Blind Faith or Steadfast Assurance?

"For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one great, He swore by Himself, saying, „I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.‟ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise… [Therefore], we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner" (Hebrews 6:13-14, 18-20). Perhaps one of the most important questions one can ask is, how can we know which book or writing that claims to be the Word of God really is what it claims to be? There are literally thousands of religions in the world today, nearly all of which have their own so called sacred writings. I believe that the only way to know which book or sacred writing is the Word of God is to ask a very simple question. Which one requires steadfast assurance over blind faith? The answer for me is clear—only the Bible. Any other book or writing that claims to be the Word of God or an additional testament of Christ all have one thing in common—they all require blind faith. One of them requires a so called burning in the bosom. But only the Bible offers steadfast assurance that it and it alone is truly the Word of the true and living God—to the exclusion of all other books or writings that claim to be such! This steadfast assurance comes from the precise fulfillment of past prophecies. In fact, the God of the Bible is so certain that only the Bible and He alone can accurately predict future events, that He challenges anyone to put Him to the test: "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, „My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure‟" (Isaiah 46:9-10). Here God challenges us to recall all the past history of fulfilled biblical prophecies—all of which are ample evidence that He alone is God and the Bible alone is His Word.

Mark Hitchcock says, "In order to accurately predict the future, one must be omniscient (know everything), omnipresent (be present everywhere), and omnipotent (possess all power). The true [God] must know all things, must be present at all times and places, and must possess all power so as to make sure the prediction is fulfilled. Only the true God [of the Bible] meets these prerequisites, so only He can accurately forecast the future. He has proven His ability to tell the future by compiling a 100 percent track record." And because of this 100 percent track record of fulfilled prophecies, we can rest assured with steadfast assurance that the remaining prophecies of the Bible yet unfulfilled will be fulfilled just as literally and completely as those that have already been fulfilled. Today, there are so many end-times related prophecies converging that it is hard to keep up with it all. These prophecies deal with the rise of the European super-state, the Israeli-Palestinian problem including the whole peace process, the worldwide economic problems, the march towards globalism and some type of global governance, and the gathering storm clouds concerning Iran‟s quest to obtain nuclear weapons coupled with their threats to wipe Israel off the map. Jesus, speaking about these things said, "So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door" (Matt. 24:33). In other words, know that the Bible is truly God‟s Word and His return is very near.

Clearly, the Bible has an unparalleled, unrivaled track record. No other book or writing that claims to be God‟s Word comes close. No other so called prophet can measure up. The Bible has "written by God" all over it. Fulfilled prophecy proves once and for all that the Bible and it alone, is the Word of the true and living God! So my question is this: With all the evidence, why would anyone be so ignorant to continue to pursue, with blind and useless faith, a book, religion or belief system that has been clearly shown to be false? I simply do not understand it. Why would anyone base their whole eternal future on blind faith? Why would anyone cling to a so called "burning in the bosom" or any other feeling rather than on the steadfast assurance that the Bible and it alone is God‟s full, complete and final revelation of Himself to you and me? The writer of Hebrews says, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner" (Heb. 6:19-20). His point is simply this: The Bible is God‟s Word and Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be—the Son of God, God in human flesh, and our only hope for forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. If you have not previously done so, my challenge to you is that you believe the promises of Scripture and receive the free gift of eternal life in Christ. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).