Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals
Monday July 13 2026
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Revelation 3:12-He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
We live in the day and age of conspiracy theories. People are quick to abandon truth and jump on the nearest fable no matter how far-fetched and irrational. Like the Athenians and foreigners who were waiting around to hear something new (Acts 17:21), so these people are eager to go down some new rabbit trail and see where it will lead them.
One recent example of this is the claim that the Bible was written only in the last few hundred years. To these well-meaning folks, it doesn’t matter that we have thousands of years of history (as well as Old Testament manuscripts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) that predate the birth of Jesus and bear witness to Him. Nor does it matter to them that we have eyewitnesses (friendly and hostile) who affirm the historical authenticity of the Scriptures in numerous ways.
Artifacts related to the Bible specifically have illuminated or confirmed events, chronologies, practices, terminology, locations, and individuals that would otherwise have remained a mystery. As an example, there are currently about 70 individuals mentioned in the Old Testament who have been confirmed by archaeological artifacts, and about 32 individuals in the New Testament so far confirmed by archaeology, with several more people from the Bible tentatively identified by archaeological artifacts. Many artifacts have also illuminated obscure words and practices in the Bible, from times long ago in lands far away, that would be misunderstood or unknown otherwise. In spite of this evidence from archaeology, in the academic world and the general public, the Bible is still typically viewed as a source of little or no historical value.…Yet, this is not true for every ancient document. Historical sections from the Bible often display the opposite and more objective tendency by recording failures, embarrassments, and defeats. Further, archaeology, and artifacts in particular, have confirmed the accuracy of many biblical passages. Because these artifacts can be traced to a specific region, city, or even building, and the objects can be dated to a point in time, they are among the most precise, accurate, and useful sources of information.…The result of analysis of the artifacts and comparison to the relevant historical passages in the Bible, however, demonstrates accuracy in details of people, places, times, events, and practices. If these discoveries remained buried and unknown, the tangible archaeological evidence for the historical reliability of the Bible would be restricted to ancient manuscripts and the ruins of buildings. Yet, we now have hundreds of significant artifacts that illuminate the ancient world of the Bible and demonstrate the historical accuracy of many passages.…The fallacious arguments claiming that the archaeological data shows the Bible to be unhistorical myth, legend, or propaganda are demonstrated to be sensationalism and falsehood by the artifact evidence presented in this book. Although 101 objects were presented, there might have been around 500 artifacts noted if there were no space restrictions and the scope was more comprehensive! Further, every year new and significant discoveries connected to the Bible are being made, suggesting that the amount of archaeological evidence will increase as time goes on and as ancient sites are found and excavated. Pass on this information to others, visit archaeological sites and museums to see these artifacts with your own eyes, and be on the lookout for these new exciting finds, which are usually announced in press releases, archaeology journals, and documentaries. Only time will tell what else lies buried, and the mysteries that will be revealed as more artifacts of the past are rediscovered. (Titus Kennedy, Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archaeological Discoveries That Bring the Bible to Life, 238-239 (Kindle Edition): Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers)
All of these facts are set aside and the conspiracy is instead embraced that the Bible is of recent origin.
What is the basis for this?
According to some, it is because the names Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and other New Testament names are of modern invention.
The fact is, most names that are used in our world today are extremely ancient-including many names that are prevalent in the Bible!
Traditional names such as John and Mary are in decline, while new coinages such as Kai and Tia are in favour. Throughout the English-speaking world it is becoming increasingly fashionable to name children with words and coinages that have never been used as names before. Nevertheless, an overwhelming proportion of the English-speaking population still choose familiar traditional names. These are names whose history goes back for thousands of years. They ebb and flow in popularity over time like the sea, and occasionally some of them fall completely out of use—as has happened to Old Testament names that were once popular, especially among Baptists and Methodists: Ahab, Jabez, and Zillah, for example. Perhaps, like the seeds of desert plants, these splendid Old Testament names are waiting patiently for revival, should the rainfall of fashionability come their way again. (Patrick Hanks, Flavia Hodges, Kate Hardcastle, A Dictionary of First Names, 7 (Kindle Edition): Oxford University Press)
Bible names do not suggest the modernity of the Bible: instead, they reflect the antiquity of many names from our day and age. This whole conspiracy theory also demonstrates to us the foolishness of arguments used against the Bible.
Father, give us wisdom to recognize and see through the many attacks leveled against Your Word. Amen.