Why I Trust the Bible: (Life According to Murf, Volume 2)

By Michael K. Murphy

I cannot count the number of times I have thought of this, let alone, the number of times I have contemplated the writing of this introduction for this project. I am no one special and absolutely no one of any great stature of any sort. I am just a guy!
We are told to, “Never judge a book by it's cover!” This is a very good suggestion in life and is also a great message espoused by Dhar Mann. We should all take that to heart. However, the ideology is taken way out of context that we are never to judge, but the proper context is that we are to judge rightly and without bias, our judgment must be based upon a moral absolute (i.e., God's righteousness.) The blatant fact of the matter is this, God can use each and every one of us where we are and He will both enable and empower us to do all of His will. After all, God continued to use King David, Moses, Jonah, Adam, Abraham, Isaac, among a great many other sinners to accomplish His will.
We each have varying degrees of belief and a variety of differing faith. However, those of us who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior have an obligation, if not a mandate, to share the gospel message and our faith, our belief, and to give an answer for the hope that is in us all. Each and every one of us is called to a purpose. Sadly, many of us never seek out that God given purpose of ours, let alone fulfill our Godly purpose in life and never realize our purpose. We are all set on a journey from birth to death. We must learn a great deal between our birth and our death along with figuring out what our exact purpose is and many of us must fight against the grain of family, friends, peers, and job just to do what we know to be the right thing. God knows the decisions we will make and will place people along our path giving each of us every possible chance and opportunity to change the path we are on and exchange it for a righteous path. (Just consider Jonah, among other prophets!) Which is a partial purpose of this volume to share the information from the position of an apologist; thereby, understanding why we believe what we believe. Well, at least why I believe what I believe and espouse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 1, 2025
• ISBN: 9781300616726

Book preview

FIGURES

Figure 1      FIRMAMENT AS THE UNIVERSAL EXPANSE, Carl E. Baugh

Figure 2      The Collapse of the Canopy Model, Answers In Genesis

Figure 3      Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 2, Flavious Josephus

Figure 4      A Depiction of the Firmaments of the Sky and Between the Waters

Figure 5      Vapor canopy around the earth

Figure 6      Canopy around the Earth

Figure 7      Meganeura (2.5' wingspan), French palaeontologist Charles Brongniart in 1885

Figure 8      Air bubble trapped in amber

Figure 9      "... the fountains of the great deep broken up..."

Figure 10      The Flood Rearranges the Earth

Figure 11      Active Volcanoes, Plate Tectonics, and the Ring of Fire

Figure 12      Assuage, definition, Webster Dictionary, 1828

Figure 13      A Timeline of Biblical History

Figure 14      Illustration, Timeline of  Church and Writings

Figure 15      New Testament Chain of Custody, Cold Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace

Figure 16      Chain of Custody, Biblical, 33 A.D. To 393/397 A.D.

Figure 17      Charles Lyell's Geologic Column

Figure 18      Grand Canyon Strata

Figure 19      Bent Strata at Vrika, Paxos, Antipaxos

Figure 20      The meaning of Science, www.dictionary.com

Figure 21      World Population By Religion

Figure 22      Quote by Father Zosima, The Brothers Karamazov, by Fydor Dostoyevsky

Figure 23      August Landmesser, showed his disapproval by not displaying support for the

Nazi Party. (1936)

Figure 24      Biblical Creation -Evolutionary History Timeline

Figure 25       An 1890 New York Times article, archaeological discovery of a race of Indian giants.

Figure 26       An 1892 New York Times article, giants of antiquity in Old Gaul

Figure 27      La Ferrassie 1

Figure 28      La Ferrassie 1

Figure 29      La Ferrassie 1

Figure 30      Actual embryonic stages

Figure 31      Ernst Haeckel's Drawings

A Note from the Author

While I have heard from friends and family that I should use a better translation than the King James Version of the Bible in my referencing and I understand their concerns. However, I have found through my research and my reading of the Biblical text, as well, that I have rested on the King James Version due to it's purposeful dialogue.

The other translations have difficulties in and of themselves. The first of which is the fact that they have been copyrighted and revised time and again in order to maintain those copyrights protections. On the other hand, the King James versions are direct relations to the 1599 Bishop's Bible, 1568 version of the Bishop's  Bible, and the 1536 version of the Tyndale Bible. Each of which was translated directly from the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic versions of the Biblical text.

Secondly, there are textual changes within the text itself that are translated and re-translated in order to protect the copyrighted version that must be contended with. Now, most people do not go out and purchase the new and updated version when it is printed and made available. However, from a doctrinal standpoint this becomes rather important, because we are obligated to maintain such updated beliefs within our doctrinal beliefs.

Third and finally, the New International Version was purportedly taken from a burn or a scrap pile. Now, do not get me wrong as I am not a King James Only person! But I am seeking the truth and that is the purpose of the Bible...TRUTH! I would rather you read the more corrupt versions of the Bible than that of the smut that is available within your grasp these days. You have a greater chance of getting saved through some of the corrupted versions of the Bible than through the smut you find on television and in your local libraries, these days!

I started out with the New International Version (1978); although, it was updated in 1984, in 2011, and a major revise in 2013. Sometime around 2015 I moved to the New King James Version because it was advertised as just having the thee's and the thou's removed making it better to read, but I have even found with that it was wrongly advertised! Many very significant words were changed. Additionally, the New King James Version of the Bible was updated in 1979, 1982, and 1984. Only to find out that the New King James Version was based upon the 1967/1977 versions of the Latin Vulgate, which was not the original but a translation of the Bible itself.

I can only urge you to read much, and read critically! Pay careful attention to what you read, take careful notes, memorize as best you can or gain a close understanding of what is stated. You are the one that is responsible to be a watchman for those around you, those you lead, and those you raise up. Because you do so in God's good name and for His purpose. I would urge you to read and devoutly study the version of the Bible that you are comfortable with. Who knows you may change to a different version later on because YOU have determined it to be a better version for you to work with!

I would urge each and every one of you to read the Bible version that YOU personally feel comfortable with, as it is better than not reading the Bible at all! Study and research the Bible, as a whole and book by book and cross-referencing everything. Don't be afraid to question, as this is how those of us, with an inquisitive attitude, do honestly learn.

May God Richly Bless You!

Michael

Preface:

I am grateful that you have chosen to read my book. I am Michael Murphy, or M.K. Murphy, and to be quite honest with you...I am no one special, just a lay person making his way through life with more than my fair share of mistakes. To place things in their proper perspective I am not really certain that I have grown up and matured, as my wife keeps reminding me that she cannot take me anywhere! I, like many of you, have been on a very long life journey to figure out exactly what God's purpose was for me and my life. Quite often, it is like anything else I've done...trial and error. Kind of like going on a trip and getting lost and because I am a male type, I am reluctant to stop for directions. And I thank God for all the map apps out there!

I am really like any other guy out there who, also by nature, is stubborn in this aspect of life. I liken myself to a grain of sand next to and associated with other grains of sand. Trillions of them laying on the beach and in the depths of the ocean. I am no one special, in any sense. If this is not bad enough, I am unknown and unnamed, and realistically, unrecognizable from any other grain of sand and despite all of this, God knows me, He knows my name and calls me by the same! And along with all of the other grains of sand that surround me. He knitted my inward parts, He protected me in my mother's womb, and He knew me before I was created, even at the foundation of this world.

It is my hope and my prayer that throughout this book I will be able to give you an understanding, or perhaps a deeper understanding, of the basis upon which MY faith is founded and in so doing that you will grasp hold of as either a non-believer, or (preferably) a new believer, and be swayed to, at the very least, search out God, Intelligent Design, as the basis for your faith. In this book, WHY I TRUST THE BIBLE (LIFE ACCORDING TO MURF, VOLUME 2), I try to explain and show how my faith was solidified and flourished through my research, study, and uncovering of facts & truths that aided in my growth in faith. Grab hold and hang on for the remainder of your life. I am not calling out to you to take my word for it, I want you to do the research, I want you to place your present faith on the line and truly search out God. I pray, as the Apostle Paul prayed that you, too, will believe in the One True God who created this grand universe for us all to live within and place our wonderment upon it's creation.

I chose to believe in and follow Christ in January of 1989. I definitely did not have any of the answers back then, and I still don't have all of the answers today. But the fact is this, I have a lot more answers today than I did back then. The truth is this, the more I learn I find out I still know very little. I know infinitesimally little in the grand scheme of things. However, despite all of this I rest in my confidence that God is real, Jesus (the Christ, the Son of the Most High) was a real man, lived on this earth, walked this earth, died, was resurrected, was seen by multitudes and ascended to heaven and, in time, will come again as promised!

It is my purpose in these pages to give proofs (circumstantial, indirect, and direct), examples, reason, and logic. Thereby guiding you to a better understanding why I believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and place my trust in the Holy Bible and it's teachings. Furthermore, to open your eyes as to why the Bible is trustworthy, as written, and perhaps even a little of the morphing of the Bible into today's renditions, or versions. Some are more reliable than others. Although, some of the liberal or lesser reliable Bibles out there are far superior to the much of the literature, so-called, that is available for reading these days.

Again, my hope and my prayer is that you will be touched by my journey, submitted to these pages that you will yield your life over to God and His Son, Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into the heavenly promised land. I also hope and pray that I will submit to you, enough evidence, that the Bible is the one and only true manual from God to man for life, an absolute book of objective morals and their tenets, and presents a true ability to know our Creator based upon  human understanding.

"Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."                ~John 3:9-13 KJV

It is also my hope that you will receive a rejuvenated spirit, as did Ebeneezer Scrooge, in the Charles Dickens classic tale of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (the 1951 version being my favorite.) While I do not know if I am asking too much, but as the old adage goes:

"You will never know, unless you ask!"

~everyone's mother

Both my previous book, WHY I BELIEVE IN GOD (LIFE ACCORDING TO MURF, VOLUME 1), and this volume, WHY I TRUST THE BIBLE (LIFE ACCORDING TO MURF, VOLUME 2), were actually a single volume. However, my friend and editor of the manuscript suggested that I split it into two separate works. So, as rare as it was, I listened to someone else. So, what was to be a single book has now actually morphed into what is projected to be a series of books, deemed to be the LIFE ACCORDING TO MURF series. As I write this addendum to my Preface, I have another three manuscripts in line that I am working on and several ideas beyond that.

Even though I am just an ordinary guy, God can use the ordinary for the extraordinary endeavors! We all have a purpose in His eye and in His creation. We are all called to share His word & message to all whom we come in contact. We not only have a duty but an obligation to do so in order to glorify Christ!

I am retired from work, per se, BUT I am not retired from life and God's purpose! I write because I love to do so and enjoy it. (I mean, after all, who wouldn't love to share their opinion in an one-sided argument? LOL) It has been a dream of mine to to write since my latter years in the USAF. It is a labor of love and if I was paid nothing I would still do it. I do not really care if I make any money off this endeavor. If I do, I am grateful; if I do not, I am blessed to do what I believe God wants me to do.

May God Richly Bless & Guide You All, My Beloved!

M.K. Murphy

INTRODUCTION

I cannot count the number of times I have thought of this, let alone, the number of times I have contemplated the writing of this introduction for this project. I am no one special and absolutely no one of any great stature of any sort. I am just a guy!

We are told to, "Never judge a book by it's cover!" This is a very good suggestion in life and is also a great message espoused by Dhar Mann. We should all take that to heart. However, the ideology is taken way out of context that we are never to judge, but the proper context is that we are to judge rightly and without bias, our judgment must be based upon a moral absolute (i.e., God's righteousness.) The blatant fact of the matter is this, God can use each and every one of us where we are and He will both enable and empower us to do all of His will. After all, God continued to use King David, Moses, Jonah, Adam, Abraham, Isaac, among a great many other sinners to accomplish His will.

We each have varying degrees of belief and a variety of differing faith. However, those of us who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior have an obligation, if not a mandate, to share the gospel message and our faith, our belief, and to give an answer for the hope that is in us all. Each and every one of us is called to a purpose. Sadly, many of us never seek out that God given purpose of ours, let alone fulfill our Godly purpose in life and never realize our purpose. We are all set on a journey from birth to death. We must learn a great deal between our birth and our death along with figuring out what our exact purpose is and many of us must fight against the grain of family, friends, peers, and job just to do what we know to be the right thing. God knows the decisions we will make and will place people along our path giving each of us every possible chance and opportunity to change the path we are on and exchange it for a righteous path. (Just consider Jonah, among other prophets!) Which is a partial purpose of this volume to share the information from the position of an apologist; thereby, understanding why we believe what we believe. Well, at least why I believe what I believe and espouse.

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." 

~ Acts 17:26-28 KJV

Among a great many other things we must learn between our birth and our death, we must hear God call to us, we must hear His word, we must believe it, we must learn to trust it, we must claim it and, of course, we must learn to share it. God loves us so much that He will do such things for us until we draw our final breath. God and man, both, will place speed-bumps & roadblocks in our paths and will send other people to re-direct us onto the path we are needed to go. When we make a wrong turn to the left or the right, God will place a fork in the