The Bible is the greatest and most majestic book ever known to man. It is the most unique book in the world. There is, indeed, no other book in all of the world like unto it. No other book can duplicate it; no other book can come close to replacing it. It has no superior; it has no close peer. Its greatness and uniqueness is seen from the following facts:

IT LIVES ON. The Bible has been the object of much opposition. Its enemies have attacked it on every hand. They have tried to disprove the Bible on the grounds of science, archaeology, and history. Yet, its critics soon pass away, and the Bible still shines as truth. Infidels have hated it, mocked it, perverted it, and burned it; yet, it lives on!

IT IS FROM GOD - NOT MAN. The Bible claims to be from God. It has been noted that more than 2,000 times Biblical declarations are said to be "the word of the Lord" in Sacred Scripture. Furthermore, the nature and contents of the Bible are such that the only possible author is God. It caters not to worldly desires and ambitions. Its teachings are of a superhuman nature.

IT IS UNIQUE IN ITS UNITY. It has one central message - salvation. From Genesis to Revelation, there is a marvelous unfolding of the general theme of man's fall from his holy estate and God's plan of redemption as worked out across the centuries and fulfilled in the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Also, consider this. The Bible was written by some forty different persons. The human authors varied greatly in cultural and educational backgrounds. More than 1600 years were required to write this great book. It was begun by Moses in the deserts of Arabia and completed by John on the island of Patmos. Almost 1600 years separating Moses' "In the beginning," and John's "Amen." Yet, in spite of the many different writers with their varied backgrounds and in spite of the hundreds of years that separated them in their writing, we stand amazed at the unity and continuity which flows throughout the Bible. Suppose a picture drawn by several different artists unknown to each other. They each enter the room, and without conferring with one another, in turn paint a portion of the canvas. When they all finish, the picture is a wonderful expression of a single idea. This could not happen without a mastermind to give each his part. The application: there is no reasonable explanation for the marvelous unity of the Bible without considering the divine guidance of the hand of God.

The Bible is indeed the greatest, most precious and unique book to have ever been written. May all men love it, cherish it, respect it, honor it, study it, and obey it. See Acts 2:38 for what you must do to be saved.

Tim Arthur