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The Fundamentals Secondly, the Bible exalts itself far above all merely human books by its announcement of the great incomprehen sible mystery that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosover believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’’ (John 3:16), Where is there a god among all the heathen nations, be he Osiris, Brahma, Baal, Jupiter or Odin, that would have promised' those people that, by taking upon himself the sin of the world and suffering its punishment, he would thus become a savior and redeemer to them? Thirdly, the Bible sets the seal of its divine origin Upon itself by means of the prophecies. Very appropriately does God inquire, through the prophet Isaiah, “Who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for Me since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming and^ shall come to pass, let them declare” (Ch. 44:7). Or says again, I am God, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure; calling a ravenous bird from the east, and the man of My counsel from a far country. Yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass - I have purposed, I will also do it” (Ch. 46:10, 11). Or addressing Pharaoh, “Where are thy wise men, and let them tell thee, and let them know what the Lord of Hosts hath purposed upon Egypt” (Ch. 19:12). Again we say, where is there a god, or gods, a founder of religion, such as Con fucius, Buddha, or Mohammed, who could, with such cer tainty, have predicted the future of even his own people? Or where is there a statesman who in these times can foretell what will be the condition of things in Europe one hundred or even ten years from now? Nevertheless the prophecies of Moses and his threatened judgments upon the Israelites have been literally fulfilled. Literally also have been fulfilled (although who at the time would have believed it?) the proph' ecies respecting the destruction of those great ancient cities
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