Patterns of Evidence: The Israel Dilemma

This engaging film looks at the history of Israel both from biblical and historical/archaeological accounts. At issue is whether the biblical record is corroborated by history and whether predictive prophecy was actually written before the events described (which most liberal critics and scholars deny). Tim Mahoney goes on a quest to see the latest archaeological findings, hear about their significance from Hebrew paleo-linguists and scholars, and compare them to Scripture.

This engaging film looks at the history of Israel both from biblical and historical/archaeological accounts.

Tim wants to start his journey by looking at the prophecies of Moses regarding the future of Israel, starting in Deuteronomy 28:15–68 as well as Deuteronomy 30. Can we see clear evidence that these prophecies came true? Are there any extra-biblical records that attest to this? And are there later prophecies in such books as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel that give more insight into this question?

The second part of the question is since the predictions about the exile came true, what about the promises of return to the land of Israel? Did those also come true? Was Isaiah’s prophecy about Cyrus, king of Persia, written before Cyrus was born? Do Babylonian and Persian documents bear out that Israel returned to the land? Do the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther have any corroborating archaeological and historical extra-biblical witness?

Lastly, since the movie affirms that both Scripture and secular historical sources tell a unified account when properly understood, does this have any bearing on future history? At the beginning of the movie, Tim asks if we can understand the future by looking at the past. Specifically, since the exile and return are both recurrent themes in Scripture and both are attested to by the Bible and secular sources, what about references to the (then) future exile (post AD 70)? Tim Mahoney teases that these things will be discussed in part 2 of the movie. As the Patterns of Evidence website states: “This powerful evidence brings up hard questions. What does it mean to be chosen, why would God allow such suffering among his people, and what does this history have to do with events today?”

While AiG does not involve itself in eschatological discussions, it is still important to study Scripture and understand that since Scripture was true about a past judgment by God (in this case, the conquest and exile of both Israel and Judah), then it will also be true about a future judgment by him. Whether referring to Rome’s conquest of Israel in AD 70 or any future judgments, the principle is the same. God can and does judge sin, and Christ will return to this earth in judgment. We can and should help unbelievers see the connection between past and future biblical judgments so that we might more effectively share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The underlying commitment by the film to biblical authority in general and, in particular, the historicity of the Old Testament makes this movie well worth attending.

As with all previous Patterns of Evidence movies, the cinematography is stunning. The beautiful scenery, stunning views of the various sites, and up-close details of interesting artifacts and pieces of evidence are a visual treat, as are the few instances where CGI must be used to depict accounts in Scripture. Additionally, the film features interviews with archaeologists, biblical historians, adventurers, and theologians to give important context to the various archaeological sites, even including ones who do not believe the Bible is an accurate historical document. These “hostile witnesses” admitting that the Bible accurately describes events is a powerful testimony to the faithfulness of God and his Word.