly scientists think there should be some regulatory oversight maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish.” (quoted by Matt McFarland, “Elon Musk: ‘With Artificial Intelligence We Are Summoning the Demon,’” The Washington Post, Oct. 24, 2014). Stephen Hawking, the famous astrophysicist, also expressed his concern, stating, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race” (Rory Cellan-Jones, “Stephen Hawking Warns Artificial Intelligence Could End Mankind,” BBC News, Dec. 2, 2014).

We can interface on the computer with AI virtual assistants such as IBM’s Watson, Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana and Google now, but there are serious privacy issues with the amount of information about people these services are collecting. There is also a growing trend to replace human soldiers with robotic forces in the military. Modern conflicts are increasingly like laboratories for refining and demonstrating future military technology.

The Ukraine war with Russia has allowed NATO countries to test their advanced weaponry in a real battle, increasing further knowledge. Forbes.com, in an article on April 22, 2025, titled, “How Ukraine Is Replacing Human Soldiers with A Robot Army,” reported, “Ukraine has scaled up drone production at pace, going from a few thousand in 2022 to 200,000 in 2024 to 2 million last year". James Barrat, an expert in the AI field, notes: “Fifty-six countries have or are developing battlefield robots. The race is on to make them autonomous and intelligent…” (Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era, 2016, p. 21). Revelation 9 describes the angel blowing the 5th trumpet, and what are called “locusts” ascending from the great abyss. Verses 7-12 seems to describe some kind of flying drone or craft.

Clearly, there is a worldwide race among top technological nations to build this first cyber Tower of Babel, unleashing a danger it probably could not control. God’s timely intervention put a temporary stop to the advancing technology that threatened mankind's welfare when ancient humanity united with the goal of developing more knowledge and technology: “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). God’s response was: “...now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:6-7).

Revelation 13:16-17 describes a future time of totalitarian state control, in a modern Babylon, regarding who is able to conduct commerce, which would seem to require significant monitoring of every person, but just as with the ancient Tower of Babel, God said He would intervene in the end time and not allow the human race to eventually extinguish itself. As Christ promised, “Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect’s sake [that is, the sake of His followers] those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

As Jesus Christ reminded us to pray daily: “Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, Contemporary English Version). This will be the ultimate solution to man’s dangerous delving into AI and other technological pursuits that can end in catastrophe.

• Source:

  Beyond Today magazine (May-Jun, 2017),

• https://www.ucg.org/learn/beyond-today-magazine/beyond-today-magazine-may-june-2017/artificial-intelligence-coming-threat

 

Not Only a Matter of Diet

Aug 20, 2013

United Church of God

 2 minutes read time

From cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation, nowhere in the Bible do we find an example of a servant of God or follower of Jesus Christ eating the flesh of an unclean animal.

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If at any time the distinctions between clean and unclean meats had ceased to exist, shouldn’t that have been made clear in the Bible through the example of God’s servants?

On the contrary, well into the time of the early Church we find Christ’s followers scrupulously avoiding eating animal flesh that God had revealed as being unclean (Acts 10:14; 11:8). Prophecies of the time of the end make the same distinctions (Revelation 18:2; Isaiah 66:15-17).

But there’s more to the matter than diet. A thorough study of the Bible helps us understand other dimensions to the significance of the distinctions between clean and unclean meats.

God’s Word describes the flesh of unclean animals as an “abomination” (Leviticus 11:10-13, 20, 23, 41-42) and “detestable” (Deuteronomy 14:3)—and in that light we are warned against consuming such meat (Leviticus 11:43). Strong language, but the lesson is that we need to accept all aspects of the Bible, including the basic food laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

In instituting the sacrificial system for ancient Israel, God commanded many specific sacrifices involving animals. Nowhere, however, does He command or allow the sacrifice of an unclean animal, nor is there a record of any of God’s servants ever sacrificing such an animal to Him.

Such a sacrifice would have joined the holy with that which God had designated unclean and defiled. It would have been simply unthinkable to a true servant of God because it would have been an affront to the Creator Himself.

Previous in this series

[Infographic]: A Biblical Guide to Clean Vs. Unclean Meats

 

Feast of Pentecost (Sunday, May 24, 2026)

Jesus Christ chose the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew) or Pentecost as the day on which God first granted His Spirit to the New Testament Church. Also, according to a respected Jewish tradition, God gave the ten commandments from Mount Sinai on the Day of Pentecost and covenanted with ancient Israel they would be His holy people.

It was on Pentecost that God first made His Spirit available to all who would repent. (Pexels)

The annual Holy Day of Pentecost is the anniversary of the beginning of Christianity under the New Covenant. It was on Pentecost that God first made His Spirit available to all who would repent—thus beginning the Church, which He commissioned Christ to build.

After Christ was resurrected He told His disciples “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In other words Christ gave the disciples and the members of the Church down through the ages the job of preaching the Gospel message to the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

Before Jesus was crucified He promised His disciples He and the Father would come and dwell in them (John 14:17, 20, 23). That promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. Acts chapter 2 describes this magnificent event. "Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

The speaking in various languages occurred as a crowd of people from many nations gathered in Jerusalem, with each visitor hearing the speech of the disciples in his own native tongue (Acts 2:6-11), demonstrating the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter explained this was a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh" (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28), telling his listeners how they could also receive this Spirit: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38-39).

God used these miracles and Peter's preaching to add 3,000 people to His Church in one day. These converts were all baptized and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:40-41). From this pivotal point, God's Spirit has been available to all who truly repent and are properly baptized.

The Holy Day of Pentecost annually celebrates God’s gift of His Spirit which began the fulfillment of the prophecies in Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 and will be completely realised at Christ’s return. Our responsibility is to grow in grace and knowledge, aware that we are part of the spiritual temple God is building, as the annual Holy Day of Pentecost commemorates: “For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16).

• Source:

  Bible Study Course - Lesson 12

• https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-study-course/bible-study-course-lesson-12/pentecost