NO Mormons are not Christian!

[_jordon3]

Make sure you google "are Mormons Christian"....it's glaringly obvious Mormons believe in an entirely different god that the Biblical God and Jesus. That is why mainstream Christianity calls Mormonism = Anti Christian
google "Are Mormons Christians"
It upsets me that Mormons are calling themselves Christians when they are actually anti Christian according to the Bible.
Historically, only until recently have Mormons wanted to be called Christians, preferring not to be included with Christian denominations which Joseph Smith said were, ". . .all wrong...all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, and that those professors (Christians) were all corrupt." (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:18-19)
In the past Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) have preferred to be called "saints." However, in the recent years the LDS church has spend millions in an intense public relations campaign aimed at moving their church into the mainstream of Christianity. The political and economic benefits of Mormons being included in the mainstream of Christianity are obvious. Further, for Mormons to be accepted as traditional Christians would greatly aid in their proselyting the members of Christian denominations into the LDS church. This is why the LDS church is trying so hard to present themselves as Christians and trying to overcome the stigma of being a cult.

Hopefully, this article will help the both Mormons and non-Mormons to see that Mormonism worships a different god and Jesus Christ and not the God and Jesus Christ of the Bible. The Constitution of the United States gives every citizen the right of freedom of religion and the LDS people have the right to believe as they desire. However, biblical Christians also have the right to defend their historic faith as revealed in the Bible and expose those who misuse their historic name.

[_Megacles]

Grace and peace to you, Jason15!

As an Latter-day Christian ("Mormon") I can, with certainly, proclaim that I believe in the mission of Jesus Christ; that He suffered in Gethsemane, died for our sins, and was resurrected on the third day so that we might live with our father in heaven.

If that makes me non-Christian, well, I would have to ask you to succinctly define what you believe the word means and why you believe you are charged with defining it.

If you are interested, BYU has published an article called Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues. I recommend it to you, Jason15, and look forwarding to discussing this topic with you.

- /\/\egacles

[_Albion]

A few of questions for you, Megacles, raised for me by your post. Was Jesus's experience in the Garden of Gethsemane a part of his atonement or did it take place on the cross at Calvary? What exactly do Mormons understand as being provided by Jesus dying for our sins? Everything the father has? Resurrection so that a person can "work out their own salvation/exaltation? Is the Mormon Jesus a created being...the first born of Heavenly Father's spirit children or is he co eternal, no beginning no end, with the Father?

[_jordon3]

Hello Megacles, thanks for the reply and the kind tone of your response. To answer your question. Christians use the Bible and only the Bible as their source of truth. They don't go by feelings or emotions ....they go by what the Bible says. SO WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?


What is a Christian? Many think they are Christians because they claim to believe in Jesus. But, believing in Jesus often means nothing, or anything, particularly here in America where pluralism and relativism are rampant. Intolerance is the only thing not tolerated by the postmodernist who says, "My truth is different than your truth, so don't judge me with your outdated morals." Such commentary by the non-thinking and spiritually dead is all too common. But it doesn't change the true meaning of what it means to be a follower of Christ. So, what does it mean to be a Christian?

First of all, to be a Christian, you must first know who Christ is. Biblically, He is God in flesh, second person of the Trinity (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9). He is the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58). He is the savior who was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), who died, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4), physically (John 2:19-21). He alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Only by the name of Jesus may a person be saved (Acts 4:12) and all who do not trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins will be judged (Matt. 25:41) accordingly. Jesus is both God and man (Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5; Phil. 2:5-8). He is our eternal intercessor (Heb. 7:25) who mediates our salvation to the Father (1 Tim. 2:5). To Him be the glory.

It is not merely some man who was wise (Secularism). He was not the product of sexual relations between a god and goddess from another world (Mormonism). He is not a man in tune with the divine consciousness (Christian Science). He is not the first created thing in the universe (Jehovah's Witnesses). He is not the harmonious, really-neat-teacher (New Age). He is the creator of all things (Col. 1:16-17; Isaiah 44:24). He is Lord!

Once you know who Jesus is, you must trust Him to forgive you of your sins. Ask Him to forgive you. He will. Then, once you are saved, you are a Christian. But, you are not a trophy to be placed on a shelf and left alone. You are more like a pair of sneakers to be used. That is what it means to be a Christian. It means you have found the true Savior, not a false one of the cults. It means you have been saved by God's grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8) and are now seeking to please Him in your life by following His commands (1 John 2:4). Such obedience does not save you nor contribute to your salvation. This obedience is motivated by love and thankfulness and is a response of being saved. READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY AS THIS IS WHAT THE Bible TEACHES.....IT'S GRACE WHICH IS TOTALLY AMAZING THAT GOD LOVES US THIS MUCH.

So, being a Christian means knowing the true Christ and following Him in truth.

However, in America, apostasy has reared its ugly head in the church. There are those who do not hold Christ in the highest of regard, as God in flesh, and because they fail to do that, they fail to understand the gospel, they fail to become saved, and they fail to understand what it means to be a Christian.

There is nothing wrong with ministering to the lost, but it is ALL FOR NOTHING if a false Christ and false hope of what it means to be a Christian is presented. So, I ask you, are you a Christian? DO YOU FOLLOW THE "TRUE" AND LIVING GOD AND SON? Do you trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins? Examine yourselves as the scripture says and lean in Christ alone for the salvation that is freely offered (Rom. 6:23).

[_maklelan]

Hello Megacles, thanks for the reply and the kind tone of your response. To answer your question. Christians use the Bible and only the Bible as their source of truth. They don't go by feelings or emotions ....they go by what the Bible says.

Why? Is this just an arbitrary decision? Does one just decide they're going to go by the Bible for no reason?

SO WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

Someone who believes Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of humanity.

What is a Christian? Many think they are Christians because they claim to believe in Jesus. But, believing in Jesus often means nothing, or anything, particularly here in America where pluralism and relativism are rampant. Intolerance is the only thing not tolerated by the postmodernist who says, "My truth is different than your truth, so don't judge me with your outdated morals." Such commentary by the non-thinking and spiritually dead is all too common. But it doesn't change the true meaning of what it means to be a follower of Christ. So, what does it mean to be a Christian?

First of all, to be a Christian, you must first know who Christ is.

Where is this criterion established in the Bible?

Biblically, He is God in flesh, second person of the Trinity (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9).

That notion has nothing to do with the Bible and existed nowhere in the universe until multiple centuries after Christ's death.

He is the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58). He is the savior who was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), who died, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4), physically (John 2:19-21). He alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Only by the name of Jesus may a person be saved (Acts 4:12) and all who do not trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins will be judged (Matt. 25:41) accordingly. Jesus is both God and man (Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5; Phil. 2:5-8). He is our eternal intercessor (Heb. 7:25) who mediates our salvation to the Father (1 Tim. 2:5). To Him be the glory.

It is not merely some man who was wise (Secularism). He was not the product of sexual relations between a god and goddess from another world (Mormonism). He is not a man in tune with the divine consciousness (Christian Science). He is not the first created thing in the universe (Jehovah's Witnesses). He is not the harmonious, really-neat-teacher (New Age). He is the creator of all things (Col. 1:16-17; Isaiah 44:24). He is Lord!

Once you know who Jesus is, you must trust Him to forgive you of your sins. Ask Him to forgive you. He will. Then, once you are saved, you are a Christian. But, you are not a trophy to be placed on a shelf and left alone. You are more like a pair of sneakers to be used. That is what it means to be a Christian. It means you have found the true Savior, not a false one of the cults. It means you have been saved by God's grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8) and are now seeking to please Him in your life by following His commands (1 John 2:4). Such obedience does not save you nor contribute to your salvation. This obedience is motivated by love and thankfulness and is a response of being saved. READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY AS THIS IS WHAT THE Bible TEACHES.....IT'S GRACE WHICH IS TOTALLY AMAZING THAT GOD LOVES US THIS MUCH.

How come this notion wasn't clearly articulated for over 1000 years after the death of Christ? If the Bible is so perspicuous, shouldn't this have been agreed upon as a foundational principle long before the Reformation?

So, being a Christian means knowing the true Christ and following Him in truth.

According to your logic, which you obviously believe is faulty. None of this is established in the Bible.

However, in America, apostasy has reared its ugly head in the church. There are those who do not hold Christ in the highest of regard, as God in flesh, and because they fail to do that, they fail to understand the gospel, they fail to become saved, and they fail to understand what it means to be a Christian.

There is nothing wrong with ministering to the lost, but it is ALL FOR NOTHING if a false Christ and false hope of what it means to be a Christian is presented. So, I ask you, are you a Christian? DO YOU FOLLOW THE "TRUE" AND LIVING GOD AND SON? Do you trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins? Examine yourselves as the scripture says and lean in Christ alone for the salvation that is freely offered (Rom. 6:23).

So it's my decision whether I am saved or not? If I decide to "lean in Christ" I am saved, and if I decide not to, I don't get saved? Is this really what you're trying to say?

[_jordon3]

Hi Maklelan....love your questions. Man I love when people think and challenge. The truth will always prevail if one uses their God given brain lol. That said I obviously don't have all the answers. I believe your question is why Christians use the Bible and only the Bible as their source of truth and why they don't go by their feelings and emotions about what is true or not true. Maklelan this is an arbitary decision on behalf of Christians.

The Bible is made up of 66 books that were penned by 39 different men over a period of 1600 years. Yet it is the most historically accurate book known to man.
The New Testament has over 24,600 original manuscripts. The number two ancient book is Homer's "Iliad" which has 643 manuscripts.
The Bible has no internal contradictions and contains 1000's of prophecies that have been fulfilled.....ie contextually it is sound.

I could go on. This is just the beginning. research the Bible as a literary work (bibliographic test, internal test, external test, etc.) just like any other and you will be amazed at what you find. It is reliable - it could only be the work of God.

Check this out to start: http://www.newchristian.org.uk/ncbibleok.html

Then dig some more. It never ends. It is truly amazing.

[_jordon3]

whoops i meant to say this is NOT an arbitrary decision that Christians make about using only the Bible as their source of truth

[_maklelan]

Hi Maklelan....love your questions. Man I love when people think and challenge.

I appreciate that. Hopefully we can maintain this.

The truth will always prevail if one uses their God given brain lol. That said I obviously don't have all the answers. I believe your question is why Christians use the Bible and only the Bible as their source of truth and why they don't go by their feelings and emotions about what is true or not true. Maklelan this is an arbitary decision on behalf of Christians.

The Bible is made up of 66 books that were penned by 39 different men over a period of 1600 years. Yet it is the most historically accurate book known to man.

I disagree. The Bible is accurate in some places, but wildly inaccurate in others. For instance, what compels us to believe in a talking donkey? One would only accept that premise if they just arbitrarily decided to. There's no amount of evidence in heaven or on earth that could support the notion that Baalam spoke with a talking donkey, so why believe it? Broadly speaking, the Bible's historical narrative flatly contradicts well established understandings of ancient history and thought prior to around the time of David or Solomon, and after that the history only works in places. There are still many problems with it.

The New Testament has over 24,600 original manuscripts. The number two ancient book is Homer's "Iliad" which has 643 manuscripts.
The Bible has no internal contradictions and contains 1000's of prophecies that have been fulfilled.....ie contextually it is sound.

I have to disagree. There are numerous contradictions in the Bible, and one edited collection of books is not special for providing prophecies that are fulfilled within the same edited collection. Who is to say the editors or authors did not simply make up the fulfillment of those prophecies? As for contradictions, we could start with Acts 15:16-17 putatively quoting Amos 9:11-12 on the reestablishing of the house of David, but relying on a testimonia that gathers together a variety of verse fragments from different prophetic texts in v. 16 and then providing the mistranslated Septuagint version of v. 17. The Greek translator has misunderstood the word "Edom" as "adam," or "human," and the word "dispossess" as "seek." It also adds an object that was missing from the original when the object of the original verb was altered to become the subject of the new verb. James was demonstrably wrong about "the prophets" saying what he quoted.

I could go on. This is just the beginning. research the Bible as a literary work (bibliographic test, internal test, external test, etc.) just like any other and you will be amazed at what you find. It is reliable - it could only be the work of God.

I have researched the Bible as a literary and a historical work for quite some time now.

Check this out to start: http://www.newchristian.org.uk/ncbibleok.html

Then dig some more. It never ends. It is truly amazing.

I agree that the Bible is amazing, but probably not for the same reasons as you.

[_jordon3]

Maklelan....it's your choice not to believe in the accuracy of the Bible...no amount of convincing will change that. Personally I believe in A GOD that is fully capable and able to convey the spiritual information he wants us to understand and as accurately as is necessary to insure his WORD it available to mankind. Now you can get stuck on talking donkeys and such if you like. Frankly with some of the weird paranormal stuff going on around us I don't find anything that surprising ....

Is the Bible Historically Accurate?

By Daniel R. Vess



Throughout the years critics have attacked the Bible because it was filled with historical blunders. They viewed it as fictional and highly imaginative. At one time the records of secular history didn't mention some 47 kings found in the Bible.
If the book is inspired of God we can expect it to be historically correct. If the Bible is not accurate historically then is accurate concerning spiritual matters? This lesson will forcible demonstrate that the historical record of history and the Bible record are very compatible.
The Bible is not a history book. Nonetheless, whenever God's Word incidentally touches on any aspect of history it is always accurate. "Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history." (William F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religions of Israel, pp. 127,128). Merrill Unger wrote, "Old Testament archaeology has rediscovered whole nations, resurrected important peoples, and in a most astonishing manner filled in historical gaps, adding immeasurably to the knowledge of Biblical backgrounds." (Unger's Bible Dictionary, p. 15). "Archeology is a real help in understanding the Bible. It yields fascinating information which illustrates what might otherwise be obscured, and in some instances confirms what some might otherwise regard as doubtful." (Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe, p. 88).
Archaeology has in many cases refuted the views of modern critics. More than 25,000 sites showing some connection with the Old Testament period have been located in Bible lands. Dr. Robert Dick Wilson, former professor of Semitic philology at Princeton Theological Seminary, said, "After forty-five years of scholarly research in Biblical textual studies and in language study. I have come now to the conviction that no man knows enough to assail the truthfulness of the Old Testament. Where there is sufficient documentary evidence to make an investigation, the statements of the Bible, in the original text, have stood the test." Furthermore, the noted Dr. J.O. Kinnaman said, "of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by other archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts or denies one word, phrase, clause, or sentence of the Bible, but always confirms and verifies the facts of the Biblical record." If one discards the Bible as being unreliable, then he must discard almost all literature of antiquity.

PERIOD OF THE PATRIARCHS

Babylonian and Assyrian accounts of creation
These accounts are grossly polytheistic. Here are some translated phrases: "Seven tablets of creation", "chaos of water" called "the deep", "made the upper and lower firmaments", "established the heavens and the earth", on the sixth day "formed man out of the dust of the ground." The "seventh day" was appointed a "holy day", and "to cease from all business commanded".

Babylonian traditions of the fall of man
Many references are found with regard to the "tree of life".
The Story of Adapa contains many striking parallels: "Adapa, the seed of mankind" - "the wise man of Eridu" - "blameless" then he "offended the gods" - "through knowledge" - then he "became mortal" - "food of life he ate not" - the gods said, "he shall not rest" - "they clothed him with a morning garment". The Temptation Seal is an even closer parallel to the Biblical account: "in the center is the tree; on the right, a Man on the left a Woman, plucking fruit;" and behind her is a serpent standing erect.

Primeval Longevity
Methuselah lived 969 years; Jared, 962 years; Noah, 950 years and Adam 930 years. Berosus, a Babylonian historian of 300 B.C. used tablets he found in the Babylon. The names of ten pre-flood kings each reigning from 10,000 to 60,000 years. It concludes with: "in the time of Xisuthros, the Great Deluge occurred." The Weld Prism and Nippur Tablets name the ten Kings in a different language and a different type of chronology and calendar. Then it states, "Then the Flood overthrew the land."

Evidence of the Flood
The flood tablets were written between the flood and Abraham, found in Ur. They repeat expressions such as: "The flood"; "the age before the flood", and "inscriptions of the time before the flood."

Gilgamesh Epic
Gilgamesh was 5th King of the Erech Dynasty. He went to see Utnapishtim, the Babylonian Noah. Utnapishtim relates to him the story of the flood. "The assembly of the gods decided to send a Deluge. They said, On the sinner let his sin rest. O man of Shuruppak, build a ship, save your life. Construct it with six stories, each with seven parts. Smear it with bitumen inside and outside. Launch it upon the ocean. Take into the ship seed of life of every kind. I built it. With all that I had I loaded it, and with silver, gold, and all living things that I had. I embarked upon the ship with my family and kindred. I closed the door. The appointed time arrived. I observed the appearance of the day. It was terrible. All light was turned to darkness. The rains poured down. The storm raged; like a battle charge on mankind. The boat trembled. The gods wept. I looked out upon the sea. All mankind was turned to clay, like logs floating about. The tempest ceased. The flood was over. The ship grounded on Mt Zaair. On the seventh day I sent out a dove; it returned. I sent out a swallow; it returned. I sent out a raven, it alighted, it waded about; it croaked; it did not return. I disembarked. I appointed a sacrifice. The gods smelled the sweet savor. They said, Let it be done no more." (Halley's Bible Handbook, pp. 76,77). This visit was quite possible considering that Noah lived 350 years after the flood and died only two years before the birth of his tenth generation, Abraham.

Excavation of pre-flood cities
The cities of Ur, Kish and Nineveh all existed before and after the flood, but the comparison doesn't stop there. An expedition to the ancient site of Ur in 1929 led by Dr. C.L. Woolley found "underneath several strata of human occupation, a great bed of solid water-laid clay eight feet thick without admixture of human relic, with yet the ruins of another city buried beneath it." The pre-flood civilization was found to be so different that Woolley said it represented "a sudden and terrific break in the continuity of history."
At the cite of Kish, Dr. Stephen Landon found a water-laid bed of clay five feet thick. The relics found in the pre-flood strata were of a different culture containing four-wheeled chariots, wheels of wood, and copper nails. Nineveh, also had a water laid bed of clay eight feet thick.

The Hittite Nations
Forty-six times the Hittites are mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 3:10). No mention is made of them in secular history. Before the 20th century, many said this was a fictitious empire. A.A. Sayce suggested that he found Hittite writings in Syria. Hugo Winckler excavated Boghazkoy, the Hittite capital, in 1906. Over 10,000 tests were found. Now you can graduate with a doctorate degree in Hittitolgy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Cities visited by Abraham
Shechem, Bethel, Haran, and Gerar have all been excavated and proven to be in existence at Abraham's time. Even his home town of Ur has been discovered and excavated. An abundance of evidence surfaced to disprove the notion that Abraham's era was one of ignorance. Found were receipts for business transactions; temple hymns; others were mathematical tables with formulae for calculating square and cube roots as well as simpler sums. All these were strangely contemporary. According to Millar Burrows "...his name appears in Babylonia as a personal name in the very period to which be belongs." (What Mean These Stones?, p.259).

Seven years' famine
Sir Flinders Petrie in 1912 confirmed great granaries and Joseph's Palace. An Egyptian named Baba claims to have done for his city what the Bible said Joseph did for all Egypt (Gen. 41:47-57). Baba: "I collected corn, as a friend of the harvest god. And when a famine arose, lasting many years, I distributed corn to the city, each year of the famine."

EARLY ISRAELITE PERIOD

Bricks of Pithon
Expeditions of Pithon in 1908 found the bricks of the lower courses were filled with good chopped straw; the middle with stubble that had been plucked up by the root; that the upper courses were of pure clay.

Development of groups of Canaan
The Amorites came in 2,200 B.C. and were well established by the time of the wilderness wanderings (Num. 13:29). Philistines moved in about that time. Pottery from Rhodes and Cyprus found on a bed of ash. Invasion pushed the tribe of Dan north.

Joshua
The Amarna Tablet to Pharaoh asked concerning a safe route for King Pella. "Ask Benjamin, Ask Tadua, Ask Joshua." Thus confirming the identity of a Hebrew in a position of authority. Only Joshua the leader of the Israelites.

The Fall of Jericho
Jericho was excavated by Dr. John Garstang between 1930 and 1936. He found that the great wall was 12' think and the outer wall 12' thick both being thirty feet high, fell "down flat". "As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up land over their ruins into the city." (The Foundations of Bible History; Joshua, Judges, p. 146). Walls normally fall inward. "So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city (6:20).
Joshua chapter six and verse twenty-four says, "They burnt the city with fire". Garstang found charcoal and ash and pockets of white ash. God commanded them to "keep yourselves form the devoted thing" (6:18). Again, Garstang found storerooms full of food turned to charcoal by fire.

Conquest of Canaan
Joshua "burnt Hazor with fire" (11:11). Once more the archeologist's finds confirmed this with ashes with burnt pottery of 1400 B.C.
About 1380 B.C. an Amarna Tablet from an Egyptian envoy in northern Palestine written to Pharaoh for help: "Let my Lord the King recall what Hazor and its king have already had to endure."

THE PERIOD OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

David captured the Jebusite city
Kathleen Kenyon between 1961-1967 found the Jebusite walls. Captain Charles Warren found the water shaft through which Joab climbed to gain entrance to the city (2 Samuel 5:6-8).

Solomon's Kingdom
It has been found that Solomon used the same architectural design for the gate ways of Hazor, Gezer and Megiddo (I Kings 9:15). Larger stables for up to 500 horses were found at Megiddo (I Kings 9:15,18). The defeat of the Philistines opened the way for trade on the Philistine coast which helped in getting in the material for building the Temple. An excavation of Ezion-Geber found a blast furnace supporting the claim of Solomon's casting of metals. "The finest and largest smelting and refining plant ever discovered in the ancient Near East has been unearthed at the northwest corner of the site. It was provided with a complicated system of flues and air channels almost modern in aspect and function." (Nelson Glueck, "Ezion-"Geber," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Oct., 1939, p. 10).

THE PERIOD OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM

Ahab, King of Israel
Shalmaneser (860-825 B.C.) mentions Ahab: "I destroyed -- 2,000 chariots and 10,000 men of Ahab King of Israel."
Ahab's house of Ivory has been discovered (I Kings 22:39). A Harvard University expedition found the ruins of this house. Its walls had been faced with ivory. This same expedition (1931-35) also found in the palace courtyard an open cistern or pool measuring thirty- two and a half feet by seventeen feet; perhaps the one use to wash down Ahab's blood stained chariot (I Kings 22:38).
Jezebel "painted her eyes" (2 Kings 9:30). In the ruins of Ahab's ivory house was found saucers, small stone boxes. They contained traces of: kohl for black; turquoise for green; ochre for red, and a central depression for mixing.

Moabite Stone
Following the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israelite domination (Kings 3:1-4). The Moabite stone made in Moab in 850 B.C. was discovered by Klein in 1868. It is now at the Louvre in Paris. "I, Mesha, King of Moab, made this monument to Chemosh, to commemorate deliverance from Israel. My father reigned over. Moab 30 years, and I reigned after my father. Omri, King of Israel, oppressed Moab many days, and his son after him. But I warred against the king of Israel, and drove him out and took his cities..." (Halley, 202).

Hazael, King of Syria
Hazael overthrew the dynasty of Ben-hadad (2 Kings 8:7-15). An inscription of Shalmaneasar King of Assyria says: "I fought with Ben-Hadad. I accomplished his defeat. Hazael, son of a nobody, seized his throne."

Jehu, King of Israel
Layard found the "Black Obelisk" of Shalmaneser III; a block of black stone seven feet tall. At the top it shows Jehu bowing and paying tribute. This is the only depiction of a historical personage of Israel. It says, "the tribute of Jehu son of Omri, silver, gold, bowls of gold, chalices of gold, cups of gold, vases of gold, lead, scepter for the king, and spear-shafts, I have received." Jehu is the only king of Israel to be physically pictured on an archaeological discovery.

Sargon, King of Assyria
In Isaiah 20:1 it reads, "In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it." Secular records contained no mention of this monarch of Assyria. However in 1843 Emile Botta discovered the palace of Sargon at Khorsabad. The information uncovered indicated Sargon to be one of Assyria's greatest kings. A inscription further confirms the Biblical record: "Azuri, king of Ashdod, planned in his heart not to pay tribute. In my anger I marched against Ashdod with my usual bodyguard. I conquered Ashdod, and Gath. I took their treasures and their people. I settled in them people from the lands of the east. I took tribute from Philistia, Judah, Edom and Moab." (Halley, 288).

Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
A monument called the Prism of Sennacherib found in Nineveh has contains a record of his conquest of Judah (701 B.C.) "As for Hezekiah the Judahite, he did not submit to my yoke. I laid siege to forty-six of the his strong cities, walled forts, and to countless villages in their vicinity, and conquered them..I drove out over 200,000 people...Hezekiah himself I made prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage." Although there is no evidence in this record explaining his failure to capture Jerusalem or the destruction of his army.
Isaiah mocked Sennacherib in saying, "I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth..." (37:29), which is compatible with existing practices of those times.

Babylonian Destruction of Judea
A Babylonian Chronicle read by Dr. Wiseman in 1955 describes in brief detail of Nebuchadnezzar's military campaign against Judea. It gives the exact date of the capture of Jerusalem as March 16, 597 B.C.

Return from Captivity under Cyrus
Ezra begins his book with the proclamation of the Medo-Persian Cyrus. "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem." (1:1-4). A parallel account is record on the clay cylinder of Cyrus (538 B.C.).

THE NEW TESTAMENT PERIOD

Luke the Historian
One of the most renown archaeologist of all time, Sir William Ramsay said, "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy..this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." (The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the trustworthiness of the New Testament, p. 222). "Luke's history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness." (St. Paul the traveler and the Roman Citizen, p. 81).
Much of Luke's account of Jesus' birth has fallen under attack (Luke 3:1-3). However, archaeological discoveries prove that Romans did take censuses every fourteen years. Based on an inscription found in Antioch it was shown that Quirinius was governor of Syria in 6 A.D. A papyrus found in Egypt gives directions for the conduct of a census. "Because of the approaching census it is necessary that all those residing for any cause away from their homes should at once prepare to return to their own governments in order that they may complete the family registration of the enrollment and that the tilled lands may retain those belonging to them." 29/285.
Luke informs us that Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene when John the Baptist began his ministry. Secular history only knew of a King Lysanias, who was executed at Cleopatra's instigation in 36 B.C.. However, recently an inscription found at Abila near Damascus records a dedication to Nymphaeus, "freeman of Lysanias, the tetrarch" around the very time indicated by Luke. (F.F. Bruce, "Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament, p. 327).

Pontius Pilate
An inscription bearing he name of Pontius Pilate. A stone slab was uncovered in the Roman theater at Caesarea with the Latin words "Pointius Pilatus" and "Tiverius" in 1961.

Evidence from Corinth
Paul's epistle to the Romans was written in Corinth. He mentions a citizen of that city, Erastus, in Rom. 16:23. An ancient pavement was found in 1929 at Corinth said, "Erastus, curator of public buildings, laid this pavement at his own expense."
An inscription, "Synagogue of the Hebrews" dates from the time of Paul (Acts 18:4). Delphi inscription shows Gallio came to Corinth as proconsul in 51 A.D. (18:12). A Delphi inscription which states: "As Lucius Janius Gallio, my friend, and the Proconsul of Achaia..." (Howard Vos, Can I Trust My Bible? p. 180). His judgement seat (bema) was excavated in the agora (market place). Also in the agora were shops called macellum (meat markets) and piscario (fish market). Paul correctly used makellum in I Cor. 10:25.

In Asia
Barnabas and Paul were called Zeus and Hermes respectively in Lystra (Acts 14:11). Near Lystra an inscription to Zeus and a statue of Hermes were found.

From Jerusalem
An inscription found at Jerusalem in Greek and Latin reads: "No foreigner may enter within the barrier which surrounds the temple and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will be personally responsible for his ensuing death." This is comparable to the Biblical situation with follows: "crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar" (Acts 21:28-31).


CONCLUSION
Could all of this been fabricated by Biblical writers? The evidence from archaeology says NO! As quoted in the New York Times, Dr. Nelson Gluech said, "No archaeological discovery has ever been made that contradicts or controverts historical statements in Scripture." (Book Review, Oct. 18, 1956). Henry M. Morris observes: "...there exists today not one unquestionable find of archaeology that proves the Bible to be in error at any point." (The Bible and Modern Science, p. 95). Every day archeologist and historians are uncovering more and more evidence that the Bible is historically accurate.
If the Bible is so accurate historically how much more is it in guiding man spiritually

[_SteelHead]

Oh yeah, let's validate the Bible with non scholarly junk science!

Did Moses write the Pentateuch?