There are a lot of fake stories passed around on the internet today. Many of these stories take advantage of Christians who are eager to prove to the world that the stories in the Bible are real. One "news" story claims archeologists have discovered the remains of Goliath, the giant that David killed in 1 Samuel. Some stories use the photograph above and to the left. Other similar stories show a giant skull with a stone sticking out of its forehead. Or, the same photos are used to claim the biblical "giants" of Genesis 6:4 have been found. Clearly, the above photograph is a fake, with the original shown to the right.
As a pastor, I have often had church members tell me how excited they are that they have seen a story posted on Facebook that confirms one biblical story or the other. Popular stories I have noticed are:
- Noah's Ark Found (More than once!)
- NASA Reveals Joshua's "Missing Day"
- The Remains of Pharaoh's Army from the Exodus Have Been Found
All of these stories are almost certainly false, although some of them are much more complicated to disprove than to simply show the original photograph. Some originate from obviously fake news sites, the kind that claim proof that Elvis was the real shooter of JFK. It's not my point to get into all the details of each story here. However, if you want to know more about the truth behind one of these stories or another one you have seen, please ask and I will reply. I'm sure some of you are surprised to learn one or more of these stories are not true.
What should we learn from this?
First, there is nothing wrong with looking for evidence of the truthfulness of the Bible. Is it possible that there are remains of Noah's Ark? I think so. Not very likely, but possible. Would it be exciting to find it? Absolutely! It could help start up conversations with people who have stopped believing any of the Bible is true. It might also encourage people who already believe the Bible. Plus, it would just be really cool! If Noah's Ark (or Goliath's skull) is found, it will be God's grace that has preserved it and allowed someone to discover it at just the right time.
However, Christians must be careful. First, it hurts our testimony when we look gullible, or even deceitful, when we present false evidence to support the Bible. Second, we must recognize that God has already provided sufficient evidence to support our faith and confirm the trustworthiness of Scripture. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a well documented historical fact. But the Bible itself gives sufficient evidence for the truth of the Gospel. Jesus said, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31). Christians must be careful that their excitement about a "new discovery" isn't actually a sign of unbelief, an expression of an inner desire to find "just a little more" evidence before we will really believe.
Whenever you see a news story "proving" the Bible, try to check out the sources before you share it or repost it. Fortunately, sites like "Snopes.com" make it easy to find sources on most stories you will see on the internet, although you cannot always trust everything on Snopes either. Answers in Genesis is a Christian site that exposes false stories as well.
Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html
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