Historical accounts against the Bible arises in 18th century as a result of the Dark Ages. We note that there are a lot arguments against the veracity of the persons and places mentioned in the scriptures. But Christians were silent about this, so God allows the archaeological findings spoke during the 19th century. Those "higher criticism" which questions the validity and veracity of the information in the Bible were discredited by the findings of archaeology. This week will be digging deeper on the historical and archaeological evidences of the Bible. This SSL will discuss the following; A. A proven story, 1. The First kings, 2. The Assyrian Invasion, 3. Babylon, 4. Jesus, B. A Reliable Story.

Memory Text:

I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. {Exo. 20:2; Deut. 5:6}

Prayer Thought:

Its Study Builds Character.--The lessons of the Bible have a moral and religious influence on the character, as they are brought into the practical life. Timothy learned and practiced these lessons. The great apostle often drew him out and questioned him in regard to Scripture history. He showed him the necessity of shunning every evil way and told him that blessing would surely attend all who are faithful and true, giving them a faithful, noble manhood. A noble, all-round manhood does not come by chance. It is the result of the molding process of character building in the early years of youth, and a practice of the law of God in the home. God will bless the faithful efforts of all who teach their children as He has directed. {CG 41.3}

A. Proven Story:

The monarchy of David and Solomon represents the golden age in Israel's history.

God had directed men to disperse throughout the earth, to replenish and subdue it; but these tower-builders determined to keep their community united in one body, and to found a monarchy which should eventually embrace the whole earth. {RH, December 10, 1903 par. 2}

The prophecy was fulfilled, the weak "shall be as David," and David "as the angel of the Lord." Every Christian saw in his brother the divine similitude of benevolence and love. One interest prevailed. One object swallowed up all others. Every pulse beat in healthy concert. The only ambition of the believers was to see who could reveal most perfectly the likeness of Christ's character, who could do the most for the enlargement of His kingdom. "The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul." The Spirit of Christ animated the whole congregation; for they had found the pearl of great price. {ST, December 1, 1898 par. 8}

1. The First Kings

“Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.” (1 Samuel 17:1)

David, Solomon and the Monarchy

• Without David there would no Jerusalem, the capital of the nation {2Sam 5:6-10}
• Without David there would be no temple built by his son, Solomon {1Kings 8:17-20}
• Without David there would be no Messiah, for it is through the line of David that a Messiah is promised {Jer. 23:5, 6; Rev. 22:16}
• Without David there will be no Davidic Kingdom that will be established in the last days {Dan. 2:44, 45, 35}
• additional study: https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/6-the-establishment-of-the-kingdom-of-glory?fbclid=IwAR37XHET9N_eH_n833Pao_IKyvKkV9bwFuQPUQpJdjI48p4AbKkbNo5fWbY#h.p_d7enquH12C_0

The first king of Israel proved a failure, because he set his will above the will of God. Through the prophet Samuel the Lord instructed Saul that as king of Israel his course of action must be one of strictest integrity. Then God would bless his government with prosperity. But Saul refused to make obedience to God his first consideration, and the principles of heaven the government of his conduct. He died in dishonor and despair. {CC 174.5}

Historical and Archaeological Evidences:

— Kings David and Solomon were considered mythical for some time. Later, the location of Ephes Dammim (current Khirbet Qeiyafa), Socoh, Azekah and Elah (Saul's camp) was found.

— The fight between David and Goliath took place in an real place between real armies.

— The name of one of Saul's sons (Esh-Baal, 1Chr. 8:33) was found written on a pot made around 1000 BC. The house of David is mentioned in an inscription of Hazael, king of Damascus.

2. The Assyrian Invasion

“Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.” (Isaiah 36:1)

When Sennacherib, the haughty Assyrian, reproached and blasphemed God, and threatened Israel with destruction, “it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an (185,000) hundred fourscore and five thousand.” There were “cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains,” from the army of Sennacherib. “So he returned with shame of face to his own land.” [2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chronicles 32:21.] {GC88 511.3}

The Assyrians, having humbled the ten tribes, returned for a season to their own land. {PK 287.1}

"So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria," "because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded." 2 Kings 17:7, 11, 14-16, 20, 23; 18:12. {PK 292.1}

In the terrible judgments brought upon the ten tribes the Lord had a wise and merciful purpose. That which He could no longer do through them in the land of their fathers He would seek to accomplish by scattering them among the heathen. His plan for the salvation of all who should choose to avail themselves of pardon through the Saviour of the human race must yet be fulfilled; and in the afflictions brought upon Israel, He was preparing the way for His glory to be revealed to the nations of earth. Not all who were carried captive were impenitent. Among them were some who had remained true to God, and others who had humbled themselves before Him. Through these, "the sons of the living God" (Hosea 1:10), He would bring multitudes in the Assyrian realm to a knowledge of the attributes of His character and the beneficence of His law. {PK 292.2}

Historical and Archaeological Evidences:

— In 701 BC, Sennacherib invaded Judah. He destroyed Lachish and besieged Jerusalem. An account of the destruction of Lachish was found in his palace.

— The "Sennacherib's Annals" tell how he couldn't conquer Jerusalem, but "as for Hezekiah the Judean, I shut him in his city like a bird in a cage."

3. Babylon

“The king spoke, saying, 'Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?'” (Daniel 4:30)

https://sites.google.com/view/sabbathschoolmeatindueseason/2020-q1-daniel/5-from-pride-to-humility?authuser=0#h.p_bM61q9gZpBEv

About a year after the king received the warning, he was walking in his palace, thinking of his power as the ruler of earth's greatest kingdom. And the king spake, and said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of my kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" {7MR 67.3}

When Nebuchadnezzar glorified himself, and did not give praise to God, he was made an example before the world of how God regards this spirit of self-exaltation. As he walked in the palace of his kingdom, he said, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" But there was an unseen watcher that marked his spirit and recorded his words, and a voice fell from heaven, saying, "O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." {RH, June 18, 1889 par. 16}

Historical and Archaeological Evidences:

— The Greek historian Herodotus (5^th Century BC) thought that Sammuramat was the queen of Babylon, and that she rebuilt it and made it great. He didn't know about Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar.

— Today we know that Sammuramat was the queen of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon, and Belshazzar was co-reigned with his father Nabonidus.

— The Ishtar Gate was one of the gates to the inner city of Babylon. It's currently displayed in the Pergamon Museum in Germany.

4. Jesus

“And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.” (Matthew 27:2)

As one becomes acquainted with the history of the Redeemer, he discovers in himself serious defects; his unlikeness to Christ is so great that he sees the necessity for radical changes in his life. Still he studies with a desire to become like his great Exemplar. He catches the looks, the spirit, of his beloved Master. By beholding, by "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith," he becomes changed into the same image. It is not by looking away from him that we imitate the life of Jesus, but by talking of him, by dwelling upon his perfections, by seeking to refine the taste and elevate the character, by trying, through faith and love, and by earnest, persevering effort, to approach the perfect Pattern. By having a knowledge of Christ,--his words, his habits, and his lessons of instruction,--we borrow the virtues of the character we have so closely studied, and become imbued with the spirit we have so much admired. Jesus becomes to us "the chiefest among ten thousand," the One "altogether lovely". {RH, March 15, 1887 par. 12}

Historical and Archaeological Evidences:

— Higher criticism also questioned the existence of Jesus. They alleged a lack of historical records of Him or His contemporaries (Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, etc.).

— Later, a monument from the 1^st Century showing the next inscription was found: “Pontius Pilate, governor of Judaea.”

— The funerary box of Caiaphas and his family has also been found. These findings corroborate the story in the gospels, and in the account of historian Flavius Josephus.

— Again, the Bible is proven to be historically reliable.

5. A Reliable Story

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets.” (Hebrews 11:32)

The Lord sent Gideon and Barak, and "Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt safe." Yet when threatened with danger they had declared, "A king shall reign over us," when, said the prophet, "Jehovah your God was your King." {PP 614.4}

"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; . . . and Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. {Ed 158.1}

For More evidences through Archaeological findings:

From the Pen of Inspiration:

• "God has permitted a flood of light to be poured upon the world in discoveries in science and art; but when professedly scientific men lecture and write upon these subjects from a merely human standpoint, they will assuredly come to wrong conclusions. […] Those who doubt the reliability of the records of the Old and New Testaments, will be led to go a step farther, and doubt the existence of God; and then, having let go their anchor, they are left to beat about upon the rocks of infidelity.” {3SM 307}