Shaken: Part 2 – Infallible Proofs

Ryan Cox • March 21, 2023

Peter preached in Acts 3 the resurrected Messiah and salvation through Him. What was the result? “But many of those who heard the Word [Greek logos] believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). Their message was convincing. Why? Because of the infallible proofs!

I have often said I can provide better, more reliable evidence in support of the historical account of the Gospels and of Jesus’ life than I can of Julius Caesar. This is not to draw into doubt the existence of Caesar, but rather to illustrate the incredible dependability and accuracy of the Bible.

For Caesar, there are his personal works and the works of Roman historians. For his personal records, there are around 12 manuscripts, the copy closest to the time of actual writing dating to some 900 years after authorship. For the Roman historians, there are a handful to 20 manuscripts depending on the author, the closest copies dating some 500 to over 1,000 years after authorship, with the historians themselves living 100 or more years after Caesar.¹ And Caesar is not the only one; this is how it is for much of ancient history.² Indeed, one of my history professors was convinced that Confucius never existed.³

In stark contrast, the reliability of the New Testament text is overwhelming, with thousands of ancient manuscripts, translations, and quotations, with some dating to within decades of authorship, the authors themselves being the actual eyewitnesses!⁴ Additionally, so many extra-Biblical accounts of Jesus have survived that even secular sources often admit there was a real, historical Jesus.⁵

But more than all that, there seems to be one proof, one event that surpasses all – something that changed the world, inspiring people to endure torture and unimaginable death for the sake of Truth: “…He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

For 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to, fellowshipped with, and taught many disciples. Luke records that they were convinced by “many infallible proofs”. The Greek word tekmérion appears only this one time in all the New Testament, being translated as “infallible” or “convincing proofs”. It is not an ordinary sign or piece of evidence, but one that is “sure, fixed, certain, indisputable, unmistakable, irrefutable”.⁶

Seeing a dead man now standing, speaking, and eating with you would most certainly be an infallible proof, and the number of people who were blessed with that opportunity during those 40 days would be anywhere from 475 to 620 people!⁷ After Jesus’ ascension, over 5,000 people in Acts 2-4 quickly became believers, and that’s just counting the men! After all, they could personally go to the tomb and see that it was empty even after being guarded and sealed (Matthew 27:66)! In fact, the news of not just Jesus but of other people rising from the dead⁸ would lead to government action by the Romans, resulting in capital punishment for grave-robbing and even moving “sepulcher-sealing stones”, as recorded in an edict by a Caesar (most likely Claudius).⁹

As we will see next time, having been with Jesus, seeing the resurrected Messiah with their own eyes, Peter and John “cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). So if you're ever thinking about the proofs for the Bible and your faith, remember, “God raised up His Servant for you… and sent Him to bless you” (Acts 3:26).


  1. Darrell Bock, “Sources for Caesar and Jesus Compared: Examining the Manuscript Evidence”, The Gospel Coalition, 11 June 2015,  <https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article /bugs-features-and-atheism/>, accessed 1/31/23.
    Jona Lendering, ed., “Gaius Julius Caesar: Writings”,         Livius.org, 14 March 2019, <https://www.livius.org/articles/person/caesar/caesar-11/>, accessed 1/31/23.
     _____, “Gaius Julius Caesar: Sources”, Livius.org, 21 April 2020,         <https://www.livius.org/articles/person/caesar/caesar-12/>, accessed 1/31/23.
  2. Matt Slick, “Manuscript evidence for superior New Testament reliability”, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, 6 December 2008, <https://carm.org/about-the-bible/manuscript-evidence-for-superior-new-testament-reliability/>, accessed 1/31/23.
    Abhishikth Aleti, “The Historical Authenticity of Jesus and the Early Church”,         Medium, 27 December 2018, <https://medium.com/nutsandboltsofbible/historicity-of-jesus-2660ef595673>, accessed 1/31/23.
  3. Eric Meisfjord (not my professor), “Confucius May Never Have Actually Existed. Here’s Why”, Static Media, 8 July 2020, <https://www.grunge.com/224624/confucius-may-never-have-actually-existed-heres-why/>, accessed 1/31/23.
    James Bishop (also not my professor), “Jesus Vs Confucius: Historical Evidence Comparison”,         Reasons for Jesus, 11 August 2019, <https://reasonsforjesus.com/jesus-vs-confucius-historical-evidence-comparison/>, accessed 1/31/23.
  4. See our article “Divinely Dependable” at https://www.creationtruth.com/divinely-dependable
    See also: Sean McDowell, “What is the Most Recent Manuscript Count for the New Testament?”,     SeanMcDowell.org, 13 March 2018, <https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/what-is-the-most-recent-manuscript-count-for-the-new-testament>, accessed 1/31/23.
  5. Christopher Klein, “The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?”, A&E Television Networks, 24 March 2021, <https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence>, accessed 1/31/23.
    “Sources for the historicity of Jesus”,         Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 28 January 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sources_for_the_historicity_of_Jesus>, accessed 1/31/23.
    See also: Lawrence Mykytiuk, “Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible”,         Biblical Archaeology Society, 25 December 2022, <https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/did-jesus-exist/>, accessed 1/31/23.
  6. Strong's Concordance 5039. tekmérion <https://biblehub.com/greek/5039.htm>, accessed 1/31/23.
  7. If those specifically listed were part of the 500 of I Cor. 15:6, it would be 475. If they are not included, it would be 525. If the 120 of Acts 1:15 are not part of the 500, it would be 620.
  8. Jeffrey Kranz, “Everyone who rose from the dead in the Bible”, OverviewBible, 2007, <https://overviewbible.com/bible-resurrections/>, accessed 2/9/23.
  9. Tim Chaffey, “Nazareth Inscription Study Debunks Evidence for Christ’s Resurrection?”, Answers in Genesis, 30 April 2020, <https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/nazareth-inscription-study-debunks-evidence-for-christs-resurrection/>, accessed 2/9/23. Part of the edict reads, “But if anyone legally charges that another person has destroyed, or has in any manner extracted those who have been buried, or has moved with wicked intent those who have been buried to other places, committing a crime against them, or has moved sepulcher-sealing stones, against such a person, I order that a judicial tribunal be created”.

September/October 2025 Printed Newsletter

October 2, 2025
Ichthyosaur pic

Flooded Marine Reptile

By Matt Miles • October 2, 2025
The Flood during Noah’s day was a devastating judgement against the sin and wickedness of the time. Most people focus on what the Lord did as He saved the eight people and animals on the Ark. Yet while they were being saved, the Flood destroyed the earth and left behind some remarkable things. Geology around the globe shows water burial of plants and animals. Many of the animal remains show signs of drowning and then burial. One particular reptile that shows this is the Ichthyosaurus. From what we can understand, water was her home for everything in life, even giving birth to live young. This well designed creature may even help us trust the Word of God when it comes to the history of the Flood. In our Mobile Museum of Earth History we exhibit a research replica of an ichthyosaur called Stenopterygius quadriscissus . She is from Holzmaden, Germany and is one example of hundreds that have been found in the area. The reason we can so confidently state this fossil is a “her,” when we rarely know for sure about fossil animals, is because she is pregnant. She has three babies present with her remains: one under her tail, one in or near the birth canal, and one still inside. Our fossil is in situ, which means the fossil remains in the rock matrix it was buried in. So, the presence of momma and babies are how they were buried and not articulated in some manner after excavation. This is important to show the rapid, watery burial that must have taken place to lock this scene in the fossil record. The Flood trapped organisms all over the world in different life positions. Sometimes the fossils left behind have shown eating, hunting, sleeping, swimming, nesting, or drowning. When it comes to ichthyosaurs around the planet, there is a significant number of females that seem to be pregnant. They have been found in the fossil record on at least four continents. A fair assumption would be that Ichthyosaurs had a certain time of year they mated and gave birth to young, much like sea turtles today that nest from late spring to late fall depending on the region around the world. So it should come as no surprise that we find pregnant ichthyosaurs all around the world as the Flood lasted an entire year. It would have buried the females that were pregnant near their location of habitat.  Evolutionists maintain that ichthyosaurs lived tens to hundreds of million years ago and each of the mothers found in the fossil record just died while giving birth. This is difficult to support in a millions magnitude time scale. That would mean every time a disaster happened, millions of years apart, the right conditions existed to quickly bury ichthyosaurs that just so happened to be pregnant. It just might take some “faith” to trust that “miracle” would happen over and over again through eons of time. Or you can have faith that the Word of God’s history is correct with a judgement of man’s sin bringing global devastation through the Flood during Noah’s 600th year of life. The Word of God is trustworthy, with even the fossil record showing us glimpses of historical evidence in support of our faith. I’m so thankful we don’t need blind faith to trust our salvation! Blessings.
Furnace

Our God Whom We Serve Is Able

By Ryan Cox • October 2, 2025
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 …if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:14-18 In the 6th century BC, three young men stood up for their faith in the one true God, for which someone attempted to kill them. Today, in the 21st century AD, one young man was gunned down for his faith in the one true God. And sadly, Charlie Kirk is not the only one. According to The Esther Project, martyrdom for the cause of Christ is commonplace around the world ( theestherproject.com/statistics ). On average: 322 Christians are killed monthly. 214 churches or Christian properties are destroyed monthly. 772 forms of violence (beatings, kidnappings, etc.) against Christians are committed monthly. 100,000 to 160,000 Christians are killed annually in the 21st century. 1.093 million Christians were martyred between 2000 and 2010. And more than 70 million Christians are believed to have been martyred since the 1st century, with more than half killed in the 20th century alone under communist and fascist governments. And how should Christians respond? Peter wrote, “ if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but glorify God in this name ” (I Peter 4:16). Jesus took this a step further; He told us, “ …love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ” (Matthew 5:44). Now, as Shawn Grant, minister at Kissimmee Christian Church, FL, preached on the Sunday following the assassination, th at may not be what you want to hear right now, but that is what Jesus has told us we must do. Why? So the world will see the difference Jesus makes! The night of and the days after the assassination, businesses did not have to board up their stores. Police and soldiers did not have to be deployed. There were no riots, no property damages, no police spat upon – only tears, prayers, and a witness to the world that Jesus is the answer. So noticeable is this to the world, there were more international press requests for the Charlie Kirk memorial service than are requested for Super Bowls. Within seven days of his death, Kirk’s ministry Turning Point USA had received over 54,000 campus chapter requests. And most importantly, scores of videos of young people considering or even deciding to give their lives to Jesus have been posted to social media platforms. 
Show More