Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2 even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3 it
seemed good to me also, HAVING TRACED THE COURSE OF ALL THINGS ACCURATELY FROM THE FIRST, to write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus. (Luke 1:1-3, American Standard Version, emphasis added)
I'm an historian by trade, and the reason I am also a Christian is I AM an historian. Not everything in the Bible, of course, has been or can be substantiated by other history books, but that is true of every history book ever written, especially ancient texts. What we do know is that secular history, archeology, and TRUE science substantiate what the Bible says, when they cross and when properly understood. Don't give me theories, give me facts and evidence.
Luke is claiming to write history, and, in the part I have emphasized above, he indicates he did exactly what an historian is supposed to do, viz. "trace the course of all things accurately from the first." He did his homework, he did his research, and he wrote his history. And nobody can deny, historically, anything he wrote. What else could Luke have done? He did what historians across the world are paid to do. And he did it well, and accurately. There are three other histories in the Bible that support his information. How many do we need?
People don't reject the Bible because the facts and evidence are against it. People reject the Bible for the same reason they rejected Jesus in the first place, and still do: "The world...hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil" (John 7:7). People would rather sin than obey God, and everybody justifies their behavior, especially in their own eyes. Well, we cannot, and should not, force them to believe; that wouldn't be true belief, the kind Jesus wants. Those who reject Him will be able to stand before God some day and tell Him why.
Jesus either came out of that tomb or He didn't. If He didn't, then we must continue our search for truth--if any can ever be obtained. If He DID come out of that tomb--and the best evidence is affirmative--then He is Who He claimed to be and we would all be very wise to heed His message.
But that isn't going to happen, because "broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). That is plainly obvious to anyone who understands the truth of what Jesus taught.
