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In another article (175) we asked the question: How can we tell if the Bible is really the Word of God? One way is to evaluate its power. The true messengers of God always had miraculous power at their disposal. We appealed to the example in the Old Testament of the prophet Elijah, who was able to call fire down from heaven. But, faith that rests in the miraculous is often a very flawed faith and often turns away once the miracle has grown old. There has to be a better way to tell--especially since the Bible itself criticizes those who trust in the miraculous as an argument for the legitimacy of their faith (See Matthew 24:24 and John 4:48).
So, what argument does God give in the Bible for being able to tell Who the true God is and What His true Word is? Isaiah 46:8-10 tells us. "Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring [it] again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure...". If we look carefully, God's own position on how to know Who He is and Which holy book is His Word is that we have found God when we find One who can tell what the end will be in the beginning. In other words, fulfilled prophecy reveals the true word of God. Only the Omniscient can know the future well enough to tell it specifically. Therefore, if we find men or books which are able to tell us specifically what will happen in the future, we have found the messengers of the true God. This, for example, is why Matthew's Gospel about Jesus Christ continually reveals how Jesus' life was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Only God knows and can tell us what will be before it comes to pass.
For example, King David, who lived about 1000 years before Christ came, was moved by the Spirit of God to tell us that when Messiah came, He would be pierced in His hands and feet, and that when He was so treated, others would cast lots to see who got to take His clothes. (Compare Psalm 22:16-18 with Matthew 27:35.) Isaiah, who prophesied about 700 years before Christ, said of the Messiah that He would be considered an evil doer when He was put to death, but that He would be buried in a rich man's tomb. (Compare Isaiah 53:3-9 with Matthew 27:38 and 44 and John 19:38-41.) We know the Bible is the Word of God because it alone of all of the so-called holy books of men has genuine specific prophecies which have come to pass. These are not general guesses about the future, but specific details of the future.
Only a person who doesn't want to hear what the Bible has to say would reject this basic reason for believing the Bible is connected to the Omniscient God. So, the Bible is the Word of God.
Therefore, we must ask this question: Of what value is religion that is contradictory to the Bible? If God has spoken, His reaction to those who ignore Him is anger, not tolerance. God rejects all religion that ignores the Bible.