apparent contradictions in the bible compared to real ones in the quran and the book of mormon

8/3/2019 Apparent Contradictions in the Bible Compared to Real Ones in the Quran and the Book of Mormon

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Apparent Contradictions in the Bible Compared To Real Ones In The Quran

and the Book of Mormon:

It is high time that some start to realize that there are only apparent

contradictions in the Bible, but when examined closely we find that

these are all due to failure to comprehend what is being said, failure

to understand the writing styles of the time the item was written,

failure to understand the sentence construction of the ancient

language, errors in translation, and biases on the part of the

translator.

LET'S LOOK AT ONE EXAMPLE, MATTHEW 12:37-40 FROM WELL KNOWN:

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher,

we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An

evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and {yet} no sign

shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as

Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster,

so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of

the earth." (New American Standard Bible; NASB)

"Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him,

"Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." He answered, "A

wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none

will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah

was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son

of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

(New International Version; NIV)

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we

want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An

evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be

given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. "For as Jonah was

three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the

Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

(New King James Bible; NKJB)

"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying,

Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto

them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there

shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For

as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall

the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the

earth." (King James Version; KJV)

APPARENT CONTRADICTION AND ITS EXPLANATION WITH REGARD TO MATTHEW

12:37-40:

Some see an error or contradiction in these scriptures related to the

amount of time Jesus (Yeshua) was in the grave, but there is NONE. The

true facts are:

"Yes, it does seem that way. We must remember that the Bible was

written in other languages by cultures far removed from ours. Most

alleged contradictions stem from a misunderstanding of certain terms

and phrases. For example, Jesus predicted that He would be in the grave

for "three days and three nights"(Matt.12:40). When we read the passion

narratives, we see that He was crucified late Friday afternoon and that


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He rose from the dead, early on Sunday morning. It is impossible to get

three days and three nights out of this, and I have seen many atheists

refer to Jesus' prophecy as a "blatant error which completely destroys

the credibility of the Bible."[source - I'd Like To Believe In Jesus,

But...By Bob Siegel , Published by Campus Ambassador Press, A ministry

of Mission To the Americas Wheaton, Illinois]

COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 12:37-40 EXPLAINING THESE SCRIPTURES:

For those who want a more detailed explanation, here is an exert from a

well known commentary, Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New

Testament:

Verse 37

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt

be condemned.

Speech is one of the greatest endowments of humanity; and the greater

the gift, the greater the sin of perverting it to unworthy purposes. It

would be impossible to sum up all the sins of mankind in the area ofsinful speech. It must appear even to casual thought of it that words,

as used by millions, constitute the bulk of human shame and wickedness.

James said, "If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man,

able to bridle the whole body also" (James 3:2). Beyond everything

else, man should watch what he says. One's words can justify when they

confess Christ, or teach the truth, or serve to make peace, bestow a

blessing, or give encouragement; but on the other hand, when words

condemn, cast a reflection, subvert the truth, utter profanity,

vulgarity, hatred, or malice, or any one of a million other evil things

- then such words bring the condemnation of those who speak them.

Verse 38

Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying,

Teacher, we would see a sign from thee.

This arrogant request came from a group who had already accused Jesus

of being in league with the devil and who had already seen signs

aplenty; but in this case, they were demanding a sign of their own

choosing. Luke stated that they sought a "sign from heaven" (Luke

11:16). By that, they no doubt meant some spectacular wonder without

moral value but which would appeal sensationally to a man's curiosity.

Christ always rejected that type of sign, as, for example, when he

refused to jump from the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:6). In fact,

there is more than a suggestion that the Pharisees' request for a sign

was but a renewal of Satan's temptation of the Lord in the wilderness.Christ always refused to perform wonders for his enemies like Herod or

the Pharisees. He did work miracles for the benefit of John's disciples

(Luke 7:18-22), and raised Lazarus that the people might believe (John

11:42). For more on "a sign from heaven," see under Matthew 16:1.

Verse 39


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But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation

seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the

sign of Jonah the prophet.

The "adulterous generation" refers not merely to the morals of the

people but to the rejection of Israel's covenant with their God. Barnes

wrote:

The relation of the Jews to God was represented as a marriage contract

with God as the husband and the Jewish people as his wife (Isa. 57:3;

Hosea 3:1; Ezek. 16:15). Hence, their apostasy and idolatry are often

represented as adultery.

The "sign of the prophet Jonah" refers to the resurrection of Christ,

the greatest and most wonderful miracle of all time. Jesus'

announcement of this "sign" at that time was actually a prophecy of his

death, burial and resurrection. The Old Testament had plainly indicated

the Messiah would rise from the dead (Psalms 16:10); but, in keeping

with his usual methods, Christ again laid claim to Messiahship, but in

such terminology, and in such analogies, that his enemies would not seeit, or if they did, would be unable to prove what he meant!

Verse 40

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale;

so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of

the earth.

The use of "whale" in this verse is in error; the Greek word is "sea-

monster," as a glance at the English Revised Version (1885) margin will

show; not that there is any essential difference, for the Bible states

that "God prepared" a great fish (Jonah 1:17). In the book of Jonah is

related also how God "prepared" a gourd (Jonah 4:6), a worm (Jonah

4:7), and a sultry east wind (Jonah 4:8)! Why it should be considered

for God a more difficult matter to prepare a great fish than any of

those other "preparations" is surely a mystery!

Regarding the truth of the Jonah narrative, it appears absolutely

incredible that Christ, one of the Godhead, would have made a mere folk

tale the principal prophecy and sign of his resurrection from the dead.

We here register a protest against those expositors who are so wise

above their Saviour in casting a reflection of doubt upon this

astounding incident from the Old Testament. From Jesus' reference to it

here, it appears that the experience of Jonah was an authentic event

which God "prepared" to be a prophecy of a still greater one, the

resurrection of Christ.

The question of "three days and three nights," as signifying the time

of our Lord's remaining in the tomb, is one of the most widely

discussed issues in the New Testament. An overwhelming number of

scholars hold the conviction that the expression is a Hebrew idiom

referring to any part of three days and nights which included an entire

day, the two nights on either side of it, and portions of the other two

days. The present custom of accepting a month to be 28, 30, or 31 days

is held to be similar to the Hebrew custom of so loosely determining


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polytheistic religions likewise had no interest in history. Their gods

acted only in myths, removed as far as possible from real history.

The Koran is almost entirely assertions of Allah. It has very little

historical interface, and what there is contains clear inaccuracies.

Sura 26:55-60 says that the Israelites under Pharaoh were but "a scanty

band" (in contrast to the multitude mentioned in Ex. 1:9) and that in

leaving Egypt they forsook "their gardens and fountains and splendid

dwellings" (in contrast to their slavery and hardship mentioned Ex.

1:11-14). This renders the whole motive for Israel's deliverance

obscure.

Sura 5:119 reflects Muhammad's gross misunderstanding of the Trinity-

that it is composed of the Father, Jesus and Mary.

The Book of Mormon makes many historical references, but it too is full

of historical anachronisms and geographical inaccuracies.

1 Nephi 2:5-8 states that the river Laman emptied into the Red Sea. But

there has never been any river that emptied into the Red Sea, either inhistoric or prehistoric times.

Alma 46:15 states that believers were called "Christians" back in 73

BC-fully seven decades before Jesus was even born![source - Xenos

Christian Fellowship Christian Principles Unit 3: Provisions for

Spiritual Growth]

Now to know the truth, go to:

1) http://religioustruths.yuku.com/

2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/

3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/

If you wish more information and/or wish to ask a question or what

ever, contact me by leaving a PM (personal message) at

http://religioustruths.yuku.com/

Your Friend in Christ Iris89

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the

image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579,

written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does

The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today!

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