“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of Heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem, and whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the free-will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” With this authority, the remnant returned to start that magnificent epic of the history of Israel that climaxed with the coming of the Redeemer of whom also Isaiah had written. There is a sense of frustration that is inevitable to any writer who attempts to cover so vast a subject as this present work in the limits of one small volume. The difficulty has not been in finding evidence to support the thesis that “dead men tell tales” which vindicate the historical infallibility of the Bible. We have been embarrassed by too much evidence! So we have sought to present only the most striking cases, such as can be confirmed by any reader, without the background of years of archeological education. Unlimited tons of material have been passed over with scarcely a mention, due to the limitation of time and space. The author has hoped to achieve one purpose in this volume, namely, the arousing of a definite interest in the average reader which will cause that person to study the sacred page with understanding and appreciation of its force and authority. “These Scriptures,” said the Apostle Paul, “are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” It is imperative in the light of this purpose, that they be able to sustain their claim to divine origin as well. With the prayer that God will bless His Word to the salvation of the many in these closing days, we have thus offered you the testimony of men long dead, whose words nevertheless live on in the records of tablets and tombs. And with those evidences, we have also an increased assurance in the infallible character of the Bible, and are historically justified in receiving it “as it is in truth, the Word of God.” BIBLIOGRAPHY