<\/p>\n
More than 1,600 people gathered in person\u2014and thousands more joined via AFTV, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram\u2014for His Story: A Bible Archaeology Summit<\/em>, on April 3 and 4, 2026. Hosted by Pastor Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts International, the event featured biblical archaeologists Dr. Michael Hasel and Dr. Constance Gane, who presented compelling evidence that Scripture is rooted in real history.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bible isn\u2019t a collection of clever myths\u2014it\u2019s the true record of God acting in human history,\u201d says Pastor Doug. \u201cThe science of archaeology is one of the most compelling ways the Lord confirms His Word today. Every dig confirms the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n Archaeology Affirms the Bible<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Michael Hasel, professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology at Southern Adventist University and director of the Institute of Archaeology, highlighted the historical reliability of Scripture. \u201cThe Bible is unique because it is anchored in actual history and shows God working in time and space,\u201d he stated. \u201cThe Bible is full of real people and real places. That\u2019s why we can have biblical archaeology.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Constance Gane, associate research professor of Biblical Archaeology at Andrews University, emphasized the faith-building power of archaeology. \u201cIt\u2019s like a third dimension to the Bible. Archaeology adds a depth of understanding that we wouldn\u2019t have otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n Every dig confirms the Bible.<\/p>\n Both Hasel and Gane addressed apparent challenges. \u201cSometimes, there are discrepancies between what the Bible says and what we have found through archaeology,\u201d said Gane. \u201cWhen that happens, I believe the Bible first. I\u2019ve learned to set my questions on a shelf and wait. Often, time will answer those questions as we find more information.\u201d<\/p>\n She cited the example of Belshazzar in Daniel 5, who was unknown in the archaeological record until discoveries confirmed his existence through references connected to his father, Nabonidus.<\/p>\n Presentations throughout the weekend explored Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, highlighting the consistency between archaeological findings and Scripture.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to recognize that many of the arguments against Scripture are based on a lack of evidence,\u201d added Hasel. \u201cBut science is based on data, not a lack of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Evidence You Can See and Touch<\/strong><\/p>\n Held at Granite Bay Hilltop Church, which sits next to the Amazing Facts headquarters, the summit created an atmosphere of discovery and fellowship. Between meetings, attendees gathered at the front of the sanctuary to examine archaeological artifacts and replicas brought by the speakers. A special archaeology program for children helped young attendees engage with Scripture in a hands-on way.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard so many testimonies from people who said, \u2018We need things like this where we have an opportunity to go deeper, and where young people can see that the Bible is trustworthy and scientifically proven,\u2019\u201d said Pastor Doug. \u201cMany non-members attended and were excited about being there.\u201d<\/p>\n Rene Aguilera\u2014recently baptized through an evangelistic series with Pastor Carlos Mu\u00f1oz, Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE) director\u2014attended the summit to learn more about his new faith and connect with other believers. \u201cIt was great,\u201d he said. \u201cWe learned a lot that helped us understand the Bible better and made new friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite a brief technical issue when servers went down early in the weekend, the meetings continued to reach viewers worldwide. \u201cGod worked, and we were still able to broadcast,\u201d Pastor Doug said.<\/p>\n AFCOE Intensive Builds a Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n The summit was preceded by a three-day AFCOE Intensive, where 150 attendees received training on the three angels\u2019 messages of Revelation 14. Instructors included Carlos, AFCOE assistant director Daniel Hudgens, Pastor Doug, and J\u00eban Ross, vice president for evangelism.<\/p>\n Steve and Tami Sandmeyer traveled from Boise, Idaho, to attend. \u201cMy approach to religion is that it needs to be logical without great canyons between doctrines,\u201d Steve said. \u201cWhat I\u2019m seeing here is that the sanctuary is the foundation that brings everything together. It brings logic to God\u2019s plan.\u201d<\/p>\n A young woman named Maria attended the AFCOE intensive and the summit. \u201cI feel like God is calling me to minister and use my skills for His glory,\u201d she said. \u201cAttending the AFCOE intensive was the first step of faith toward working full-time in ministry. Satan tried to prevent me from coming, but I\u2019m so glad I did. I learned so much!\u201d She is already sharing her faith. She invited a Hindu friend to join her for the summit. \u201cShe really enjoyed it and asked me a ton of questions afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly the goal of each Amazing Facts summit and intensive event\u2014to strengthen people\u2019s faith in God\u2019s truth through biblical teaching and equip them to share their faith more effectively.<\/p>\n Replays of His Story: A Bible Archaeology Summit<\/em> are available to view here. <\/p>\n Your Next Read<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabbathTruth.com Adds New Historical Highlights<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" More than 1,600 people gathered in person\u2014and thousands more joined via AFTV, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram\u2014for His Story: A Bible Archaeology Summit, on April 3 and 4, 2026. Hosted by Pastor Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts International, the event featured biblical archaeologists Dr. Michael Hasel and Dr. Constance Gane, who presented compelling evidence that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[5917,45,348,660,9114,1142],"class_list":{"0":"post-27572","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bible-trivia","8":"tag-archaeology","9":"tag-bible","10":"tag-faith","11":"tag-story","12":"tag-strengthens","13":"tag-summit"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}