“How is it possible for a book, the Bible, to support its own self proclaimed evidence?” Bible harmony, or unity, is one thing that supports Bible inspiration. The Bible is divided into two sections. The Old Testament has 39 books – Genesis to Malachi. The New Testament has 27 books – Matthew to Revelation.
The first five books were written by Moses about 1500 B.C. The last book, Revelation, was written by John the apostle near the close of the first century A.D. Therefore, the writings span a period of about 1600 years. Moses and John were only two of 40 men who wrote down God’s word. The Bible was originally written in two languages – Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament.
Common themes are “Jesus is coming”, “He came”, and “He is coming again.” Common need is “Man is in sin and needs a Savoir” – Romans 3:9, 23. The common purpose is to show men in each age how to please God.
How can this amazing unity be explained? The 40 writers were from differing cultures, geographical, and educational backgrounds. They worked independently and many never met another writer of the Bible. They didn’t all use the same language. The books were 66 independent compositions.
All these factors, which would work against unity of human production, had no ill effects upon the Bible. When collected into one volume, a perfect harmony of theme and teaching became apparent. The Old Testament foretells the coming of Christ and His kingdom. The New Testament announces His arrival and kingdom and looks forward to His second coming. Perfect harmony supports the Bible’s claim to be from God.
Gary Dull