Part 1 showed how God gave revelation to holy men of God to write down what we have as the Bible today. We saw that prophets, including Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Ezra and Nehemiah, David, and Solomon, made known what God wanted them to. Part 2 will show how we got the other books of the Bible from our heavenly Father, and how we can trust His Word for a sound, true foundation in our lives.
We have seen that God gave revelation to record what is written from Genesis to the Song of Solomon. What about the other “prophets” who gave us the Books of Isaiah through Malachi, the four gospels, and the rest of the New Testament?
Holy Men of God, Moved by the Spirit: Isaiah and Jeremiah
The Prophet Isaiah spoke God’s Word during the reigns of certain kings of Judah.
Isaiah 1:1:
The vision [revelation] of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah gave some of the most magnificent prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Did Isaiah think he could speak for God by himself? No. He knew that “the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man.”
Isaiah 6:5-9:
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
And he said, Go, and tell this people….
It was God Who gave Isaiah the words to speak and sent Isaiah to “tell this people.”
Jeremiah was another prophet who spoke as he was moved by the holy spirit. The Book of Jeremiah refers to “the word of the Lord” more than fifty times.
Jeremiah 1:1-4:
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying.
These were the “words of Jeremiah”—he used his vocabulary as God gave him revelation. Like Joshua, Jeremiah had “the spirit of wisdom” to know what to speak. But they are also “the word of the Lord”—what God wanted Jeremiah to speak.
At times, holy men of God spoke the Word and others wrote it down. Baruch was a scribe who “wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 36:1,2,4:
And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll [scroll] of a book.
Baruch read from this scroll “in the ears of the people” and the princes heard about it. They had Baruch read to them as well. They wanted to know where these words came from, and Baruch simply explained to them.
Jeremiah 36:17,18:
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?
Then Baruch answered them, He [Jeremiah] pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.
The princes told the king about what was written in the scroll, and the king wanted to hear for himself.
Jeremiah 36:21-23:
So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
How amazing! God’s Word, spoken by Jeremiah, a holy man of God, was not well received by the king. He cut up the scroll and threw into his fire. But did that stop God’s Word from living on? We can still read the Book of Jeremiah. How did we get it back from the flames of the king’s hearth?
Jeremiah 36:27,28,32:
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.
Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.
Although the king tried to get rid of the written Word of God, Jeremiah was still able to hear from God. He got back “all the words of the book” which the king had burned. And God had Jeremiah add even more revelation to what was written!
Holy Men of God, Moved by the Spirit: Other Old Testament Prophets
This principle of God giving revelation to His prophets continues from Lamentations (written by Jeremiah) through to the Book of Malachi. Most of these books open with “the word of the Lord” being revealed to the prophet. Malachi was the last recorded prophet until the coming of John the Baptist. The revelation God gave Malachi ends with a promise of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:11-13; Mark 9:13) and of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Malachi 4:2,5:
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet [fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist] before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
God promised by the Prophet Malachi that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the great healer of God’s people, would come someday. After hundreds of years, this promise came true. And after Jesus Christ accomplished his great work, God had holy men of God write down what he did. We call this revelation the four gospels.
Holy Men of God, Moved by the Spirit: The Gospel Writers
Luke wrote the gospel that bears his name and the Book of Acts. He absolutely knew that he received the truth of what he wrote not by his own five-senses knowledge. He was convinced that the scriptures he wrote were “not by the will of man.” Luke had learned about Jesus Christ from firsthand eyewitnesses who had lived with Jesus. But the revelation that we call the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts came “from above.”
Luke 1:1-4:
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
It seemed good to me also, having had perfect [exact, precise] understanding of all things from the very first [anōthen, from above], to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
Luke had exact and precise understanding “from above,” from God. He wrote it “in order” so that believers can know the absolute certainty of what Jesus Christ has done for us. The word translated “certainty” is asphaleia in Greek, where we get the English word “asphalt.” Knowing that Luke’s prophecy was from God, helps us to stand strong and sure on the truth that we have read and heard.
Matthew, also known as Levi, was an apostle who received revelation on what to write about Jesus Christ. Mark, also known as John Mark, was another faithful disciple who received the revelation recorded in the gospel that he wrote. The Apostle John wrote one of the four gospels and witnessed truly to what God had done in Jesus Christ. Although so much could be said about Jesus Christ, John only wrote down what God wanted him to write about His only begotten Son.
John 21:24,25:
This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
John also wrote three epistles to the church, and the Book of Revelation.
I John 1:1,3:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.
Revelation 1:1,2:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
What John saw and heard, that he declared. He received revelation “which God gave unto him.” The Apostle John was a holy man of God who spoke as he was moved by the Holy Spirit.
Holy Men of God, Moved by the Spirit: Paul, Peter, James, and Jude
Paul wrote seven church epistles: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. He also wrote letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, as well as a general epistle to born-again believers of Judean background called the Book of Hebrews. In his epistles, Paul made known who Jesus Christ is today and how believers can live together as one body in Christ. This was a “mystery” that God revealed to the Apostle Paul.
Ephesians 3:3,4:
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).
Paul was a holy man of God who spoke by the holy spirit. The scriptures that he wrote did not come by the will of man. Paul received revelation from God concerning Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:11,12:
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps some would not believe Paul’s own testimony of how he received God’s Word. Three other early church leaders wrote epistles—James and Jude (the half-brothers of Jesus Christ), and the Apostle Peter. God had Peter declare that Paul’s writings were divinely inspired. They were scripture as much as any writings of the Old Testament prophets.
II Peter 1:20,21:
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
II Peter 3:15-18:
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Peter said that Paul’s epistles came “according to the wisdom given unto him” from God. These epistles are like “the other scriptures.” Paul’s God-breathed writings help us to “grow in grace” and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our lord and savior.
We Can Trust God’s Word
II Timothy 3:16,17:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect [artios, complete, like a fully equipped ship], throughly furnished unto all good works.
Surely after seeing what God says about His spoken and written Word, we can trust our heavenly Father. We have seen how every book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is “breathed out by God” and “written by the spirit.” All of those who wrote God’s Word, including Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Ezra and Nehemiah, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the other Old Testament prophets, the Gospel writers, Paul, Peter, James, and Jude—they all received revelation “from above” and wrote it down. (The attached chart gives a few scriptures showing who wrote the books of the Bible.)
God gave us His Word so that we can be complete, like a fully furnished ship. With the scriptures, God’s true Word, we are “throughly furnished unto all good works.”
Today there is plenty of talk and opinion about life and how to live. Yet, it is only the scriptures, God’s Word that offers a firm foundation on which to stand.
Proverbs 19:21:
There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord [God’s Word], that shall stand.
The scriptures tell of the Father’s plan to send His Son for us. Jesus Christ is the sure foundation on which we can rely. God’s Word can be trusted.
Isaiah 28:16:
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation [Jesus Christ]: he that believeth shall not make haste [be eager or anxious].
Matthew 7:24,25:
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
