WONDERS OF GOD’S WORD (5)

“You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall PRESERVE THEM from this generation FOREVER” – Psalm 12:7

The PRESERVATION of Scriptures is another unique WONDER OF GOD’S WORD: “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall PRESERVE THEM from this generation FOREVER” (Psa.12:6-7). The "Bible" – comprising the 66 canonical books that have been the foundation for the Christian faith since it’s very beginnings, has endured all onslaughts of hell. It has, against all odds, always prevailed: “So the Word of the Lord grew mighty and prevailed” (Acts19:20).

The Bible has withstood ages of fierce and incessant persecution. Men have tried over centuries to burn and bury it. Crusades have been organized to uproot it. Kings of the earth united, and rulers of the church took counsel together to destroy it from off the face of the earth. Roman Emperor Diocletian, in 303, initiated the most terrible assault that the world has known upon a book. Almost every Bible was destroyed, myriads of Christians perished, and a column of triumph was erected over an annihilated Bible with the caption: "Extincto nomine Christianorum" (The name of the Christians has been extinguished). Yet, shortly after, the Bible came forth, as Noah from the ark, to repeople the earth, and in the year 325, at the first General Council of the Church, Constantine enthroned the Bible as the Infallible Judge of Truth.

Next, the prolonged persecution of medievalism and the Church of Rome kept the Bible from the people. For ages, it was practically an unknown book. Martin Luther, as an adult, said that he had never seen a Bible in his life. The Church of Rome ‘imprisoned’ the Bible from the people. Based on Edicts of Council, and bans and bulls of Popes, Bibles were burned and Bible readers sent by the Inquisition to rack and flame. The worst persecution of all has been during the last two centuries, with rationalism and modernism seeking to undermine the authority, inspiration and infallibility of God's Word. Voltaire boasted that within 100 years of his death, not a Bible would be found except as an antiquity. Other pens and voices have joined in the attack, but the Bible stands and is more widely distributed and used than ever before!

God’s Word has provoked extreme hatred from the camp of darkness, because it represents the Light of Righteousness, Wisdom, and Understanding. The Bible is perhaps the most hated of books because God’s Word is an Authority, and people generally abhor and reject authority. Many people hate and reject God’s Word because they are ignorant of the Truth and their deeds are evil. They’ll rather rebel against the Truth than submit to and embrace it (Jh.3: 19b-20). The truths of sin, judgment, and Hell are bitter to most people. Others reject the Word because they are too busy with the things of this world to heed the Bible.

The Wonder of it all is the Survival and Preservation of the Bible. It has survived every attack against it. Men have tried to destroy by burning, by ridicule, and by so-called science, all to no avail. Men have tried to outlaw the Bible under penalty of death or imprisonment for owning one, or to pervert the Word by adding to or taking away from it. One of the greatest errors of religious cults is the accusation that the Word of God became corrupted; hence they came along with their “scriptures.” Men have tried to hide the Word in dead languages and in perverted translations, but these never diluted the authenticity and originality of Scripture.

God’s Word remains prominent despite all threats to its continuing existence and impact. The Bible is the Monarch of books – ruler and king among books. The printing press came into existence because of the Word. The Bible was also the first book ever printed on the printing press. It remains the Best-selling book of all time. God has surely preserved His Word and kept it prominent! The Bible is the first Book, the best, and oldest Book – written in the Heart of God from eternity.