Speaking the Truth in Love

The Bible’s Amazing Harmony

The Bible’s amazing consistency is strong evidence for its divine inspiration. The 66 biblical books were written on three continents by about 40 people over a period of approximately 1,600 years. These authors, writing in three different languages, had widely varying life experiences. Some were wealthy, influential, and scholarly; others were fishermen, shepherds, or farmers. And yet, all 66 books are in complete harmony.

This is strikingly evident in the comparison of Genesis and Revelation, the former written by Moses and the latter by John. Moses describes the creation of “the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1), while John envisions “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1). Moses blames the subtle “serpent” for deceiving the first humans and inducing them to sin (Gen. 3:1). John reveals that Christ has conquered the “ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) and will soon punish him with eternal ruin: “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur” (20:10). Moses says that after Adam’s sin God “drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). John promises that Adam’s redeemed children will once again have access to “the tree of life” growing beside “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:2, 1).

Were these two authors contemporaries? No. Moses, a native of Egypt born in 1526 BC, wrote Genesis in Hebrew. John, a native of Palestine born c. AD 1-10, wrote Revelation in Greek. Genesis is a narrative of ancient history. Revelation is a work of apocalyptic literature. But the two books harmonize so beautifully that the spiritually-sighted reader can see God’s hand guiding both writers.

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