The limousine sped along the dirt road. The next scene followed the car from a different angle, but there was something different. I paused the movie and replayed the scene. Yes! The roof of the car was missing the satellite antenna, present in the first but not the second scene. It was a movie from 1973 and car phones were a rarity, reserved for the rich and powerful and required an antenna conspicuously placed on the roof or trunk of a car. Because of this, the error was obvious, at least to my eyes.
It was the first time I noticed an error in a movie. I am sure if I looked for these errors, they would be easy to find as dozens of social media sites can attest. Many popular movies and television series have entire websites and social media pages dedicated to pointing out the errors and inconsistencies. Some are minor like the missing car antenna. Others are serious, like an actor wearing a wrist watch when the setting is ancient Rome.
Not surprisingly, there are many websites also dedicated to exposing the supposed errors in the Bible. These sites are an attempt to prove the Bible is fallible and therefore, God is also fallible. Before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I pored over much of the Bible looking for errors and read books that would challenge the inerrancy of the Bible. My premise was how could a book written by fallible humans contain the infallible and inerrant Word of God? How indeed?
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NIV)
As is so often the case, I was asking the wrong question. The Bible was physically written by fallible humans but they were directed by God, the Holy Spirit. In other words, God Himself, wrote the Bible. Many so-called errors can easily be resolved when reading the original Hebrew or Greek texts of the Bible. Others can be resolved by the still emerging archaeological records. But the vast majority of so-called errors can be disproven if one simply reads a Bible passage within the context of the entire Bible. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, it is recorded that two men (angels) were in the empty tomb of Jesus.
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
Luke 24:4 (NIV)
In the Gospel of Matthew, only one angel was mentioned.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
Matthew 28:2-3 (NIV)
Critics are quick to point out the discrepancy and error, but is it? Luke recorded two angels present. Matthew only mentioned one but this does not exclude the possibility that there were two angels present. As in any eyewitness account, there are different viewpoints. Reading both accounts shows the harmony and consistency of the Bible.
Looking for errors.
Everything that we create will inevitably have errors. Everything that God creates is perfect, inerrant and infallible. The more one investigates, the more the absolute Truth of the Bible is confirmed.
Amen!
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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