Those who want to reject the message of the Bible will often point to apparent errors, contradictions, and discrepancies. However, looking at the Bible objectively—a book written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1500 years, and copied over and over by hand for 1400 years until the invention of the printing press—the accuracy and consistency of the Bible is nothing short of astonishing. Each writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, to a different audience, for a different purpose. We should expect some minor differences, although differences are not contradictions or errors. Biblical error only occurs where there is absolutely no conceivable way the verses or passages can be reconciled to the rest of Scripture.
Even if an answer to some apparent discrepancies is not available right now, that does not mean an answer does not exist. Many have found a supposed error in the Bible in relation to history or geography, only to find out that the Bible is correct once further archaeological evidence is discovered. For example, for centuries "scientists" believed the earth was flat. The book of Isaiah, written thousands of years before Columbus, declares that God "sits above the circle of the earth" (Isaiah 40:22). Was this an error to the learned scientists of the past?
Whatever minor copists' errors that may, or may not, exist in Scripture, the overall message comes through loud and clear. Man is sinful by nature, God is holy and must punish sin, Christ came to take that punishment on our behalf, and all who come to Him in faith will have eternal life, while those who reject Him live eternally in hell. Atheists love to point out supposed errors and contradictions and expect others to answer their objections. The truth is that most Bible attackers are not really interested in, nor are they seeking, truth. They are seeking a reason to reject the Bible and the God who wrote it (2 Timothy 3:16). Despite their noisy protestations, one day they will stand before the Author of Scripture who declared it to be perfect, right, pure, true, righteous and more to be desired than gold (Psalm 19).
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