The popular story in modern culture is the Bible is just collection of ancient myths and legends and that it has been corrupted and highly manipulated over time. Why should anyone who understands these claims believe anything it says. Well, what if those claims were actually lies intended ot mislead us?

• What if there was extensive archeological evidence for the places, people, and activities described in the Bible? This tells us the Bible is talking about real people, places, and activities. We should at least take it seriously as a book of history.  
• What if there was clear traceability of each change in the biblical text across thousands of years of careful copying? What if we had a very early complete copy to compare to ? What if none of the changes over time had any significant impact to the primary messages?  Would that make it a well preserved docment?  It Does.
• What if the earlier writings of the bible predicted specific events would take place, and those events took place exactly as written, years, decades, centuries, or even thousands of year later.  Would that make the Bible more credible? Is that evidence the Bible has a divine source and is The Word of God?  Only God can predict the future and then make it happen.

Lets look at these aspects of evidence that help us understand the bible as a well preserved historical record describing real people, places, and events,  It has been well preserved and we know with high degrees of confidence what the original writers wrote, and that it must have a divine origin because only God can predict the future and have it come true over and over and over again.

Archeological Evidence for Bible Places, People, and Activities

There is substantial archeological evidence for the Bible stories and for Jesus but it is not widely known.

The following is a list of facts that have been substantiated with archeological evidence outside of the bible. Each contains a link to either a reference document or a video describing this discovery:

Israelites / Worshipers of God YEWEH / Wandering in the dessert

• A hieroglyphic inscription at the temple of Soleb describes a land of the nomadic followers of YAWEH dating from 1500BC (Video)
• A hieroglyphic inscription on a stele in the Egyptian tomb of Merenptah recognizes a people of Israel with no king in 1210 BC (Video)
• Curse tablet from Joshua’s alter in Schecem references YAWEH in ancient Hebrew from 1200 BC (Video)

Unified Period – Tabernacle 

• Shiloh has pottery with Hebrew dated from time of Samuel and the Tabernacle ~1000 BC  (Video)

Sin and Judgement for Sin

• The Amorites sacrificed babies and children at alters (Video)
• Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone from above. (Video1, Video2)
• Ninevah was controlled by Assyrians, Jonah was sent to address sin and depravity. It is located in Mosul in Iraq (Video)(Article) 

Jericho established, Destruction by Joshua approx 1400BC

• Location, Collapse of Wall, City burned but not plundered, Abandoned for a period per the curse – approx 1406 BC  (Video)

Omri and Ahab were Kings of Israel, Moabites and Hittites were real people, Shiloh was a real place

• Moab stone inscription describes relationships (Video)
• Tablets document Hittite nation (Video)

King David 

• There was a King David (David’s Tomb Video 1, Video 2, Inscription referencing House of David)
• There were huge/giant people living in Gath in David’s time. ie David vs Goliath (Video)

City of David

• The City of David has been discovered and excavated verifying many details from the bible (Video Tour1, Tour 2, Tour3)
• Pool of Siloam – 50Mx50M ritual bath for millions of pilgrims visiting 3x per year, and place where the blind man washed Jesus’ mud from his eyes and gained sight
• Hezekiah’s tunnel to divert water from the single spirng under the city into the Siloam pool (Video)
• The pilgrimage road up to the temple mount with shops on each side (Tour)
• Coins minted in the second year of the rebellion against Rome, referencing Solomon’s original temple
• Destruction in 70AD at the hands of Romans – charred remains, bodies found hiding in tunnels

Temple Mount

• Mt Moriah,  where Abraham was willing to offer his son in faith before God offered a replacement. This is now the temple mount
• Original temple mount location established (Video) 

Assyrian Conquest of Israel, Refugees from 10 tribes flee to Judah

• Nineveh was a real place, created by Assyrians, currently called Mosoul in Iraq. ie Jonah and the wale. (Video)
• Hezekiah’s wall built in Jeruselum to acccomodate refugees, Assyrians attacked Judah and failed (Video).

Babylonian Conquest of Judah, Exile in Babylon

• David’s decendants were taken captive by Babylonians and lived in exile (Video).

Cyrus defeat of Babylon, Decendants return to Jeruselum, Babylon never reinhabited

• Cyrus sent decendants to Jeruselum to rebuild temple (Cyrus Cylinder Video)
• Babylon was never reinhabited after its destruction (Video)

Roman Occupation

• Harrod built a palace, a dedicated city gate, and it had a courtyard with a raised Judgement Seat (Video)

Jesus Birth in Bethlehem

• Micah 5 prophesy in 700 BC of Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, a copy dated 125 BC found in dead sea scrolls, (Video)
• Specific cave identified as birthplace – Archeology, Historical sources, Very early Tradition – Justin Martyr 150AD, Origen 248AD, Constantine 320AD, etc.

Jesus Life / Death

• Nazereth existed in time of Jesus (Nazareth House Video)
• Cesar Augustus ordered an empire wide census to begin in 8 BC, Judea was included in this census process
• Capernaum, Synagog, Peter’s house (Jesus’ home base) estblsihed from time of Jesus (Video)
• Inscription from ~400 AD in Kursi, Land of Gederenes, identified as locition of Miracle of the Swine  (Article)
• Jacob’s well at Shechem in Samaria has been recognized since its creation (Video) 
• Pontius Pilot was Governor (Video)
• Crucifiction was a real roman punishment (Video showing preserved ankle bones / hand bones / nails used)
• Jesus was a real person crucified by the Romans

Christians were persecuted from the beginning

• There were hundreds of followers of Jesus who were convinced enough to accept death in the 1st century AD
• Christians worshiped in caves  – inscription “Jesus is With Us” in a cave from 200 AD (Video)
• Dead Sea scrolls hidden by Christians hiding under seige in a cave in 70 AD (Documentary)
• City of Ephesus in Turkey excavated – Was subject of Ephesians and One of the churches in Revelation – eventually destroyed by fire (Video)

A collection of videos talking about this archeology is available on my YouTube playlist: Is the bible Fact of fiction?

The bible is full of metaphone and exaggeration, but we now have plenty of evidence to show that the people, places and activities described in the Bible were real and we at least need to consider the bible as a historical record. 

Prophesies fulfilled

Lets look at another item on our list – prophesies fulfilled. Only God can predict the future, so if biblical prophets accurately predicted the arrival of Jesus and the circumstances of his life and death,  that would be pretty amazing. How many prophesies did they make,  2 or 3 ? I found a list of 25. And some claim there are 60 or even 320. Let’s look at the 25 predictions about Jesus coming and note when they were written:

#1. 4000 B.C. Jesus would have a mother but not father

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

No mention of an earthly father, unlike the rest of Genesis genealogies

#2. 1400 B.C. Jesus’ family line

Genesis 12:3 “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you [Abraham].”

Genesis 17:19 God said, “…your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him…[not Ishmael, the 1st born]

#3. 700 B.C. Jesus’ virgin mother

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

#4. 700 B.C. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times [pre-existed creation].”

#5. 700 B.C. Jesus’ sinless life

Isaiah 53:9 “. . . he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.”

#6. 700 B.C. Jesus’ family fleeing to Egypt and returning

Hosea 11:1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

#7. 400 B.C. Jesus entering the Temple

Malachi 3:1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. so the predicted Messiah must have already come

#8. 700 B.C. Jesus’ way prepared by John the Baptist

Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”

#9. 700 B.C. Jesus’ performing miracles

Isaiah 35:5–6 “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

#10. 500 B.C. Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous & having salvation, gentle & riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

#11. 1000 B.C. Jesus’ betrayal by a friend

Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

#12. 500 B.C. Jesus’ betrayal for 30 pieces of silver thrown in the Temple

Zechariah 11:12–13 “…they paid me 30 pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter.”

The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. so this has to be a past event. The new testament records Jesus was betrayed by 30 pieces of silver.

#13. 700 B.C. Jesus beaten and abused

Isaiah 50:6 “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”

#14. 1000 B.C. Jesus’ clothing gambled for

Psalm 22:18 “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

#15. 700 B.C. Jesus hated and rejected

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, & familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, & we esteemed him not.”

#16. 700 B.C. Jesus not defending Himself

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

#17. 1000 B.C. Predicts Jesus’ crucifixion before crucifixion was invented

Psalm 22:16 “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”

This is written Hundreds of years before the Persians started impaling people around 800 B.C, and before the romans invented crucifixion..

#18. 700 B.C. Jesus’ death with sinners

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.”

#19. 1400 B.C., 1000 B.C. Jesus’ bones not broken

Exodus 12:46 “Do not break any of the [Passover lamb’s] bones.”

Psalm 34:20 “. . . he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

#20. 1000 B.C. Jesus forsaken by God

Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”

#21. 700 B.C. Jesus’ death

Isaiah 53:8b “For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.”

#22. 700 B.C. Jesus buried with the rich

Isaiah 53:9 “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.”

#23. 1000 B.C., 700 B.C. Jesus’ resurrection

Psalm 16:10 “…you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

Isaiah 53:10–11 “…though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering [death], he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…”

#24. 1000 B.C. Jesus’ ascent into heaven.

Psalm 68:18 “When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train.”

#25. 1000 B.C. Jesus seated at the Father’s right hand

Psalm 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”

These 25 predictions of the messiah coming were written hundreds or thousands of years before Jesus appeared on the scene. Only God can predict the future and he did it over and over in the bible, this is just one series of predictions that come true. The bible is the word of God and should be taken seriously. Read it and seek to understand its messages.