More proof of God?

When reading History--any history--it is wise to remember one specific thing: all history is written for a purpose.  Today, I was reading some writings of the Roman historian Tacitus.  I checked out volume 15 of 1952's Britannica Great Books series the other weekend and finally got around to opening this one.  The reason I checked it out in the first place was to gather secondary source information about history besides the Biblical account.


First, there are some really boring accounts written in this book!  However, there are some extremely interesting histories written down, too.  Now I don't think I need 'prove' that the Bible is accurately presenting history, 'cause if it was wrong, someone would have done it by now.  And truth be told, you'd have heard about it, too!  It is a fact that the Bible presents an accurate version of history.

So what is my proof of God?  I often relate this simple fact when in conversation (with believers or non-believers): God exists because the Jewish people still exist.  He said that He would keep His chosen nation forever, and, well--here they still are.  We don't hear about any modern Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites,  Edomites, or any of the other ancient races and ethnic tribes written about in history, do we?  Indeed, reading Tacitus' accounts of the Roman conquer of Judea and the subsequent fall of Jerusalem under soon-to-be-Emperor Titus, it is easily gleaned that centuries of people hated the Jews, the "most contemptible of the subject tribes," and sought to absorb them into the surrounding peoples on more than one occasion (Tacitus Histories, Book V).  Tacitus has a very difficult time concealing his spite as, "(o)ur indignation was heightened by the circumstance that the Jews alone had not submitted."  They hated them for, yep, the exact same reason God tells them in the Bible--they are to be a separate and holy nation, unique out of the surrounding peoples.

Surely, as an unbeliever you may scoff that these histories coincide, saying it proves little more than Jewish arrogance.  But what is clearly fascinating is that, when delving deeper and deeper into details of history, the fact that the nations of Jews still exists today owes much to circumstances that often seem miraculous!  Tacitus presents many examples of 'coincidental' circumstances in this book; but that is one book of many, all the way through World War II and yes, right up to today.  Indeed, the Bible foretells that God will continue to protect Jerusalem until the Day when Jesus roars back into History!  What seems like coincidence is exactly how God acts in the world.  But don't take my word for it... The Bible as History is written for a reason.  (The reason is to tell you that God loves you in this way: that He sent His one and only Son to die as payment for your sins, the sins that you would otherwise pay for yourself!  This is the Good News!  He made it so simple for us too: simply believe.)

I will be sharing some discoveries in the coming months about further evidence that the God of the Bible is indeed the Creator of the Universe; evidence that, as the different books of the Bible were being written over 2000+ years, the amazing intelligence and understanding--in comparison to the contemporary people-groups of the time!--were beyond then-current human knowledge.  This lends further support to the claim that the Bible is revealed to mankind (besides the prophetic fulfillments, accurate and corroborated history, and the sheer elegance of how the Old and New Testaments mesh together) rather than just written like the rock-worshipers that surrounded them--including the Philistines.