The Preservation of the Bible

MEMORY VERSE: “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.” —Mark 13:31

JEREMIAH 36:27,28,32; JOHN 21:24,25; II PETER 3:15-18

THE Bible is formed of many books, written by many men, over a period of many hundreds of years. Much of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, is historical in nature. Another large portion is devotional in character; that is, it sets forth the various ramifications of what it means to be wholly devoted to God and to the doing of his will. In this category are also the many promises of God to guide and strengthen his people in their every time of need.

The Bible also contains many prophecies. Many of the Old Testament prophecies deal with the experiences of the nation of Israel and their surrounding neighbors. Many of these prophecies are short-range in nature, and their fulfillment occurred in some instances during the generation to which they were addressed.

And then there are long-range prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments concerning the outworking of God’s great plan of the ages. “The times of restitution,” for example, the period (luring which the human race will be restored to perfection of life on the earth, and given an opportunity to live forever in the restored paradise, was foretold by all God’s holy prophets since the world began.—Acts 3:19-21

The doctrines, or teachings, which reveal God’s divine plan of the ages are also contained in the Bible. These show God’s purpose in the creation of man; the penalty for sin; why Jesus’ death as man’s Redeemer was necessary; the “heavenly calling” of the followers of Jesus; the first and second advents of Jesus and their purpose, and man’s recovery from sin and death during the thousand-year reign of Christ, to name a few.

Throughout the ages God has preserved his written Word. Its enemies have endeavored to discredit and to destroy it, but the Bible lives on. Jeremiah (36:27,28,32) tells us of an effort in his day to destroy a portion of God’s Word which he had been commissioned to write. By instructions of the Lord, Jeremiah had written a roll of threatening prophecies. The King of Israel was displeased and had the roll destroyed, thinking, apparently, that the calamities which it foretold could be averted simply by destroying the prophecies.

But the Lord commanded Jeremiah to write another scroll, which he did. It contained all that the original roll did, “and there were added besides unto them many like words.” Thus this very early attempt to destroy a portion of the Word of God was thwarted; as have been the efforts of all the enemies of the Word of God throughout the ages.

John 21:25 (a part of the assignment for this lesson) is spurious, not being found in the oldest Greek manuscript.

The Apostle Peter reminds us (II Pet. 3:15-18) that in Paul’s writings there are some things hard to be understood. The unlearned and unstable, he explains, wrest these Scriptures and therefore destroy their real meaning. He admonishes us to “beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.”

Our memory verse is an interesting one. It is an assurance that the Lord’s words will never pass away—“Heaven and earth shall pass away,” Jesus said, but not his words. The testimony of the prophecies is that the word “heaven” when used as here, denotes the religious aspects of a social order, and the word “earth,” the civil. Jesus said further of this day that then “the sun shall he darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.” (Mark 13:24,25) The powers of heaven; that is, of spiritual control over the people, are even now passing away; thus the prophecy of Jesus stands true.

QUESTIONS

What is the general format of the Bible?

How did the Lord preserve a part of his Word in Jeremiah’s day?

Is John 21:25 true?

What does Peter say about the writings of Paul?

Will the literal heavens and earth ever pass away?

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