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- Learn about the physical Bible facts | Bible Quiz and Facts
Explore fascinating physical Bible facts, trivia, and info about the physical Bible. Discover fun trivia and insightful commentary on this must-visit page. Information and Facts about the Physical Bible Physical Bible Facts and Bible Trivia Learn the physical facts about the Bible, Bible trivia, and Bible truths. Here are fun facts, trivia, and general commentary from this website author about the physical Bible. The consensus is that less than 50% of Americans believe in the Bible. The Bible is an excellent source of information concerning how we should live. The Bible is the authority of the Christian faith; it was written by divine authority and with divine inspiration. Other popular names for the Bible. The Scriptures. Divine Scripture . Word of God. The Book of Truth. The Canon. The "Good" Book. The Gospel(s). Holy Scripture. The Word. The Living Word. Polyglot. Book of the Law. Does the Bible include any secret codes? Several people and organizations claim to have found hidden codes in the Bible. Their efforts and the evidence they provided have been debunked and disproved by reputable sources. The answer is that there are no hidden codes in the Bible. The Bible is straightforward; however, it does contain many parables. Parables are meant to bewilder the unbeliever. However, they are meant to make sense to the believer. The belief is that if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you can interpret the parables. The three most important messages of the New Testament and the entire Bible, for that matter, are that 1. We were created by a supreme being we call God. 2. Jesus, the son of God, sacrificed his earthly life to pay for the sins of the believers. 3. The marriage of believers to Jesus occurred at his crucifixion. The bridegroom is Jesus, who has gone away to prepare a new home for His bride, the believers, to inhabit in the afterlife. Jesus told his disciples in a parable at the Last Supper that believers are all part of this wedding. Some time in the unknown future, Jesus will return to gather his bride (believers) to live with him in a new world. These are the three most important messages that the Bible reveals to us. The foundational cores of Christianity are: Creation . God created humans, Earth, and the universe. Sin: God's creation is not behaving according to his expectations and i s the ultimate cause of death for all humans. Faith. Jesus paid for man's sin by dying on the cross in place of the sinners. Afterlife. There is eternal life for those who believe in the above. The fundamentals of Christianity are: Salvation: The death of Jesus paid for our sins. Repentance: Our lives transform from negative to positive. Judgment: What we do on Earth is judged by God. Heaven: T he path to heaven is a gift obtained by having faith in God. The Bible explains why we are here and gives hope for an everlasting afterlife. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." Revelation 21: " I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. In addition to God himself being with them, they will be his people. He will be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." The entire purpose of Jesus is His "sacrifice" for our sins and His return to "rapture" His believers. God's creation is not following the rules. We are sinning and must pay for those sins. This approach is similar to how a father might hold his child accountable for their mistakes as they grow up. However, God gives us an escape plan to pay for our sins by allowing Jesus to take our place. Because Jesus took the ultimate punishment in our place, we won't have to bear the consequences of our wrongdoings. God also will allow believers to live forever in a new world. Jesus will return to earth, gather all his believers, those dead and alive, place their souls in a spiritual body, and settle them in a new home. The Bible describes this process as the "Second Coming" and the "Marriage." Following his crucifixion and payment for our sins, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. At that point, Jesus became the husband, and all believers became the bride, according to the Bible. Jesus explained this relationship to his disciples. He left for heaven to create a new home for us, and when that is complete, he will come back and gather us up to take us to our new home in our new bodies. There are well over a hundred translations of the Bible into English. This number includes all dialects of English— ancient and modern. The complete Bible has been translated into approximately 724 different world languages. Over 2,000 different languages have translated individual portions of the Bible. The United Bible Society is a global fellowship of 150 Bible groups that translate, publish, and distribute the Bible worldwide. Creation of the Bible begins with copies of the original Hebrew and Greek texts, followed by translations. Some of the most popular and well-studied Bible versions are the NIV and KJV, which scholars worked hard on to make accurate translations. The New King James Version (NKJV) Protestant Bible is perhaps the most popular. Sales of the New International Version (NIV) recently surpassed the sales of the King James version. However, the NIV did not necessarily surpass the King James in terms of general use. The Bible is not a book. The Bible is a bound collection of "individual books" translated from ancient manuscripts. Facts concerning the physical Bible depend on the translation and version. The results vary depending on the websites consulted, the Bible used, and the revision referred to. General Bible Facts and Physical Bible Information. The New and Old Testaments contain 66 books combined. 39 in the Old Testament. 27 in the New Testament. There are 1189 chapters in the combined two testaments. 929 in the Old Testament. 260 in the New Testament. A total of 31,102 verses are in the two combined testaments. 23,145 in the Old Testament. 7,947 in the New Testament. There are 788,280 words combined in the two testaments. 609,269 in the Old Testament. 179,011 in the New Testament. The Bible has 1.2 million individual letters. These are characters or letters of the English alphabet. There are 150 songs in the Book of Psalms. The Book of Psalms is the only Bible book that does not have chapters. Psalms are a collection of individual poems and songs identified as simply Psalms 1 through 150. It does have numbered verses, however. There are 14,000 words, more or less, spoken by women. Eight women talked to God. Approximately 200 women are mentioned in the Bible. Not all are identified by name. Jesus spoke 31,426 words in the Bible. This total does not count duplicate sentences in the Gospels. Some Bibles include a third set of books, the Apocrypha. There are 14 "approved" books in the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha are books not considered "authorized" as part of the Bible. They are important enough to be valid scripture and are useful for instruction and teaching. The original Latin Vulgate and Greek Septuagint included the Apocrypha. Not all churches recognize the Apocrypha as valid scripture. The Hebrew Bible and many Protestant Bibles do not include the Apocrypha. The Bible includes the Apocrypha bound between the Old and New Testaments. The Bible contains a total of 80 books, including the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha generally recognizes 14 books. Esdras. 2 Maccabees. 1 Maccabees. Prayer of Manasseh. The Idol Bel and the Dragon. Susanna. The Song of the Three Children. Jeremiah. Sirach or Ecclesiasticus. Wisdom. Esther. Judith. Tobit. 2 Esdras. The original scripture is in three different languages. These are Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Old Testament is written mostly in Hebrew. The New Testament is written mostly in Greek. This distinction is due to the popular spoken language at the time of the writing. Aramaic was spoken during the time of Jesus. This interval is the time between the Old and New Testaments. The most popular King James version was published in 1611. Before the King James Version, three other popular Bibles were written and used. Great Bible (published in 1539). Geneva Bible (1560). Bishop's Bible (1568). King James Charles Stuart is also King James VI of England and King James I of Scotland. He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the third-generation grandson of Henry VII, King of England. King James was a converted Christian. James was a writer in his own right and is credited with writing The Book of Common Prayer. He decreed that the Bible be read aloud in church. The Great Bible was the authorized Bible at the time. James ordered a rewriting of the Bible, declaring it to be the only one in use. The change was mainly due to the Puritan sect of the church having issues with the earlier translations. King James mandated the writing of the New Bible in the prevailing language, ensuring universal accessibility and comprehension. The Bible was originally called "The Holy Bible" and not the King James Version. That came later. The King James Version included 80 books in total. There are 39 books in the Old Testament. The Apocrypha has 14 books. There are 27 books in the New Testament. The short and long of it: The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35. "Jesus wept." The longest verse is Esther 8:9. "Then there were the king's scribes." The shortest chapter is Psalm 117. This chapter has only 30 words in its two verses. The longest chapter is Psalm 119. It has 176 verses. The shortest book is 3 John or 2 John . 3 John has 14 verses and about 219 words. 2 John contains 13 verses with 245 words. Choose between having fewer verses or fewer words. The longest book is Jeremiah. It has 25 chapters and about 33,000 words. Some say the Psalms are longer because it has more chapters. But it has only about 30,000 words. The first and last books of the Old Testament are Genesis and Malachi. The first and last books of the New Testament are Matthew and Revelation. The first verse in the Bible is Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The last verse in the Bible is Revelation 22:21. "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." The original Hebrew text, before being translated, includes the following: Psalm 119 has 22 sections with eight lines in each section. Each of the eight lines in each section starts with a Hebrew letter in the alphabet. The Hebrew alphabet outlines the chapters from A to Z (Alef to Tav), in alphabetical order. The longest word in the Bible is in Isaiah 8:1. "Mahershalalhashbaz is the longest word in the Bible. " Mahershalalhashbaz is a Hebrew name or word meaning "swift are the spoils; speedy is the plunder." God commanded Isaiah to give his son this name. The smallest known Bible is the Nano Bible. The Nano Bible resides on an aluminum disk. The disk is 600 nanometers in diameter and requires an electron microscope to read it. It was taken to the International Space Station by astronaut Eytan Stibbe. The Nano Bible now resides at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, next to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Technion created the Nano Bible. The largest modern Bible weighs over 1000 lbs. Louis Waynai of Texas completed the creation in 1930. The Waynai Bible currently resides at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. It is approximately 43 inches thick and spans about 98 inches when opened. One of the most troubling aspects of the Bible is that it has been stolen more than any other book in history. However, it is also the most purchased book in history. The estimate is that over 100 million copies of the Bible, all translations, are sold worldwide each year. The first five books of the Old Testament create the Pentateuch . The Tanakh is the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Torah is one section of the Hebrew Bible. The Torah is about one-fourth of the "T anakh ." It is also called the Pentateuch (five books). The translation of the Pentateuch is a volume of five. Moses has been recognized as the author of these books. We also refer to them as the Books of the Law. This section is the "Torah" or the "Chumash". Included in the Torah's five-book set are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The four sections of the Torah include: Chumash (the Five Books of Moses), Neviim (the Prophets), Treisar (the Minor Prophets), and Ketuvim (the Writings). The Torah is also one section of the Protestant Bible (the Old Testament). It's the first five books of the standard Christian Bible. Christians call this section the Pentateuch. The first four books of the New Testament are the Gospels. Gospels include the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John . Jews do not recognize the New Testament as valid scripture. The Jewish faith also does not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Messiah has yet to come, according to the Jews. As time moved on, many Jews recognized, of course, that Jesus was the catalyst of the Christian movement. They admit that he was at least a teacher. We have identified and considered forty people as the main authors of the Bible. However, there is controversy over this question between ancient and modern scholars. Other writers besides the forty have been identified as authors or aides in helping. The authors of many books are unknown. Most of the authors of the Old Testament were Hebrew. Many of the authors of the New Testament were Christian Jews. However, Luke was not a Jew; he was a Gentile and a doctor. Credit is given to Luke for writing the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts. The Bible was mostly written in Israel, with some in Egypt, and a few in European cities. There were many unwritten manuscripts at the time. Generations passed down the stories orally, following no set order. The order of the "Books" in the Bible is neither chronological nor authorial. The books are arranged according to their intended use. The five groups of the Old Testament are history, wisdom, poetry, and prophecy. The four groups of the New Testament are the Gospels, History, Epistles, and Prophecy. There are intriguing derivatives of biblical words to explore. The Bible comes from the Greek word "biblia", which means "books". Christ is a word from the Greek "khristos," which translates as "the anointed." Lucifer's name is derived from the Latin phrase "lux ferre," and translates to "light bringing." Amen is a word derived from the Hebrew "āmēn," which means “certainty." The Protestant Bible is acknowledged to be a true and accurate translation. Many consider the Bible to be the literal word of God. Some believe the writers were full of the Holy Spirit when they wrote. Others believe the Bible is a book authored by inspired believers. The Geneva Bible is recognized as the most heralded Bible of its time. The Geneva Bible was the first Bible that had numbered verses. The Geneva Bible was what the Pilgrims used. They brought it over on the ship Mayflower. The Geneva Bible was the primary Bible used in the 16th century. It was the Bible that Shakespeare and other philosophers used. William Whittingham supervised the writing of the Bible in Geneva. The Geneva Bible is historically very significant. The Bible was published in 1560. It had an affordable cost. It was small enough for anyone to carry. The Geneva Bible was mass-produced. It came with a study guide and illustrations. It was the first Bible to have its verses numbered for quick reference and memorization. The Geneva Bible replaced the Great Bible. The Great Bible was published in 1539. It got its name, the Great Bible, because of its large physical size. The Great Bible was the first "authorized" English Bible by the Church of England. It was also known as "The King's Bible" because King James authorized it. King Henry VI mandated the reading of the Bible during services. The King James Version replaced the Geneva Bible. The authors of these two versions wrote them 50 years apart. In 1560, the Geneva Version was published. The King James Version was published in 1611. America's founders in the 1700s used the King James Bible. Pilgrims in the 1600s used the Geneva Bible. There are six most popular and recognized English Bible translations. The succession of complete English Bibles by popular use is: 1535 - Coverdale Bible. 1539 - Great Bible. 1560 - Geneva Bible. 1568 - Bishop's Bible. 1611 - The King James Bible. 1991 - New Revised Standard Version. Today, church denominations use these popular translations as they see fit. Original King James Version (KJV). 1611. It is now published in the public domain. New American Standard (NASB). 1971. The NASB is published by the Lockman Foundation. New Revised King James (NKJV). 1982. The NKJV is published by Thomas Nelson. New Living Translation (NLT). 1996. The NLTR is published by Tyndale House. English Standard Version (ESV). 2001. The ESV is published by Crossway. New International Version (NIV). 2011. The NIV is published by Biblica. The previous versions were released in 1978 and 1984. Christian Standard Bible (CSB). In 2017. The CSB is published by the Lockman Foundation. Numbered verses were not in the original manuscripts or the early Bibles. The Tanakh, the Hebrew Old Testament, was the first Hebrew Bible to have phrase divisions. It was written by Nathan, a Jewish rabbi, in 1448. The Latin New Testament (Vulgate) was the first Latin Bible to use verses. The book was written by Robert Estienne in 1555. The Geneva Bible was the first English version to use numbered verses. The project was supervised by William Whittingham in 1557. Major Bible misprints. The Sinner's Bible . In 1631, the King James version had a misprinted commandment. "Thou shall commit adultery." Exodus 20:14. Approximately fifteen copies are on display in various libraries and museums. Their estimated value is around $85,000. The She Bible. In the 1611 King James version, there was a misprint in gender . The text read "She went into..." instead of "He went into...". Ruth 3:15 The King James Standard states, "... and she went into the city.”, and The King James Original states, "... and he went into the city.” The discrepancy comes from the interpretation of the original scripts. Some translators believe that Boaz, a male, entered the city. Other translators believe that Ruth, a female, entered the city. At St. Mary's Parish Church in Lancashire, England, researchers discovered a copy of the She Bible. Its value is over $65,000. David Norton wrote a book about the history of the King James Bible. It is a textual history of the King James Bible (BS186. N67 2005). Norton lists 351 printer’s errors in the first edition, known as the "He" Bible. Read all about the history of the King James Bible. Below is the timeline of the most used and notable Bible manuscripts and scriptures. Bible scripture started with oral tradition. Holy scriptures were stories, songs, and poetry passed down from the time of Adam and Eve in local languages and dialects, from generation to generation, up to around 1450 BC. Ancient manuscripts and scriptures eventually appeared in various forms of languages and dialects. Hebrew was the primary language of writing. The best estimate is that the written scripture began about 1450 BC. Printing of individual Bible books began during the time of Moses. Moses is recognized as the author of the first five Bible books. Manuscripts and scripture in ancient languages. Septuagint ( LXX) Koine Greek. 3 BC, 72 Jewish translators commanded by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Codex Vaticanus (B) Greek. 300 AD, Written by unknown scribes. Codex Sinaiticus (S) Greek. 30 AD, Written by an unknown author. Vulgate Bible (V) Latin. 382 AD, St. Jerome of the Catholic Church. Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) Hebrew. In 400 AD, unknown scribes penned the Torah. The Torah consists solely of the books of Moses. Codex Alexandrinus Greek. In 400 AD, the text was written by an unknown author. Ephraemi Rescriptus Greek. In 460 AD, an unknown author wrote it. Ketef Scrolls (KH) Hebrew. 600 AD, written on silver. This is the oldest known surviving original text. The Masoretic Text (MT) Hebrew. 700 AD, produced by the Talmudic Academy. This was the Hebrew Bible for 600 years (Old Testament). King Alfred (KAF) Old English. 900 AD, Parts of the Pentateuch. This was the first known English translation of the Pentateuch. Cdx Aleppo (APC) Hebrew. The Aleppo Codex was written by the Masoretes in 930 AD. The synagogue riots of 1947 set it on fire. Cdx Leningrad (LNC) Hebrew. 1008 AD, mostly Samuel Ben Jacob. This manuscript is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible known to exist. Here is a complete table of all known English translations. The Wycliffe Bible (WYC). 1388 AD, John Wycliffe. This was the first time the entire Bible was translated into English. Tyndale's Bible (TYN) 1530 AD, William Tyndale. The first printed book in English was only partially completed. Coverdale's Bible (CVR) In 1535 AD, Myles Coverdale printed the first complete Bible in English. Matthew's Bible (MAT) 1537 AD, John Rogers. It is considered a vital translation link in translations . The Great Bible (TGB) 1539 AD, Myles Coverdale. It was once the "authorized" church Bible. Geneva Bible (GNV) 1560 AD, William Tyndale. It was once the most popular Bible. The Bishop's Bible (BSH) 1568 AD, Bishops of the Church of England. Douay-Rheims (DRV) 1600 AD, Bishop Challoner. He oversaw the translation process for the Catholics in England. The King James Bible (KJV) King James VI issued the decree in 1611 AD. 47 biblical scholars were translators. Darby's Bible (DBY) John Nelson Darby translated the Bible in 1867 AD. His translation was for the unlearned . American Standard Version (ASV) 901 AD, Phillip Schaff, in 1871, as requested by a church conglomerate. Revised Standard (RSV) 1946 AD, created by the National Council of Churches of Christ. New American (NASB) 1971 AD: 51 scholars headed by Father Stephen J. Hartdegen. New King James Bible (NKJV ) 1982 AD, T. Nelson Publisher. The book has been updated to enhance clarity and readability. New Revised Standard ( NRSV) 1989 AD, National Council of the Churches of Christ. New Living (NLT) 1996 AD, created by Tyndale House. English Standard Version (ESV) 2001 AD, Lane T. Dennis of the publishing ministry, Crossway . New International Version of the Bible (NIV ) 2011 AD, started in 1965. Biblica first printed the book in 1973 and revised it in 1978, 1984, and 2011. Christian Standard (CSB) 2017 AD, published by the Lockman Foundation. The New International Version The NIV is the most popular version in terms of sales, but not necessarily the most widely used. It is considered the most accurate and readable English Bible to date. Over 100 scholars have translated the NIV. The translation was overseen by 15 members of the Committee on Bible Translation. It is translated directly from the Hebrew and Greek texts. Three successive editorial committees translated this version. Biblical scholars, theologians, and English stylists also examined this versio n. Over 500 million copies of the NIV have been sold worldwide since its first printing in 1965. That's approximately 50 years, equating to an average of 1 0 million copies sold per year. The King James Version The King James version is the most popular Bible used. Forty-seven translators from six different panel groups translated this version. Leading biblical scholars in England divided their work among themselves. Three groups reviewed the Old Testament. Two groups held a review of the New Testament. Only one panel reviewed the Apocrypha. King James Bibles have sold an estimated 6 billion copies since their first printing. That's 412 years, equating to an average of 15 million copies sold annually. What a blessing to have the Word of God in two of the most accurate and understandable books.
- Medium difficulty Bible history quiz | Bible Quiz and Facts
A medium difficulty quiz about Bible history. Challenge yourself and learn more about the rich history of the Bible and biblical trivia. Answers are at the right or below the question in "Light Blue" . It is OK to peak; because we are not all Biblical Scientists. Links to information are underlined. Medium Difficult Bible Quiz about Bible History Test your knowledge of Bible history in this difficult Bible Quiz. It is OK to peek. We are not all Bible experts. More information is available with the underlined links. Work on this medium difficulty Bible quiz with answers on Bible history. Which Bible version underwent translation from the Hebrew language into Greek? a. Gnostic Gospels. b. Septuagint. c. Vulgate. b. Septuagint. It was a translation made from Hebrew into Greek. The Septuagint was translated during the third century by 72 scholars. What was the first English Bible "authorized" for use in the church? a. The Great Bible of 1539. b. Geneva Bible of 1560. c. Bishop's Bible of 1568. a. Great Bible of 1539. The first authorized English Bible used by the church was the Great Bible. It was authorized by King Henry VIII and prepared by Miles Coverdale. Who wrote most of the books in the New Testament? a. Simon Peter, who is also known as Cephas. b. Paul (also known as Saul of Tarsus). c. John the Fisherman (one of the first disciples). b. Paul. The Apostle Paul wrote 14 books (over half) of the New Testament. He was from Tarsus and was originally named Saul. Paul persecuted the Jews before he was converted. Saul was traveling to Damascus when Jesus stopped him on the road and blinded him. Later, Saul's eyes were healed by Ananias. Saul became a disciple of Jesus, and his name was changed to Paul. Why were one hundred Bibles called the "sinner's Bible "? a. A printing error that stated, "Thou shall commit adultery." b. The Gideons placed these Bibles in prison libraries. c. A priest in 1611 placed Bibles in brothels. a. A printing error occurred. "Thou shall commit adultery" is in a Bible version that is called the Sinners' Bible. Which Bible version is considered the most popular Bible ever? a. New International Version. b. King James Version. c. Vulgate. b. The King James Version. Recently, the New International Version became more popular. What led to the designation of several Bibles as the "She Bible "? a. In the book of Ruth, a verse states "she" instead of "he." b. All the words spoken by women were printed in red. c. Mother Teresa translated this Bible. a. In the book of Ruth. A misprint regarding the gender of a character in the text of Ruth was made. This particular version of the Bible is known as the She Bible. What do John Rogers, William Tyndale, and John Wycliffe have in common? a. They were priests who conserved the Latin Bible during the religious reformation. b. Their bodies were all burned by the "church" for translating the Bible into English. c. These individuals initiated the movement that has evolved into the Protestant religion. b. Their bodies were all burned. The church burned them at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Early Bible translators were considered heretics and enemies of the church. The church hunted them down, killed them, imprisoned them, and burned their works. What language was the Vulgate version written in? a. Latin. b. Greek. c. Hebrew. a. Latin. The Vulgate is a Latin version of the Bible written by St. Jerome in 382 AD. Which Bible was in use when Jesus lived? a. The Hebrew Bible. b. Septuagint. c. Vulgate. a. The Hebrew Bible. During the time of Jesus, the Hebrew Bible was in use. It was the Old Testament. What do we refer to as the "biblical silent years"? a. These were the years that the Israelites spent captive in Egypt. b. The 40 years that the Israelites spent in the desert during the Exodus. c. These were the years between the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New Testament. c. Years between the writing of the two sections of the Bible. The 400 years between the writings of the Old and New Testaments are known as the silent years. Which Bible version underwent William Whittingham's supervision? a. The Great Bible. b. Geneva. c. Bishops. b. Geneva. William Whittingham led the translation of the Geneva Bible. Several other scholars were involved in the translation. It was the first Bible version to be translated entirely from the original transcripts of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. What was the first complete Bible written in English? a. King James. b. Tyndale. c. Bishops. b. Tyndale. The Tyndale Bible was the first complete English Bible. What was the first "bound book" complete Bible written in any language? a. Septuagint. b. Coverdale. c. Vulgate. c. The Vulgate. The first bound set of books, called the Bible, was the Vulgate. This was the first "unbound" collection of manuscripts made into a complete Bible. a. Dead Sea Scrolls. b. Masoretic Text. c. Vetus Latina. c. The Vetus Latina. The first collection of manuscripts that was called a Bible was the Vetus Latina. Why is Martin Luther important in history? a. He started the original American Protestant Lutheran Church. b. Luther was a Southern Baptist who challenged the U.S. government. c. Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church and nailed the 95 theses to the church's door. c. Martin Luther challenged the Catholic church. He was a German priest in the 1500s. Luther found fault with the church and nailed 95 complaints about how the church strayed from scripture to the church door What does canonizing the Bible mean? a. Being blessed by the Pope. b. Binding all the books into one volume. c. The church accepts the Bible as the divine authority. c. Being accepted by the church. Canon is a word derived from the Greek word kanon. The term "canon" refers to a standard or measuring rod. A canonized Bible means that it has been measured as the standard or tested as being of divine inspiration and authority from God. It is the collection of writings accepted by the leaders of the early Christian church as God's word and the basis of the Christian faith. The Canon is the standard that all Christians use to guide their lives. Which Bible did the Pilgrims use when they first arrived in America? a. Vulgate. b. Bishops. c. Geneva. c. The Geneva Bible. The Geneva Bible, the most popular Bible of the time, was brought to America by the Pilgrims when they sailed on the Mayflower from Europe. Who are Aristotle, Flavius, Herodotus, Josephus, Pliny, and Tacitus? a. They were high priests during the 1500 years of writing the Bible. b. These influential priests and biblical writers contributed to several books of the Bible. c. They are well-known and respected historians who, in some manner, corroborated parts of the Bible. c. Well-known and respected writers. Aristotle, Pliny, Herodotus, Josephus, Flavius, and Tacitus were respected historians who corroborated the Bible. In what year do scholars believe the Torah was completed? a. 1100 BC. b. 400 BC. c. 120 BC. b. 400 BC. The Torah was believed to have been written in 400 BC. How can one avoid entering the furnace known as Hell? a. Faithfully keeping the Ten Commandments. b. Praying daily, including reciting "The Lord's Prayer." c. Going to church every week and keeping the Sabbath. d. Praying for forgiveness and accepting that "Jesus is Lord." d. Praying for forgiveness is the initial step to avoid eternal damnation in hell. Return to the multiple-choice quiz menu. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, If you firmly believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will find salvation. Romans 10:8
- Bible trivia, truth, facts, and stories | Bible Quiz and Facts
Uncover enchanting Bible trivia and facts on our website. Delve into biblical insights and truths with our engaging content. Bible Trivia, Stories, and Bible Facts Discover the truth about Jesus and learn facts about the Bible and Bible trivia. Discover intriguing stories, trivia, truth, and biblical insights that are revealed in the Bible. Facts in the Bible are intriguing and have much truth, insight, and inspiration. Here are intriguing Bible trivia insights and truths about some Bible facts. Discover the facts and insights into the events of the Bible story of the End of Times revealed in Revelation. Only God knows when the events of the end times will occur. Even Jesus does not know. Scripture reveals that knowledge will greatly increase . This growth began during World War II and has continued at an increasing pace. Without a country, the Jewish people dispersed throughout the world. It wasn't until after WWII that the State of Israel was established as a sovereign nation. Israel declared Jerusalem its capital in 1950. America and the world finally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017. An intriguing Bible fact has come true about open homosexuality being prevalent. This openness started in the 1970s. Today, it is considered common and acceptable behavior. Same-sex marriage is legal. The media and movies endorse it. Homosexuality has emerged from the confines of the closet, room, and house and now onto the public streets. The Bible reveals that false prophets will appear, and some will say they are Jesus or God. The first record of a false prophet was Ryes Evans in 1650 AD. The self-proclaimed messiah , Arnold Potter , is this author's favorite. Potter was a Mormon leader (Latter-Day Saint, 1804–1872). He claimed the spirit of Jesus Christ had entered his body. Potter claimed to be the son of the living God. He died while attempting to "ascend into heaven" when he jumped off a cliff. The last false prophet was Gabbie Hanna in 2022. At least four dozen other self-proclaimed prophets claimed to be Jesus during those years. The most famous self-proclaimed Jesus was Charles Manson . There will be a falling away in the "Church." A few megachurches will survive, but many small ones will close. This author can attest to that. Three churches that he has attended in the past years have closed their doors. "The good news" will be preached to the whole world. The gospel has been officially taken to every nation in the world, according to the Joshua Project. There are still approximately 7,000 small groups of Earth's inhabitants that haven't been reached. Approximately one-third of the earth's population has yet to hear the work of God. It is a belief that this will happen before the end of times. Jesus will come and take all the believers into the air to meet with him. No one, not even Jesus, knows when this will happen. Jesus is now building the New Jerusalem to house his people. After it is built and God is ready, the rapture and end of times will be fully implemented. Here's a Bible fact: All believers will be judged for their works. Believers are judged as to whether their work glorifies God. Spreading the "good news" is work that glorifies God. Building an empire and making cars is not good work that glorifies God. For seven years, the remaining nonbelievers will be controlled by the Antichrist and false prophet at the End of Times. 144,000 Jews will be sealed to Christ and serve Him during the 7 years. All the non-believers and those who lived after those 7 years will experience the "white judgment. " The events of the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 vials, and 2 witnesses will occur. The Battle of Armageddon will happen next. Satan will be thrown into a "bottomless pit" for 1,000 years, and Jesus will reign for 1,000 years of peace. Later, Satan will be let loose. He will fight heaven, lose, and be thrown into the Lake of Fire. The book of Revelation reveals that Jesus will come with a new earth for His righteous believers to live in. Here are intriguing trivia insights into some Bible truths. Here are some pieces of Bible trivia and unknown Bible facts. Two books in the Bible do not have the word "God" in them. These are the Song of Solomon and the Book of Esther. The word "trinity" is not mentioned in the Bible. However, the Bible mentions each member of the Trinity individually. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The word "rapture" does not appear in the Bible. The Bible refers to it in many ways, but not as "the rapture." "What is salvation" (being saved)? "The Good News" is hearing and discovering that Salvation is the truth and worth learning about. It means believing in the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Read the Bible and discover that salvation is a gift from God (grace), not something earned, bought, or given for good works. Salvation is Christ's rescue, saving us from the consequences of our sins. It prevents the believers from going through the horrible seven-year Tribulation period. Salvation protects believers from the physical threat of an eternal fire. Being "Saved" entails the believer asking God in prayer for salvation. This involves asking for forgiveness for committed sins and repenting of those sins. In other words, knowing the truth of Jesus changes one's life from disobeying God to obeying God. Being saved means being accepted by God into a new world. Some believe the New World is a New Jerusalem or Heaven. The "tribulation" of the end times will be devastating. One insight of the Bible is that the Tribulation will be a time of trouble like never before. The Bible reveals that 50% of Earth's inhabitants will die by sword, hunger, and other reasons. Also, the Bible states that 33% of all vegetation will be burned up. It's a seven-year period of destruction, death, war, famine, economic chaos, and Christian persecution. The dirty atmosphere will blot out the sun and the moon, making them invisible. The false prophet and the Antichrist, led by Satan, appear and run the world for a while. The bloody battle of Armageddon between the followers of God and the followers of Satan will occur. God will complete his discipline of Israel . It ends with the final judgment upon the unbelieving citizens of the world. If you are "saved," you are saved from the Tribulation and the fires of Hell. According to Christian eschatology, Jesus will come to gather the "saved" and take them away in the "rapture" before the Tribulation. During the Tribulation, there will be non-believers who will convert. Many will face severe persecution during the tribulation, yet they will recognize the truth and turn to God. The "rapture" is at the core of the Bible. The rapture is the true hope of all Christians . The Rapture is the return of Jesus to get his believers. This moment is when Jesus comes and takes his followers with him to everlasting life. It's an end-of-times event. This will happen after Jesus builds a place for believers to live. The understanding is that believers are exempt and will never see the Tribulation. Others believe that the rapture occurs after the tribulation. (A story for another time.) Jesus will come in the clouds. He will resurrect the believers who are dead and meet them in the clouds. Jesus will also bring the living believers to meet him in the clouds. He transports them to the seat of Christ. This location is known as the Bema Seat. At the Bema seat, the believers will receive rewards for "good works". Later, Jesus will lead His believers to the new home that He built for them. The rapture will happen before the 7-year tribulation of God's wrath on Earth. It will happen before the judgment and the second coming. Also, the rapture will happen before the false prophet and the antichrist come to power. Only God knows when the rapture will take place. Not even Jesus knows. You will know if people around you all of a sudden disappear. Below are some intriguing stories, trivia, and biblical insights. When was the term Christian first used? The consensus is that the original use of the coined word "Christian" is unknown. However, the term is first visible in the Book of Acts in the Bible. Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch preaching. Herod Agrippa II asked Paul the Apostle if he was a Christian. Before this, most people referred to the Apostles as Nazarenes, followers of the Jesus movement, or followers of "The Way." During this time, most of the "followers" were Jewish. Herod stated that Paul's acceptance of the term "Christian" led to its widespread use and spread. The earliest written use of the term "Christian" outside of the Bible was by Josephus and Pliny the Younger. During this time, the "Christian faith" had swelled in numbers among the Gentiles. Both of these writers referred to the followers of Jesus as Christians. Soon after, it became a household name. The followers of the "Faith" split into a Jewish following and a Gentile following. The Jewish sect follows the time-tested Old Testament. They follow and obey the Mosaic Laws. The Messiah has yet to arrive; they are waiting for the Savior's arrival. They do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah (Savior). After all, they are the ones who crucified Jesus for saying that he was. The non-Jewish Gentile sect follows the New Testament. Gentiles recognize that the Savior has already arrived and that it is Jesus. They follow the teachings of Jesus. China prints the most Bibles. The Bible is estimated to have been printed in 724 different languages. Every year, the world sells over 100 million copies of the Bible. The Bible is t he most stolen book in history. However, it is also the most purchased book in history. Swearing on the Bible in a court of law is against the teachings of Jesus. Swearing is taking an oath. It is not cursing. Cussing is saying bad things. Therefore, one should "affirm" and not "swear." "I affirm allegiance," not "I swear allegiance." It is appropriate to say, "I affirm to tell the truth." Not, "I swear to tell the truth; so help me, God." Matthew 5:33-37. Cannibalism is a little-known Bible trivia. The first instance occurred when God punished the followers by causing them to experience hunger. It would come about because the followers would eat the flesh of their children. Deuteronomy 28:53-57 O n the second occasion, the king hears the story of two women making a pact to eat each other's child. 2 Kings 6:26-29 The oldest known biblical writing is the Ketef Hinnom Inscription. The inscription is believed to have been created during the 7th century BC. It is a silver scroll rolled up as an amulet. The writing is so tiny that it is impossible to read with the human eye. Verbiage in the inscription is the same as in Numbers 6:24. What is the biblical truth about which day of the week is the Sabbath? Many believe that the specific day of the week is not relevant. Pick a day and observe it. Christians believe that it is Sunday. Jews say that it is Saturday. Muslims have it on Friday. The Book of Genesis states it's on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. It is a matter of interpretation. Some interpret the New Testament as saying that the Sabbath no longer exists. Many believe it was changed from Saturday to Sunday to somehow coincide with the resurrection of Jesus. Some interpret the Old Testament and say that it still exists and is on the seventh day, Saturday. Below is a link to a lengthy paragraph. Take note of the last few sentences. Review this explanation of the Sabbath. The original languages of the manuscripts are Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Ancient Hebrew is the language of the Old Testament and was written before the birth of Jesus. The New Testament is in Koine Greek and was written after Jesus' birth. Aramaic was the spoken language during the time of Jesus. This phase was the time between the Old and New Testaments. "The silent period." The mother language of Jesus was Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first century AD. As a native of Galilee, Jesus would have spoken Aramaic with a Galilean accent. Jesus inevitably spoke multiple languages. He would have spoken Hebrew. Hebrew was the language used in the synagogues and temples at that time. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus is recorded using Aramaic terms and phrases. Jesus was recorded as reading from the Hebrew Bible at a synagogue. Luke 4:16. Greek and Latin were the commonly used languages in trade and economics during the time of Jesus. Before preaching, Jesus worked as a carpenter and must have known several languages in buying and selling. Jesus must have been familiar with several languages. The ancient Hebrew language does not have small or capital letters. Hebrew is the language of the Old Testament. Early Israelites spoke and wrote in Hebrew. The language had only 22 letters, all in one size, in Caps. Ancient Hebrew has no vowels, only consonants. The language was written from right to left. All Middle Eastern languages are still written this way today, including modern Hebrew. Ancient Hebrew was called the "Language of Judah." The Book of Kings identifies it as Judahite. Ancient Hebrew phased out of general spoken use around 200 AD. Hebrew resurfaced as a common language in the 1900s. A derivative has survived (aka "modern Hebrew") and is the "official language" of Israel. There are four main sections in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh): The Jews also refer to the Bible as the Mikra. Protestants refer to it as the Pentateuch (Five), also known as the "Five Books of Moses." The word Tanakh is derived from the first letters of the three main sections of the original Masoretic Hebrew texts. Torah (the Laws). Neviʾim (the Prophets). Ketuvim (the Writings). There are a total of 24 books. The truth about the beasts. Revelation reveals the future story of several beasts. At the end of time, Satan puts on his best show and pretends to be God. The false prophet is the Holy Spirit (the Beast of the Earth). The first beast will symbolically come out of the sea (masses of humanity). Satan will give this beast power. This beast will rule for 42 months. Some people believe this period reestablished the Roman Empire. This first beast will have seven heads, 10 horns, and 10 crowns. (Several political powers.) The beast is symbolically a combination of a leopard, a bear, a lion, and 10 horns. The second beast will come out of the earth and have powers given by Satan. The second beast will preside over the world's economic and religious agendas. He is known as the "false prophet" due to his dominance over the world's religions. This beast is symbolically described with two horns like a lamb and speaks like a dragon. Despite his outward gentle demeanor, he will be a true "devil." He causes all people to symbolically receive the mark of the beast "in their right hand or their forehead." Revelation does not describe how the third beast originates. The third beast has seven heads and ten horns, according to the description. It is also described as being colored scarlet with a harlot who reigns over the kings of the earth riding it. It is believed that seven world powers will have the purpose to unite the world's nations. Some believe it to be the League of Nations, now known as the United Nations. A godless man will preside over this coalition of nations and rule the world during the Tribulation. The story in the book of Revelation names him the Antichrist. He presides over a political agenda with an evil government in power at the end of times. At first, he will broker peace between Israel and the rest of the world. The mantra to get the world to buy into his leadership is "peace and harmony." He will say he is God, demand worship of him, and persecute those who believe in the true God. Some believe that this is when 144,000 Jewish believers will preach the Gospel. Jesus returns at the end of the beast's reign. There will be a massive war between Jesus and Satan. Satan will be tossed into the lake of fire, along with the false prophet and the antichrist. Revelation reveals the story of the 144,000. They will be the leaders on Earth during the Millennial Reign of Christ. They are Hebrew males. All of them are virgins. They come from the 12 tribes of Israel. There will be twelve thousand believers from each tribe. God will protect these believers during the Tribulation and End of Times. The 144,000 believers will not have the mark of the beast. They will evangelize during the Tribulation. Here are some more stories and trivia I've discovered by searching the internet. Animal Sacrifices The question is, when did the Israelites last perform animal sacrifices? According to the New Testament and church history, it was around 70 CE (AD). This is when Rome went into Jerusalem and destroyed the temple for the second time. Only the temple in Jerusalem was the authorized place for sacrifices. Burnt offering practices vanished along with the temple. The world's largest ancient biblical manuscript is the Codex Gigas. Codex Gigas contains scripture from the Old Testament and New Testament, works by Joseph Flavius, a medical book, a calendar, and several other items of interest. The Codex Gigas book weighs 165 pounds. The composition consists of 310 leaves. The claim is that it is made of vellum from the skins of 160 donkeys, or perhaps calfskin. The Codex covers 142.6 m² (1,535 sq ft). The manuscript has red, blue, yellow, green, and gold coloring. It's also known as the "Devil's Bible" due to its rendition of the devil on page 577. The world's largest modern Bible is the Louis Waynai Bible. This Bible was created in Los Angeles by Louis Waynai, a Hungarian immigrant, between 1928 and 1930. The Waynai Bible weighs over 1,000 pounds. It is a King James version. Mr. Waynai gave the Bible to a church in Fort Worth. The church later passed it on to Abilene Christian University in Texas. Popular punishment was death in the early years of the Catholic and English churches. It was illegal to print or even possess Bibles that were printed in English. The church wanted full control of its subjects, and the "government" backed it. The Bible was generally in Latin; only the church had it, and only priests could read it. Anyone who did not fully obey the rules of the " church" or who dared speak against the church ended up being executed. The church had a greater interest in its sovereignty than in preaching the truth about Jesus. More tidbits of Bible trivia, information, insights, and understanding. The Gideons are a well-known religious organization that spreads the truth. Gideon was a judge and warrior whom God called upon. He freed the Israelites from the Midianites. Modern-day Gideons place Bibles in hotels, motels, and other places for free. What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? In the Bible, it is revealed that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) comes upon a believer when he believes in the truth of Jesus. The spirit gives the believer certain gifts and takes control of one's abilities. The believer becomes overcome by the Holy Spirit, and they receive a genuine understanding of the truth in their soul. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is required to understand and interpret the Scriptures. Generally, this event occurs when someone is "saved," "converted," or "called to service" by God. Many villains in the Bible have a certain hair color. Red hair. Perhaps this is why Irish girls with red hair are said to be "hot-tempered." Cain killed Abel. He is believed to have red hair. The Bible describes Esau as having red hair, like a fur coat, as he sets out to kill his brother Jacob. Genesis 25:25 David had an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband, Uriah. 2 Samuel 11:1-17 Salome, the dancer, requested the head of John the Baptist on a platter from King Herod. She was a redhead. The Gutenberg Bible was the first complete Bible printed on a printing press. Johannes Gutenberg printed this Bible in Mainz, Germany. It was printed about 1450 AD on a movable metal type printing press. This Bible is a copy of the Vulgate. The Gutenberg Bible was printed in Latin. About fifty copies have been discovered. Harvard has a copy. Bible Facts: The Old Testament has five sections: The five sections of the Old Testament are Law, History, Poetry, Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets. The New Testament has five sections: They are the Gospels, Acts, Letters of Paul, General Epistles, and Revelation. The Pentateuch is the first division of the Bible. The Pentateuch is a collection of the first five books of the Bible. Moses wrote the Pentateuch. Therefore, it is known as the Mosaic Laws. The five books of the Pentateuch are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Gospels are the first division of the New Testament. They consist of the first four books of the New Testament. These are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospels reveal the truth about Jesus' ministry. Three major religions recognize the Old Testament as valid scripture. Christianity - Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. Judaism - The Jewish nation. Islam - Muslims, Jihadists, Sunnis, and the Shias. Yes, that's right; Muslims recognize the Old Testament. Muhammad gave the Muslims the Koran. But they also recognize the Old Testament as valid scripture. Muslims follow the Old Testament, in a way. Muslims believe the Christian Bible is a revelation from God, but that man has corrupted it. They believe the angel Gabriel dictated the Islamic Koran to Muhammad, and it is the uncorrupted revelation of God. Therefore, the Koran is their truth, and it supersedes the Bible. They believe Jesus was a prophet and a powerful speaker, but not the Messiah. Like the Jewish community, Muslims believe the Messiah is yet to come. We must remember that Father Abraham, the first Jew, began God's church. The roots of the three major religions are traced back to Abraham. Judaism: The original Jewish faith became fully consecrated with God's visitation with Moses. The "Laws of Moses" were created for the followers of the Old Testament (Torah). This is the foundation of the Jewish faith. Islam: This faith started with Gabriel's visitation with Mohammad. The Koran came into being. This caused a split from Judaism. Later, Islam split into the two factions of Sunni and Shia due to politics in the ranks between Mohammad's number one and his son. Christianity: Jesus arrived as the Messiah for the entire world. The New Testament came about for the Gentiles. Only the Gentiles believe Jesus was the Messiah. The Hebrews considered Jesus a false prophet and had him executed. Why are God's people referred to as Hebrew, Israelite, and Jew? First, the Bible refers to God's people as Hebrews and states that Abraham was a Hebrew. The use of Hebrew is traceable to Noah. Hebrew is a derivative of Eber, a descendant of Noah. The use of Israel is traceable to Abraham's grandson, Jacob, when God changed his name to Israel. The twelve sons of Jacob created the twelve tribes of Israel. The use of the word "Jew" originates with Jacob's son, Judah, who strayed from the pack, and his tribe became the Judahites. Eventually, all the tribes converted to Judaism following Judah's line. The word Judah or followers of Judah was translated as Jewish. Unfortunately, the Assyrians attacked and took ten of the twelve tribes to the north into captivity. These became known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Through marriage, assimilation, wars, the scattering of the tribes, and other social events, the tribes essentially disappeared. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin survived in the south, keeping Judaism alive. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah and the house of David. The first recognized official Bible of the Church printed in English was the Great Bible of 1539. Amen is the last word in the New Testament. Revelation 22:21 The last word in the Old Testament is the word "curse." Malachi 4:6 No original transcriptions of the Bible have been discovered. There are many true copies of the ancient scriptures. No originals exist. Four important codices contain the Bible, including the Apocrypha. Codex Sinaiticus, 325 AD (?), the majority of the Old Testament, the complete New Testament, and parts of the Apocrypha. Codex Alexandrinus, 4th century (?), 630 pages of the Old Testament and 143 pages of the New Testament. Codex Vaticanus, 5th century (?), 21 parchment leaves of the New Testament. Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, 5th century (?), 145 pages of the New Testament and 64 of the Old Testament. Who are the wise men among the Bible people? The Bible does not specify the number of wise men who visited baby Jesus. The Bible states that the "Magi" came to visit. No particular number of Magi is given. There could have been any number. At least two were present, as the term Magi is plural. Magus is singular. Matthew 2:1-16 The Magi brought three gifts to Jesus. There is an assumption that the three gifts meant that three Magi made the visitation. The three gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts could have been in any number of packages. The gifts could have been small enough to put in a single bag. Tradition, not the truth of the Bible, gave names to the Magi. The given names to the Magi are Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Tradition, not the Bible, defines the Magi as wise men and sometimes kings. The only fact that the Bible tells us is that the visitors were Magi. Magi is plural, more than one. Magus is singular. The translation of magus is "powerful." It can also mean "magician" or "wise man." Zoroastrian priests were called Magi in ancient Persia. The Magi came from the east. They brought three gifts. The Magi used a star as their guide. Everything else is tradition-based on very loose suppositions and not the truth of the Bible. Are religious traditions based on biblical truth? Here is a summary of traditional beliefs that are not necessarily based on the truth: It is assumed there were three Magi because they gave three gifts. Magi were kings. Tradition gave the Magi names. They traveled on foot. Trekking to visit Jesus took two years. Magi were skilled astrologists and astronomers. The three Magi were from Ethiopia, Persia, and Indian. They were descendants of Noah, but aren't we all? It is believed that they came from a tribe in eastern Mesopotamia, possibly as far as the Orient. A bishop in Cologne claims to have discovered their skulls. (A stretch even for tradition.) Bible people receive communication in dreams from God. There are 21 popular dreams in the Bible. Some of the most popular are Jacob's ladder: He saw angels traveling between earth and heaven on a ladder. Some believe the image symbolizes the believer's descendants going to heaven. Genesis 28:12 Daniel's four beasts: God judges four beasts, and Jesus was given dominion over them. Daniel 7 The wife of Pontius Pilate dreamed about the true messiah: She had a nightmare about Jesus' trial. His innocence was known to her. Matthew 27:19 Joseph's first visit: An angel told Joseph not to divorce Mary, as she was carrying the Savior. They were not married at the time but betrothed. The proper translation states that Mary was a young woman, not specifically a virgin. Being "betrothed and a young woman" makes it reasonable to assume that she was a virgin. But is that the truth? The Bible does not directly state that. Matthew 1:18 Magi's Warning: A dream warned the Magi not to visit King Herod. Herod wanted to know where the baby messiah was so that he could kill him. Matthew 2:1-12 Joseph's warning: A dream warned Joseph to flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to slay all the young babies. Matthew 2:13-14 Joseph's second visit: Joseph dreamed that Herod was dead and that they could return to Israel. Matthew 2:19-21 What is the earliest Bible writing in existence? The earliest original biblical writing believed to exist is the Ten Commandments. Moses was the first to possess the stones. God wrote them with his finger in the presence of Moses. The tablets were placed inside the original Ark of the Covenant. Some believe that the Ark is in a bunker under Ethiopia's Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. This church is fenced and made off-limits to the public. The bunker is guarded and protected by the Ethiopian government. It is believed that you will die from supernatural forces or from the trained monks at the church while attempting to enter the bunker uninvited. A British officer during WWII said he entered the bunker during the war and believed the Ark to be a duplicate. Is it the truth, a hoax, a theory, a legend, a tradition, or a reality? You decide. Communion (the Lord's Supper) is an important symbol initiated by Jesus at the Last Supper. The Last Supper is the rite of Eucharist, sometimes called Mass or Holy Communion. Jesus and the disciples ate unleavened bread and wine at the Last Supper. The Lord's Supper symbolizes the Last Supper of Jesus and commemorates His death and resurrection. There is no yeast in the bread, and the drink was wine and not grape juice. Many people hold the belief that at communion, we should serve wine and break the bread. That is what Jesus did. Some folks like to follow Jesus' example and use one cup for sharing among the congregation. However, some churches use individual, nonbroken crackers and small paper cups of grape juice. It's more hygienic and easier to manage in large congregations. It's the symbolism that's important. Bread represents the broken body that Jesus endured. Wine represents the blood that Jesus shed for us. The Bible does not give specific instructions on when or how often to take communion. Jesus implied that communion is to be done periodically, in remembrance of Him. The idea is to take communion often enough to keep the believer's focus on Jesus and his sacrifice. To participate in communion, you must be a believer and have confessed your sins beforehand. We should take communion with reverence, love, and a deep passion of gratitude for what Jesus did for us. It is the remembrance of his sacrifice, given to save us from our sins, and the true pathway to heaven. When you're dead, you're dead. Some Bible scholars interpret the Bible and teach that death does not imply an immediate journey to paradise, purgatory, heaven, or hell. Several scholars hold the belief that upon death, you are in a state of suspended animation. You are laid to rest, as the saying goes. "LAID TO REST." You're body is dead and gone, and you know nothing; you hear nothing; you see nothing; you feel nothing; you are unaware of anything around you. Your body becomes dust. There is no concept of time. Time stops for you. Your soul is resting in a deep sleep, a coma-like existence. Yet somehow your energy or soul, which defines who you are, is preserved in a temporary state of deep sleep. This condition is precisely what a coma is. When you die, you are aware of nothing. This author experienced being in a coma for two weeks after surgery as a teenager. One second, I was on the gurney and fell asleep. The next instant brought me back to life, lying on a hospital bed. I did not remember anything in between. I sat up and looked around. I noticed many flowers in the room, many get-well cards hanging everywhere, and a banner that said, "Come back to us soon." The TV was on, and my parents were sitting in chairs to my left. Dad was watching TV, and Mom was reading a book. I was shocked when I noticed they were wearing different clothes. They must have left me and gone home during my surgery. Why would they do that? I gathered my senses and spoke. I said, "Why did you guys go home?" They were equally shocked when they heard me speak. I had been unconscious, didn't know that many kids from school came to see me, and didn't realize two weeks had passed. Unaware of everything that happened for two weeks was confusing. It was like I was dead, in a deep sleep, for two weeks. I lay on a gurney, blinked, and two weeks passed that I did not consciously experience. That is what death is like, according to some biblical scholars. Death is like a blink. In one moment, you are conscious, and then you die. The next moment, in a blink, you are alive again. You will be moving through the air, going toward Jesus, without a memory of what happened during the blink. This claim is popular among many Bible believers. Other Bible scholars say that when you're dead, you're not dead. This belief is one of many regarding what happens after death. Your body indeed dies, but your soul is still very much alive, and you are aware of your surroundings. It was Jesus who said to the criminal beside him (paraphrase), "I'll see you in paradise tonight." Where and what is paradise? Roman Catholics are adamant that your soul goes immediately to purgatory at death. Many other Christian sects believe your soul goes immediately to heaven when you die. Yet others believe that you might go straight to hell. Here is an intriguing and perplexing side note. People who met Jesus did not recognize him when he walked around after his resurrection. The Bible states that several people who intimately knew him did not recognize him. His appearance must have changed. But he still had the wounds on his hands from the crucifixion. This situation is confusing. Can we clarify whether his appearance changed after he came back to life? What will our appearance be like when we are resurrected when Jesus comes for us? There are stories in the Bible of animals doing extraordinary things. Balaam's donkey talked while they were traveling. The donkey saw a spiritual being before him, and the being wouldn't let the donkey pass. Balaam beat the donkey because it wouldn't move. The donkey turned his head and spoke, chastising Balaam for beating him. Numbers 22:21-39. A big fish was a sea-going transport in the Bible. Tradition states that a giant fish, perhaps a whale, transported Jonah to Nineveh. The Bible specifically states that Jonah was inside a large fish, not a whale. By the way, whales are not fish; they are water mammals like seals, walruses, and sea lions. This story is in the first chapter of the Book of Jonah. "If you want to be wise, read the Bible. If you want to be safe, believe in the Bible. If you want to be right, obey the Bible." A quote from Calvary Chapel , Chino Hills, California
- Bible History, Bible Stories, and Information | Bible Quiz and Facts
Do you know Bible history? Where did the Bible come from? Who wrote the Bible? When was the Bible written? What language was the Bible written in? The Vulgate Bible. The History of the Bible from its Creation Facts about the Bible and information about the Bible's history. Ponder these Bible facts and Bible trivia commentary on the Bible's history, authenticity, and truth. There are fascinating facts about the history of the Bible. The Bible is accurate and authentic. It is the Christian's book for all religious matters. The Bible is the guiding principle of the Christian faith. It provides personal guidance, moral improvement, and counsel. The Good Book tells Christians how to live. It is called the "Gospels" because the Bible tells a story of why Jesus is here. This is called the Good News. Books of the Bible are considered "scripture" because the writings come from God, the creator. The Bible is said to be "The Word" because it contains the words of God and Jesus. The religious documents of antiquity are the basis of the Bible. We may refer to ancient documents as the Bible. However, they are not traditional books in the modern sense. Documents of antiquity are individual and separate scriptures or manuscripts known as codices. Ancient documents are on sheets of vellum, papyrus, parchment, or animal skins. Researchers have found several ancient manuscripts chiseled on stone and engraved in various metals . The Bible history before the written word: Passing down information was traditionally done verbally. Biblical doctrines and scriptures were oral and meticulously handed down from generation to generation. Priests were meticulous in passing down beliefs from the time of creation until about 2000 BC. The written word: It is believed that around 2000 BC, the alphabet emerged, and writing came into being. Several schools of thought say that between 2000 BC and 1000 BC, written manuscripts began to appear in their various forms. The earliest form of conventional writing is in the ancient Hebrew language, believed to have been developed by Joseph while serving under Pharaoh. There is a belief that Joseph was a prominent figure in Egypt under the direction of the pharaoh at that time. Raised as a prince in Egypt, Moses would have written in this language. Credit is given to Moses for writing the Pentateuch, the first known biblical scripture written. The language of Joseph is the core root language that developed into Arabic, Phoenician, and Old Hebrew. However, archeologists have found walls, rocks, and caves with drawings, pictographs, hieroglyphics, and cuneiforms. These are stories and recordings of history that carbon date back as far as 63,000 years. Scientists assume that carbon dating is accurate. However, research has proven its inaccuracy. This method dates the findings to 57,000 years before the creation story in the Bible. Note: These drawings were considered as art and not a language by some scholars. The history of the Bible began with the earliest religious manuscripts written in the Hebrew language. It was the most spoken language among believers in the Middle East before the birth of Christ. Koine Greek was the language of scriptural manuscripts after the birth of Christ. Manuscripts written during the time of Christ included a small sprinkling of other dialects. The early Hebrews used these manuscripts as their religious scriptures. Scriptures were not in the book form like modern Bibles. The scriptures were mostly in the form of handwritten individual scrolls, not as books. Eventually, twenty-four manuscripts were put together. They became known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible. The first Bible (Tanakh ) was written in Old Hebrew and later translated into the modern Hebrew of today's Old Testament. The translation of the Tanakh from Hebrew into Koine Greek is called the Septuagint. The Septuagint earned its name due to the purported translation efforts of seventy-two scholars. There were six translators from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The early Jewish Church eventually adopted the Tanakh. The next significant translation in the History of the Bible was written in Latin, known as the Vulgate . St. Jerome made this translation for the Catholic Church in 382 AD. The Vulgate has additional scripture, "books" called the Apocrypha , added to it as well. Eventually, the Vulgate became the "official authorized Bible" of the Western Christian churches. Up until the 20th century, the Catholic Church used the Vulgate. However, the Jewish community still uses the original Hebrew Bible instead of the Vulgate. Today, people still use the Tanakh, a derivative of the Hebrew Bible, and often refer to it as the Torah. Thereafter, the New Testament books were written in Koine Greek. (The language of the day.) The names of all the New Testament groups of scriptural manuscripts and their authors are unknown. A complete list of the 27 books of the New Testament is said to be in a letter written by Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria around the year 367 AD. So, we know the New Testament books had the same names and number 2,000 years ago as they do now. Eventually, the Greek New Testament and the Hebrew Old Testament were translated into English. These highly regarded "first early translations" started with John Wycliffe in the 1380s and were followed by William Tyndale and John Rogers in the 1520s. Because of their efforts to translate the Bible into English, the Church burned all three of their bodies out of disrespect and blasphemy. "How dare they create an English abomination of the scriptures?" so say the religious leaders of the time. English translations took away the religious leader's control of the congregation. They couldn't stand for that. The more we learn about the early Christian Church, the more we realize how non-Christian they were. They had the same self-righteous "holier than thou" behavior as the Pharisees of the Bible. Simply brutal! The traditional Bible comes in two or three sections, depending on the version. The Old Testament describes events before the birth of Jesus. Books of the New Testament describe events during and after the birth of Jesus. The Apocrypha contains scripture that was not acceptable to the church. The word "apocrypha" means "hidden." The Greek language is the source. Not all modern Bibles include the Apocrypha. When incorporated, the Bible prints and binds the Apocrypha between the Old and New Testaments. What methods are used to translate the manuscripts into the Bible? Translating the meaning of phrases from one language to another is a challenge. This is especially true when the original language is one of antiquity, dead, forgotten, or no longer in use. There are two basic ways to translate the ancient scriptures. Literal "word for word" or paraphrase "the meaning of the text." Not all languages have the same voices , pronouns, verbs, or family relations, such as aunts or cousins, etc. Gender affects which words are feminine or masculine and which have no direct translation. One word that comes to mind is the Spanish word "sobremesa." Another is the German word "fremdschämen." Google these for yourself. Here is a personal example: I rode on the railroad train to a town up in the mountains of Madagascar. There is no word for "train" in the Malagasy language. They call it the "Maschine". The Malagasy adapted the name to their language from the German employees who built the railroad. So, my railroad story, translated from Malagasy into English, would be, "I took a ride on the machine." I would not have taken a ride on the train. See my point? How would the translator interpret "Maschine"? Would it be a truck, car, oxcart, scooter, motorcycle, bus, taxi, limo, roller skates, UFO, pogo stick, or helicopter? Perhaps it could be an airplane, rocket, fiery chariot, go-cart, bicycle, tractor, steamboat, canoe, hot air balloon, ski lift, or possibly some other mechanical contraption? Well, you get the point. So it is with the Bible. "It is difficult to translate with accuracy and proper meaning." Think about these translations: Spanish to English: "por favor." The word-for-word translation is "for a favor." However, the common translation is "please." This is a paraphrase of the meaning. There is no direct word for "please" in Spanish. It is often impossible to make an accurate word-for-word translation. Give that some thought. Correct translation is not easy. French to English: "Jock a peint la maison noire avec de la peinture blanche." Word-for-word translation: "Jack a painted the house black with of there paint white." Is this direct word-for-word translation clear and logical? Paraphrased translation: "Jack painted the black house with white paint." This paraphrase of the text makes more sense. How about "aloha" in Hawaii? It means both hello and goodbye. How can the word be properly translated by itself when taken out of context? A word-for-word literal translation is impossible because it has several meanings. Which makes a better translation, literal or paraphrased? Think about it! Egyptian is the oldest known language, with Greek being the second oldest, and Sanskrit in India being the third. According to estimates, there are over 2500 languages and more than 7500 dialects worldwide. We print Bibles in more than 750 languages. Did you know that the written Hebrew language, as well as early Greek, has no vowels? Alaskans look out their windows and see snow. Scots look out their windows and may see 420 different types of snow. In Florida, people look out the window and see rain. Hawaiians can see over 200 different kinds of rain. What about those languages that use a click sound? Talk about a translation nightmare. Some languages, like German, have three genders. America is creating more genders every month. Cambodia has 74 characters in its alphabet. The Papuan language has only 11 characters in its alphabet. China has no alphabet. Instead, they use characters. There are over 100,000 (yes, one hundred thousand) characters in its language. The average Chinese newspaper uses about 2,500 characters. Someone would be extremely naive to think that a word-for-word translation of the Bible would be understandable, let alone accurate. Could a person truly understand and interpret the correct meaning of the Word of God as it was originally written unless they lived during the time the scripture was written and understood the language? Our best hope is that the translators were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit and made an accurate "paraphrase" translation of the original meaning of the scriptures. For thousands of years, stories were passed down orally and accurately before written language reached Moses. Perhaps God and the angels informed Moses on Mt. Sinai of everything that happened before his time. Moses was up there for forty days and nights talking about something apart from the commandments. The point is, "It is difficult to translate with accuracy." It requires a great deal of "faith" to accept that humans have accurately translated the original scriptures. Believers acknowledge that the original authors of the Bible were divinely inspired and therefore written by God through man. Believing that man-made translations are accurate and without errors requires even more faith. The King James Bible, the most popular translation, has been updated several times for "small" errors in the translation. There have also been corrections for simple printing errors and misprints. It was not 100% accurate as translated or published by humans. The early scriptures were not divided into sections, chapters, or verses. The Biblical Scriptures are individual writings (manuscripts, parchments, and codices) similar to magazine articles, short stories, essays, letters, tales, poems, songs, and other narratives that resemble modern writing. The lines were not numbered, they ran together, and often with no grammatical marks like periods, commas, question marks, or colons. Can you imagine the difficulty in reading such a document? Generally, the early believers only had one or two of these "scriptural manuscripts" in their possession, as they were all handwritten and few copies existed. Many copies of these ancient documents, manuscripts, and codices have been preserved. We can accurately learn and deduce from them about the early life of humanity as seen by the watchful eye of God and the life of Jesus during His time on earth. Ancient scriptures do not contain a publishing date. Therefore, it is impossible to determine the exact date of authorship for any particular manuscript. Deciphering the true meaning of ancient languages in these early religious texts can be demanding. When comparing various translations, many words are translated differently due to the views, understanding, logic, and perhaps the translator's conjectures. There is a difference in grammar, word placement, tense of verbs, lack of grammatical marks, and local vernacular. The original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible have different verb tenses than modern English. Some languages have only two tenses, like ancient Hebrew. Turkish has dozens of tenses. English has twelve. Kioin Greek has seven. Can you imagine translating this modern-day statement 2000 years from now? "My Daisy was pretty ugly!" How can that sentence be properly translated? What's a "daisy", and how can he, she, or it be pretty and ugly simultaneously? My Daisy is a female Pug dog. Our local vernacular uses the word "pretty" to sometimes mean "very or big". How would translators in 1,000 years know that Daisy was a common pet name? Would they understand that the word "pretty" sometimes means "very"? So the question remains: are the Bible translations 100% word-for-word accurate? The answer is no. We can accept that the meaning of the scriptures is as accurate as possible, and accept that there may be a few flaws in the translation. The most famous fluke in the Bible states that a son is older than his father. The story is in Chronicles. When using either translation technique, paraphrasing or literal, the entire script must be read in context to extract the beneficial, most accurate, and "true meaning" the author was trying to convey. A word-for-word translation may not accurately capture the true meaning of the text. Only by reading the entire text in context and paraphrasing can one provide a true translation and meaning. The early believers and followers of God used many manuscripts. The translators did not place all of those manuscripts into the Bible. Many Bible facts and biblical information were lost due to the "weaning out" of scripture that was believed not relevant enough to be included in the final selection. The first qualification to accept a codex or manuscript as true Bible scripture was based on the author's reputation. Was the author an apostle, someone close to Jesus, or a devout believer? The author could have been someone like Moses or a member of Moses' group. The second requirement for acceptance was that believers had already accepted and heavily used the Scriptures throughout history. Did the manuscript already have a history of being believed? Was it already accepted as the Word of God? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-8.
- Bible Timeline and History of the Bible | Bible Quiz and Facts
Explore the fascinating history of the Bible timeline. Discover the events and milestones that have shaped Earth's creation. When was the Bible written? The Christian Bible Timeline and other Timeline alternatives. Do science and religion agree on the timeline of Earth's creation? There is a mystery of Earth's creation. The timeline of Earth's creation is suggested by the Bible and other sources. The Protestant Bible tells that Earth has existed for 6,000 to 10,000 years. Many scientists, including zoologists and archaeologists, as well as followers of other religions, believe Earth is much older. Consider the following information gathered from the internet and the wisdom of this site's author: There are several ways to interpret the length of "time" in biblical time, which can be confusing. Time is variable and changes depending on many factors. There are references in the Bible where many interpret a day as a thousand years. Sometimes a day could mean a hundred years. Educated biblical scholars sometimes disagree about biblical time. In the past, a day in the Bible was of variable length. In some cases in the Bible, a day means a year. Sometimes a day can be a thousand years or a hundred years long. This could be why it's complicated to calculate when the Earth was created. Some believe the Earth's creation was 6,000 years ago based on the interpretation that a day is a true 24-hour day. However, if a day is a year or a thousand years, then the Bible could be in sync with the scientific view. The scientific community is hard to discredit, even though we know that many times they are in error. A physical day in the Bible starts at sunset on the first day and ends at sunset on the second day. The third hour is not three hours after sunset. It is not three hours after midnight. The third hour is three hours after sunrise. Over the period of a year, the sun rises earlier or later depending on the season. Just like today, ancient people divided their days into two 12-hour periods. However, the 12 hours were flexible and varied. The first period was 12 hours from sunset to sunup, no matter how many minutes or hours that took. During the second period, the 12 hours start at dawn and finish at dusk, regardless of the minutes or hours it takes. The Biblical hour was not exactly 60 minutes; the modern-day hour is exactly 60 minutes. The hours' length was variable due to the year's seasons, when nights were shorter and days were longer. Summer daytime hours were longer in minutes than the nighttime hours. The winter daytime hours were shorter in minutes than the nighttime hours. The Roman day (the one we use) starts at midnight and ends the following midnight. During ancient Rome, they had variable hour lengths. There are several intriguing things about the calendar and days of the week. Parts of the world, present and past, use the moon to record time. Some use the sun as we do in North America. There are many calendars, including the Julian, Gregorian, Roman-Byzantine, Egyptian, Iranian, Islamic, Jewish, Turko-Mongol, and Western calendars. The Pope's decree to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in October 1582 removed ten days from the calendar. Removing the ten days allowed the calendar to keep the vernal equinox from March 11 to March 21. This was important for the farmers to keep all celebrations consistent with the seasons. Most countries in the modern world use the Gregorian solar calendar, which has 12 months. The time it takes for Earth to orbit the sun (solar year) is approximately 365. 25 days. Every four years, we change the calendar by one day to align the four seasons with the sun's orbit. Most of the Islamic world uses the lunar calendar, which also has 12 months. The time it takes the moon to orbit the Earth (lunar month) is approximately 29.53 days, totaling approximately 354 days a year. A lunar month goes from new moon to new moon. Every few years, a leap month is added to align the seasons with the moon's orbit and keep it in sync with the solar calendar. "Seeing is believing." "Reading is faith." Reading someone's rendition of an event that happened a thousand years ago is difficult to believe if scientific evidence does not support it. Which is correct, someone's recollection or the scientific evidence? In certain instances, neither interpretation might be accurate. So there we have it. There are two ways of looking at the past. Biblical faith refers to believing someone's recollection and interpretation of biblical stories or the belief in someone's scientific approach to discovered facts. Which is correct: faith or Science? What is the true interpretation of the past? It's either one or the other, perhaps both, or neither. Everyone knows that eyewitnesses are not 100% dependable. Personal accounts of an event, like faith, sometimes lack proof and can be unreliable. We are all aware that science has occasionally proven to be incorrect. Once upon a time, scientists believed the Earth was the center of the galaxy, and some considered the Earth to be flat. In fact, there are still some idiots who believe the Earth is flat. So, I have to ask, "How reliable were these people?" Perhaps both scientists and eyewitnesses are reliable to some degree. The reality is that we don't understand or properly interpret either method. The Bible was written over the course of 1500 years. Experts have never decided on the exact years when the ancient manuscripts and biblical scriptures were written. Furthermore, it is not known who the specific authors are for many of the books. The early biblical scriptures and Old Testament writings date from around 1650 BC to 1000 BC. Moses lived between 1500 and 1300 BC. It is acknowledged that Moses or his aides were the authors of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Somehow, Moses was aware of all the events that took place before his time. He most likely learned through traditional oral stories passed down through the generations. Or perhaps it was given to him on Mount Sinai by God and the angels during the Exodus. Then again, there is evidence that Abraham may have used a written language. It is not known for sure how the Bible stories got to Moses. It could have been generations of storytelling, written media that have long disintegrated, or from divine sources. If we believe the story of Noah and the Flood wiping out the planet, everything flows from Noah. The entire mammal world, humans and animals, drowned except the eight in Noah's family and the mammals that God told Noah to take aboard the Ark. It makes sense that all humans descended from Noah and his eight family members. All the animals (land mammals), as well as the human race, are descendants of the Ark. Noah, before the flood, had to have known everything in the Bible up to that time. Did he memorize it or write it down? Perhaps he was ignorant, and God later passed on the history of past times to Moses. However, Moses became aware of the past, and he wrote it all down. Like Noah, Moses had to have been knowledgeable of the entire biblical past from the beginning of God's creation. Moses was knowledgeable of all events up to the time of the great flood and from the flood to the massive exodus from Egypt. There is no evidence that this knowledge was in written documents before Moses. Did Noah have manuscripts on the Ark? We don't know. Was the biblical history passed down from generation to generation to Noah? We don't know. Most likely, Moses received stories and traditions that were orally passed down from Adam and Eve through each generation. Another theory is that Moses learned humanity's history during the forty days and nights that he spent on Mount Sinai with God. God and Moses must have talked about something. After spending 40 days and 40 nights with God, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. Moses had 40 years to write it while roaming in the desert. However, the method Moses used to get this information, he wrote about it. If stories were passed down orally, how accurate were the 1600 years of oral tradition from Creation until the Flood? In grade school, the teacher whispered something into the ear of the student near the right side of her desk. The whisper went around the room until it ended up at the last student in the room, near the left side of her desk. Of course, you know the outcome of this little demonstration. Instead of the dog getting a treat from the youngest boy in the family for doing beneficial tricks, the young boy got a dog from his family because he didn't play tricks on them and was a good boy. There were 22 students in the class. That means there were twenty-two renditions of the story. How many renditions are there in 1600 years of biblical pass-down? After 1600 years of oral pass down, one would anticipate an entirely different story being told than the original. However, the wonderful thing is that the stories never change. Writing documents accurately is one thing. Telling a story orally for 1600 years without variations is something else. Just thought-provoking. When we compare the creation described in the Bible with the scientific explanation of creation, we find something amiss. It comes down to putting faith in the Bible or the scientific community. Which is accurate? Maybe neither. However, we must recognize that for the past 100 years, the scientific community has been slowly and continuously proving the accuracy of the Bible. Is science 100% accurate? Surprise! It's not. It turns out that all the scientific dating methods have flaws and are not exact sciences. Many scientific methods disagree with each other and are thousands or even millions of years apart. The scientific explanation of Earth's creation began as a "theory" in the 1800s by one man, a mathematician, whom others bought into. The theory didn't evolve based on scientific evidence but only on "reasoning" to explain Earth's creation using the logic of the day. One geologist bought into it and developed the radiometric dating system. Two geologists in the 1950s bought into the theory and developed a radiocarbon dating system. Since then, many other dating methods have been created using uranium, samarium, potassium-argon, rubidium-strontium, fission track, uranium-thorium, chlorine-36, luminescence, beryllium, and more. It turns out that these dating methods have significant inaccuracies and inconsistencies, with discrepancies spanning millions of years. Sometimes, the scientists tend to interpret their findings with bias. The scientific community uses these dating systems to support their "theory" of a 5-billion-year-old Earth. Scientists cannot agree on a single theory about the Earth's creation. They are still arguing over it. One source is Space.com. Several theories can be found on the internet. The two prominent theories are the core accretion and the disk instability models. The U.S. Geological Survey is the nation's largest biological science and civilian mapping agency. It collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides a scientific understanding of natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. They are the ones who have the authorization to "scientifically" determine the age of the Earth. Here is the direct quote from their web page. "So far, scientists have not found a way to determine the exact age of the Earth." Their website reveals that rocks from other planets determine the Earth's age. Note that the sampling of those rocks is limited and comes from only a few sources. According to the theory, the Earth must be as old as other materials discovered in space. Really? Here is a theoretical story to ponder: Henry Bessemer forged a sheet of steel in 1881. The sheet was stored for future use. In 1981, Ford Motor Company purchased that sheet of steel. Ford created a new prototype vehicle that never went into production. They used this piece of steel, created in 1881 , to manufacture a prototype in 1981 . Don't get ahead of me in this story. In the year 3981, a construction crew excavated a plot of land in Detroit to build a high-rise building. The workers dig up a weird-looking vehicle. They have no idea what it is. They are curious about its age and call in the science crew. The dating system used in the year 3981 is very accurate and precise to the exact year. How old does their dating system say that the vehicle is? Don't get ahead of me. Their dating system indicated that Ford built the vehicle in 1881. Totally inaccurate, as the vehicle was built in 1981. If you haven't already figured out the story, you probably don't believe man walked on the moon either. The dating system calculated the age of the steel. It did not calculate the vehicle's age. Do you see the correlation of this story to Earth's creation? The rocks are older than the planet, just as the metal was older than the car. Another fascinating piece of trivia is that scientists now admit that some moon rocks are older than the Earth. How accurate is the scientific community? As always, in the scientific community, anyone challenging their "golden standard" goes unheard, ridiculed, shunned, laughed at, and denied participation in their club meetings. Pythagoras theorized that the Earth was round. The scientists of the day shunned him for making that statement. The scientist said, "This can't be real." Aristarchus figured out in 300BC that the Earth revolved around the Sun. This revelation defied the "scientific norm" of the sun rotating around the Earth. And the self-righteous scientists of the day said, "Not true." The scientific community shunned Aristarchus, laughed him out of their meetings, and discredited him. Copernicus went further. He proposed that we are part of a solar system and that all the planets revolve around the sun. It took decades for the scientific community to accept the idea of a solar system. Semmelweis, an obstetrician, published evidence that when doctors washed their hands before examining or treating patients, there was a reduction of illness and mortality. It went against the medical approach at the time. No one believed him. They shunned and discredited him. His hospital proved him correct, but it went against the "Accepted" tradition of the medical community of self-righteous doctors. Our human nature was at its peak. And the list of "scientific misinformation" goes on and on until a rogue scientist is brave enough to challenge the "Club." The scientific community (the Club) still has the self-egotistical "We know better than you" and "Don't challenge what we think we know" attitude. The evidence is there to challenge the scientists if we look. According to the Christian interpretation of the Bible, Earth was formed 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Since then, God created life, the flood occurred, and Jesus came and went. The Genesis creation story is a viable explanation of the scientific world. Modern "rogue scientists," like those listed above, are going against the egos of the mainstream scientific community but are being proven to be correct in showing that the Bible's creation story is viable. The mainstream scientific community does not want to examine the evidence and admit they are mistaken. As a side note, watch the documentary " Is Genesis History ? " There are also several books out. Scientific Timeline This is the timeline generally accepted by the scientific community and proposed by American geochemists Patterson and Tilton, developed by their dating system for decaying uranium in the 1950s. The timeline assumptions are that scientific radioactivity and carbon dating are accurate. It has since been proven to have flaws. Time taken place. Earth was created. Microbial life is evident. Fungal life was found. Plant life formed. Land animals. Fish came about. Dinosaurs appeared. Primates on Earth. Apes appeared. Caveman. Stone tools found. Fire and cooking. Modern Humans. Oldest pictograph. First hieroglyphic. Oldest Hebrew Text. First Cuneiform. Chinese inscription. Hebrew manuscripts. Years ago. 4.4 billion 3.5 billion 1.5 billion 800 million 600 million 500 million 100 million 65 million 8 million 4 million 3 million 1.5 million 800 thousand 5.5 thousand 5.1 thousand 4.3 thousand 4.0 thousand 3.3 thousand 3.2 thousand Earth's timelines of learned individuals and religious organizations vary. Each entity has its own way of calculating, estimating, or determining its beliefs. The length of a day or a year within religions can vary. In some cases, a day can mean a year, and a year can mean a century. Irish physicist and mathematician Lord Kelvin calculated the Earth's age with cooling models. 20 to 40 million years ago. French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, calculated Earth's age by the cooling effect of iron. 75,000 years ago. Buddhists believe that the Earth always existed. It has no beginning or end. Muslim scripturalists believe the Earth was created 6 to 10 thousand years ago. The Hindu Text suggests that Earth was created 4.3 billion years ago. The Christian Bible implies that Earth was created 6 to 10 thousand years ago. Shintos and Taoists have no particular time. Timeline according to the Christian Bible (Best Estimate). Get the complete timeline here. God created Earth. Genesis 1: Year 1 4004 BC Cain killed Abel. Genesis:4 1000 3004 BC Lamech sired Noah at age 182. Genesis:5 1056 2948 BC Noah built an ark at 600 years old. Genesis 7 1656 2348 BC All humans on Earth die in a flood, except Noah's family of 8 adults. Noah died at age 950. Genesis 9 2006 1998 BC Amram sired Noah at age 65. Exodus:2 2477 1527 BC The Book of Job was written. Job: 1 2504 1500 BC Moses led the Exodus at age 80. Exodus:1 2557 1447 BC The Lord gave the Ten Commandments. Exodus:20 2604 1400 BC Moses died at age 120. Deut:34 2597 1407 BC The Hebrew Bible was created. It consists of 24 parchment scrolls. 3400 400 BC "The Silent Era." It exists between the Old and New Testaments; there was no writing for 400 years. Septuagint Bible was written. Greek Text. 3974 30 BC Jesus is born. Luke: 2 3945 1 AD Jesus is crucified. Matthew:27 3977 33 AD The last apostle, John, died at 93. According to the Hebrew Scrolls: 4070 66 AD The "Dead Era or Betrothal Era" began at the crucifixion. Since then, the world has been waiting for the return of Jesus. Vulgate Bible Latin Translation. Handwritten. 4386 382 AD The Hebrew Bible—Tanakh. It is finalized and authorized. 4454 450 AD Catholics authorized the Latin Vulgate. 4504 600 AD Latin Vulgate (first printed Bible). This is the first Gutenberg printing. 5359 1455 AD Tyndale Bible This is the first English translation. 5434 1530 AD King James Bible This Bible is the most popular text. 5515 1611 AD Revised Standard King James Version. 5805 1901 AD Since 1901, hundreds of translations have been made. There are 6,000 years of Earth's biblical history, divided into the first, middle, and last years. During the first 2,500 years, no discoveries of any biblical documents have been made. The assumption is that all scripture must have been passed down by oral tradition from Adam and Eve, through the family of Noah, and finally to Moses. Only during the middle 1,500-year period were biblical scriptures or manuscripts physically written. Moses is believed to have written down all this orally passed-down scripture. He wrote this history down in manuscripts and codices. These are the first five books of the modern Old Testament and the Pentateuch. This text is the foundation and source of the Jewish religion. During those 1,500 middle years, there were 400 silent years between the writing of the Old and New Testaments. No written documents exist during the silent period. These "silent years" occurred between Malachi in 430 BC and Luke in 50 AD. Eight men authored the New Testament between 50 AD and 95 AD. During the last 1,500 "dead years," there have not been any newly written documents. The mainstream Christian community has created copies and translations, but not any new revelations, manuscripts, or documents. Other religions recognize new material, but the mainstream Christian fellowship is skeptical of their authenticity. The Mormons have the Book of Mormon, and the Islamic world has the Koran, to name two. Are they the real truth from the heavenly maker of the earth and humanity? The believers think so. During those past 1,500 years, since the apostles' deaths, no "new" documented written biblical history has come forth. This is because of the "wedding story" Jesus explained in his parable to his disciples before his crucifixion. The "groom" (Jesus) has left to go and prepare a "new home" for his "bride" (the believers ). All will be quiet during this "betrothal period" until the day Jesus returns to get his believers. That day is unknown and determined by God. The Bible even states that Jesus does not know the day. During this betrothal intermission, we are to straighten ourselves out with God. If someday people standing or sitting next to you instantly disappear, and you don't, you need to worry.
- Lost Bible Books and Lost Scripture | Bible Quiz and Facts
Learn of ancient manuscripts and lost books of the Bible. Jesus mentioned a lost book. What is the Bible? Who wrote the Bible? What are the lost books of the Bible? What are the Lost Books of the Bible Learn about the missing and lost books of the Bible. Was scripture lost or just forgotten for lack of faith in them or non-use? Biblical scripture, manuscripts, and books that are lost and forgotten. The Bible does not include certain lost books. The original Scriptures were manuscripts, codices, and letters, not books. The early church condemned much of the early Bible scriptures for various reasons, such as: being written by unknown authors, their writings being unpleasant, not important enough, contrary to their beliefs and, Or in contrast to the majority of other writings. Some scriptures were not well used or copied and were just forgotten. Many of the lost biblical manuscripts are known and referenced in other writings. The modern Bible mentions several of the lost books. Jesus mentions a book. The Lord mentions the Book of Jashar when speaking to Joshua. David, when he is mourning the death of Saul, mentions the Book of Jashar. The Bible mentions half a dozen other biblical books. The modern Bible does not include any of these books, which it itself mentions. The question one should ask is If these scriptures were good enough to be used by disciples of the past, our forefathers, so to speak, and Jesus himself, why were they not included? Shouldn't these scriptures be considered sufficient and profitable for us in modern times? Believers used many of these manuscripts before 1611. Then King James said, "Slim down the Bible" and "Make the Bible smaller so it could be carried easily." If not for that event in 1611, the Bibles found at the pulpit now, in modern times, might still weigh a ton and be secured to the pulpit with chains to prevent them from falling off or being carried off, as they were previously. Consider that situation for a moment! Here is a short list of some of the most well-known lost manuscripts. (There are many more. ) Adam and Eve: The two books tell of the conflicts between Adam and Eve and Satan. Enoch: The book of Enoch explains the origins of demons and Nephilim and why some angels fell from heaven. Jasher: Joshua 10:13 of the Hebrew Bible mentions this book. The book has vanished entirely. Jubilees: It's about instructions Moses got from God and the angels on Mt. Sinai. Epistle of Paul: A letter from Paul to the Laodiceans. Fourth Book of Maccabees: The book describes the torture of a woman and her sons for not rejecting Judaism. Epistle of Barnabas: This letter tells how the Jews misinterpreted their laws. The Gospel of Infancy: The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Syriac Infancy Gospel). It concerned the childhood of Jesus. James: The Early Life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It is also referred to as the Protevangelion. Judas: This book tells about conversations between Judas and Jesus. Mary: The relationship between Mary and Jesus, with specific knowledge given to Mary. Nicodemus: This writing tells about the trial of Jesus and the actions of Pilate. Peter: Peter tells about the crucifixion of Jesus. Peter blames Herod instead of Pilate. Phillip: Phillip tells about devotion to the Lord and refers to baptism, anointing, and marriage. Thomas: Hidden words that the living Jesus spoke, as written by Didymos Judas Thomas. Many other important documents are missing; they might have influenced biblical events. They were lost at the hands of humans. It has been human nature to destroy. Leaders always tend to order the destruction of things they hate. Wars destroyed many structures, religious artifacts, and biblical writings. Some documents were lost due to those with no appreciation for conserving or saving. Let's not forget those who were "anti-religious" and destroyed religious artifacts. Adolf Hitler serves as a prime example. Hitler ordered the burning of all Hebrew Bibles and anything of a religious nature during WWII. Mary I of England, another one, made Protestantism illegal, killed hundreds of Christians, confiscated their properties, and had their possessions burned. Smithsonian: This is a link to the top ten list of the most important lost religious documents. Wikipedia: It provides a list of lost biblical transcripts. Sacred-Texts.com: A list of lost biblical scripture. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.
- Is the Bible real and can it be Trusted | Bible Quiz and Facts
Explore the timeless question, "Is the Bible real, true, and authentic?" Discover compelling insights on this website that show how authentic the Bible is. Is the Bible Real and Can the Bible be Trusted? Is the Christian Bible true and Authentic? Is the Bible real, authentic, trustworthy, and inspired by God, or just cultural imagination? Here are some insights into the authenticity and truthfulness of the Bible. The biblical manuscripts are trusted, reliable, and accurately translated from the earliest found documents. The Bible is genuine, and it has the most surviving copies of any ancient writing. Scholars have continuously and extensively scrutinized these books for variations, corruption, and truths. The fact is that the biblical authors lived hundreds and thousands of years apart from each other. It would be impossible for them to collaborate to create a cultural belief system or the largest scam known to man. These authors have repeated the same content in their writings throughout history. Many lived decades apart and never knew each other. Over half of the prophecies in the Bible have come true, according to estimates. Such evidence gives some substance to the idea that the original manuscripts were written with divine inspiration by the authors. Prophecies in the Bible continue to come true, with the most recent being the war in Israel. It was prophesied right to the month it started. As a side note, the prophetic predictions of the future do not look good for humanity . The author's motives can be trusted. There are many biblical stories of how God kills, saves, forgives, loves, and shows God's honest reactions. Why would anyone want to give testimony to all these stories unless they thought they were true? There is no evidence of monetary, economic, power, ego, or other gain or reason for the stories in the Bible. For example: What would be the point of stories of a talking donkey, a big fish transport, and a woman who turns into a pillar of salt if they were not biblical and true? Where would there be any gain? Why would anyone write such absurd stories unless they believed they happened? The secular world mocked the authors of these stories and deemed them crazy for writing them. Why would anyone subject themselves to such ridicule unless they had seen or had faith that these biblical stories happened and are factual? The thing to remember is when and by whom these stories were written. A not-so-highly-advanced culture wrote the Bible about a highly advanced creator and his angels. The ancients weren't as sophisticated and technologically intelligent as people of today. They explained things in a way that they could comprehend. It is believed this is why Jesus spoke in parables, so that the listeners could relate to what he was explaining. Is it just a matter of interpretation and understanding? Perhaps a culture lacking a technological background interprets a submarine as a large fish? Is it possible that Elijah took a ride on an aircraft with a fiery exhaust and not a chariot? Think about it! Could non-technical people explain or understand technology that they couldn't comprehend? Is it possible that a woman transformed into an inanimate block of salt? Perhaps she was hit with radiation dust from a nuclear blast and ended up exactly like the Japanese that America bombed in World War II. The Bible chronicles the healing of sick people. Perhaps the medical knowledge of supreme beings such as God, Jesus, and angels is greater than the medical technology of today. Think about how the early Israelites would explain healing by modern-day drugs if used back then. Moses parted the sea. Moses was highly educated, having been brought up and raised by Pharaoh's court. Being a skilled fighter and adept at leadership and combat, he could have easily led thousands of people out of slavery. The area around Egypt would be very familiar to him as he traveled throughout the country performing duties for the pharaoh. Moses would have known where there were watering holes, hills, valleys, places of heavy or light winds, and the water levels in the nearby seas. Perhaps he knew of the perfect place to cross the Red Sea during a low tide when the wind was strong enough to push the water back. Here is another way to interpret the stories in the Bible if you view them scientifically. Examining the Bible stories from a scientific perspective doesn't require faith. Scientists are constantly coming up with archaeological evidence and theories that can substantiate the Bible stories. The 10 plagues that occurred on the Nile in Egypt can be scientifically explained. Science fact-checking the Bible. What did the philosopher Comte state? Comte stated, "It is common that we only believe what we can personally observe . However, it is impossible to live without faith." Everyone in their daily life constantly believes and acts upon facts not seen or explainable. That's the norm. "I didn't see a man walk on the moon, so it didn't happen." This is what some people believe 50 years after it happened. Conspiracy theories show a good story that allows some to believe the moon landings were staged like a Hollywood production. Luckily, this website author doesn't have that problem, as he participated in the moon landings. Therefore, it is easy for me to see how many people do not believe the stories of the Bible. If they don't believe we landed on the moon (by the way - it was six times), how are they ever going to believe Jesus turned water into wine? O ne must decide what's real for oneself based on faith, observation, historical writings, or what one's family or best friends tell them. If we don't see it, then it can be difficult for us to believe. That's human nature. Well, this author experienced it, so I believe it. I am now sharing my experience with you. We humans left the face of the earth, traveled in outer space, and walked on the moon six times. I personally participated in the event when working at N.A.S.A. The Apollo program and walking on the moon six times were not a Hollywood production. I hope you can understand, appreciate my experience, and believe me. Elijah being taken up into the heavens in a fiery chariot is not hard for me to believe at all, and it shouldn't be for you either. The same should be true of the Bible. Stories in the Bible should be believed. Someone experienced the events, believed they happened, wrote about the events, and now we should believe the events happened. Are scientists always right, and can they be trusted? The "mainstream" scientific community does not like its theories challenged. The discovery that the Earth is round and that the Sun is the center of the solar system was difficult for early scientists to accept. Kepler and Copernicus, for their belief in that theory, were expelled from the scientific social club. Alfred Wegener proposed that Earth's continents were moving. Between 1912 and 1929, he published evidence based on fossil and rock samples to support his theory. The scientific community categorically rejected Wegener's drift theory. Not until this author's teenage years (1950-1960s) did the theory of Wegener finally become part of mainstream science. People don't believe we landed on the moon. In this case, the scientific community believes it happened. It's that the general public doesn't believe it. Go figure. Yep, the general public of today's generation did not experience the moon landings, so they think it was all a hoax. Fortunately for me, I was employed and part of the experience. Your author of this website has no doubts. So, my question is, why is it so hard for people to believe the truth? One answer is that it goes against what they already believe and were taught. If my dad told me the world was flat as I was growing up, why would I believe some lunatic who said it was round? In school, we learned that water can be solid, liquid, or steam, and that's it. Why should I believe it can be turned into wine? Because I didn't see it happen, that's why. "If God creates perfection, why is the Earth tilted on its axis, and why isn't there one landmass?" The problem most of us humans have, as noted by Comte, is that we must see to believe. How do we know God didn't deliberately create the Earth with a tilted axis? It is possible that the tilting of the axis occurred after God's creation as a result of some astronomical phenomenon. A massive meteor did smash into the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico, for instance. During Noah's flood, the earth experienced a profound shake. Just maybe! Are you with me? The moon is out there tugging and pulling, which scientists (God bless them) believe arrived after the creation of Earth. Scientists have revealed facts and evidence that demonstrate Earth's perfect axis. One theory suggests that the moon was created or placed in orbit after Earth's creation, which caused the tilt. Another theory is that a large chunk of space junk hit Earth in the Gulf and knocked it off its axis. The meteor hit the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding Mexican landmass. The impact from the meteor could also have been severe enough to cause a worldwide flood. This collision shook the Earth's mantle with enough force that the landmass was divided into two pieces. Photographs of Earth and all globes you look at, and a view from space, depict this phenomenon. Furthermore, the ashes that spewed into the air could have killed the dinosaurs and most mammals on Earth. This theory receives support from non-biblical writers, physical evidence, and recent discoveries. The Bible's creation theory suggests that a perfect Earth was created, and the latest scientific theories support and that the Earth was perfect and subsequently altered by external forces. We can speculate on several theories. Think about this one. God could have deliberately sent the asteroid to hit the Earth to cause its extinction. The asteroid could have already been on its way to Earth, and God gave Noah a warning and instructions to prepare for it. God would have warned Noah and told him to build the boat and button up the hatches to spare humanity and the animals from the incoming asteroid's devastation. It is reasonable to believe in either of these scenarios. Yes, the scientists are not always right, just self-righteous. No, we cannot always trust the scientists. Can the Bible be trusted? Yes, it can. The truth is that self-righteous, non-believing scientists will eventually recognize the truths that contradict their beliefs. Truths that support the Bible's creation and events will also eventually be recognized and believed. As humans, we lack faith in what others tell us; we need to experience it ourselves. More to the point, we lack faith in the ancient manuscripts because they weren't written in our time. This does not mean that the events did not happen or are not real, true, or authentic. Someone wrote about them and believed what they wrote, so we should consider the stories to be real. The point is, if things on the surface of our thinking don't seem believable, it doesn't mean they are not plausible. Just because we don't believe in something doesn't mean it does not exist. It's just possible that we lack the understanding, and most importantly, we lack faith . It took quite a while before doctors believed that germs entered open wounds and caused infections. Why is it so hard to believe in Bible miracles? Did Moses part the sea? Should we doubt that the Bible is authentic and true just because we weren't there to witness the events? What reasons might we have for questioning what they wrote? Someone witnessed it and wrote about it. Might we, like mainstream scientists, be overlooking the events in the Bible due to a lack of understanding? The problem, of course, is that modern-day people were not there to see Moses part the sea. Therefore, it cannot be believed that it happened. Since we have no rational explanation for how it could have happened, we conclude that it didn't happen. It's just like those who didn't see the landing on the moon. Many believe it didn't happen. Some believe it was a Hollywood production to fool the public. I know it happened because I participated. I participated in it. I was there. I experienced it. It happened. I participated. I talked about it. I wrote about it. I told people about it. It's not a fabrication or a lie. Why don't you believe me? Because you weren't there. Why don't they believe? They are not believers because they haven't personally experienced, witnessed, or participated in it. Conspiracists with a private agenda often refute what they don't believe and develop convincing theories. There are some great, convincing videos available that can convince a person that we did not land on the moon. When scientifically analyzed, these videos can be debunked, but the non-believers can't comprehend the truth. As a general in a popular movie said, "You want the truth, you can't handle the truth.". The same goes for the Bible. People still don't believe the moon landing happened, nor believe my story. It is the same with the Bible. Moses can write all he wants and tell his story over and over, and he won't be believed. Unfortunately, there are many things we don't understand or don't see. As a result, we humans tend to be selective and may not accept the truth but believe the conspirators. Here are a few events that modern people do not believe happened despite the evidence. 1. The holocaust of the Germans murdering millions of Jews never occurred. 2. The assassination of President John F Kennedy. 3. The Apollo moon landings. 4. The September 11th attacks. 5. The massacre of children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. 6. Patty Hurst was not kidnapped. 7. Amelia Earhart was not lost at sea. 8. Elvis is still alive. Here are a few things that modern people believe to be true, but they are not true. 1. Columbus was the one who proved the world was round. Nope. Scientists of the time already knew it was round. Sailors at the time were aware of this and navigated with this knowledge. 2. The witches in Salem were burned at the stake. Nope. They were hanged. (19 of them.) 3. Napoleon Bonaparte was short. Nope. He was of average size. 4. Thanksgiving feast with Indians and Pilgrims. This did not occur. The pilgrims were firing their guns, celebrating a good harvest, and the Indians arrived to see what the commotion was. It was not a congenial meeting, and it was actually the start of the animosity between the Europeans and the Native Americans. 5. Nero did not fiddle while Rome burned. Fiddles had not been invented yet, and Nero was not even in Rome at the time. 6. George Washington and the cherry tree never happened. This was made up by Mason Locke Weems, a minister and bookseller, in 1806. What's my point? If you can't see my point, you will never believe the Bible stories. We won't believe in the truth unless we experience it for ourselves. However, we will believe in a good false story if we didn't experience it. What about the authors who wrote the Bible? The New Testament was written by disciples who personally knew Jesus. They lived the experience. Paul believed that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” Before being converted, Paul hunted down, persecuted, arrested, and often murdered the disciples of Jesus. Paul had a divine intervention with a heavenly spirit and converted to believe in Jesus. He believed that the spirit was Jesus. Paul became one of the most faithful followers of Jesus. Jesus changed his name from Saul to Paul. Why did Paul's life undergo a dramatic change? This abrupt shift was due to his realization that Jesus was truly authentic. Is it reasonable to believe that Saul suddenly joined some "elaborate hoax" and "big landing on the moon conspiracy" of lies and deception? Is it really a hoax that, after despising the Christian movement and overseeing the murder of believers, he became a disciple? Hardly! Most of the New Testament authors were, in some way, cruelly executed. Why? Disciples and apostles of Christ stuck to their beliefs; why would they if they were not true? Deliberately facing persecution, ridicule, and certain death, why would they stick to their beliefs if it were not true? The outcome of their belief allows them to suffer gruesome deaths. The religious authorities stoned Stephen to death. Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew was tied to an "X" instead of nailed to a "T" cross for that "extra bit" of painful punishment. John the Baptist was beheaded. The apostles maintained their belief in Jesus to the end. Why? There is a long list of martyrs who held to the truth. These disciples must have believed in God or witnessed the testimony of Jesus. The apostles witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. Is it reasonable to assume that dozens of these men conspired and made up such unbelievable stories? I think not! They wouldn't have joined a biblical conspiracy only to face persecution and execution. It does not make sense for the disciples to support a 2,000-year-old tall tale. Is this how people behave in real life? Do people give up their lives for a lie? Any experienced interrogator will tell you that people generally won't give up their lives for a lie. Remaining silent is virtually against human nature. People will be quiet about saving themselves unless pressured. Once they experience sufficient pressure, they begin to speak freely. History has shown that under the stress of interrogation, eventually the truth will come out , even from the toughest resistor. Guantanamo Bay interrogations have proved that since 1903. These early "Christians" stuck to their beliefs until their dying breath. Why? They believed in the truth. Other non-Biblical authoritative and respected philosophers wrote about Biblical happenings. Many early writers have conferred or corroborated information in the Bible. They referred to events, places, and characters in the Bible. These writers are well-known, respected, and popular historians, such as Aristotle, Plato, Homer, and Socrates. In the mix are secular writers like Pliny, Herodotus, Josephus, Flavius, Caesar, Euripides, and Tacitus. There were Christian writers such as Augustine, Julian, Origen, Isidore, Quodvultdeus, Evagrius, Justin, Cyprian, Paulinus, Tertullian, Clement, and Julianus Pomerius, to name a few more. All these famous, reliable, honest, and trustworthy writers have authenticated many of the Bible stories and the existence of Jesus. Why don't we believe what the historians tell us? Archaeologists continue to discover biblical evidence of items, places, and names referenced in the Bible. It would fill a tome to describe everything found in the past 100 years. Why don't we believe what the archaeologists tell us? Here are a few discoveries made recently: Places discovered that validate the contents and truth of the Bible. Researchers have discovered an elaborate building next to the temple. It is estimated that the building was shaken to pieces around 33 AD by an earthquake. The Bible references this. Was this incident a coincidence, or did it really happen? Maybe it is; maybe it's not. The walls of Jericho have been excavated. Kiriath Yearim has been discovered, which the Bible mentions several times. This is where the Ark of the Covenant resided. (1 Samuel 7:1–2). The synagogue at Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene, has been found. Researchers have discovered over a dozen early Jewish temples. Researchers believe they have discovered a palace that belonged to King Manasseh, the ruler of 2 Kings 21. King Ahab's royal palace has been located in the Middle East. The ancient location of the Jewish Tabernacle, Tel Shiloh, and the Holy Ark has been discovered. In the Iraqi city of Mosul (aka Nineveh), the tomb of the prophet Jonah has been found. Herod's living quarters and seaside complex have been discovered. Genesis 36:31 states that there were kings in Edom before any Israelite king. Excavations have proven all this, proving the Bible's truth. The list goes on, and googling the internet reveals thousands of Biblical evidence. Things found that prove the truth, validity, and authority of the Bible. Crucified bodies have been discovered. The discovery gives proof that crucifixions were common in those days. Large skeletons have been unearthed. The bible tells of giants several times. Remember Goliath? Buried chariots in the Red Sea were discovered, where Moses could have led the Israelites across. Many Ancient scrolls exist that repeat many of the Bible stories. Someone discovered a jug bearing Gideon's inscriptions. Yes, that's real. A clay seal of a roaring lion dating to the reign of Jeroboam II, who ruled from 788 to 748 BC, has been found. Researchers have discovered royal seals belonging to Adonijah, Natan-Malech, and the governor of Jerusalem. 2 Kings 23:8 mentions them. The nameplate for Pontius Pilate was discovered. The plate is like one that is placed on a door or desk. A monument discovered in a farmer's field reveals the names of people from the Bible, inscribed. Archeologists have uncovered a pillar with an inscription about Jerusalem . Semitic writing on limestone created during the time of Moses has been discovered. According to the evidence, writing with an alphabet existed during the time of Moses. There were no writings before this, and it would verify that Moses could have written the five books. Archeologists have uncovered a mosaic depicting Jesus feeding the multitude with fish and bread. This mosaic was discovered just south of the location where the event took place. DNA extracted from skeletons excavated from burials at the Philistine city of Ashkelon in modern-day Israel shows European ancestry. This finding confirms the biblical account of the intermingling of the Jewish and Philistine communities. Here is an excellent website that confirms Bible archaeology finds. biblearchaeologyreport.com This site offers an overview of biblical archaeology. https://probe.org/biblical-archaeology The article highlights ten crucial discoveries in biblical archaeology. crossway.org Six findings prove the Bible. beliefnet.com Is archaeology proving the Bible? newsweek.com Read about Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2021. christianitytoday.com There are many biblical archaeological discoveries; one must Google for themselves. Discover that the Bible's contents are real. The evidence is available for those who seek it. Why do we trust copies of non-biblical books but not the Bible books? The list of biblical findings is endless. One must search the Internet for "proof of the Bible" for oneself. There is a lot of information available. Just because a book is old or a copy does not make it less authoritative or believable. Researchers have found several copies of the Book of Daniel and the Book of Isaiah. In each case, these copies were written at least 500 years apart, yet their stories are identical. This gives credence to the fact that the scriptures have been consistently copied without change for half a millennium. After years of copying these two scriptures over and over, copies written 500 years apart are identical. This demonstrates the accurate reproduction of the Bible from generation to generation. The scribes were meticulous when making copies of the Holy Scriptures and ensuring their accuracy. Could there be any reason to question the authority of the Bible? Researchers found over 5,000 copies of ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Over ten thousand copies of the Bible written in other ancient languages have been discovered. All of these copies agree with each other in content. These fragmented copies date as far back as thirty years after the originals. We have proven all these scriptures to be authentic copies of each other. The question stands: why should there be doubt about the Bible's truth, authenticity, accuracy, and legitimacy?
- American Christian Christmas traditions | Bible Quiz and Facts
Explore the rich history and significance of biblical Christmas traditions. Discover how Christians view and cherish these timeless traditions. Why a Christmas tree? Modern Christian Christmas Traditions How do many Christians view Christmas traditions? Christmas traditions vary in America based on the ethnic backgrounds of families. Here is how this Christian author views the Christmas traditions. The Christmas tree. The idea of a tree for celebration in the winter started as a pagan tradition. Evergreen trees were associated with everlasting life, representing the eternal life offered by Christ. It was common to celebrate the winter solstice, which occurs around the week of December 25th. Before Christianity became popular, people long used plant life that flourished in the winter as decorations, giving it special meaning. Many ancient people believed that evergreens had special powers to ward off witches, evil spirits, ghosts, demons, and poltergeists. The Germans were the first culture to embrace and start the tradition of using evergreen Christmas trees. They brought the tradition to America in the early 1800s. In early America, the tree-planting tradition was outlawed by the Pilgrims. This practice was viewed as pagan, and the Puritans considered it unholy. The governor actually made it a penal offense to celebrate December 25th, as well as hang any decorations during the celebration. Many Christian traditions have origins in pagan practices. The tree is a reminder of Jesus' crucifixion. To this Christian author, the tree has come to symbolize life, redemption, and salvation. A Christmas tree is often considered a representation of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. It highlights the sacrifice Jesus made for humanity's sins. Furthermore, it represents spiritual growth and eternal life, reminding believers of their faith and the promise of forgiveness of sin. Paul claims that Jesus' execution took place on a tree. Trees were popular for executions, but in the case of Jesus, such an event is unlikely. Most likely, the cross was an accurately milled 12" x 12" chunk of lumber. Carpentry was a prolific profession during the time of Jesus. Jesus himself was a carpenter. Tradition says the cross is made of dogwood. The Bible does not specify the type of wood, but the common woods of the time were dogwood, gopher, shittim wood, acacia, and cedar, as mentioned in the Bible. Tradition has it that the main support of the crucifixion cross was made of dogwood. Another traditional theory states that his body was held by cypress wood, his feet were held by cedar wood, and his hands were nailed to a crosspiece from the wood of a palm tree. The inscribed plaque was made of wood from an olive tree. Pine trees are the most common with a complete set of needles at Christmas. Using pine trees at Christmas is a natural choice and has been the tradition. A star at the top of the tree. The star is a reminder of the birth of Jesus, the Savior. The Magi were guided to young Jesus by the bright Star of Bethlehem. Most common stars have five points to represent the Star of Bethlehem. Some stars have three points to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Other stars have six points representing the symbol of the ancient Hebrew (Jewish) faith. People often place a star at the top of the tree to symbolize one of these traditions. An angel at the top of the tree. It was through an angel that the shepherds learned the news of Jesus' birth. Angels joined in the celebration of rejoicing at the birth of Jesus after the first angel approached the shepherds. We often place angels atop the Christmas tree as a reminder of their celebration of the birth of Christ. Often, when the tree features a star at its top, people place angels on its branches. Lights on the Tree. Lights on the tree are reminiscent of two things. Lights symbolize the Tabernacle, where God communicated with his people. One or more sacred candlesticks called menorahs lit the tabernacles. The original menorahs appeared like tree branches. Candles were placed on Christmas trees in early traditions. Light bulbs became more popular than candles thanks to Thomas Edison. This author can remember bubbly lights on Christmas trees that resembled candles during his youth. Some cultures still use live candles for tradition. Electric candles were common, but now a string of LED lights is standard. Lights on Christmas trees symbolize that Jesus is the "Light." We call Jesus the Light because without him, we would find ourselves lost in the darkness of sin. Jesus, the Light, helps sinful people find their way to salvation and everlasting life. Who is Santa Claus? The character Santa Claus was an actual person. He lived during the 4th century in Patara, Turkey, an area in Greece. Santa Claus, a.k.a. Bishop Nicholas of Myra , was very religious and generous. Nicholas was later referred to as Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, or Saint Nick. The public generally did not see Saint Nick when he performed good deeds or gave gifts to the underprivileged. Many believe he carried out much of his work in the shadows of darkness to avoid recognition. The giving of Gifts. There are several stories of how modern gift-giving started. The strongest belief is that gift-giving at Christmas started to honor Bishop Nicholas , as proposed by Martin Luther. A more common belief is that it comes from the gift-giving of the Magi to the newborn Christ. The Bible instructs us to give to the less fortunate, and what better time than Christmas? A Christian should give gifts with love, showing compassion for others and following the Bible's instructions. Throwing Dear Santa letters into the fireplace. A tradition from England, which my mother brought with her when she immigrated to America. This is to magically send the letter instantly to the North Pole. The postal system is bypassed and ensures delivery on time to Santa. Hanging stockings on the fireplace mantel. Hanging stockings by the fireplace mantel became popular because of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". The tradition's roots are in the legend of Saint Nicholas, who dropped gold into a poor man's stockings. The stockings were drying by the fireplace, a common place for drying clothes. This location quickly became a custom for a central place to leave gifts. A hanging stocking reminds us to give to those less fortunate than ourselves and to give thanks to God for what we have. Return to the main site menu.
- Find Bible Trivia and Read the Bible online | Bible Quiz and Facts
Readers can find Bible Trivia and access the Bible online. Links are provided to online Bibles with no particular website endorsed. Sources for Bible Trivia and Bible Facts Read the Bible and discover Bible trivia, Bible facts, and intriguing Bible stories. The Internet offers numerous websites catering to Bible enthusiasts who wish to explore its truths. There are many websites available that contain Bible trivia and have online Bibles. This website does not promote or endorse any particular website or author. Understanding the Bible is challenging to undertake independently. To grasp what the Bible tells us, we need the help and guidance of experts in the field of Bible study. Listed below are experts in Bible understanding. Listed are websites this author has referenced for Bible trivia, insight, and a profound understanding of the Bible's contents. The internet search for "online Bible" revealed the following websites in the top five. Bible Gateway i s a searchable online Bible tool that hosts more than 200 versions of the Bible. Seventy languages are available for reading, researching, and referencing. This site includes a library of audio Bibles, mobile apps, devotionals, email newsletters, and other free resources. Read the Bible on this website in the version of your choice. About the Site. The King James Bible allows the user to share and discuss King James Bible readings. We encourage learning and research. Users can click on alternate Bible translations to compare verses. The site contains references, including commentaries, outlines, a concordance, and a biblical dictionary. About the Site. Biblica is a global ministry that holds the copyright to the New International Version (NIV) Bible. The site provides relevant and reliable Scripture translations and innovative resources. Read the Bible here online with 40 translations and a daily devotional page. About the Site. Bible Hub is privately owned and supported for the express purpose of sharing Bible study tools online. It contains sermons, commentaries, dictionaries, Strong's Concordance, and many other features. Bible Hub includes Hebrew and Greek study tools. About the Site. Other links and sources of information used on this website to find Bible trivia and for Bible study. The author of this website listens to the Christian radio station WTLN 990 AM , broadcast from Orlando, Florida. Insights gained from the speakers on this radio station have educated and guided this author. Below are the speakers most often listened to by this website author, listed in alphabetical order. Alistair Begg (Truth for Life) A. R. Bernard (A.R. Bernard Show) Paul Blair (Exploring the Word) Steve Brown (Key Life Network) Paul Cannings (Power Walk) Jim Daly (Focus on the Family) Jack Hibbs (Real Life Radio) Allen Jackson (Allen Jackson Ministries) Robert Jeffress (First Baptist Dallas) David Jeremiah (Turning Point) John MacArthur (Grace to You) Will Ramirez (In the Word) Rabbi Schneider (The Jewish Jesus) Vernon McGee (Through the Bible) Charles Stanley (In Touch) Chuck Swindoll (Insight) Websites and online sources that were looked at and information gleaned from are listed below: American Technion Society Britannica.com Vulgate.org Chabad.org The British Library Gotquestions.org Factretriever.com Zondervanacademic.com Sefaria.org Davidjeremiah.blog Tyndale.com Answersingenesis.org Oldest.org/religion/books Theguardian.com PBS.org Holylandsite.com Biblestudytools.com Guinnessworldrecords.com Calvarycch.org Believersportal.com MyfoFox8.com/news Pray.com Christianbiblereference.org Thecharaproject.com DesiringGod.org Christianity.com Learnreligions.com Biblehub.com Gospelsofjesus.com Neverthirsty.org Claudemariottini.com Biblical-christianity.com Thegospelcoalition.org Likeananchor.com Bibleversestudy.com Biblewise.com Biography.com Wikisource.org Wikipedia Agapebiblestudy.com Crosswalk.com Versebyverseministry.org Ccog.org Baslibrary.org Carljosephministries.com Kidscorner.net Knowableworld.com CCOG.com Overviewbible.com Biblestudytools.com Jewishvirtuallibrary.org Harvard.Library.edu Gospels.net Biblegateway.com Scribd.com Thebiblemadeplain.com Thomasnelsonbibles.com Kingjamesbibleonline.org Ligonier.org Compellingtruth.org Vaticannews.va Bibleview.org CSmonitor.com Hiswordtoday.org Christianityfaq.com Logos.com Lordslibrary.com Missionbibleclass.org Moxdigiexhibits.omeka.net Believersportal.com Theologyofwork.org Biblemanuscriptsociety.com Library of Congress Christianpost.com Livescience.com News Week Afrolegends.com Bibleask.org The Smithsonian Spirituallife.org Faithgiant.com Arkencounter.com Thoughtco.com The-ten-commandments.org Compellingtruth.org History.com JW.org 2belikechrist.com Beliefnet.com Factretriever.com/bible-facts Rethinknow.org HC.edu/museums Scribd.com Probe.org Ancient-origins.net Grunge.com NBCnews.com Ebible.com Christcenteredmall.com ISR-messianic.org Bibletruths.org Sacred-texts.com Cambridge.org Bibleodyssey.org Desiringgod.org Margmowczko.com Archive.org Bible.fandom.com Answers.com Gty.org Churchanswers.com Baptistnews.com Carm.org Dictionary.com Lightheart.org Joshuaproject.net NCFgiving.com Anglicancompass.com Some information posted on this site was influenced by the above sources. Salvation is not a contract or legal arrangement made with God. It is not a single-shot, closed business deal that lasts forever once signed. Salvation is a continuous, open relationship between God and the sinner once the sinner sees the truth. The relationship must be established before the final moment. How sincere can a sinner be, waiting until the final moment on their deathbed to reconcile with God? Return to the main site menu.
- Answers to some Popular Religious Questions| Bible Quiz and Facts
Here are answers to many popular religious and Bible questions. What is the Bible? Who wrote the Bible? Where did the Bible come from? The Bible explained. Popular Religious and Popular Bible Questions Here are honest answers to popular Bible questions. Find answers here for a few popular Bible questions. Learn the true Christian Bible facts here. What is love from a Christian perspective? This popular Bible question is first answered by stating that love begins with believing in God. The first part of Christian love is believing that sin exists and keeps us apart from God. However, Jesus sacrificed his life to allow us to enter heaven and be with God. Love is realizing that life on Earth is but a vapor in the vastness of eternity. God cares enough about us (His creation) that He wants us to be with Him forever in the hereafter. We are not forced to love God; He wants us to believe in Him and love Him using our free will. Humans were created with the ability to think for ourselves and use free will. God wants us to choose to love him as a personal choice. He would like us to follow a few rules and believe in some things for our own good. Love does not involve being upset with anyone for any reason. Everyone uses their free will to choose their way of life and make choices about how they interact with others. This basically means that no two people are the same. People have differences that create friction between each other. The current best example is the Republican-Democratic elections. Recent Republican-Democratic elections polarized many people. Such anger brought about by politics is not love. Love is accepting and learning to live with whatever side America picks. Love is not wanting revenge , not wanting to get even, and not wanting to destroy. Helping someone less fortunate than yourself is a way to show love. Being kind to someone goes a long way in showing love. A very popular Bible question is, "What is the Bible?" The standard Christian Bible is a collection of books divided into two main sections. Life before the birth of Christ is written in the Old Testament. The New Testament shares life during and after Christ's birth. Authors inspired by God wrote these books to teach, educate, and provide a way of life that is respectful, healthy, moral, righteous, and honorable. The writers were generally Israelites, and they most certainly believed in God. Many of the authors were in close contact with God through dreams, prayer, and God's intervention in their lives. The Bible reveals God. This is perhaps the best description that answers the popular Bible question, What is the Bible?" God's likes and dislikes are revealed and placed on exhibit for all to see. Books of the Bible have stories of God's behavior and his interaction with the Israelites. The Bible outlines God's commands and codes of behavior and conduct. The Christian guidebook people live by. The purpose of life is explained in the Bible. A social set of rules to follow so that we all can live with one another is found in the Bible. The Bible provides examples of leading a safe and wholesome life. Books of the Bible have stories about those who followed God's rules and the demise of those who disobeyed His commands. Life after death is revealed. The Bible books describe what happens at death and the eternal life that is available after death, depending on your belief in God. The available options are going to a terrible place called Hell as a punishment or a wonderful place called Heaven as a reward. Believers will live for an eternity after death in harmony. The first main theme throughout the Bible is that the Earth is God's creation. The Old Testament books consistently reinforce this theme. God created the earth and all its inhabitants for His purpose or glorification. The first humans were conceived as perfect persons and were placed in paradise (the Garden of Eden) to live. God gave humans the ability to have free will and the ability to choose their way of life, however they wanted. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve, the first humans, chose a path of life that was not in line with God's wishes. They committed the first sin. Banished from their paradise, they were forced to live on their own, tainting their relationship with God. All humans born, starting with Adam and Eve, inherit this sinful nature. As a result, God gave humans some rules and commands to live by and a method to make amends for their sin. God accepted amends by the offering of live animal sacrifices. The second main theme throughout the Bible is that God sent his son to Earth as a substitute sacrifice in place of the animal sacrifices. God's son, Jesus, was sacrificed and died hanging on a wooden cross as payment for all the sins committed by all believers. The New Testament books and the Old Testament prophecies both confirm this. Believers no longer have to give animal sacrifices as a payment for their sins, as Jesus took the place for that. Jesus offered a final sacrifice to atone for all our sins. The third main theme throughout the Bible is that there is life after death. Life after death occurs for everyone, good and bad, saved and unsaved. What a person believes and does determines whether they go to heaven or hell. The first step to entering heaven is to believe in the existence of God . Secondly, believe that God sent his son, Jesus, to Earth i n human form as the ultimate sacrifice to pay for our sins. Thirdly, it helps to believe in an unseen Divine Spirit that is part of the human makeup. It is our internal path to God through prayer and the ability to know right from wrong. The path to heaven is secured when one becomes a believer. Those who believe in the above and pray to God for forgiveness of their sins and ask to be among those who are going to heaven will be allowed to enter. The true test that shows he or she is a believer is to repent of these wrongdoings . We are to stop sinning and do our best to obey the rules and commands in the Bible that God has given us to follow.
- Advanced difficult Bible character quiz | Bible Quiz and Facts
Test your knowledge of Bible characters with our advanced Bible people quiz. Challenge yourself with questions and deepen your understanding of the biblical world. Advanced Bible Quiz about Bible Characters. This is a hard Bible quiz concerning Bible people. We can't all be Bible professors, so peek at the answers. Here is a difficult Bible quiz with answers about characters and people in the Bible. Which apostle was crucified on an X-shaped cross instead of a traditional T-shaped cross? a. Paul. b. Peter. c. Andrew. c. Andrew. He was Simon Peter's brother and wanted to be tied rather than nailed to a cross. The Bible does not authenticate this. Tradition states this disciple wanted to suffer more because he felt inferior. He was tied to a cross in Patras, Greece, and was crucified by Aegeas, the governor of the region at the time. Tradition also suggests that Aegeas turned the X sideways. Learn more about Saint Andrew. How old was Moses when he confronted Pharaoh? a. 100, and Aaron was 90 years old. b. 80, and Aaron was 83. c. 30; and Aaron was 33. Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 years old when they faced Pharaoh. When Moses was 120 years old, he died on Mount Nebo. Aaron died when he was 123 years old, and he died at Mount Hor. Exodus 7:1-7 Abraham told this king that his wife, Sarah, was his sister. a. King David. b. Old King Saul. c. Abimelech, King of Gerar. c. King Abimelech of Gerer. Abraham was certain that Sarah's beauty would lead to his death. It appears that it was a common practice to kill the husbands of beautiful women. Abraham told Abimelech, King of Gerar, that Sarah was his unmarried sister. So Abimelech took her for his wife. God intervened before Abimelech lay with Sarah. After God explained who she was, Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham. Genesis 20 This woman of the Bible lived her entire life in the temple. a. Deborah. b. Judith. c. Anna. c. Anna. She was a widow and a prophetess. Anna was a devout believer who resided in the temple her entire life. When Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple, Anna saw Him. Anna recognized Jesus as the Christ right away. Luke 2:22-40 Who made the contribution to Christianity with the Vulgate translation? a. Aristotle. b. Isosceles. c. Saint Jerome of Dalmatia. c. Saint Jerome. It was Saint Jerome of Dalmatia who created the Latin Vulgate translation. His accolades include being a Christian priest, theologian, historian, and translator of the Bible. An intriguing thing is that for a while, he lived as a hermit before becoming a priest. More about the Vulgate. God put this man to death for "spilling his seed." a. Onan. b. Judah. c. Shem. a. Onan. Er and Onan were brothers. God killed Er due to an evil deed he committed. ER's wife, Tamar, had no male children to inherit the estate. It was his brother Onan's duty to take Er's wife and impregnate her. Onan refused to carry out the tradition. He "spilled his seed" because he didn't want to impregnate his sister-in-law. God killed Onan for not doing the rightful and traditional ritual. Genesis 38:1-10 Who slew the brother of Goliath, the giant Gittite? a. Elhanan, the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the giant. b. Jonathan, the best friend of David, killed the Gittite. c. David slew yet a third giant. Elhanan, who was the son of Jaareoregim and a Bethlehemite, defeated the giant. He used his staff as a spear. 2 Samuel 21:19 Who slew a giant at Gath? a. Jonathan, the nephew of David, slew the giant from Gath. b. Jonadab, David's relative, killed the giant. c. David slew a second giant. a. Jonathan. David's nephew Jonathan, son of David's brother Shimeah, slew this giant. Apparently, it was a family tradition of slaying Philistine giants. The giant had six fingers on every hand and six toes on every foot. 2 Samuel 21:21 Which Bible person was in jail with Paul when an earthquake opened the doors and loosened their chains? a. Silas. b. Timothy. c. Barnabas. a. Silas. He was in a Roman prison with Paul because they exorcized a spirit out of a slave fortune-teller who was making money for her owners. On the grounds of causing a public nuisance, authorities arrested, stripped, and flogged them in Philippi. Acts 16:16-40 Which disciple was building something when his ax head fell into the river? a. Noah. b. Elisha c. Moses. b. Elisha. He fixed an axe head that fell into the river. Elisha broke off a stick and set it on the water's surface. The ax head miraculously floated to the top and attached itself to the stick. 2 Kings 6:1-7 Who pushed a dagger deep into the belly of Eglon, King of Moab? a. Samson. b. Ussiah. c. Ehud. c. Ehud. He pushed a dagger into the large stomach of the King of Moab. The dagger penetrated so deeply into Ehud's body that it could not be seen. Guards were not aware of how Eglon died at first, which allowed Ehud to make his escape. Judges 3:12-30 Who was the wife of Nabal, who denied supplies to David's army? a. Jael. b. Abigail. c. Jehosheba. b. Abigail. The wife of Nabal persuaded David not to kill her husband. David was going to kill Nabal because he didn't want to give up his supplies. Abigail told Nabal how she had intervened and saved his life. Nabal suffered from what appeared to be a severe heart attack. Ten days later, he strangely died. After Nabal died, David married her. David seemed to marry several women whose husbands mysteriously died. 1 Samuel 25 Which Bible female "double spy" drove a tent peg through the head of Sisera, the Canaanite general? a. Delilah. b. Jezebel. c. Jael. c. Jael. General Sisera sought refuge in Jael's tent after he retreated from the Israelite army. Jael drove a tent peg through the head of the general while he slept. Judges 4 Which two midwives did the Egyptian king assign to care for the Israelite women during childbirth, with instructions to kill all males that were born? a. Gomer and Hagar. b. Shiphrah and Puah. c. Oholah and Oholibah. b. Shiphrah and Puah. They were midwives assigned by the Egyptian king to attend to the Israelite women during childbirth. The king ordered them to execute all of the boys. They refused because they were believers. Exodus 1:15-21 When Jeremiah found himself imprisoned in a cistern at Malkijah, who saved him? a. Shephatiah, the son of Mattan, saved Jeremiah. b. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch. c. Pashhur, the son of Malkijah. b. Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch, rescued Jeremiah from a muddy cistern. He was in King Zedekiah's court when he rescued Jeremiah from a muddy cistern. Royal officials had thrown Jeremiah into the cistern. Ebed-Melech persuaded the king to have Jeremiah pulled out. Jeremiah 38:1-13 This Bible queen refused to appear nude before the court. a. Simone. b. Jezebel. c. Vashti. c. Queen Vashti. Queen Vashti refused to appear nude in her husband's court. It was a request of her drunken husband, King Xerxes. Vashti was dethroned and no longer allowed to be in the king's presence. She was replaced by the beautiful Jewess, Ester. Esther 1:1-22 Which Bible character became king when he was eight years old? a. Amon. b. Josiah. c. Jehoahaz. b. Josiah. He was a descendant of David. Josiah became king when he was only eight years old. He reigned for thirty-one years. Josiah started the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. He commanded the destruction of all idols. 2 Chronicles 34 What DID NOT happen at the slaughter of the Amorites at Gibeon at the hands of Joshua? a. The Israelites killed many Amorites with their swords. b. Hailstones from heaven killed many Amorites. c. The sun stood still for a short time. d. Amorites committed suicide. d . The Amorites Did Not commit suicide. Joshua 10 Who was the Syrian commander with leprosy who captured a young Israeli girl? a. Rimmon. b. Naaman. c. Mordecai. b. Naaman. The girl told her mistress to contact Elisha, who could cure the commander of leprosy. Naaman was a Syrian commander who went to Elisha in Samaria to be healed of leprosy. 2 Kings 5 One of Saul's concubines lost two sons she had begotten from him. David hung them on the mountainside, leaving them to rot and be eaten by animals. Who was the mother who stayed with the remains until God gave her a sign? a. Gibeah. b. Rizpah. c. Mephibosheth. b. Rizpah. Armoni and Mephibosheth were sons of Saul and Rizpah. David killed them for their father's sins. 2 Samuel 21:7-14 The church met in this wealthy Laodicean's house. a. Lydia. b. Priscilla. c. Nympha. a. Lydia. The church met in Lydia's house. Colossians 4:10-15 Which prophet did God instruct to visit a widow's home in Zarephath and request bread and water during a severe drought? a. John the Baptist. b. Jeremiah. c. Elijah. c. Elijah. He went to the widow of Zarephath's house for food and water. Afterward, God provided this woman with a flowerpot and an oil jug that never went empty. 1 Kings 17:7-16 Which Bible woman used false testimony to have Naboth killed so that her husband could take ownership of his vineyard? a. Jezebel. b. Bathsheba. c. Potiphar's wife. a. Jezebel. She had Naboth killed so that King Ahab could have his vineyard. The vineyard was next to the palace and owned by Naboth. 1 Kings 21 What animals pulled a cart that the Philistines sent to the Israelites? a. Several goats. b. Two calves. c. One donkey. b. Two calves pulled the cart. They sent the cart without a driver, and it went to the field of Joshua in Beth Shemesh. 1 Samuel 6 What was the main item in the cart that the Philistines sent to the Israelites? a. A Golden Calf. b. An original copy of the Tanakh. c. The Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments. c. Ark of the Covenant. Contained in the cart were five gold tumors and five gold rats. The Philistines decided to rid themselves of the cart after it caused destruction everywhere it went. 1 Samuel 6:1-18 Who was the Bible person who traveled far, bringing many spices, gems, and gold to King Solomon because of his fame? a. King of Saudi Arabia. b. Prince of Ethiopia. c. Queen of Sheba. c. The Queen of Sheba. Sheba visited King Solomon because she wanted to know how wise he was. 1 Kings 10:1-13 How did Elisha spoil the plans of the king of Syria, who sent a large army with horses and chariots to Dothan to kill Elisha? a. Elisha caused a thundering noise in the sky and lightning bolts to strike the invaders. b. He blinded the entire invading army, causing them to retreat to another city. c. Elisha caused a firewall to erupt between the city and the invading army. b. The invading army was blinded. They arrived late at night and surrounded the city. Elisha prayed for help, and God blinded the enemy army. Later, God removed their blindness when Elisha and the city were safe. 2 Kings 6 Return to the menu. "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, And it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:10
- Difficult quiz about Bible Characters | Bible Quiz and Facts
Take this hard and difficult quiz about Bible Characters and famous people referenced in the Bible. See how much you know about who's who in the Bible. Difficult Bible Quiz about the Bible Persons. If you studied you can pass this difficult Bible quiz. Go ahead and peek, because we are not all seminary students. Links to additional information are underlined. Answer these questions for the difficult Bible quiz on famous Bible people. Who was the longest-reigning king over the Kingdom of Israel? a. Jeroboam II. b. Solomon. c. Saul. a. Jeroboam II. The longest-reigning king over Israel was Jeroboam II. He was the 13th king of Israel and reigned for 41 years. Archeologists believe the most prosperous time in ancient Israel was under Jeroboam's control. Which tribe was the smallest of the twelve tribes of Israel? a. Benjamin. b. Judah. c. Levi. a. Benjamin. The smallest of the twelve tribes of Israel was Benjamin. King Saul was from this tribe. The sons of Jacob, later known as Israel, founded the tribes. Listed by their ages, the tribes of Jacob's sons are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. It's a coincidence that the smallest tribe came from the youngest son. Which Bible person did God tell to sharpen all his flint knives? a. Aaron was to slaughter the sheep for the upcoming Pentecost sacrifice. b. Moses received instructions to prepare for the upcoming battle with Canaan. c. Joshua was assigned the task of performing a mass circumcision. c. Joshua had a mass circumcision. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for forty years, and all the circumcised men had died. No one had ever performed this ritual during that time. God instructed Joshua to have all men circumcised before entering the promised land. Phew! What is the blood relationship between Jacob and Abraham of the Bible? a. Jacob was Abraham's grandson. b. Jacob was Abraham's nephew. c. They were not blood-related; they were in-laws related through marriage. c. Jacob was Abraham's grandson. Abraham and Sarah were the parents of Isaac. Isaac and Rebecca were the parents of Jacob. This relationship made Jacob Abraham's grandson. Which cruel wife of a king was partially eaten by dogs after she died? a. Bathsheba. b. Jezebel. c. Vashti. b. Jezebel She looked down from her window and mocked Jehu. Jehu was the general who had overthrown and killed Jezebel's son. Jezebel's eunuchs throw her out the window because of orders from Jehu. The dogs devoured Jezebel before they could bury her. Jezebel was perhaps the cruelest person recorded in the Bible. Which Bible person did Jesus tell not to marvel that he must be born again? a. Pontius Pilate. b. Nicodemus. c. Lazarus. b. Nicodemus. He was a Jewish leader and member of the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to ask questions about what it meant to be "Born Again". Who was Abraham’s nephew? a. Lot. b. Job. c. Joseph. a. Lot. Abraham's nephew was Lot. Lot was also the son of Haran and the grandson of Terah. Abraham (aka Abram) and Lot quarreled over land rights, so Lot moved his sheep to a more fertile area along the Jordan River. Who was the first wife of David? a. Bathsheba. b. Abigail. c. Michal. c. Michal. David had a total of eight wives. His first wife was Michal. The second wife was Abigail. Bathsheba was his seventh wife. Which prophet rebuked David for committing adultery with Bathsheba? a. Joel. b. Nathan. c. Zechariah. b. Nathan. David had an affair with Bathsheba and was rebuked by Nathan because she was a married woman. Who did David put in the most dangerous spot in a battle because he wanted him killed? a. Uriah. b. Ehud. c. Gideon. a. Uriah. He was placed in battle to be killed because he was Bathsheba's husband. After lusting over Bathsheba and having an affair with her, David wanted her as his wife. The earth swallowed up this Bible person and his followers after they rebelled against Moses. a. Aaron. b. Korah. c. Potiphar. b. Korah. The earth swallowed up Korah and his followers for disobedience to God. Korah was a Levite and insisted that he and his fellow Levites should be the priests and not Aaron and his selected few. God made Moses and Aaron leaders, so He had no choice but to kill those who opposed his authority. God reprimanded this man for listening to his friends instead of following God's guidance. a. Job. b. Moses. c. Joseph. a. Job. Initially, Job listened to his friends instead of God, which led to further complications in solving his problems. Who agreed to work for fourteen years to marry Rachel? a. Japheth. b. David. c. Jacob. c. Jacob. He fled to the safety of his uncle Laban for fear that his brother Esau was going to kill him. Laban had two daughters, Rachel (the youngest daughter) and Leah (the older daughter), who were not yet betrothed. The tradition was that the oldest was to marry before the youngest. Jacob fell in love with the younger Rachel and wanted to marry her. The agreement was for Jacob to work seven years for Laban so that he could marry Rachel. Laban tricked Jacob and substituted his older daughter, Leah, in place of Rachel. Jacob agreed to work another seven years so that he could marry Rachel. It was a total of fourteen years that Jacob worked for Laban before he could marry Rachel. Laban did what any father would do to get a daughter married off, as she was not pretty enough to attract suitors. This Bible person climbed a sycamore tree to view Jesus entering the city. a. Zacchaeus. b. Barabbas. c. Usiah. a. Zacchaeus. A short man named Zacchaeus watched Jesus from the branch of a tree. He was a Roman tax collector. Which Persian queen influenced the king to protect her people, the Jews? a. Bathsheba. b. Easter. c. Ruth. b. Ester. She was the queen who used her influence to protect her people from genocide. Whom did the Virgin Mary visit right after the Angel Gabriel told her she would give birth to the Messiah? a. Her mother. b. The Pharisees. c. Her cousin Elizabeth. c. Her cousin Elizabeth. She shared her news with her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth told Mary that an angelic messenger had also visited her. The angelic messenger informed Elizabeth that she would give birth to a child named John, and he would announce the arrival of the Messiah. This, of course, happened when John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. Which girls were Naomi's daughters-in-law? a. Rachel and Leah. b. Orpah and Ruth. c. Leah and Ruth. b. Orpah and Ruth. The daughters-in-law of Naomi were Orpah and Ruth. Naomi had a tough life, as her husband died and then her two sons died, leaving the three women all alone with no heirs. Orpah went back to live with her parents. Ruth insisted on going with Naomi, who returned to her childhood hometown. Who exorcised a demon from a slave woman, angering her owners? a. Paul. b. Jesus. c. Andrew. a. Paul. The owners were upset because they made money off the woman for telling fortunes. Who carried the cross for Jesus when Jesus couldn't do it any longer? a. Simon of Cyrene, whom the Roman soldiers picked out of the crowd. b. Zacchaeus, the tax collector who watched Jesus from a tree as He passed. c. Peter, the beloved disciple of Jesus. a. Simon of Cyrene. The cross of Jesus was carried by a bystander named Simon. Simon was just a bystander watching Jesus pass. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time when the Roman soldiers picked him out of the crowd. Jesus was in dire physical shape and lost much blood from being scourged and flogged. He had deep wounds on his back and sides from the spikes of the lashes digging into and ripping pieces of his flesh. Who is Aaron's sister? a. Delilah. b. Miriam. c. Ruth. b. Miriam. The older sister of Moses and Aaron was Miriam. God told this Bible prophet to marry a prostitute. a. Samuel. b. Hosea. c. Job. b. Hosea. God instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute to prove a point to the Hebrews. Who owned a bronze rod shaped like a snake named Nehushtan? a. A sorcerer of Pharaoh. b. Beelzebub. c. Moses. c. Moses. The Nehushtan staff cured snake bites. Moses carried the Nehushtan during the exodus through the desert. This Bible character was renowned for playing the lyre. a. Cleopatra. b. Solomon. c. David. c. David. He played the lyre (Harp). David often played for King Saul to soothe him. Who was David's best friend and also the son of King Saul? a. Benjamin. b. Jonathan. c. Saul. b. Jonathan. He had been David's best friend since childhood. Who was Rachel's father? a. David. b. Laban. c. Benjamin. b. Laban. Rachel and Leah's father was Laban. Jacob married them both. Who was shipwrecked on Malta Island? a. Titus. b. John. c. Paul. c. Paul. A terrible storm shipwrecked Paul on Malta. Where did Moses disobey God and strike the rock for water? a. Hazeroth. b. Meribah. c. Etham. b. Meribah. Moses had anger issues and struck a rock at Meribah, displeasing God. God specifically told Moses to TALK to the rock, not strike it in anger. This incident is probably the main reason that kept Moses from entering the promised land. After Jesus' crucifixion, this man transported his body for burial. a. A compassionate soldier who had been involved in the crucifixion. b. Joseph from Arimathea. c. Peter the disciple. b. Joseph of Arimathea. After the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus' body to a burial crypt. Nicodemus helped him. This person was lowered into a basket to escape from Damascus. a. Paul. b. Rahab. c. An angel. a. Paul. He escaped the riotous, unbelieving Jews in Damascus by being lowered down the outside city wall in a basket from an apartment on the city wall. Near which city did Jesus feed the 5,000? a. Jerusalem. b. Bethsaida. c. Antioch. b. Bethsaida. Jesus preached and fed the crowd of 5,000 at Bethsaida. His disciples fed the crowd with two fish and five loaves of bread. The crowd was gathered on the beach where Jesus preached from Peter's boat. Who was buried in Kadesh during the Exodus from Egypt? a. Moses. b. Miriam. c. Aaron. b. Miriam. During the exodus, Moses's older sister Miriam was buried at Kadesh. Who threw a spear at his son? a. Solomon b. David. c. Saul. c. Saul. David knew that Saul wanted to kill him. Therefore, David did not attend the customary dinner with the king. Jonathan, Saul's son, stuck up for David and made an excuse for his absence. Saul got mad at Jonathan for sticking up for David and quoted, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have aligned yourself with the son of Jesse, much to your humiliation?" Saul threw a javelin at his son Jonathan in anger, but missed. Which Bible person did Jesus heal in the synagogue on the Sabbath? a. Man with a withered hand. b. Woman with leprosy. c. A blind man. a. Man with a withered hand. Jesus healed the withered hand of a Mason. It was a setup by the Pharisees to catch Jesus disobeying the sabbath laws. This Bible person anointed the feet of Jesus with perfume and then dried them with her hair. a. Mary, the mother of Jesus. b. Mary, from Bethany. c. Mary, from Magdala. b. Mary from Bethany. She was the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Return to the menu. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor demons, nor the present, nor the future, nor any powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God..." Romans 8:38