The Bible cannot be the “Word of God” if it contains obvious irrefutable evidence of error. In this section we give several instances (of hundreds) found in the New Testament that describe the same event in two or more contradictory versions.
Multiple Versions of the Truth?
Here are four events that have two or more versions of events presented in the New Testament.
1. Two Dates of Birth?
Matthew and Luke have two very different versions of the birth of Jesus.
Matthew: Jesus was born under the reign of Herod who died in 4 BC.
Luke: Jesus was born after Cyrenius instituted the tax (6 AD) that Caesar Augustus decreed.
2. Four Versions of the Resurrection
There are four different versions of the resurrection. Each writer of the Gospels has a different number of people present at the tombstone: Angels, guards, Mary, Mary Magdalena, all appear at different times depending on the author. Here is one conflicting verse from each Gospel.
Mark:
Matthew:
Luke:
John:
For a complete analysis of these variations see the Bible is wrong about Jesus’ birth
3. Two Genealogies
There are 28 generations listed from David to Jesus in Matthew’s (Matt 1:1-16) genealogy, while Luke’s (3:23-31) has 43. Except for David at one end and Jesus at the other, only three names in the two lists that are the same.
| David to Jesus | |
|---|---|
| Matthew 1:6-16 | Luke 3:21-31 |
|
|
However Luke does not stop at David. Luke goes on to give the genealogy from David all the way back to Adam! We really wonder, how it is possible that Luke and Matthew were able to find and record their genealogies of Jesus., given the difficulty that we have today with tracing our own genealogies. They did not even have access to the Mormon’s excellent computerized genealogy database as we do. The truth is they copied them from ancient sources that were themselves totally made up of whole cloth since both Adam and David are figments of the Jewish collective imagination.
Nonetheless the point is made, the Bible cannot be the word of God if it contains obvious irrefutable evidence of error. Which genealogy is correct? You shouldn’t have to ask if the Bible really was the word of god.
4. A donkey AND an ass?
Matthew 21:1-7
In these passages we see that Matthew has Jesus arriving in Jerusalem on two animals at once. Matthew could not possibly have seen this. Neither Mark nor Luke nor John say that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on two animals. Matthew in his zeal to show that Jesus arrival fulfills Scriptures misunderstands the form of Hebrew poetry used in Zachariah 9:9.
5. Sermon On The Mount? No! On the Plains?
Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
Luke 6: 17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him
Who recorded these passages?
The passages referenced below are presented in the Bible as literal truth, yet there is no way according to the situation described in the Bible, that anyone could have heard or recorded these conversations even at the time the words were uttered.
Who Heard Jesus Prayer?
Here is another example of where Luke demonstrates that the whole story is fabricated. Here are the alleged words of Jesus just before going onto the cross:
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 22:41-42
A stones throw is pretty far. Why go a “stone’s cast away? To get privacy! Jesus advocated private and quiet prayer… as in a closet! (Matthew 6:5). Since no one was around to hear Jesus say those words, how does Luke know that those words were spoken? How did Luke know to write those words if he, nor anyone else, was not a witness to them? He made them up! If we have this obvious lie right here in the middle of the most important event in Christianity, how can we trust anything Luke says?
Who Heard Jesus Conversation With Fellow Criminal?
Luke 23:39-43 is a transcript of a conversation between a fellow criminal and Jesus:
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Think about it. The three are high on the cross, the “multitudes are crying out for Jesus’ blood (Why? just a chapter ago, they were giving out with the Hosannas), Jesus and the other criminal are chatting it up while in agony. Who heard this conversation? How could it possibly have been heard above the noise of the multitudes? Who so precisely recorded the conversation? This tall tale was finally recorded some 50 years after it allegedly happened. If you want to claim that the Holy Spirit was in charge of getting this accurately recorded, then you have to explain why Matthew and Mark have different stories.
Conversation With The Devil
Both Matthew and Luke give snippets of conversation between Jesus and the devil. Who recorded these conversations? Jesus and the devil were the only two entities present according to both Matthew and Luke. How did Matthew and/or Luke know what conversation took place between Jesus and the devil?
Other Proofs of Human Authorship
Jesus Believes Old Testament Speaks Truth
We have seen that the Old Testament is filled with errors; i.e The Bible Is So Wrong About So Much, Why Do You Believe Any Of It“. However, Jesus quotes extensively from the Old Testament and believes it to be true. Since Jesus is God and God is omniscient how is it possible that Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, knowing that it is wrong? How can the omniscient God/Jesus/Holy Spirit use passages from the Old Testament when it knows that they are wrong?
- Historical Reliability
- Jesus affirmed the historical existence of Jonah (Matt. 12:40), Noah (Matt. 24:37-38), Sodom and Gomorrah (Mark 6:11) and Adam and Eve (Matt. 19:4-6).
- Scientific Reliability
- Jesus affirmed that God created the world (Mk. 13:19; cf. Matt. 19:4).
- Old Testament Canonicity1
- Jesus made reference to the Law and Prophets as a unit, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill,” (Matt. 5:17).
- Jesus explained the Scriptures, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures,” ( Luke 24:27).
- Jesus referred to the entire Canon by mentioning all the prophets from Abel (from Genesis, the first book and first martyr) to Zechariah (Chronicles, the last book, and the last martyr) (Matt. 23:35).2
- Jesus even made reference to the wrong set of 10 Commandments. See The Bible is Wrong About the 10 Commandments.
- Exodus 20:13/Deut 5:17 – You shall not commit murder (referenced twice)
- Exodus 20:14/Deut 5:18 – You shall not commit adultery (referenced twice)
- Exodus 20:12/Deut 5:16 – Honor your father and mother (referenced twice)
- Exodus 20:15/Deut 5:19 – You shall not steal (referenced once)
- Exodus 20:16/Deut 5:20 – You shall not give false testimony (referenced once)
- Source of Authority
- Imperishability
- “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished,” (Matt. 5:18).
- Unbreakability
- “The Scripture cannot be broken,” (NASB, Jn. 10:35).
- Source of Doctrinal Authority
- Jesus appealed to Scripture when correcting false doctrine stating, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God,” (Matt. 22:29).
Jesus Increases in Wisdom
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52.
Since Jesus is God, how is it possible for him to increase in wisdom? How is it possible for him to increase in favor with himself?
No Record of Answered Prayers
The bible contains at least 14 passages where Jesus promises, unequivocally, that prayers will be answered. Here is one example that will be used to demonstrate the point.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name … they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. Mark 16:17-18:
If Jesus had really said those words, people would have tried healing every sick person around them with prayer. There would have been thousands of people praising and proving that Jesus was right. Yet there is not a single recorded instance of true miracles that came about due to prayer around the times of Jesus. True miracles, not anecdotal, unproven incidents of Aunt Tillie recovering her hearing. A true miracle is a cleft palate being instantly cured; something on that order.
In addition, Jesus could not possibly have said that to a crowd. They could have called him out in an instant as their sick children died in spite of their prayer. They would have seen that they could not really lay on hands to heal the sick. But note, that passage was written AT LEAST 40 years after Jesus allegedly said it. There was no one at that time that could challenge Marks Jesus “quote” so it was safe to attribute it to Jesus.
Fig Tree Fiction
The fig tree fable is a minor story but it illustrates the point that God did not dictate/direct/determine/inspire/etc anything written in the Bible. Mark, then Matthew relate the Fig Tree fable. Mark points out that it was not the season for figs; making Jesus look like an idiot. Matthew conveniently omits that dirty little fact. This makes Jesus’ reaction after not finding fruit on the tree more credible.
Note also how Matthew had sensationalized the miracle. He made the fig tree wither immediately which was instantly noted by the disciples. In Mark’s account, the tree was found to be withered by the disciples only on the next morning. Again, we ask the question: how can we trust the gospel accounts of miracles when we see the authors enhancing and altering their stories to suit their own theologies and preconceptions?
Erroneous Prophecy
If the Bible is the word of God, there should be no erroneous prophecy in it. But, in fact, the Bible abounds in failed prophecy. Here is just a partial listing.
- 1 Unfulfilled prophecies of denial
- 1.1 Destruction of Tyre
- 1.2 Destruction of Egypt
- 1.3 Nile will dry up
- 1.4 Triumph of Judah
- 1.5 Isaiah predicts the Nile drying up, Sea draining
- 1.6 Egyptians will speak the dead language of Canaan
- 1.7 Failure to smite Jebus
- 1.8 Israelites will be unbeatable
- 1.9 Land promises
- 1.10 Israel will live in peace with its neighbors
- 1.11 Davidic line will endure forever
- 2 Unfulfilled prophecies of retrodiction
- 3 Fulfilled “prophecies” that were never prophesized
- 4 Unfulfilled prophecies of vagueness
5 In addition, all of Jesus’ promises about the power of prayer can be seen as prophecy; i.e. Jesus is prophesying/promising what will happen if you just believe in the father and pray. Again, nothing comes of those promises.
Paul and John VS Matthew, Mark, Luke
Although Paul never quotes Jesus, his writings are relevant to this topic because it appears that John got much of his “teaching” from Paul; especially the salvation through faith concept. This in itself is additional proof of the central theme of this website; i.e. The Bible is So Wrong About So Much. Either the picture painted by Matthew, Mark and Luke is correct , or Paul and John are correct. Most likely they are all wrong. The entirety of the New Testament is a set of selected writings (by the council of Nicea) that best market Jesus to the illiterate superstitious unwashed masses.
Why should it be so difficult to understand the word of God?
If the number one predictor of which God someone believes in is what culture and time period they happened to have been born in, what does that say about the actual existence of a deity?
Shouldn’t a universal, ubiquitous, loving, caring god have revealed herself in a consistent manner throughout the ages? To all the people of the world in all times?
Not just to a few chosen tribesman 3500 years ago in a very small part of the world.
These chosen tribesman were left with the task of using word-of-mouth to prevent the rest of the world’s people from suffering eternal damnation. But they didn’t care about us. All they cared about was killing the people occupying the lands that gawd had promised them.
Why are there a thousand religions that think they have the “correct” doctrine? Why are there so many different sects of Christianity? If God/Jesus truly loved you, he would not give you mixed messages. Why doesn’t he let you know about your misunderstandings? He could stop the in-fighting over interpretation instantly, but He doesn’t. The “word” of God should be clear for all mankind for all eternity.
Conclusion
The overwhelming number of contradictions, anachronisms, inconsistencies, scientific impossibilities, logical impossibilities, incorrect historical references and false authorship’s proves the Bible cannot possibly be the inerrant word of an omniscient God.
The Church Of Truth™ 
Regarding ‘donkey and an ass’ – it might pay for you to look up the definition of ‘ass’ here. This is decided not ‘evidence’, which doesn’t do anything for credibility.
The bible is wrong about like everything, just because someone’s writings are in the bible doesn’t mean they are right about everything. Nobody is right about everything.
Trust your heart.
-the person who brought about Covid etc with God’s Spirit because of oppression of all creatures. God likes vegan sanctuaries like Eden, all good for every creature.
But that isn’t how any of this is taught. There are centuries of people who spoke out against the inconsistencies and troubles that were brought about by this “PERFECT WORK”. People were abused, murdered, cast out and other horrible things in the act of keeping this rewritten fabrication “irrefutable”. Now we live in an age and place where can bring it to light and still people refuse to see it. My heart tells me that the centuries of this books reign were just to keep people complacent, woman as a man’s second, slavery operational and people thoughtless.
I hope your soul stays lost. Idiots like you want to find any fault in the bible to have a reason to not believe in God. Do your research and see if it ACTUALLY states the time that Jesus was born. This article is straight ignorant who do yall heards think wrote the bible?
And there is no science in God. Its faith which you dont have obviously. Have fun in Hell.
I wish that people who say such things would do their research before they speak. Your statements are themselves the errors. For example, your last statement that the Bible portrays Pilot as a caring governor. Where did you get that idea? A caring governor has a person scourged? A caring governor allows his soldiers to mock their prisoners? A caring governor orders crucifixion? Could it be that he did not like the members of the Sanhedrin, and it became a battle of the wills? What was one more Jew to him? Nothing!
Your comments about crucifixion – they didn’t take the bodies down? It is recorded that the Romans left many on the cross, but all of them? How do you know this? They crucified people every day. If they left people on the crosses, they would have run out of wood. Most people survived around three days? Those who were not nailed to the cross, perhaps. Those who had not been scourged, perhaps. But Jesus suffered scourging and then was nailed. Physically, He was going to die soon. More importantly, He bore the sins of the world, your sins and my sins, and everyone else’s sin. That was a burden He only bore a short time, but it broke His heart.
The Bible is the Word of God because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Only a Christian, one who has that same Holy Spirit in their lives can understand this. The Apostle Paul said that the things of the Spirit are hidden from those who do not have the Spirit. When I read God’s Word, I hear His voice. I hear my Shepherd’s voice. Unless you have the same Holy Spirit in your life, you cannot understand this. I will pray that you find this Spirit through faith in Jesus, the Son of God!
Well, he’s human. And he’s definitely not claiming to be perfect like omniscient like God does, or “The word of (a perfect) God” like the Bible does. You came on to the website willingly and choose to read someone expressing his opinions about some facts that you emotionally couldn’t handle. Perhaps he made a mistake, but in my opinion, the Bible is held to a much higher standard when it comes to truth and what that means. If it can’t live up to that, then the entirety of its contents is subject to dispute. I was raised Roman Catholic was baptized 2 times and still I grew up. Maybe one day you’ll overcome your inability to hear out someone else who has better proof then you do.
Well done. The Old Testament is full of hate and killings (fell sorry for the Judaists), but there are warts on the New Testament too: What do you make of this one?
Gospel according to Luke, chapter 14, verse 26. (Green’s translation)
26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sisters, and besides, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
Can you not tell the difference between literal and metaphorical speech? Jesus died on the Cross for everyone, including His mother, so He obviously did not hate her. One of His brothers (step-brother), wrote a book in the New Testament – no hate there. What is Jesus saying? Be so devoted to following Jesus, that it takes priority in all your human relationships. Others may view your actions as hate. They may see your devotion as rejection, but your focus is to be on Me. He is calling them to costly discipleship. Read Dietrich Bonhoffer’s The Cost of Discipleship, and you will understand the meaning of Jesus’s words.
I have noticed a trend among this ‘woke’ generation. The tendency is pick verses from the Bible, completely out of context, and twist them to say what they do not say. I call it avoidance. It is avoidance of the real issue – what is your relationship to God? You use a verse Jesus spoke, take it out of context, both to the setting in the Gospel of John, and to the culture, and you hide behind it. It is your excuse to avoid dealing your own spiritual condition. Can you not see that?
People know what they’re doing they’re not confused. They know exactly that God exists it doesnt take science it takes FAITH. People go above and beyond through their blood, sweat and tears to try and find any fault in the Bible because they don’t want to believe in something higher than themselves. Their ego is too big. Their only damning themselves, their families, their friends and their children.
Something looks missing in your “Part 2: Four Versions of the Resurrection.” You say “Here is one conflicting verse from each Gospel,” and then you proceed to only list the four apostles’ names but with no verses!
‘However Luke does not stop at David. Luke goes on to give the genealogy from David all the way back to Adam! We really wonder, how it is possible that Luke and Matthew were able to find and record their genealogies of Jesus., given the difficulty that we have today with tracing our own genealogies. They did not even have access to the Mormon’s excellent computerized genealogy database as we do. The truth is they copied them from ancient sources that were themselves totally made up of whole cloth since both Adam and David are figments of the Jewish collective imagination.’
Just to answer one small part of your message. The Bible is the Word of God. and the Bible is a spiritual book written by a spiritual being for spiritual beings. God knows everything from the beginning to the end and the writers were spiritually inspired to write their accounts.
Pauls says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17— All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NKJV)
Please understand that God is supernatural and any who are not ‘born again’, that is born of the Spirit remains natural. Paul explains this very simply here:
1 Corinthians 2:14— But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (NKJV)
Hope that helps…
God bless
Only Jesus can save you. No one else. Whatever is written in the Bible may or may not be false, except the direct words of Jesus, which are always true. His words are eternal and speak to all generations, and especially to ours now, who read His words. None of us here really knows what the true history of the world was. All those library references worth nothing. History has been rewritten thousands of times by victors. The only thing that devil can not remove, hide, twist and destroy, is the words of Jesus. Even words of Apostles and Prophets can not be taken as ultimate truth, especially if they directly or indirectly oppose the words of Jesus. Read the words of Jesus only and build your faith on them. Nothing else, no one else. He said that all who came before him were thieves and murderers. He told Jews they didn’t know whom they worshiped, basically telling them that they didn’t know the true God. Only Jesus revealed the true God, no one else. Read his words and be saved.
An immortal living dead zombie that was his own dad,is going to save me?Are you aware that living dead zombies aren’t real?Especially ones that father themselves.
Dear Michael,
This verse of Scripture explains why you do not understand the Word of God. God is not natural but supernatural.
1 Corinthians 2:14— But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (NKJV)
Christ died for sinners and was raised from the grave three days later, so death has been defeated. We have all have lied etc so all are guilty in God’s Holy eyes of breaking His Ten Commandments. Those who confess their sins and trust in Jesus as their Saviour will inherit eternal life with their Creator.
There is a judgment day to come and no one can escape it without being washed by the blood of Christ who paid the debt for our sin.
It matters not that you do not believe. Evidence of creation surrounds us. As a building proves a builder, a painting proves a painter, creation proves a Creator. Just think of DNA alone… Could DNA have happened by chance? Could everything have come from nothing?
Hope that helps in some way…
God bless
You don’t wanna believe in nothing higher than yourself. you GROWN! You know good and well that God exists and you have read the bible and you know its true stop playin ya self! You’re ego is too big. The Bible is the word and the ONLY TRUE word of God and its gonna stay that way. And there isn’t nothing you or your fellow sheeps can do about it. I said what I said and meant every word. Fight me.
This is a great site, wow, you must have read my mind. I read the bible, I think many times as a kid full of faith, but I only remember some parts of it and all the parts or passages I remember are so full of contradiction and misguided concepts. Now I know I did not stop believing in God, I just stop believing in the bible. Why should I live my life according to a book written by someone in a tribe 3500 years ago in a far away land? Why there is no mention of the Mayan, Incas, Aztecs and the
rest of all native American civilizations? Why did the God of the bible hated all the other tribes living nearby and around the Israelites and why would the all mighty God have preferences in spreading his love for humanity?
Because you ignorant. You’re saying this because YOU have an ego. You dont wanna believe in nohting higher than youreself keep letting your bestfriend Satan steer you away the Bible speaks on that as well. This avoidance when it comes to God, has been going on forever. God gave Satan permission to do his deeds here on Earth and you can take heed to what im saying or stay dumb, but he gave him little time here with us to try and copy God and do things his why by having people turn against God because he became jealous and disobedient. Who the hell do you think created the universe (and dont say man) who do you think created the BODIES WERE LIVING IN? Are you really this slow?
In John 3, John kept referring to himself in the third person like here:
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
If john were the actual author of this he wouldn’t refer to himself that way, no one does! Instead it would read:
24 For I was not yet cast into prison.
John (the Baptist) was not yet cast into prison. John the writer of the Gospel was the apostle John. They are 2 different people so there is no error.
I really enjoy your site. I have been studying the bible and other religions for about 10 years. If people would actually read the bible without cherry picking and without the clergy saying what each passage meant they would have to agree with this site. I have come to the same conclusions that you have. Thank you for creating this site, I now know I am not alone.
You’re going to hell just like him. And stop reading other religions those are not true people like you would sell ya soul quick cant tell me any different.
The Romans didn’t crucify thieves. Crucifixion was only for those who challenged the Romans’ authority.
Also, they didn’t take the bodies down from the crosses, as they were a good reminder about what happens to you if you revolt. I think that most people survived around three days before they dropped off the perch.
Pilot was portrayed as a decent, caring governor in the bible. He was an absolute arsehole! That’s why he was put in charge of “Judea” because they couldn’t stand him in Rome!
Good point but plays better on a different page. I’m thinking.