Wolfgang Schmidt
Which book was the first to be printed and became a bestseller of all time? – Yes, the Bible! Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, printed the Bible in 1455 – in my hometown of Mainz, Germany. Since then, the Bible has been printed, translated, sold, distributed and downloaded more than any other book in the world.
It is difficult to say how many copies are distributed and in circulation, but their number is in the billions. Only one organization, The Gideons International, distributed more than 2 billion Bibles and new laws in the last 100 years worldwide. British and Foreign Bible Society He estimates that 5-7 billion copies were printed.
According to Wycliffe Global Alliance by 2024 the entire Bible was translated into 756 languages and the new law to next 1,725 languages, making her The most translated book of all time. Approximately 6 billion people have access to the entire Bible. (Reference 1)
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by 40 authors over a period of approximately 1,000 years in the case of the Old Testament and 60 years in the case of the New Testament, while there is a 450-year gap between the two parts.
40 authors who wrote the Bible came from a diverse background. Moses, as the grandson of the Egyptian pharaoh, was highly educated; Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra the priest, David the shepherd and the king, Matouš the tax collector, Jan Rybář, Pavel one of the most educated religious leaders, and Luke was a physician. Each of them offers their own story from a different point of view, but they all proclaim the same one true God. And although the Bible was written by various authors over the course of 15 centuries, it is wonderfully connected and connected to itself. For many centuries, specially trained scribes have carefully copied it word by word, letter by letter, sign by sign.
Although God used people to write the Bible, these people were called and inspired by God himself. All the holy writings were inspired by God. (2 Timothy 3:16). After all, prophecy never came from human will, but the Holy Spirit entrusted the true messages to the prophets, these people of God. (2 Peter 1:21).
The Bible contains answers to the deepest questions of life: How did the world and the universe come about? Where do we come from? What is the meaning of life and what happens after death?
It was also subjected to greater censorship and critical analysis than any other book. Most of her prophets were persecuted because of the truth they preached. Jesus and almost all his disciples died a martyr’s death.
The Roman emperor Diocletian burned thousands of manuscripts, which we now call the Bible. He ordered that all these writings be destroyed, and that each house in which these writings were found be burned. A few centuries later, some popes, unbelieving rulers and church leaders persecuted and even burned brave men who worked on the translation of the Bible into their own language to make it accessible to every person.
The Bible is still banned by some atheist regimes and other religions. (Reference 2)
At the same time, it is loved and honored by billions of people, as evidenced by the number of copies that are still distributed and translated today.
This podcast highlights 10 fascinating facts about the Bible. (Link 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDBCAo721Tc )
The accuracy and validity of the Bible are explained in this article on the discovery of original manuscripts more than 2,000 years old. (Link 4 https://nekomunatobezalezi.cz/svitky-od-mrtveho-more-a-jejich-vyznam/ )
In fact, there are thousands of Old and New Testament manuscripts. It is a huge number of manuscripts, especially compared to just a few manuscripts of other ancient books, which are widely accepted as historical facts.
My Personal Experience
For some, the Bible is just a literary work similar to many others. Some consider it outdated or just another religious work for religious people. I didn’t know much about her myself before I experienced God’s love very personally. Over time I came to believe that God is love and that he loves all people on earth. After my experience with God (when I simply asked him to show me if he existed and asked Jesus into his heart), I wanted to learn more about him. So I began to read in the Bible what he himself said and did when he was on earth. I didn’t really understand her at first. But as soon as I asked God to fill me with his Holy Spirit, this spiritual book suddenly began to make sense. I have been reading it for more than 50 years and it has accompanied me in a wonderful way throughout my life. It connects me with God, encourages me, gives me strength in my work and gives me a positive outlook on life and the future – especially when there are so many problems in the world.
The Bible is like no other book! It doesn’t matter how often I read it, even though I read the same text repeatedly, it always speaks to me in a new way. Although it is impossible to understand everything that is in the Bible and what it all means, There is enough in it to understand. In addition to excellent personal advice for life and for humanity in general, it is full of historical events and extremely important information, not only about our present, but also about our future.
One way it is possible to prove how supernatural the Bible is is to start doing what it advises us. This is how I stepped into the life of faith more than 50 years ago. I believed what Jesus had promised to those who would follow him, and I can testify that his promises have been fulfilled and are still fulfilled in my life to this day.
What famous people say about the Bible
Many famous people respect the Bible very much. Here are some quotes about the value and influence of this book of all the books:
I sincerely ask us not to lose our relationship with the Bible as our ancestors had in our busy and busy life today. I wish that the study of the Bible would be as self-evident at secular universities as in theological ones. No educated person can afford not to know the Bible and no uneducated person can afford not to know it. – Theodore Roosevelt
The New Testament is the best book that has ever been and will be known in the world because it teaches you the most important thing – what every person who wants to be honest and reliable in their responsibilities can follow. – Charles Dickens
Bible – forbidden, burnt, loved. Read more and more often challenged than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals tried to discredit it, dictators of all time banned it and executed those who read it. Still, soldiers wear it into battle because it believes it is more powerful than their weapons. And the fragments of this book, smuggled into the prison cells themselves, were able to turn even reckless murderers into kind creatures. – Charles Colson
The main purpose of reading the Bible is not to know the Bible, but to know God. – James Merritt
The Bible is the inexhaustible basis of all truths. The existence of the Bible as a book for humans is the greatest contribution humanity has ever experienced. Every attempt to discredit her is a crime against humanity. – Immanuel Kant
We disdainfully reject all the painstakingly invented myths that Moses is only a character from the legend. We believe that the most scientific view, the most modern and rational conception will find its most complete satisfaction in the literal understanding of the stories described in the Bible. – Sir Winston Churchill
Jesus of Nazareth, without money and weapons, conquered more millions of people than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Muhammad and Napoleon. Without science or education, he brought more light to human and supernatural themes than all philosophers and scholars combined. Without academic eloquence, he uttered the words of life that had never been spoken before or since, and caused a response beyond the speakers and poets. Without ever writing a single sentence, he set more pens in motion, and provided themes for more sermons, speeches, discussions, educational volumes, works of art and hymns than the entire army of famous men of antiquity and modern times. – Philip Schaff
Although answers to many life questions can be found in the Bible, we will mainly go through topics related to our present and future together. Some of these prophecies were made hundreds and sometimes thousands of years before they happened! And now, with a historic distance, you can see exactly how it happened. For example, specific empires – Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman – are predicted here several hundred years before they ever originated! Other prophecies are still waiting for their fulfillment. And there are those that are currently taking place right before our eyes!
Although we find literally hundreds of prophecies in the Bible, I will include only some of them here.
-Excerpts from the book ‘Prophecies about the future – What awaits us?’
To be continued
– link 1 https://www.wycliffe.net/resources/statistics
– link 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_of_the_Bible
– link 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDBCAo721Tc
– link 4 https://nekomunatobezalezi.cz/svitky-od-mrtveho-more-a-jejich-vyznam/
