RATION TABLETS of JEHOIACHIN VERIFY BIBLE’S ACCURACY
Cuneiform documents of ration tablets of Jehoiachin have been discovered at the site ancient Babylon.
“In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. so Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived, till the day of his death”—Jeremiah 52:31-34 NIV; see also 2 Kings 25:27-30
In the first year of his reign, 561 BCE, Babylonian king Awel-Marduk (Evil-Merodach) released Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from his 37 year Babylonian imprisonment and gave him a position of prominence among the captive kings, as well as a daily allowance of food for the rest of his life—but did not permit him to return to Judah. Cuneiform tablets of Babylonian administrative annals have been discovered in a basement, which served as a royal archive room, near Babylon’s famous Ishtar gate. These tablets have been dated to the reign of Awel-Marduk’s predecessor Nebuchadnezzar. They refer to provisions or rations, such as oil and barley, supplied to Jehoiachin and five of his sons (cf. 2 Kings 24:15), and to other royal prisoners. The latest of these tablets is at least eight years older than the date of Jehoiachin’s release, which is referred to in the scriptures above. Awel-Marduk likely increased Jehoiachin’s allowance from the meager amounts mentioned in these tablets.
The discoveries of ration tablets for Judean king Jehoiachin is just one of many archaeological evidences proving that people, places, events and things mentioned in the Bible really did exist, or happen, and that the Bible can be trusted as Almighty God’s inspired word (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:24,25).
13 thoughts on “RATION TABLETS of JEHOIACHIN VERIFY BIBLE’S ACCURACY”
As in the genre of historical fiction, the naming of people, places, and things in the Bible can be true even though God does not exist, miracles did not occur, and the Bible is not the word of God. For example, if somebody claims that Jesus came back to life in a tomb at a particular place, even if you can find the alleged tomb at that particular place, this is not proof of the claim that Jesus came back to life.
1. If Jesus came back to life, then he is alive today.
2. If Jesus is alive today, then he would have already presented himself to us.
3. Jesus has not presented himself to us.
4. Therefore, Jesus did not come back to life.
It is true that the discovery evidence of the existence of people, places and things in the Bible does not, in itself, constitute proof of God’s existence. However, the vast discoveries of such relative to the Bible during the past 150 years does give it a level of credibility that no other ancient work comes close to matching. Your comments above are simply an attempt to distract from the point made in the above article. Your choice to not believe that God exists is, in itself, an allowance of God’s gracious free will. Neither he, nor anyone else, is attempting to force you to believe that God exists.
In stark contrast to the Bible, the Book of Mormon names many people, places, events and things that either have no supporting historical or archaeological evidence whatsoever, or such contradicts what the Book of Mormon says.
RT: It is true that the discovery evidence of the existence of people, places and things in the Bible does not, in itself, constitute proof of God’s existence.
GW: Yes, I agree.
RT: However, the vast discoveries of such relative to the Bible during the past 150 years does give it a level of credibility that no other ancient work comes close to matching.
GW: I’m not interested in comparing ancient works on credibility. That’s irrelevant to my challenge to you – find an error in my argument against the existence of God based on Covid.
RT: Your comments above are simply an attempt to distract from the point made in the above article.
GW: Your presentation of the article itself is an attempt to distract from my challenge to you to find an error in my argument See above. Ancient relics or artifacts have nothing to do with my argument. I don’t mention them.
RT: Your choice to not believe that God exists is, in itself, an allowance of God’s gracious free will.
GW: If God does not exist, then he has no free will and no grace. God does not exist. Therefore, he has no free will and no grace. If you can’t find an error in my argument, then you should just accept the conclusion – God does not exist.
GW: Actually, if God did exist, he would have already informed you of an error in my argument. But this has not happened. So, God does not exist. This is a secondary argument.
RT: Neither he, nor anyone else, is attempting to force you to believe that God exists.
GW: I don’t feel forced. It wouldn’t matter. Could you be forced not to believe in God? I doubt it. Similarly, I can’t be forced to believe that God exists.
GW: Let’s return to the main issue. A correct, universal, and objective morality does exist, partly in reality and partly hypothetically. Agree? If you disagree, tell us why. I call this moral code “Correct Universal Ethics” or “CUE” for short. It could be produced either by a panel of human moral experts, thinking rationally, or by God, thinking rationally, if he did exist. Agree? If you disagree, tell us why. CUE is independent of the existence of gods. It is a concept sufficient in itself, regardless of how it might be produced. Agree? If you disagree, tell us why.
No laws, whether they be physical, moral, or ethical, exist without lawmakers. “The laws of the universe” (Job 38:33 NLT) are physical, and have existed since the universe began. They exist because of Almighty God establishing them. Moral laws such as those against murder, theft, etc., originate from the one who had “the requirements of the law . . . written on their hearts” (Romans 2:14,15 NIV).
RT: No laws, whether they be physical, moral, or ethical, exist without lawmakers.
GW: I totally disagree. We’ve been over this several times. First, moral and ethical laws are the same. Indeed, they are invented by persons whom we may call “lawmakers.” On the other hand, physical or natural laws are descriptions of the regularities in the universe or in reality, often in mathematical terms. Human persons discover these laws. There is no good evidence that anybody, including gods, created the regularities or orderliness of nature.
RT: “The laws of the universe” (Job 38:33 NLT) are physical, and have existed since the universe began.
GW: There is no good evidence that the universe began. Physical laws describe the operations or processes of the universe.
RT: They exist because of Almighty God establishing them.
GW: We already know that God does not exist. There are many proofs of this; one is mine. You have found no error in my proof.
RT: Moral laws such as those against murder, theft, etc., originate from the one who had “the requirements of the law . . . written on their hearts” (Romans 2:14,15 NIV).
GW: All known moral laws or rules have been invented by human persons.
GW: Instead of talking in broad generalities, please talk about this specific moral rule: “Person X should attempt to prevent any moderate to severe harm H1 to any person Y or group of persons Z, if and only if 1) X certainly or probably knows about the opportunity to help by prevention, 2) X is certainly or probably able to prevent the harm, 3) X will certainly or probably not die in the prevention attempt, 4) X will certainly or probably not be permanently injured in the prevention attempt, 5) X will certainly or probably not suffer greatly in the prevention attempt, 6) allowing H1 is probably or certainly not necessary to preventing greater harm H2, and 7) allowing H1 is probably or certainly not necessary to producing a benefit B which outweighs the harm H1. Any person X has a moral duty to attempt to prevent harm H1 if all seven of these contingencies are satisfied. Persons are moral if they attempt to prevent a moderate to severe harm when all seven relevant specific contingencies are met; otherwise they are immoral.”
RT: In stark contrast to the Bible, the Book of Mormon names many people, places, events and things that either have no supporting historical or archaeological evidence whatsoever, or such contradicts what the Book of Mormon says.
GW: I don’t care a whole lot about the Book of Mormon. I have only read a little of it, whereas I have read both the entire Bible and the entire Quran twice. I suspect that all three books have some accurate details, but all three are mistaken on their main theses.
GW: If God did exist, he would present himself and his rules in grand revelations, as I have described. And then there would not be three or a hundred “holy books.” There would be just one religion. But this has not happened. Therefore, God does not exist.
GW: You keep bringing up articles or claims that are totally irrelevant to my argument. I think it is just an evasion.
God has ‘presented himself in grand revelations’, just not in the exact ways that you demand. “He has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving . . . rain from heaven and crops in their seasons” (Acts 14:17 NIV). “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they put forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. they have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4 NIV).
The heavens don’t declare. The skies don’t proclaim. They don’t put forth speech. They don’t reveal knowledge. They have no voices.
If God did exist, this fact would be obvious. Why? Because he would present himself in grand revelations which are current, clear, unambiguous, universal, and objective. There would be only one religion instead of thousands. However, this has not happened. Therefore, God does not exist.
The god you believe in is not God. Your god is too small. He does not do what God would do.
Psalm 19 uses word pictures to indicate the evidence for God’s existence. It admits “they have no [literal] speech, they use no [literal] words; no [literal] sound is heard from them. Yet their [figurative] voice goes out into all the earth, their [figurative] words to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 19:3,4 NIV).
If this is figurative language, then the underlying message is simply false. This is their and your argument by analogy.
1. Intelligent agents, i.e. human persons, construct buildings and machines which are orderly and complex.
2. There are orderly and complex objects in the universe which surely must have been constructed by one or more intelligent agents similar to human persons.
3. The intelligent agent constructing these objects must have been God.
Premise #1 is true. Premise #2 is false or unproven. And the conclusion at #3 is also false or unproven. There is no good evidence in support of #2. But even if #2 were true, the responsible intelligent agent could be an advanced alien or a god besides God.
As I have said many times, if God did exist, he would present himself in grand revelations which are current, clear, unambiguous, universal, and objective. Why do you believe he would not? Oh, you don’t believe in God. You believe in a lesser god, who is amoral or immoral, who hides, and who is not forthcoming. But your imagined god is not worthy of our worship.
While it could be true that “the responsible agent could be an advanced alien or a god besides God”, no communication has ever been received by humans from any such source. On the other hand, from antiquity clear communication has been received from the one who says, “I am the LORD [Yahweh], the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself” (Isaiah 44:24 NIV).
RT: While it could be true that “the responsible agent could be an advanced alien or a god besides God”, no communication has ever been received by humans from any such source.
GW: If there were a responsible source, while it could be true that it was God, no communication has ever been received by humans from that alleged source.
RT: On the other hand, from antiquity clear communication has been received from the one who says, “I am the LORD [Yahweh], the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself” (Isaiah 44:24 NIV).
GW: This is just a false statement. If you believe that God exists and has communicated with any human being ever, then prove it. You can’t. Many have tried and all have failed. On the other hand, several people have proven that God does not exist, and you have found no error in their proofs.
GW: Today I will present a new argument to you:
1. If God did exist, then the Holocaust would never have occurred.
2. But the Holocaust did occur.
3. Therefore, God does not exist.
The premises are true, the logic is valid per Modus Tolens, and so the conclusion is true. Find an error, if you can.