Bible Evidence That Quietly Hits You in the Head

[@ryankohnenkamp8946]

3:40 "It's over, Anakim! We have the high ground!"

[@sirpepeofhousekek6741]

"You underestimate my pagan gods!"

[@eugenetswong]

So, Star Wars is basically bad Bible fanfic? 😀

[@benjaminchandler1177]

@@eugenetswong A question to ask the Witch of Endor.

[@ventriloquistmagician4735]

amen, amen

[@DropOfABucket]

Haha

[@northeastchristianapologet1133]

I love the old Testament and I'm excited to see it getting some love on this channel.

[@eugenetswong]

I agree. I love it more than the new, because it gives context, and the rest can be guessed.

[@northeastchristianapologet1133]

@@eugenetswong Let's not get crazy.

[@orpheemulemo8053]

​@@eugenetswong If you don't read Daniel or the story of Joseph in Exodus when his receiving a dream prophecy it becomes harder to understand revelation

[@eugenetswong]

​@@orpheemulemo8053I have never seen anybody mention Joseph as the context of Revelation! I thought that I was the only person to believe that about Joseph's dream! Nice to meet you.

[@eugenetswong]

​@@northeastchristianapologet1133It's not crazy. It's much harder to call on the true God, with the Old Testament missing. With the New Testament missing, we'd follow the correct God, but with a very limited understanding.

[@FoundWanting970]

Funnily enough, I was braiding a sling while watching this. One nit-pick: slings were common weapons of war, and the Philistines surely used them as well. Everybody was using them back then regardless of their metallurgy because slings are an exceedingly deadly weapon in their own right. They were not only for poor people either because expert mercenary slingers such as the Rhodians or the Balearics were highly sought-after for centuries by the Romans, Greeks, Carthaginians, etc. Their use continued for more than a thousand years after Jesus. We even have written records and artworks of slings being used in late medieval battlefields despite everyone wearing steel plate armor. Strangely, we also have photos and videos of slings being used to hurl explosives in the Spanish Civil War. The reason David used a sling was because he was a shepherd, not because he did not have a "proper weapon." Shepherds have always used slings to guide their flocks and deal with predators or enemies. They were cheap, reliable, and effective.

[@survivordave]

Came here to say this. Slings are deadly and simple to make, just a cup attached to a leather cord, and you can gather up ammunition (stones) for free from nature. David using a sling wasn't to get around Philistine metallurgic bans. He was using it because people used them, even in armies.

[@FoundWanting970]

@@survivordave Spot on, brother. I would wager that David’s sling was probably made of wool with a woven pouch and round-braided cords. It could have also been made of leather, like you said, or braided plant fibers he foraged.

[@tinknal6449]

Not to mention a slinger had an endless supply of ammo.

[@Biblestudies658]

Very cool. Love the series. Also wanted to say to not be discouraged with the constant scepticism that is probably thrown to your head a lot. I know you can probably handle it argument-wise, but sometimes it wears people out. Thanks to these evidences we have a lot of living water to drink so to say. Never the ever forget to drink yourself. Just a little bit of encouragement I felt compelled to give. God bless and ty

[@TestifyApologetics]

Thanks. I'm tuning it out and I do spend regular time with God, but I'm going to keep that up and go deeper with his help

[@negativedawahilarious]

Testify is not discouraged tbh

[@vanuaturly]

I dunno about slings not being "proper" weaponry. Someone let Alexander the great know.

[@gumbyshrimp2606]

And slings were still common during the Roman Empire’s conquest of Carthage

[@Yawnyaman]

One further interesting fact. Giants like Goliath often have surprisingly fragile skulls. A well directed slingshot could cause far more damage to Goliath than a normal soldier.

[@aleksejsruy]

kind of like the square-cube law

[@mattk6719]

0:56 - point 1 This describes the Biblical precedent for the 2nd Ammendment ("...the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.")

[@diewollsocke2674]

I really like your arguments, just a small comment: In my opinion David using a sling doesn't quite fit in, as slings were quite common simply due to being cheap, ranged and having cheap ammunition (rocks)

[@ItsJustAdrean]

To be fair, the israelites may have relied on them even more heavily than most due to the ban on metallurgy. That and stone tipped spears

[@WadeWeigle]

Nice. I didn’t register there was a blacksmith ban. I just figured these guys “David and Samson” were using what was handy at the time. Thanks for digging these little nuggets up.

[@jasonbowlin5669]

Happy to see some old test stuff. Comment for algorithm

[@zts99]

Truth. Praise our Creator and God.

[@legodavid9260]

I actually noticed the connection between Joshua and Goliath being from Gath, but never before have I thought of it as an undesigned coincidence. Thank you for this video!

[@F3z07]

I love all the Bible apologetics I've seen so far. Thank you so much for your hard work!

[@nevermind824]

Thank you for all your hard work

[@Aksm91ManNavar]

Reading the old testament is always pretty confusing. Thank you so much for these videos!

[@HodgePodgeVids1]

The Old Testament deserves more love from Apologists

[@johnbyrd7400]

Btw, Sampson used the jawbone like a scythe. Also he later used a weaver's beam and Goliath had a spear as big as a weaver's beam.

[@PrototypeGoose]

I'm loving these videos with how analytical, observant, and specific they are. Can you do a video on the staff or no staff situation when Jesus sends his disciples out to preach and heal, I'm pretty curious to hear your take on it. Thx, God bless.

[@bikesrcool_1958]

Yipppeee testify!!

[@markhorton3994]

I saw a secular explanation of the Philistines not allowing the Israelites to have blacksmiths. Archeologists tend to have difficulty distinguishing alloys. They often confuse bronze and brass. A high carbon steel sword will be listed in a catalog of artifacts as "ferrous" or iron. Iron makes excellent chariot wheel rims but lousy swords, plowshares, and scythes. Despite there customary confusion Archeologists have stated that the Philistines knew how to make and work steel and their neighbors didn't. They wanted to keep it that way. Non Philistines were not trained as smiths and any who learned were "discouraged ".

[@mattk6719]

It's even funnier when secularists try to differentiate between "iron age" in one location and "bronze age" down the street.

[@savini8234]

Thank you

[@midimusicforever]

A series that everyone should see!

[@ogloc6308]

great work! i’ll be the first to admit that i didn’t really notice any of these on my first read through of some of these books. Glory to God. God bless you brother

[@Psalm22_16]

Liked and Commented for algorithm!

[@Gutslinger]

I wish I had maps, and diagrams charts of different groups, lineages, and stuff to reference as I read. I know I can Google, but it's kinda annoying to have to bring everything to a halt, pick up my phone, typing things, and weeding through the results. It's harder for me to memorize, categorize, and map all of the information in just literature format. Visual aid helps me a lot.

[@ARockRaider]

you are not alone, I can't search for stuff online for the life of me. doesn't help that 90% of what shows up is going to be 'news' or someone trying to sell me something. also doesn't help that i always seem to be looking for the most unusual stuff that has overlap with much more common stuff.

[@notyourfriendbuddy]

I love the use of "cahoots' and "bet" in the same sequence.

[@Wstydzie]

If you attended every masMass every day, you'd still miss about 70-80% of the Old Testament. Always happy to see more of that content

[@godsbuilder4656]

I'm loving this series!

[@Huarrnarg]

I do like the undesigned coincidence argument for the New Testament but I don't think it has as much credibility in the Old Testament. That old scripture was compiled by the jewish priesthood leadership under the directive of the kings of jewish people. The writing of the Old Testament also took much longer and lasted centuries that were mired in open political games between different regions of Israel and Juda. Still very nice observation video that adds some intertwined contexts for the Old Testament.

[@F0r3v3rT0m0rr0w]

This is just the council of Niadacia argument it doesn't have a basis as it requires heavy assumptions. For one what king ordered the creation of the Torah? ... you say it's compiled by the priesthood? Which assumes that the oral text was changed over time and therefore inaccurate which is oversimplifying the importance and meaning of oral tradition.

[@ManoverSuperman]

@@F0r3v3rT0m0rr0wScholars acknowledge generally that all the books from Deuteronomy to 2 Kings with the exception of Ruth are part of a single unified history, but divided into different books, or scrolls. It is sometimes referred to as the Deuteronomistic history, and on this view the narrators of the earliest accounts (chronologically speaking) also brought together the latest accounts. So for continuities to be maintained throughout these texts would be expected. The issue with all of these “undesigned coincidences” is that they have no methodological basis. Even works of pure fiction can be more or less internally consistent. I don’t think the Bible is primarily (or even mostly) historical fiction, but I think the entire argument as McGrew and his associates have framed it is lacking in explanatory power for assessing historical documentation.

[@F0r3v3rT0m0rr0w]

@keatsiannightingale2025 what scholars all of them or only the ones that back up your claim ?

[@azophi]

This is somewhat interesting but there’s just so many examples of Israelites using standard swords at other times in Judges. Furthermore we have pretty okay explanations for some of these and why they would not use a blacksmith-created sword. Judges 1:8, they have 10000 warriors with swords in 4:10-4:16, Gideon had 22000 troops in Ch6 and in ch7 it explicitly states YHWH killed 120k armed men from whom they could take spoils, Judges 9 details a lot about Abimalech troops and explicitly tells his armor bearer to draw his sword and kill him As for Ehud, I assume according to the story there’s a reason Ehud made his own sword, it’s so he could do that “stab-the-king-while-he’s-shitting” trick, which you probably couldn’t do with a longer sword. So he just made it himself 🤷‍♀️. It’s possible he knew the trade or maybe he did go to a blacksmith and had them make it, and it’s just not mentioned in the text. I just am not seeing how this is strong evidence for the reliability of the OT

[@TestifyApologetics]

In the contexts that you're talking about where not the times when the Philistines had the upper hand, unless I'm missing something. (which is possible) I'm not claiming that every UC is of equal weight.

[@matthewnitz8367]

I really wish Testify would do more historical research to support his ideas, because it really seems like sometimes he just grabs things that sounds good. For the things I do know a little more historical background on even just as an amateur, it often becomes clear that the historical context for the events don't in any way support his interpretation. For example at 2:08 he talks about David and Goliath and how the Israelites "resorted to mastering the use of slings for a time due to the lack of access to proper weaponry." But nothing about the story indicates that that is what is going on here. First of all, nowhere does it say the army is lacking for swords. Now I assume Eric must be guessing they must not have many or enough swords, and that is why they would "resort" to sending out a boy with a sling against Goliath. But this thinking is due to his apparent lack of knowledge about slingers in the ancient world. Those that could use slings were perhaps some of the most feared warriors on the battlefield, and a skilled slinger could hit an opponent from over 100yds away with a rock that had a stopping power similar to a bullet. Far from "resorting" to the use of slings, the limiting factor was that it took learning from nearly childhood to become proficient enough to be this accurate. For those that had the training though, they were an amazing addition to the army, and societies like the Balearics that trained many slingers from a very early age turned out many extremely coveted warriors. It appears David had used the sling from a young age. And given that, David fighting Goliath was absolutely not in any way a fair fight... but for Goliath, not David. Against a skilled slinger like David with several stones, Goliath had zero chance of ever reaching him alive. And the fact that a slinger was the one that killed Goliath thus says nothing about the number of other weapons indicating there was a lack of spears and swords to do the job.

[@HoldToChrist]

Yeah. It’s definitely an oversight, although I think Goliath might have had a little better chances of making it to David than you say. I only say that because he was using rocks, which were not as effective as other ammunition types depending on the kind of rock. Maybe you know more about the specifics, but I found that rocks tended to cause internal injuries from the impact, but maybe not enough to stop a giant from getting to you, killing you, then maybe dying the next day or something. Idk. I do hope he learns from this.

[@matthewnitz8367]

@@HoldToChrist That's fair, I do think the highly trained slingers like the Balearics tended to use lead projectiles with significantly more stopping power, so it is definitely possible that rocks were not as guaranteed of a kill depending on how they hit.

[@heavybar3850]

Love these vidoes, who illustrates the images

[@TestifyApologetics]

It's just stuff I find in Canva

[@soversetile]

Great channel can’t wait for the next video

[@joseluispcr]

I came here to the evidence of bible and got a lot of proof of coherence that people don't notice it. worth it

[@trentitybrehm5105]

fire fam. Keep it up!

[@noah_Lemon]

I really like your stuff

[@steveocvirek6671]

Great video - I love to learn Bible facts like those!

[@manne8575]

Keep it up man, amazing work!

[@ekabahenda]

“Slicy slicy” and “bad kitty” had me 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@omnivore2220]

What makes you think you know what is designed and what is undesigned, and by what standard(s) do you make these determinations?

[@unsightedmetal6857]

He said it in the video: The casual nature of these coincidences indicates that they are undesigned. If you went out of your way to match your made-up story to another existing story, surely you would draw some attention to that fact rather than leaving the possibility that no one notices during your lifetime. Because no attention is drawn toward the fact that they match (but instead that they just "fall into place"), they are more likely to be true stories. The probability of these coincidences occurring is higher if they were true stories than the probability of occurrence if they were fiction.

[@markwhite116]

It's like piecing together eyewitness interviews to a crime. Separate accounts shouldn't match perfectly. But they should be congruent and compliment each other. If it goes either way it becomes less credible.

[@kevyready2194]

But didn't what about Judges 9:54 talking about Abimelech, Gideon's son He quickly said to his young armor bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me! Don’t let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!” So the young man ran him through with his sword, and he died. So did the leaders only have swords? I recall that Saul and Johnathan only had swords in Israel during Saul's first couple of years as king.

[@soundpreacher]

My favorite part of that: years later, David said “Don’t you remember how Abimelech was killed by a woman?” That how he’s remembered anyway!

[@Michael-bt6ht]

Ty

[@vonmusel6158]

This is great!

[@MeanBeanComedy]

2:06 Why did teenagers look like this when I was a child?

[@becklyn3]

I have always been drawn to the old testament and these subtle easter eggs of info have always been so exciting to me. I actually find the old testament easier to understand than the new testament, my mind is very story driven I suppose.

[@dogsandducks4363]

Well played sir…

[@sjappiyah4071]

Wow , I’ve read the Old Testament a few times but never made these connections. Understanding the “undesigned coincidences” arguments have not only helped with apologetics, but also just understanding the text on a deeper level . All these coincidences explain the context of the stories. Thanks again Testify, this series and your ministry is truly a blessing.

[@seanhogan6893]

Goliath's armor 1 Samuel 17;4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. Saul's armor is basically the same 1 Samuel 17;38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. Jerusalem is an Israelite city 1 Samuel 17;54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. Jerusalem belongs to the Jebusites 2 Samuel 5;4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. 6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”-thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. Probably someone else killed Goliath while David was king 2 Samuel 21;19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. A later author tries to harmonize the accounts 1 Chronicles 20;5 And there was again war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

[@mattk6719]

Spearheads that size have been found with signs of use (not decorative or ceremonial).

[@soundpreacher]

There only appear to be contradictions there if you’re determined to see them. I have no idea what point you’re trying to make with the armor.

[@seanhogan6893]

@@soundpreacher I used to be an evangelical so I'm giving you a thumbs-up for old times sake.

[@yvonneprice6717]

Is it true that Golgatha is named after Goliath of Gath? That is, when David beheaded Goliath, his head was buried there, the place of the skull?

[@deitrichhenderson2078]

Just a couple things Saul had armor and a spear, and slings were also military weapons the Romans had unit of sling throwers 😊

[@hilol825]

A really fun video! I love your concise and interesting content :DDD

[@sirpepeofhousekek6741]

Dude, you should totally listen to the Lord of Spirits podcast. You'd love it!

[@knutolavbjrgaas1069]

I feel like shepherds likely would have used slings even with access to blacksmiths 💁‍♂️

[@thequestionsweask5810]

If one of the Old Testament coincidence videos doesn't discuss Haman the Agagite (from Esther) and his connection to King Agag in 1 Samuel 15, I will be disappointed.

[@natedaboi1608]

Please forgive me god thank you god I’m sorry god, amen 🙏❤😊😇➕🙏🙌🤗✝️🔥🙏

[@coldjello8436]

Algorithm boost.

[@lou4958]

Good job 👍🏿

[@hermanessences]

Lol, love the memes that spice it up ^^

[@Shash-g9q]

Off the topic of the video, but I'd like to ask: what do you think about the synoptic problem and the Markion Gospel? Is circumstantial evidence (like Mark and Luke's discrepancies) a good reason to believe that Marcion preceded Luke?

[@TestifyApologetics]

lol no it's not. there are zero reasons to think Marcion came first. That is a tin foil hat theory.

[@Shash-g9q]

@TestifyApologetics I mean, prima facie it is easier to assume that Luke supplemented Marcion rather than the other way around. Why would a heresiarch shorten such moments as, for example, the washing of Christ’s feet (and this moment is shorter in Marcion) or Christ's speech about "do not fear those who destroy the flesh..." etc.? There's no Jewish narrative there, after all. I too think Luke is a very early text, I think the IF arguments are pretty convincing, but idk

[@soundpreacher]

The Synoptic “Problem”: Matthew, Mark, and Luke have a lot of similarities. Shouldn’t we expect a lot of similarities, if they’re all describing the same time period and the same people?

[@darrylelam256]

Dude what we find is what we would expect from made up fairytales. The early stories are more simple aka much less details and the newer stories expand on the older stories adding in new details that coincide with the old tales. This is literally what I do when I write made up stuff, the only different is that mine fit together better because I'm the only one writing it.

[@fws91]

Nice it knocks a little hole in the jedp theory or modified jedp

[@salomoz.tungga1479]

Isn't the writer of Judges and book of Samuels is the same, which is Samuel?

[@huntclanhunt9697]

Slings were, in facr, weapons of both hunting and war. Rome considered them to be better than bows, and some slings are capable of matching the same ballistics as a .38 callibre pistol. I agree with all your other points there, but I don't think they "resorted" to slings. Slings were a very deadly and effective weapon that armies across the middleast and africa had already been using for centuries before David was born.

[@Da-DOS]

Thats cool.

[@gioarevadze2703]

Like

[@dankulbeda2361]

This is cool, great work like the video. But I'm being honest that even though most of them were redesigned coincidence that makes sense, some of them weren't exactly what you mentioned. For example when Ehud made his weapon outside of the blacksmithery, the nation of Israel wasn't under Philistine control, the same thing for David and Goliath since the Philistines hadn't taken over Israel, they still had the weapon supply, it's just David chose not to use it and chose to instead to demonstrate the power of God. So you are correct, but not fully, but you did a great work of pointing out other facts. If it's done for the Lord Jesus then you won't be left in debt. By the way, I like the close-to-modern slang you use homie.

[@JBB685]

Really enjoyed this video. First time viewer. But I’m not sure I agree these are “undesigned” - what seems like a casual mention to you or me is likely intentional and refined over many many re-writes

[@TestifyApologetics]

how so?

[@quincymims2580]

Neat video.

[@Trey-dp6tl]

Lacking weapons wouldn’t be a reason to use the sling. Many ancient armies used the sling even with access to spears and swords. Slings are just good weapons. Good video overall just wanted to clear up that one point. Not trying to disputes you

[@ventriloquistmagician4735]

based

[@stephengray1344]

The blacksmiths UC seems a little on the weak side for a couple of reasons. Firstly we don't know the timeline of the period of Judges (the book is probably not written in chronological order). so some of those stories could be from well before the Philistines were able to enforce the ban on blacksmiths. The Samson stories seem to be placed in the period of Philistine domination, but the others are more dubious. In particular the story of Ehud seems to be clearly set outside this period, since the Israelites (or at least the relevant tribes) were paying tribute to Moab. Which is extremely unlikely if the Philistines had enough control to enforce the blacksmith ban. In addition the story strongly implies that the reason Ehud was hiding his sword was so that he could sneak it into a private meeting with Eglon. David using a sling in 1 Samuel 17 doesn't tell us anything about how the Israelite army was equipped. At this point in his career David was just a shepherd, rather than a warrior. And a shepherd who was the 8th son would likely have had worse weapons than those in the army (though a sling was actually quite a powerful ranged weapon). those in Basically the Gath example is pretty strong, but the blacksmiths one is overstated in the video.

[@LiftUpYourEyes]

I really like the scaled depiction of the nephillim. A lot of people think they where as tall as a 4 story building, but angels that they are related to are only 10 to 12 feet tall. It stands to reason the nephillim where pretty tall dudes. We even have pictures from long ago of men who could very well be nephillim.

[@stephenjohnson9632]

Now compare 2 Samuel 6 and Luke 1

[@SteadfastFaith]

When you have a supernatural worldview of the Old Testament and see God commanding the destruction of these tribes it makes sense for them to be of nephilim origin. It’s like a light bulb going off because these things aren’t inherently human

[@immortified]

david brought 5 stones because goliath had 3 brothers (2 sam 21) and a shield bearer.

[@joshuasy10]

What is your process for finding these coincidences?

[@TestifyApologetics]

They're in JJ Blunt's book Undesigned Coincidences, which is available online for free (since it's public domain)

[@joshuasy10]

@@TestifyApologetics cool, i wonder what his process was

[@kyleepratt]

Is part of your evidence (to convince non-believers) really that giants and nephilim were real? And that the stories of Samson killing hundreds of people with a jawbone or a lion with his bare hands, are accurate? Seems like appeals to the supernatural are not good ways to convince people like me who don't believe in the supernatural.

[@michaelbabbitt3837]

The stories overlap in small areas where it would not benefit a storyteller making stuff up.

[@stevenswitzer5154]

If this is the perfect word of god.... Why did he "hide" everything? Why is so much interpretation needed for something "intended" for mostly illiterate people?

[@TestifyApologetics]

whataboutism

[@mattk6719]

I counted more assumptions in your post than questions. 🤦‍♂️

[@truncated7644]

@@TestifyApologetics ok, so @stevenswitzer5145 is committing "whataboutism". But the divine hiddenness argument he logically intuits from this is for many, including myself, much more powerful than your arguments from what you believe are unplanned coincidences. You hang so much on it when the very structure on which you are hanging it is in doubt. Perhaps if you steelmanned the obvious rebuttals to your argument (for example both legends and historical facts were commonly known by various authors), it would mean more, but you don't, and it doesn't.

[@3luckydog]

Just had a thought… Is the story of Abraham being tested with Issac and Jesus being crucified at the same place an undesigned coincidence?

[@eugenetswong]

I think that it is very designed, because God uses symbolism.

[@mattk6719]

Designed, not by the authors of the gospels, but by the Author of Existence.

[@3luckydog]

@@mattk6719HA HA 🤣🤣…but TRUE!!

[@MountainLabsYT]

wow, undesigned coincidences. you do realize tho that it isn't undesigned, and its also not a coincidence. and that this is usually called in many cases a foreshadowing?

[@mattk6719]

IF it were foreshadowing and the authors were deviously tending to details in that way, how come there are so many textual errors and variations? For example, if the Samuel scroll was doctored, why do some have Goliath of Gath being killed twice by two different people?

[@MountainLabsYT]

I'm not saying it was doctored as in modified to be different, I'm suggesting that there is divine purpose to the connections, and that they aren't unintended, personally I think calling them unintended is silly. God clearly intended all these things to fall into place, in more detail as the timeless supreme being god is, he planned everything. Think about how Abraham almost gave his son Isaac to God@@mattk6719 this was a foreshadowing of jesus on the cross.

[@truthgiver8286]

Oh right so what you are saying is that it is not gods book and has nothing to do with him.

[@picoroja]

Quite the contrary

[@truthgiver8286]

@@picoroja So in that case why would it be an undesigned coincident when two or more parts casually connect. You can't have it both ways although theists usually do.

[@ryansagber]

.

[@johncampbell9120]

Evidence is something demonstrable that can be examined and tested measuring all its properties. Anecdotal evidence isnt evidence😂

[@TestifyApologetics]

history isn't done in a lab bro

[@andrewc1205]

I believe the only good argument for god comes from personal experiences because a book is not a reliable source of historical evidence for any god. However, I have a good theory about religious and supernatural experience pertaining to psychological characteristics of the individual. These characteristics have connections to these experiences, but a more thorough study needs to be done. The characteristics I am referring to are "aphantasia" and "anauralia." The opposite end of the spectrum is "hyperphantasia" and "hyperauralia." Aphantasia is the lack of internal visual imagery, while anauralia is the lack of internal auditory imagery. Hyperphantasia and hyperauralia are characterized by heightened mental imagery, to the point at which they can seem very real and external. I'm not going into the details of each, but I recommend doing a little research on mental sensory perception (dysikonesia). There are degrees of each characteristic, along with a normal range. I believe people towards the "hyper" end of the spectrum are the ones that have these "supernatural" experiences; while the opposite end of the spectrum will not have these experiences. I am on the aphantasia/anauralia spectrum, and I have never experienced anything supernatural at the age of 40. This includes any kind of feelings or emotions that some people experience during church services, prayer, music, etc. It is the reason I started doubting religious beliefs and started my journey into finding truth and understanding. I would like to hear other thoughts and experiences pertaining to these psychological characteristics. I hope this helps people find some answers to their own questions.

[@andrewc1205]

@@SequesterOfPonderance I guess you don't read past the first few sentences. Do you honestly believe I haven't done that?

[@TestifyApologetics]

Sorry bud but my channel isn't your soapbox. Use your own platform for that

[@MatthewFearnley]

I don't think it's as simple as saying a book is or isn't a reliable source of historical evidence. A book is either written with the intention to give false information (either as fiction or deception), or it's written by someone who was sincerely mistaken about what really happened, or it was written by someone who is telling the truth. I don't think the evidence points towards the Gospel accounts being intentionally or mistakenly false, because of things like undesigned coincidences, which this video series is focused on, so it's more reasonable to conclude that they are telling the truth.

[@andrewc1205]

@MatthewFearnley but where is God to separate the truth from all the lies, misconceptions, misinterpretations, and disinformation? Does he not communicate with anyone who believes in him? That's my point. A book (in this situation) is not reliable enough.

[@freddykrueger8076]

@@andrewc1205 Huh, I never considered the Aphantasia/Anauralia angle before. I am “on the spectrum” (I hate that word personally at this point), for it as well, and I have never seen nor ‘experienced’ God. I hadn’t considered the Dysikonesia angle, but perhaps these supernatural auditory & visual hallucinations are just that, hallucinations. Because one would think that if an All-Powerful Personable God existed, that he would still be able to communicate mentally even if someone has these lack of mental senses… yet he doesn’t. Silence.

[@brock2k1]

1) It was not uncommon, let alone miraculous, for a subjugated people to be prohibited from having weapons, so why would anybody expect the the Philistines to allow the Israelites to have weapons? The fact that different passages allude to it is no more surprising than that multiple passages allude to the Israelites tending sheep. Hey, maybe you should use that in your next video. You're welcome. 2) Even so, you managed to make unwarranted claims about it. Citing David's fight with Goliath as evidence that the Israelites had a corps of "sling-masters" directly contradicts the account in 1 Sam, where David simply says he has the skills to protect his sheep from wild beasts. I'm unaware of any shepherds using swords for this function. 3) And now for our continuing series on undesigned contradictions, because the story of David and Goliath is full of them. 1 Sam 16 introduces David, his father Jesse, and his brothers when Samuel, who had more prestige in Israel as the Pope has in Italy today, comes and anoints David as the next king of Israel. Then we are told that God plagues Saul with evil spirits, and somehow one of Saul's men knows about a kid in a Podunk village who is a great musician. Saul sends for David to be his musician who soothes him to sleep when he's troubled. David is described at that time as "a man of valor, a warrior" (1 Sam 16:18, NRSV). Saul is so impressed with his military skills that he appoints him his armor-bearer as well as the guy who sings him to sleep. He is arguably the person closest to Saul at that time. 1 Sam 17:12 starts all over, telling us about Jesse and his sons as if we hadn't already been told about them in the previous chapter. Saul is encamped at the site of the confrontation between the Israelites and the Philistines, with Goliath challenging the Israelites to single combat which will decide the whole war. Saul would surely have had David, his armor-bearer and sleeping pill, with him, but nope, David is back home tending sheep, and comes to the camp only to deliver food to his older brothers, who are now in the army. David offers to fight Goliath, and Saul looks at him and says, "No way, you're just a boy," even though David was previously described as a warrior and man of valor. David's older brothers agree with Saul, treating David like an annoying kid brother who should be back tending the sheep, even though in the last chapter they allegedly witnessed him being anointed King of Israel. Inexplicably, Saul agrees to risk the entire future of Israel upon this boy he knows nothing about, and after David wins, Saul asks his aides who this kid is. Even after talking to him, he doesn't recognize the man-boy who the previous chapter said was his closest associate for an extended time. It is clearly two different legends clumsily spliced together. And for proof, we have 2 Sam 21:19, which says it wasn't David, but a man named Elhanan who killed Goliath. And it's the same Goliath, because in both passages Goliath is described as being from Gath, with a spear whose shaft was like a weaver's beam, i.e. suitable only for a giant. It is blindingly obvious that the story of David and Goliath was made up to embellish David's reputation. It is so clumsily done that you have to wonder whether the court historians deliberately made it ridiculous because they resented being forced to lie about David.

[@TestifyApologetics]

For starters, the discrepancy in 2 Samuel 21:19, where it states, "Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Girtite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam" (note the absence of "the brother of" in the Hebrew text), is undoubtedly a copyist error. This assertion gains further credibility from the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20:5, which clearly indicates that Elhanan slew Lahmi, Goliath's brother. The corruption of the 2 Samuel passage stems from a copyist's confusion regarding certain letters and words, which, when combined differently, could produce the reading found in that passage.

[@brock2k1]

@@TestifyApologetics Chronicles is notorious for cleaning up after Samuel and Kings to keep David from looking anything less than perfect. For example, it doesn't even mention David's adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah. "the brother of" was not accidentally deleted from Samuel, it was inserted into Chronicles.

[@ManoverSuperman]

@@brock2k1You are correct. Chronicles is an incredibly redactive text, though it is possible that the author(s) has access to sources outside Samuel and Kings, causing the author(s) to choose between sources. Another great example related to David is the very contradictory valuation given to the plot of land he bought from one resident Jebusite just outside Jerusalem. The price in Samuel is quite modest, but in Chronicles it is lavish; and this is very reasonably explained by the fact that the author of Chronicles (or his source) connects this plot of land as being the cite of the Temple of Solomon.

[@keithmorganii430]

The slang kills it for me. Please, get to brass tacks without it.

[@paulhadlington8179]

Lots of misfits with the David and Goliath story. 1) David's brothers were warriors, David was a shepherd boy... These are distinctly different social classes. 2) The warriors of Israel were afraid!?!Really!! Would these big bold warriors actually disgrace and shame themselves by displaying their fear as stated in the bible?? Of course not.. being branded as cowards would amount to a gross humiliation. 3) Combat of champions was known to take place in the ancient world... Each leader sending out his best fighter that could decide the battle, saving excess bloodshed. Would a King really choose a teenage peasant over his seasoned warriors?? ridiculous. (it would be like accepting an offer from some unknown kid in the crowd to kick a 60yd field goal that would decide the winner of the Superbowl.) Having studied numerous accounts of this story, the consensus is that historians do not discount David as a leader, but do dismiss the tale of David and Goliath as a romantic myth.. Fanciful, fun, but untrue.

[@Wesstuntube]

1. Please provide a source detailing the archeological evidence that warriors in ancient Israel were a distinct social class. This wasn't Sparta. The Bible describes ancient Israel as a subsistence farming society that depended on seasonal conscripts from among the people, and which had only had a king for a few years at the time of these events. 2. These were not Samurai who had taken a pledge of death before dishonor. It's not hard to believe that it would be difficult to find someone Saul's army of terrified farmers armed with whatever they could scrap together who would be chomping at the bit to throw their life away fighting against a heavily armed, literal giant. 3. The fact that combat of champions was common in the ancient world lends more credibility to the story, not less. Saul told David that he could not fight Goliath - Saul didn't choose him. David was determined to go with or without Saul's blessing. Finally David was no longer a child at the time of this story. Saul's armor was too big for him, but Saul was described as being extremely tall for an Israelite in 1 Samuel 9. Saul made David the commander of 1,000 men after this battle and gave his eldest daughter Michal to him in marriage. He was young, but he was no child.

[@justinmiller187]

A king would choose a teenager if all his men were afraid as well. And it's not hard to believe the men being afraid of somebody clad with bronze weaponry standing over 7ft. It would be like wanting to fight Halfthor, you'd get decimated. This story, like every story in the Bible, focuses on faith. David put faith in God and went out to battle when others wouldn't due to their humanity. And like others have said, many warriors are afraid during battle. If you aren't slightly afraid for your life, you are a fool.

[@justinmiller187]

Davis was seen as a fool but brave. But David had faith in God, who surpasses human understanding and allowed David to win through faith.

[@paulhadlington8179]

@@justinmiller1876 year old kids may be impressed ( i was) but grown adults with any sense should recognise the story for the myth it is.

[@markhorton3994]

There is no such thing as an undesigned coincidence. God designed them.

[@dogma9609]

was it though? it never says in 1 Samuel that all the Israelites mastered slingshots. Just David. and the rest of the Israelite army had spears and swords just fine at that point.

[@yvonneprice6717]

Is it true that Golgatha is named after Goliath of Gath? That is, when David beheaded Goliath, his head was buried there, the place of the skull?

[@mattk6719]

I believe that's a legend; but if there were any evidence to support it, that'd be interesting.

[@ryanrockstarsessom768]

Thank you