America recently endured a storm as destructive as it gets. Lives were disrupted, and many were even destroyed. The entire country seemed affected, struck with awe and sympathy, and the word “survivors” was the mot du jour.

Hurricane Florence was a terrible tragedy, but that’s not the one I’m talking about. I’m talking about the Kavanaugh hearings. Whatever your viewpoint, you must admit those hearings were a hurricane of “he said, she said” accusations. To quote a dozen headlines, each side tried to “poke holes” in the other’s testimony.

People have tried to “poke holes” in the testimony of the Word of God for thousands of years, starting in the Garden of Eden when Satan said to Eve, “Did God actually say . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1). Casting doubt on the veracity of Scripture is an attempt to poke holes in His testimony. When it comes to a “he said, she said” controversy, He always wins. “Let God be true though every one were a liar” (Romans 3:4). “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19).

Many try to destroy the bible, considering it unusable or even unhealthy for our culture because of its rules, warnings, and other guilt-inducing content. In antiquity, Israel’s King Jehoiakim was displeased when Baruch read him the words of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36). As it was read, the king cut off what was read and threw it into the fire. He thought that was the end of the matter, but God had other ideas. He not only had Baruch rewrite what had been burned — He added many more words to the scroll!

No Kryptonite can kill the bible or sap its strength. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12, 13). Not only is it alive — it knows what we’re thinking and why. Jesus affirmed the lifespan of the Word when he said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 42:35).

About 100 years ago, a movement called Higher Criticism became a popular attempt to dismantle the veracity of the bible. The result was a movement, known as Fundamentalism, that multiplied Christian churches and schools and apologists and publishers and media world-wide. Just like Jehoiakim’s actions were not only ineffective but resulted in an increase in the Word, so attempts at suppressing Scripture result in the multiplication of believers worldwide.

Sexual misconduct even plays a part in discrediting — but not destroying — the bible. Speaking of false prophets, Peter warned, “And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Peter 2:2).

When the archaeologist’s spade pokes holes in the ground, it unearths new biblical evidence. When critics laugh at believers, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (Psalm 2:4). There is even a dire warning: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord’” (Amos 8:11).

In the struggle to find truth, there is one trustworthy source, recommended by no less than Truth himself, Jesus Christ (John 14:6): “[Y]our word is truth” (John 17:17).

Alan is editor of Lifestyles Over 50 (Thrive Media) and contributor to the Allentown, PA, Morning Call. He is also an adult Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader. Passionate about reviving theology and church methodology, and being a senior citizen!