It is a wonder that the Bible ever saw the light of the twenty-first century. During the 1600 years in which the Bible was being written, Bible lands were ravaged by war, great libraries were destroyed by fire, and whole civilizations rose and fell. In spite of all these things, the Bible has survived.

It has emerged from the fires of persecution uninjured and has come to us mingled with the blood and the tears of thousands who died rather than deny its sacred truths and the right of people to have access to the Book containing them. The Bible is here not by accident but because the same God who saw to its composition has also seen to its preservation.

Before the coming of Christianity, Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria sought to break the morale of the Jews of the second century B.C. by destroying their Temple and sacred Scriptures. His ultimate goal was to force Greek language, culture, and religion on the descendants of Abraham. His efforts to destroy the sacred books of the Jews failed, for God saw to their safekeeping.

Then, after the coming of Christianity, Emperor Diocletian of Rome undertook the destruction of this new religion in the third century A.D. All church buildings were destroyed, Christian assemblies forbidden, and Scriptures confiscated. He took great pleasure in burning all the copies of Biblical books that could be found and killing their owners. In fact, he made the arrogant boast that he had wiped out Christianity. The Bible and the religion founded upon it, remains, and Diocletian is now an insignificant figure in history.

In more recent times, Voltaire, Paine, Ingersoll, and Mrs. O’Hare have taken their turns at blasting the Bible. Each predicted that it would become a "forgotten book." They have faded from the spotlight. The Bible survives!

The Bible survives, because it is God’s Word. Christianity is the "religion of the Book," and Almighty God has preserved His written revelation of truth for men of all generations.

As surely as the Bible has survived and survives still, it will withstand the criticisms and blasphemies that will yet be heaped upon it before the Lord returns. But when the Savior does appear in the heavens and calls all men before Him for judgment, the very book that so many have spurned will be opened and used as the standard for evaluating their lives on earth (John 12:48).

Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" Matthew 24:35). It survives!

GIVE ME THE BIBLE

Give me the Bible, star of gladness gleaming,

To cheer the wandrer lone and tempest-tossed;

No storm can hide that radiance peaceful beaming,

Since Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Give me the Bible when my heart is broken,

When sin and grief have filled my soul with fear:

Give me the precious words by Jesus spoken,

Hold up faith’s lamp to show my Savior near.

Give me the Bible, all my steps enlighten,

Teach me the danger of these realms below;

That lamp of safety o’er the gloom shall brighten,

That light alone the path of peace can show.

Give me the Bible, lamp of life immortal,

Hold up that splendor by the open grave;

Show me the light from heaven’s shining portal,

Show me the glory gilding Jordan’s wave.

Give me the Bible, Holy message shining;

Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way;

Precept and promise, law and love combining,

Till night shall vanish in eternal day.