This is a very important question. The answer to this question can change your life for the better. There is no more important question as, Where did the Bible come from? If you believe that it came from man, then the Bible is a lie because it says it came from God. If it came from God then it is the truth and can be relied on for guidance in our lives.

So, How did we get the Bible? Did it come from God or man? I hope to answer this question in the following teaching.

Now the Bible claims to be a prophetic writing_the work of prophesy. Prophesy in the Bible means to "speak forth." Now, just because a person is prophesying does not necessarily mean that they are speaking forth from God.

Jeremiah 2:8:

The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

Jeremiah 14;14:

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and oracle, and a thing of no value, and the deceit of their heart.

But true prophesy is speaking forth from God: speaking words that God gives, that is, speaking by the spirit of God; and that is what the Bible is: words spoken by the spirit of God.

The entire work from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is speaking by the spirit of God. Isn't that wonderful? The Bible is a prophetic writing from God; it did not come from the mind of a man, but from the mind of Almighty God the creator of heaven and the earth and all that is in them, Isn't that great? How wonderful.

Romans 16:26:

But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The scriptures of the prophets. What are the scriptures of the prophets referred to here. The scriptures of the prophets are the writings of the prophets. Jeremiah was a prophet, he prophesied by the spirit of God that was upon him. That is, he spoke forth as the spirit gave him to speak out, and what he spoke forth was the word of God: words that God gave to him. These words were written down so that we have them today. That is what the book of Jeremiah is words spoken by the spirit of God and then written down. That is how we got the Bible. All the books of the Bible are prophetic writings.

Let's take a look at some examples of people prophesying in the Bible.

Numbers 11:24-25:

And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that , when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

God took of the spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the seventy elders of Israel, and they prophesied.

I Samuel 10:10:

And when they came to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met Saul; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

See, the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he prophesied: he spoke as the Spirit gave him to speak out. Let's take a look at another man upon whom the Spirit of God came.

II Chronicles 15:1:

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you

"And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah...." The Spirit came upon him and he prophesied. He spoke the Word of God to the people. He spoke forth by the Spirit of God a message from God to the people. This is how we got the word of God. Men spoke as the Spirit gave them to speak out, then they wrote down what they said. It is an inspired utterance. This is what the Bible is.