Many people attempt to read the Bible and find the first 15 chapters of Genesis to be very interesting. Things start to get boring around Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Things pick up a bit when you first get to Exodus and the story about how Israel was brought out of slavery in Egypt. However, most people fade when the description of the laws and details of the tabernacle are given.

Most of the Old Testament is a history of the nation of Israel. Some people try to say that the Old Testament was written by priests in Israel trying to make themselves look good. The Old Testament is unique in ancient writings in that Israel definitely does not look "good". The New Testament says that the Old Testament was kept for us so that we would learn from the mistakes of the nation of Israel.

Another interesting facet of the Bible is that there are prophecies about things that will happen in the future. Many of these have already happened. Many people attempt to undermine the Bible by saying that the people who wrote certain books could not have actually written them. For example they try very hard to "prove" Daniel did not write the book attributed to him because Daniel wrote about the break up of the empire of Alexander 200 years before it occurred. 

There are many predictions in the Old Testament about a Messiah (anointed one) who will come to redeem Israel. There are two groups of predictions. The first says the the Messiah will come as a King, the second group says that he will be made to suffer. 

The New Testament starts with four books that describe what Jesus did, where He went, and what He said. Sometimes these accounts overlap and sometimes they have a record of something unique. The next book of the New Testament, Acts describes some of what the apostles did after Jesus went back to heaven. Next, there are many letters (mostly from Paul) to various churches addressing specific problems and giving encouragement and teaching.

The last book of the Bible is Revelation. It was the only book written after the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 AD. It contains a description of future events in symbolic language and has been much misused over the centuries.

Bible skepticism

Evolution

The most common attack used against the truth of the Bible is the "science" of evolution. While this subject will be addressed as it's own topic, it should be stated that there is no "scientific" reason to not believe the Bible just as it is written. For example, the existence of dinosaur bones does not disprove the Bible, it just tells us that there were larger reptiles at one time. If you consider that people before the flood lived longer than they do now, it might be that reptiles lived longer also. Since reptiles keep getting bigger, the longer they live, it would not be surprising that some became very large. Since people did not eat meat until after the flood, it would also not be surprising that many species would only become extinct after that time.

Primitive cultures

The Bible is often dismissed as not relevant for today because it was written by and for primitive people who are not as advanced as we are today. When you read the writings of people from thousands of years ago, you find them just as intelligent, petty, vain, and in all ways (except technology) similar to us today. The idea that people used to be stupid appeals to our own vanity but it is not born out by fact. It has been said, "If people do not have an absolute standard by which to judge right and wrong, then whatever is the momentary fashion becomes the definition of right and wrong". Since many people today live lives of sexual perversion and indulgence, they feel that other cultures which are different (in particular the cultures of the Bible) are "wrong", archaic, and primitive and therefore have no value today.

Contradictions

Some people say that the bible is full of errors and contradictions. Often when you ask someone to give an example of an error or contradiction, they will rattle off an example. As you begin the rather tedious process of analysis to show that their example is really not an error or a contradiction, you often find they jump to another example or dismiss your explanation out of hand. This is when you find that such "critics" are not so much interested in finding truth as they are in propagating their own error. 

Difficult to understand

There is some truth to the claim that the Bible is hard to understand. The Bible itself says that it is discerned spiritually and that it is "foolishness" to those that are perishing. The key to understanding the Bible is not an education. In fact, an education is often a huge obstacle to understanding the Bible in that it often elevates the flesh and quenches the Spirit. It is closeness to God that brings wisdom and discernment. The Bible is the way people hear about Jesus and come to have faith. However, the Bible is also the way Christians learn more about God. God opens His word to the believing heart in layers. It is only as we mature in faith and grow in Christ-likeness that we have the capacity to understand what the Bible can teach us.

Biblical support

Archeology

The Bible is an interesting book for a number of reasons. One unusual feature is that it stands alone among ancient documents in that places and names are spelled correctly. This characteristic is seldom found in other ancient documents. The Bible has declared the existence of nations and empires that were considered mythological until they were unearthed and found to be as described in the Bible. The finding of the Dead Sea scolls was a boost for Biblical reliability when it was discovered that manuscripts of Bible portions written between 200 and 100 BC are the same as we have today.

Prophecy

The Bible has predicted numerous events that have already come to pass. There is no other book that has done this. It is difficult to think of anything more impressive to "prove" the Bible is true than to predict the future.

Miracles

The Bible documents periods of astounding supernatural events. Skeptics like to claim that such things (like the plagues of Egypt) either didn't happen or were greatly exaggerated. However, we have a record of them happening that would have been impossible to maintain as a fraud. Two to three million Jews coming out of Egypt all had the record of the events passed down through their families. This is not the sort of conspiracy a few clever scribes or priests are able to orchestrate.

The resurrection

Jesus was raised from the dead. Roman soldiers verified He was dead by piercing His side and observing that the blood in His body had already separated. His death was real. His resurrection was real also. Paul writes to people that had not seen the resurrection that many people had met Jesus and talked with Him. He said that Jesus was observed once by 500 people many of whom were still alive and could testify to the reality of the resurrection. The fact the Jesus did not remain dead is proof that death had no hold on Him and He is able to offer us an escape from death and punishment for our sins.

The Bible is unlike any other book. It is more than words on a page. It is truth and it is active.