Dear friends,
Attached is a short Update with many inspiring new photos from the project in Nsioni and “Vitamins for the Heart” for Easter.
We wish you beautiful Happy Easter, full of joy and sunshine!
Warm greetings,
Wolfgang and Lenka
The Dead Sea scrolls and their implication
Imagine holding in your hands a scroll that was written more than 2,000 years ago! Now imagine reading it and realizing that it is almost word for word the same as the Hebrew Bible text of today!
That’s exactly what happened when the Dead Sea Scrolls (photo left) were discovered in the caves near Qumran in 1947. These ancient manuscripts stunned the world! Hidden in the desert for centuries, they instantly became one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. And not just for historians, but for anyone who has ever wondered if the Bible can be trusted.
What exactly do the scrolls contain?
Most of the scrolls include all the books of the Old Testament of the Bible (except the Book of Esther), which have been preserved for centuries in near-perfect condition.
These documents prove that the Old Testament as it stands today has been faithfully preserved for over two millennia.
The most important scroll
Among all the scrolls discovered at Qumran, none is more significant than the great scroll of Isaiah, dated to around 125 BC. This manuscript predates the time of Jesus by more than a century and contains the entire book of Isaiah word for word almost identical to the Hebrew Bible we use today!
The chapter that stands out in the Isaiah scroll is often called “The Prophecy of the Suffering Servant”. It describes the life and death of Jesus even though it was written over 700 years before His birth.
The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm that the texts were in unaltered form long before any Christian even existed!
The Lamb of God
Here are some of the verses from Isaiah 53 (from verses 3-12):
“Despised and forsaken by men … But the pains he bore were ours; our sufferings he took upon himself! … But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was tormented for our iniquities.” When Jesus was hanging on the cross: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water (John 19:34).
“He endured punishment for our peace; by his stripes we are healed.” Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands (John 19:1-3).
“… God laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and though he suffered, he did not open his mouth.” And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing (Matthew 27:12). And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly (Matthew 27:14).
“He was led as a lamb to death …” “By oppression and judgment he was taken away …”
“Though he should have been buried with criminals, he found himself in the grave with a rich man; for he never committed iniquity, and had no guile in his mouth.” Jesus was hanging on the cross between two criminals and was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea, a godly man (Matthew 27:57-60).
“…But after his suffering he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many; he will take their iniquities upon himself. … He gave himself up to death and counted himself among the guilty. He it was who bore the sin of many and stood for the guilty.”
The accuracy of the Bible transcription over the millennia
The discovery of the scrolls also invalidates any previous claims that the Bible is just a collection of legends or evolving myths that have been passed down and reshaped over time, from generation to generation. On the contrary, every word has been carefully copied, guarded, and held sacred long before any modern religious system came into existence.
The Bible is not just a religious book. It is a preserved historical document, backed by real evidence!
Shortened and adapted from this short video, which we recommend to watch entirely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNjbLEA8CTQ&t=372s.
Confirming Bible verses to Isaiah 53 added by Lenka Schmidt