This week’s class presentation will continue our focus on seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. Then, for the apologetics portion of the class, we will look at the evidence from the field of archeology with some top finds for both the Old and New Testaments. We will end with our Bible study in the book of Judges chapters 13 through 16. This website will post basic answers for the Bible study the week following the class for your review.

As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done effectively if we know what God’s Word teaches, especially the big picture that always points to Jesus! All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, an “apologetics” presentation, and a Bible study section.

You will find the presentation notes and the Bible study survey format questions here, and basic answers to the Bible study will be posted during the week following each class for your review and as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s class presentation:

2025 A Case for the Bible, The Story Continues

Presentation Notes

Review and Discuss

Prayer Cards: Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have (exchange with your table group at the end of the evening).

1. Where is Jesus in the Old Testament? Give the main tag line: Jesus is…
2. Memory Verses:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

Fulfilled…

From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.  John 13:19 (NASB)

 

“The blood [of the lamb] shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13 (NASB)

Fulfilled…

“The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  John 1:29 (NASB)

SEEING JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Every book of the Bible points to Jesus! He is The Word

Jesus in the Old Testament…

Spend this next week studying the tag line for each of the Old Testament books from Genesis through Daniel, we will add in the minor prophets next week. See Allen Parr’s presentation on “How Jesus Is Hidden In Every Book of The Old Testament”

A Christian Apologetic Tool
MAPS-S

Manuscript Evidence: Seven strong lines of researchable evidence

1. Exceptional historical and literary support
2. Excellent transmission over time
3. Accurate translations
4. Thorough canonization process – no inspired books are left out
5. Contains multiple eyewitness accounts
6. Authentication by both Christian and non-Christian sources
7. The science of textual criticism eliminates errors in the copies

A Christian Apologetic Tool
MAPS-S

A = Archeological Evidence

Archeology: “The Scientific study of material remains of past human life and activities.”  –Miriam Webster

How do we date things in Archeology?

They look at the context of the find that includes…

1. The geographic area of the find
2. Strata level
3. Historical references
4. Carbon dating (and other dating methods)
5. Coinage, pottery and other artifacts specific to the time period

Some facts about Archeology and the Bible:

• Archeology uncovers physical evidence like coinage, pottery, and sculptures from dig sites that help confirm ancient cities, fortresses, people, and events
• Uncovered artifacts directly or indirectly give support to both Old and New Testament accounts
• Since the Bible contains historical narration many scholars and archeologist have used Biblical references to uncover truths about events, times, people, and places in both secular and Biblical history
• To date there have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that support a variety of Biblical accounts, both Old and New Testaments
• No valid archeological find (zero) has ever contradicted a Biblical account
• Excavated examples include: The walls of Jericho; Dead Sea Scrolls; David’s buildings and inscription; various monuments, statues and inscriptions; and a first century crucifixion victim

“Archeology helps us find background support that confirms Biblical accounts; anchors the foundations of recorded Biblical events in the reality of the times and cultures they were written in; and increases our confidence in God’s revelation when the truth of Scripture is tied to real historical events.”

– Dr. Walter Kaiser, Jr., Old Testament Scholar and Author

“The geography of Bible lands and visible remains of antiquity were gradually recorded until today more than 25,000 sites within this region and dating to Old Testament times, in their broadest sense, have been located…”

 – Donald J. Wiseman, “Archaeological Confirmation of the Old Testament,” in C.F.H. Henry, “Revelation and the Bible”

Old Testament Archeology

1. Skeptics have claimed that stories in the Old Testament are just myths, especially in Genesis, since there is no outside record of places like Sodom and Gomorrah

• The most significant find in the twenty-first century is the discovery of the location of Sodom and the other ‘Cities of the Plain’ at the northern end of the Dead Sea—Dr. Steven Collins is the Director of the Tall El-Hamman Excavation Project that is currently conducting excavations at this site
  • Supports the historical existence of Sodom, Gomorrah and the ‘Cities of the Plain’

2. Skeptics have claimed there was no written language at the time of Moses, so Moses could not have written the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament).

• The Black Diorite Stele was discovered containing detailed laws of Hammurabi (Mesopotamian ruler c.1792-1750 B.C.) written 300 years before the time of Moses and in the same region that Moses lived. The Ebla Tablets were also found in 1970 in northern Syria and are dated about 1,000 years before Moses.

• • Supports the use of written language at and before the time of Moses.

3. Skeptics have claimed it was impossible for the walls of Jericho to have fallen the way it is reported in the Bible and during the timeframe of the Biblical account.

• The Walls of Jericho have now been excavated where Joshua and the Israelites began the conquest of the Promised Land and the evidence shows an outward fall or collapse of the walls with dating to the time of Joshua.

• • Supports the Biblical account of what happened in Joshua Chapter 6.

4. Skeptics have claimed that King David was mythological as there was no evidence outside the Bible for his existence

• In 1993 three stones were found in Northern Israel in the territory of Dan. The stones have the name ‘David, King of Israel’ and ‘the house of David’ inscribed on them, these stones have been dated to the same time period that the Bible records David’s life
• A 1995 Time magazine article reported on this archeological find confirming the existence of David, and since then there have been other related finds including the apparent discovery of David’s Palace, the gates to Goliath’s hometown, and other account related to the Philistines at the time of David and Solomon
  • Supports the Biblical account of Kings David

5. Skeptics claimed the stories of King David and his son Solomon’s building of Jerusalem and the Temple were myths since there was no evidence in that time period

• In November of 2010, the Associated Press reported that, “ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the Biblical narrative about that era—if the age of the wall is correct, then the finding is key as it would match the Bible’s account that the Hebrew Kings David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem around that time”
  • Supports the Biblical account of Kings David and Solomon’s building of the City of Jerusalem and the Temple during that era 

6. Skeptics have said the tunnels built by Hezekiah when Hezekiah and the nation of Judah withstood the Assyrian attack, never existed

• The tunnel was first described in modern times by Franciscus Quaresmius in 1625; it was later explored in 1838 by the American Biblical scholar Edward Robinson and in 1865 by Charles Warren
  • Supports the Biblical account of Hezekiah and the tunnels he built

7. Skeptics have said the events and writings of the prophet Daniel could not have happened during the period reported because they are too accurate and precise.

• Then archeologists found the East India Inscription that corresponds with the Daniel account of Nebuchadnezzar’s building during the time period in question.

• • Supports the Biblical account that Daniel was an eyewitness to the Babylonian exile and lived in this time period making it impossible for his writings to be at a later date.

8. Skeptics have said Bible prophesies, especially the Isaiah prophesy that names Cyrus some 150 years before his birth, are so accurate and detailed that they must have been written years after the events occurred.

• The Cyrus Cylinder was discovered in an 1879 excavation at Babylon (now in Iraq, then in the Ottoman Empire), by Hormuzd Rassam on behalf of the British Museum. It was written in Babylonian cuneiform on the orders of the Persian king Cyrus the Great after his conquest of Babylon in 539 BC.

• • The Cyrus Cylinder supports the Biblical account of the person, time, and events of Cyrus. Cyrus was predicted by name in the Bible 150 years before his birth (Isaiah 44:28, 45:1) to be the ruler who would allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple after seventy years in Babylonian captivity, and it happened and is confirmed here!

9. Skeptics have said the Old Testament records could not be accurate since the earliest manuscript copies we have date late at c. 900 A.D.

• Then archeologists discovered a silver amulet that was found in one of a series of tombs on the south side of Jerusalem’s Hinnom Valley. The amulet is dated seventh century B.C. and has an abbreviated version of part of the book of Numbers.

• • Confirms the existence of the Torah in very early Jewish history and it matches what we have in our Old Testament today!

10. Skeptics have criticized the times of Joshua

• Now, just recently archeologists discovered a tablet on Mt. Ebal now known as the YHWH Inscription, “Mt. Ebal – Curse Tablet” dated to the time of Joshua, 1400
  • Confirms the events recorded in Deuteronomy 27-28 and Joshua 8::30-35!

Best overall evidence as a whole for the Old Testament: 

Skeptics have said the whole of the Old Testament cannot possibly be the same as what we have today, and the Messianic prophecies they contain had to have been added centuries later because they are too precise.

• The most significant find of the twentieth century for the historicity and reliability of the Old Testament was the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 and to date they have recovered about 931 scrolls.
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) are dated c. 250 B.C. to A.D. 100 and close a 1000-year gap from the previously held copies.
  • The DSS confirm that what was used at Jesus’ time and before are the same as what we have in our possession today.
  • The DSS are highly significant because they are dated prior to the time of Christ. This means that they not only support the accuracy and reliability of our Old Testament today, but they confirm the hundreds of predictive prophecies fulfilled in Jesus (that could not have been written after the fact).
  • The most important find is the complete scroll of the book of Isaiah and the match is virtually identical to what we have today!

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.  –Isaiah 55:8-11

Even secular news has reported:

“In extraordinary ways, modern archaeology has affirmed the historical core of the Old and New Testaments—corroborating key portions of the stories of Israel’s patriarchs, the Exodus, the Davidic monarchy, and the life and times of Jesus.”

 – Jeffery Sheler, “Is the Bible True,” US News & World Report

Going Deeper:

Documentary clips that show the evidence as it has been discovered by Archeologists:

“Why Sodom Matters – Genesis 13:1-12,” by Dr. Steven Collins

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lf4rwTx3lc

“Jericho Found!! Bible Archaeology,” by Expedition Bible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYrSkikZhxI

In addition, “Patterns of Evidence” is an excellent documentary that came out a couple of years ago and it addresses the long-standing controversy in secular science concerning the dating of the Exodus and Jericho. Go to their website: www.patternsofevidence.com to view their ongoing work and check out the trailer: Patterns of Evidence, the film that you can also purchase on DVD and it is on YouTube for a small fee. It is worth the two-hour view that includes commentary interviews at the end with Eric Metaxas, Anne Graham Lotz and Dennis Prager!

New Testament Archeology

“Since the 1830’s treasure hunters, religious enthusiasts and scholars have flocked here (Jerusalem) to dig into the past of a place billions of people hold sacred. Seeking tombs and riches, the early arrivals created the field of biblical archaeology—the only discipline founded on the idea that the tools of science can bolster rather than undermine traditional faith. In time, they were largely replaced by secular academics who were less devoted to upholding scripture or finding treasure by who nonetheless consider the Bible to be a tool as valuable as their spades.”

Andrew Lawler, Scientific America, April 2022

“As a matter of fact, however, it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible”  

– Nelson Glueck, Archeologist, “Rivers in the Desert”

1. Inscription of Caesar Augustus on coinage dated from that era: Emperor when Jesus was born

• Coinage is one of the most unbiased pieces of evidence—it dates eras of time and has always help support Biblical accounts like the one in Matthew 22:15-22 where Jesus had a confrontation with Pharisees
  • This particular find confirms Luke’s Gospel account in chapter two, that Caesar Augustus was Emperor at that time

2. Synagogue at Capernaum: A place where Jesus taught

• You can see the layer of the first century ruin still there today with subsequent building on top of it
  • Confirms Luke’s Gospel account in chapter seven

3. Monument of Herod the Great in Jerusalem: King when Jesus was born

• Monuments, like coinage, give us undeniable evidence of specific people and the time they existed in real history—this Herod began his rule in 37 BC/BCE
  • Confirms Matthew’s Gospel account in chapter two

4. Jordon River: The place of Jesus’ Baptism

• Rivers, like lakes and seas, give us geographical evidence of event locations and this river is still there today
  • Confirms Matthew’s Gospel account in chapter three

5. The Sea of Galilee: Where Jesus walked, went fishing, and talked to the people

• This sea, like many others, are still there today and give evidence of real historical settings in the Biblical accounts
  • Confirms the Gospel accounts of the location of Jesus’ ministry

6. John’s account in Chapter five of his Gospel was thought, by skeptics, to be fictional because there had been no porches or pools found in that area of Jerusalem

• At the turn of the 20^th century all five porches and the two pools were excavated about 300 feet north of the Temple Mount’s northern wall
  • Confirms the pool of Bethesda exists and the continued historical accuracy of the Gospel of John

7. Pilate, was thought, by skeptics, to be a mythological character because there was no physical record of him outside the New Testament.

• In 1961 an Italian archeology group uncovered a stone in the Jerusalem area that said: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea, has presented this Tiberium to the Caesarians”
  • Confirms the historical existence of Pilate

8. Caiaphas was thought, by skeptics, to have not existed because there were no record of him.

• In 1990 an ossuary (bone box) with the name Joseph Caiaphas was found dated to the first century
  • Confirms the historical existence of Caiaphas and the continued accuracy of the Gospel records

9. Skeptics also claimed that crucifixion was not used in the first century since there have been no physical specimens of a person who had been crucified

• In 1968 archeologists found a fossil of a crucifixion nail in an ankle bone at a Jerusalem location that dates to the first century and the time of Christ: Yohanan—a crucifixion victim from A.D. 70
• Crucifixion has also been confirmed through various historical writings outside the Bible as a method of torture and death by Rome only in this time period
  • Confirms the historical accuracy of the use of crucifixion, and nails, in first century AD

10. The Nazareth Decree: Skeptics have, and always will, question the Resurrection (even though there are over 500 witnesses to the this fact – 1 Corinthians 15).

• Discovered in 1878 in Nazareth, it is an edict of the Roman Emperor Claudius which orders that anyone caught disturbing tombs or moving bodies from them should be put to death. The Nazareth inscription can be read as a response by the emperor to the rumor that the disciples stole Christ’s body.
  • Confirms Matthew 28:12-13 – the reason the guards were scared and concocted a story about the theft of the body – even though every disciple (except John) experienced martyrdom for belief in Jesus’ Resurrection, and there were over 500 witnesses that saw him

Best overall evidence as a whole for the New Testament: 

Christian and non-Christian scholars alike consider Luke to be one of the greatest historians to ever write. His historical accounts have always been confirmed and the details he gives allow scholars, historians, and archeologists to uncover historical truths based on his records, for example:

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip, tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight. ‘Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’”  Luke 3:1-6 (NASB)

Conclusion

• Archeology is just one more line of evidence that helps us have confidence in the reliability and historicity of the Bible.
• Today’s technology added to the field of Archeology, even though not intended, continues to give support and truths to what Scripture has always reported.

“This level of detail was wholly missing from previous Biblical archeology… Now we can excavate a home, analyze a family’s food habits and understand their connection with the wider world at that time.”

Andrew Lawler, Scientific American, April 2022

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist.”  -Acts 17:24-28

Going Deeper

References:

• Biblical Archeology Society (BAS)
• Archeology Bible Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 2005
• Bible Archaeology. Hoerth, Alfred and John McRay
• Archaeology & the Bible, What You Need to Know. Rhodes, Ron
• Archeology and the Bible (Old and New Testaments). Rose Publishing. Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing Inc.
• Popular Handbook of Archeology, Norman Geisler and Joseph Holden
• Zondervan Handbook to the Bible (and Biblical Archeology)

Bible Study

Each week we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be posted during the week for your review. This can also be used to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Discuss anything in the presentation that you would like to address with comments, questions or concerns, then go over your homework from last week…

Read Judges chapters 13 through 16, then do one or more of the following:

Note: There are several ways to study a book of the Bible, you can choose the level you’re most comfortable with:

• Basic: Read the chapter, then write down a title for each chapter (you could include more than one depending on topics in that chapter or what your study Bible might have).
• Going Deeper: Take notes to summarize the chapter (no more than three to five sentences). However, you can add to your summaries if you glean something important from your study partners each week (leave some room).
• Advanced: Look for these things to put in your summary notes:
  • Look for Covenants: Abrahamic (unconditional promise of a Nation, Land and Blessing) or Mosaic (Conditional promise of protection for obedience; loss of protection for disobedience)
  • Look for Jesus? Is there anything in this chapter that foreshadows or pictures Jesus; or is there any prophecyin the chapter (Messianic or other types)?
  • The Shelf: Note any questions or a-ha’s you have about the chapter.
  • Answer the attached chapter questions to go along with your summaries.

Chapter 13:

1.  To Whom did the LORD give the sons of Israel over this time, and what can we know about them?

2.  Who was Manoah and his wife, and what happened to them?

3.  Discuss: What does it mean to be a Nazarite? Do you know of any other men in the Bible who were Nazarites?

4.  Going Deeper: Who was this angel of the LORD, and how can we know?

Chapter 14:

1.  Why did Samson want a wife that was a Philistine since his people, Israel, were being oppressed by them?

2.  Why did Samson’s parents object to his marriage (go deeper and reference the Mosaic Law)?

3.  What was Samson’s riddle, and how did the Philistines figure it out? What happened to his wife?

Chapter 15:

1.  What did Samson do when he found out his wife had been given to another, and what was the consequence of his action?

2.  Discuss: What is the ultimate consequence of revenge and retaliation; and why is it a common response by most humans?

Chapter 16:

1.  What did Samson do when he went down to Gaza (verses 1-3)?

2.  Why, and how, did Delilah gain the truth about Samson and his strength? What was the result?

3.  Discuss: What do you think was the downfall of Samson and why?

4.  Going Deeper: Re-read verse 28. What was Samson doing here and how might this relate to repentance and salvation?

HOMEWORK:

Choose from the above (basic, going deeper or advanced) to read and study Judges chapters 17 through chapter 21. Here are the guiding questions for a more advanced study in the chapters:

Chapter 17:

1. Who were the characters and what were their roles in this narrative?
2. Discuss: How many things do you see in this chapter that break the Mosaic Covenant and God’s Law for the Nation of Israel?

Chapter 18:

1. What did the men from the Tribe of Dan do to the house of Micah, and why?
2. Discuss: How far from the will of God had the people of Israel fallen at this time? Give some reasons why, as it relates to the Mosaic Covenant and Law of God.
3. Going Deeper: In reference to the tribe of Dan and the other tribes that lived in the north – Research the later history of the Northern Nation of Israel: What tribes made up the Northern Nation; why did they split from the Southern Nation; what ultimately happened to them in 722 BC; and how does the Northern Nation of Israel relate to the people known as “Samaritans” during the time of Jesus?

Chapter 19:

1. Discuss: What happened in this story and why?
2. Cross-reference: How does this narrative relate to what happened in Genesis chapter 19?
3. Going Deeper: What is a concubine as compared to a wife (in these ancient times)? Was this Levite outside God’s Law, and why?

Chapter 20:

1. Who came up and assembled at Mizpah; what did they do and why?
2. How did the sons of Benjamin respond the sons of Israel’s request? Discuss why they might have responded this way, and why you think this whole event might have happened (cross-reference back to Judges 1:21 to help with your answer).
3. Discuss: Is there any reason God usually sends out the tribe of Judah first (what do we know about what Judah represents)?

Chapter 21:

1. How does this final chapter of Judges conclude? (Summarize the story)
2. Going Deeper: How do we know that the tribe of Benjamin would eventually recover? Are there any Biblical figures that come from this tribe after this time?
3. Copy verse 21:25. Discuss how this verse describes the condition of Israel at that time and the consequences it brought.

Now that we have finished the book of Judges, it is time to look at the overall application of the book

Application: How can this book and its teachings apply to us today? For example: Are there lessons learned; are there reasons we should know this history; does it help us understand God’s character and love for His people and His foreshadowing the promise of His Son, etc.? (Answers will vary, but can include personal, cultural or timeless teachings for us today)

Continue to Practice your memorization of …