Test Yourself: Bible Quiz

Try to answer the following questions without looking up the answers. There are 25 questions. Each question counts as 4 points. If you miss 3, for example, subtract 12 points from 100 to get a total of 88%. See how well you do. If you want me to grade it, just send me your answers and I'll get back with you.

1. What did God create on Day 4 of creation?

2. What kind of leaves did Adam and Eve use to cover themselves when they realized they were naked?

3. How long did it rain during the Great Flood?

4. What were the names of Noah's three sons?

5. What was Abraham's original name?

6. How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?

7. Name Jacob's oldest and youngest sons.

8. How many wives did Jacob have?

9. When Jacob had a dream of angels going up and down a ladder into heaven, he named the place where he was "Bethel." What does "Bethel" mean?

10. How long were the Israelites in Egypt until God brought them out?

11. What Sea did the Israelites cross on dry land?

12. How long was Moses up on Mt. Sinai getting the Law that God delivered?

13. How many Israelites were sent into Canaan to spy out the land?

14. How many years did the Israelites wander in the wilderness because they refused to go in and take the land of Canaan the first time?

15. Who took over leading the Israelites after Moses died?

16. Who was the first recorded Judge of Israel in the book of the Judges?

17. What significant character trait did the judge Ehud have?

18. Who did God choose as the first king of Israel?

19. How many Philistine foreskins did Saul demand of David in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage? BONUS: How many did David actually bring him?

20. Who was Solomon's mother?

21. What great atrocity did Jereboam (the first king of the Northern Kingdom) commit which is mentioned throughout the rest of the Old Testament?

22. Who were Daniel's three godly friends?

23. Who was the queen in Babylon who helped save the Jewish people from extinction?

24. Did Nehemiah rebuild the Temple or the walls of Jerusalem?

25. Did Ezra rebuild the Temple or the walls of Jerusalem?

The Last Reading: Revelation 19-22

We have come to the end of a three-month journey through the New Testament. Did you make it all the way through?

I didn't read EVERY day's material. There were a couple of days when things got crazy and out of hand and I just never got around to it, or I was interrupted and never finished. But the next day I would pick up on that day's reading. So there were a couple of small holes in my reading of the New Testament, but I plan to pick those back up shortly as I continue to read through it again.

This is a HABIT we are building.

There is great strength which comes from this habit. For those who have been on board through the whole process, I know you feel more confident in your Bible knowledge, faith, and in yourself as a Bible reader. Great blessings come from this habit.

Some of you probably started strong the first couple of weeks and then it started slipping. Before you knew it you were just glancing at the posts each day thinking, "I really should get back on track." And you may have tried a few times to jump back in. But you didn't make it a hard-and-fast habit. How do I know this? Because I've done the same thing a thousand times before!

So, how are you going to go forward from today? July is approaching. What will you read in July? Is anyone interested in another schedule, perhaps involving some Old Testament reading? Does anyone want to read a part of the New Testament on a more regular basis with a view toward study? Let me know where your interests lie. Let me know if you thought this process was helpful. Let me know any thoughts you have - I would sure appreciate feedback!

Thanks for your participation. I will continue to post on here as I do my own reading, but we might do something more structured again soon. Stay tuned...

God bless,
Nathan

What Is Revelation About?

We have discussed the fact that John's revelation would "soon take place" (Rev. 1:1), and when John wrote it he said "the time is near" (Rev. 1:3). But that still does not tell us what is the point of the Revelation.

There are two main ideas:

1. Revelation is about God's Judgment against Jerusalem.

2. Revelation is about God's Judgment against the Roman Empire.

Those who suggest it is the judgment against Jerusalem point to verses such as Rev. 7:4-8, which talks about the 144,000 from "every tribe of Israel." Rev. 10:7 says, "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets." When was the mystery of God finished? The argument is that it was when God finally judged Israel by destroying Jerusalem. There are also several references in the book of Revelation which seem to parallel some of the language in Matthew 24, in which Jesus is certainly discussing the fall of Jerusalem.

Those who suggest it is the judgment against Rome point to passages such as Rev. 2-3, which are seven letters to seven churches in Asia. Why would these churches be warned about the impending doom of Jerusalem? In fact, a couple of these churches were being oppressed by Jewish influences. Rev. 17 discusses the doom of the harlot woman who sits on the back of a scarlet beast. She is drunk with the blood of the saints, indicating she has been persecuting and killing Christians. "The woman...is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth" (Rev. 17:18). What great city reigned at the time? It was undoubtedly Rome. Rev. 18-19 talks about the fall of this city, figuratively described as "Babylon the great." The descriptions found in the chapters are much more easily ascribed to Rome than to Jerusalem.

I must confess I believe the book of Revelation is about God's judgment against the Roman Empire.

What do you think? And why?

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Revelation 19-22

When Will Revelation Be Fulfilled?

Today's reading is Revelation 12-15.

If you read Revelation, you will have this question: When will it be fulfilled? Or when WAS it fulfilled? There the following possibilities:

1. The prophecies of Revelation have already been fulfilled.

2. Some of the prophecies of Revelation have already been fulfilled and some are yet to occur in the future.

3. The prophecies of Revelation are being fulfilled right now.

4. The prophecies of Revelation are yet to occur in the future.

Perhaps you could mix a couple of those possibilities to find a few others, but those are the basic ones. And interpreters of the Bible have fallen into all of those categories in their studies.

One of the greatest teachings in our age is that of pre-millennialism, the teaching that we are living in a period before (pre) the 1000 year reign of Christ (the millennium, interpreted from Revelation 20). So they claim the prophecy in Revelation 20 is yet to come. They claim we are living part of the revelation right now. All of a sudden at some unknown point in time, true believers will be caught up to be with Jesus (raptured), and those who are not believers will be LEFT BEHIND (ever heard of that science fiction series?). Hundreds of clear-headed men and women believe in this interpretation. They have bumper stickers that say, "If this car is unmanned, the Rapture has happened."

What many seem to misunderstand is a time-stamp that JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT put on the book. Look at the very first verse:

Revelation 1:1 - The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John

And Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

What does "soon" mean? What does "the time is near" mean? Do you think 1000 years is "soon"? Do you think 2000 years goes along with "the time is near"? I can't imagine that it does.

For some perspective, an angel told Daniel to "keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future" (Daniel 8:26). He was prophesying, at the time, of events which would happen a few hundred years in the future! And God said that was "many days." So when God says the "time is near" and it must "soon take place," I have to believe He is speaking AT LEAST of less than a few hundred years.

I also notice in the letters to the seven churches of Asia (Revelation 2-3) there are many statements which indicate an immediate and impending trial which was about to overtake them.

Even at the end of the book, we read, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near" (22:10); and "I am coming quickly" (10:12, 20).

Let us interpret Scripture within the time-frame given by God. In my next post, I'd like to discuss a couple of real possibilities as to WHEN the Revelation was fulfilled.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Revelation 16-18

John's Revelation Is Important

The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostle John is an Important Book.

Many in today's religious world might say it's THE most important book in the New Testament. They claim it has direct and immediate impact upon us because we are living RIGHT NOW in the culmination of its prophecy. "The signs of the times are happening all around us," they say. "You can tell the end is near because of all the war, violence, and crime." But, as we will see in some future posts, the prophesies in Revelation have largely already been accomplished. If they have already been accomplished, then how is it important to us? Because it is a revelation given by the Holy Spirit

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Revelation is Scripture and is profitable for all these things. If we are to know God's word, we should know Revelation. We should not pass it off as "too difficult" or as something that doesn't apply to us today. It absolutely applies in many ways! We learn much about God's fight with Satan in the spiritual realm. We learn how the prayers of God's children move Him. We learn about the sovereignty of our great God - He is in control! And many other lessons...

So, let us be careful in our studies of this book, but let us STUDY the book.

Next week, I hope to initiate conversations on a few major points of study in the book of Revelation.

May God bless you as you read it.
Nathan

Monday's Reading: Revelation 12-15

John 4-6: Jesus Gets In Your Face

Sometimes Jesus says things like, "My yoke is easy, My burden is light. Come to Me, all you heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." So a picture is formed of the Savior. He is gentle. He has long, flowing hair. He has a beautiful white robe that never gets dirty. He has a glowing halo around His head. Children flock to Him in droves to sit on His knees and listen to His stories. He smiles a lot and hugs a lot.

Have you been sold that version of the Savior?

John 6 (and other passages) gives a slightly different picture. Sure, it starts out with Jesus, in compassion, feeding the crowd of 5000 with five barley loaves and two fish. But what transpires next may destroy the image of the weak, politician-style, often effeminate version of our Lord.

The people find Jesus in another place by the Sea of Galilee and try to get Him to produce food for everyone again. I had to laugh as they tried to be sly with the Lord. "What work do You perform?" they asked. "Our fathers ate the manna..." as if to say, "Oh, wait, here's an idea that just popped into my head - God gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness...maybe YOU could produce miraculous food, too, and that would PROVE you are God's Son and we'll believe in You." Jesus didn't buy it. He refused to feed this crowd which was now out looking for a handout. He fed them when they weren't expecting it, but He wasn't in the food business. He was in the soul business.

He proceeded to preach one of the hardest sermons of His earthly career. He said they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, intentionally speaking in difficult and cryptic language in order to sift those who wanted to REALLY understand His words and those who were merely out to hear interesting stories and possibly see an amazing miracle. "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him any more" (John 6:66).

What would YOU have done? In order to prove that you had an honest, seeking heart, what should you have done? You should have done what the apostles did. Jesus asked if they would leave too. Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." (John 6:68-69).

Jesus gets in our face. He confronts us, tests us, challenges us. Following Him is no picnic. Of course, neither is trying to make our own way in this sinful world! It may be difficult sometimes, but it is so rewarding. But you have to WANT to!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: John 7-9

John 1-3: Jesus - Judge or Savior?

How would you prove from Scripture that Jesus didn't come as a judge? He loves us so much, after all, that He wouldn't want to see anyone hurt. Certainly an all-loving Savior couldn't send anyone into HELL, could He? It's so great to have verses such as John 3:16-17 to give us a proof-text for this thought!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

Isn't it comforting to know God doesn't want to judge the world? We swell with joy when we see that God sent Jesus to save the whole world! That means all men, right? He's not a judge, but a Savior!

But wait... What about the next couple of verses? But why read on, if we already have what we want out of the Scriptures? I'd hate to read on to discover what I THOUGHT was incorrect! But God doesn't care about what I WANT - He cares about what is RIGHT. And if I have a heart for God and what is right, I should read on. I should take ALL of what God says on a subject, not just rip a couple of verses out of context.

John 3:18
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Really, verse 16 said this clearly ("whoever believes in Him shall not perish"). But verse 18 (in fact 18-21) drives the point home. Jesus did not come to earth in the capacity of Judge. He came as a Savior to offer salvation to the entire world. He did not come to EXECUTE judgment, but to speak words by which we will be judged one day (John 12:48).

When it boils down, Jesus left our salvation UP TO US, in a sense. His resurrection holds the POWER of salvation and the OPPORTUNITY of salvation, but to actually take hold of that salvation takes FAITH - believing that He is the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father.

Have you taken hold of salvation? Do you believe? Jesus came so that we might have faith in Him. Men who have no faith can obtain faith. Men who have little faith can have their faith strengthened and fortified so they will never fall away. But we must have a desire for it. Do you want it?

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: John 4-6

3 John: No Greater Joy

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. (3 John 2-4)

Darryl lay in his bed, an old man, knowing his end was near. A friend sat next to him, chatting about this and that. His friend asked, "So, what makes you the happiest as you look back on your life?" What do you think Darryl might say? What might you say?

Was it all the times you bought a lottery ticket...hoping for that big win?

Was it the big house you were able to afford?

Was it the amazing car, motorcycle, or boat you had in your driveway?

Was it the fact you were the top-dog over a bunch of folks at work?

Was it the great book, poem, or song you wrote?

Was it spending time with your wife and kids?

Was it a special friend?

Was it the times you had in prayer with God?

--- What makes you the happiest on this earth? ---

John said he had "no greater joy" than to hear of his children walking in truth! These were not children of the flesh, but of the Spirit. They were men and women he had helped convert with the gospel of the Lord. They had taken hold of that gospel and had never let go. They were grounded in truth. They clinging tenaciously to their pearl of great price.

When I come to the end of my life, I will probably find the greatest joy (or the greatest heartache) in how my children turn out. If the Lord grants me success instilling a faith and a love for the truth in their hearts, I will consider myself truly blessed! And as I am able to help others come to the truth, when I hear of their continued faith, I will rejoice! There is unparalleled joy in faithful children. Right, Dad?

What joy do you think GOD feels when His children walk in the truth?

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: John 1-3

1 John: What Can You KNOW?

John, the apostle and author of this letter addressed, it seems, to Christians in general, was battling a group of men called "gnostics." You may have heard of the term "agnostic," which means "without knowledge." An agnostic believes it's impossible to truly KNOW about God or the spiritual world. He might concede that the spiritual realm exists, but would argue that we have no real way of understanding the spiritual world. This absolves him (in his mind) of any responsibility he may have towards the spiritual world.

The word "gnostic" means, simply, "knowledge." A gnostic is someone who believes he has special knowledge regarding the spiritual realm. During the time John wrote his letters, this religion was not a full-blown, named religion, but it was on the rise. It would become full-blown in the second and third centuries, and it's alive and well today.

A Calvinist is one of these claiming special knowledge. He claims that no one may become a Christian in the first place unless God plants the special knowledge in one's heart. He claims man is incapable of thinking on a spiritual level until God saves him and changes his thinking. Isn't this salvation through special knowledge?

Anyone believing in "special revelation," the idea that God continues to reveal bits and pieces of His will to us today in an ongoing revelation, is a gnostic. He puts his faith in special knowledge revealed only to him - not to the rest of the world.

John wrote that we may KNOW we have eternal life. Who cares what these "special revelation" guys claim? Who cares about their hifalutin, inflated views of their own knowledge. John says the average person can KNOW he is saved. "By this we know we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments" (2:3). "I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it" (2:21). "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him" (2:29). "We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him just as He is" (3:2). "You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin" (3:5). "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (3:10). "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren" (3:14). "...you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us" (3:15-16). "We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him" (3:19). "We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us" (3:24).

Okay, we could go on and on with this...there are many more verses with the same thought and impact as those above, but you get the idea. John wants us to KNOW that we can KNOW we are saved, that we are in Christ, that we are abiding in Him, etc. We should never doubt this fact. We should be able to apply simple tests to ourselves and discover whether or not our hearts are in the right place. It's not rocket science! It's not by special revelation. It's through the revelation that every person today may pick up and read for himself.

And that gives me great confidence!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 & 3 John; Jude; Philemon

Matthew 18-21: Forgive and Forget?

How many times have you heard the phrase "forgive and forget"? There is something to the phrase, but it may be slightly misleading. As I read through Matthew 18:21-35 today, I noticed an interesting perspective on forgiveness. Jesus told the story of a king settling accounts with his slaves. One slave pleaded and begged not to be thrown into prison. He owed 10,000 talents, roughly equivalent to 150,000 YEARS of normal wages. There was no way he would EVER pay that back! But the king had compassion upon his servant and forgave him the whole debt.

This is a story that grabs the hearts of men. We are interested when someone wins a million dollars. "How will he spend it? What will he do with his new life, now that he has no debts to trouble him? I wish I was in his position. I would be able to help so many people if I had money. I would be a much better person, if I didn't have the constant worry of making a living. Oh, to be completely debt free!"

Now that Jesus has our full attention, He proceeds to demonstrate the ruin of this servant. Instead of becoming a better person, he went out to find another servant who owed him only 100 danarii, roughly 100 days of normal wages. This was certainly a debt, but it could be paid back within a few months. But the servant had no forgiveness for his fellow. He threw him in prison, demanding everything be paid in full.

What I find interesting is how the king responded. He had forgiven this servant. He had wiped away the debt. But when the servant showed no intention of forgiving his fellow servant, the king threw him in prison and REINSTATED HIS OLD DEBT. Jesus was drawing a marked parallel between this king and God, for He concludes: "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart" (Matthew 18:35).

When God says, "I will remember your sins no more" (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17), I think the true meaning is: "I will remember your sins against you no more." It's not as if the sins never existed. God still knows I sinned. God forgave David for his sin with Bathsheba, but He still recorded it in Scripture! He certainly remembered the sin, but He does not remember the sin AGAINST David any longer. David was forgiven.

If, after God forgives us, we then refuse to forgive our neighbor and brother, God will hold us accountable for all those sins that we have committed in this life. God forgives us only as we forgive others. Kind of scary, huh? But if we are to be God's children, we must act like Him!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 22-25

Matthew 14-17: Galilee

Jesus grew up in Galilee and the greater part of His ministry centered in this land - in the cities and countryside surrounding the Sea of Galilee.

His base of operations was in Capernaum, which is on the north of the Sea.

In our reading today, Jesus fed the 5000 in some hills beside the Sea.

Genessaret was just to the south-west of Capernaum, also on the Sea. This was the city where Jesus and His disciples landed after He and Peter walked on the water (Matt. 14:34).

Tyre and Sidon are on the coast of the Mediteranean Sea, to the north-west from Galilee. This is where Jesus had the discussion with the Canaanite woman in Matt. 15:21-28.

He then returned to the Sea of Galilee and fed the 4000 somewhere in the surrounding mountains (Matt. 15:29).

After sending the crowds away, Jesus took a boat to the region of Magadan, which was on the west side of the Sea. I believe Magdala and Tiberias are in that area. Magdala is where Mary Magdalene was from.

Jesus then went to the district of Caesarea Philippi, which was well to the north. This was where Peter made his great confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:13-20). Because of the proximity of Matthew 17 to the events just preceding in chapter 16, it is often thought the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13) happened somewhere close to Caesarea Philippi, but no one knows for sure.

At the end of our reading today Jesus arrived back in Capernaum (Matt. 17:24).

Seeing the actual places where Jesus went on His journeys gives us a greater understanding of how He ministered and a better picture of His work. It can also serve to show us how REAL His earthly ministry was, as we see concrete places - cities, mountains, regions, lakes. We understand Jesus was a real person rooted in history.




God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 18-21

Matthew 11-13: Jesus Respects My Intelligence!

I'm now living near a center of Catholicism: New Orleans. It has been interesting to discover some of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. One of their foundational beliefs is "common" people cannot understand the Bible for themselves. The "clergy" interprets Scripture for the "layman." Thus, private Scripture reading and spiritual growth is discouraged.

I have a question for them: Who gave the "clergy" the ability to understand the Scriptures, and why am I (as a layman) not given this same privilege?

Jesus prayed: "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight" (Matt. 11:25-26).

Doesn't Jesus teach exactly the opposite of what the Roman Catholic Church teaches? Who did Jesus teach? He spoke with the common people. He did not go to the Pharisees and Scribes. He said the Physician goes to those who are sick. His teaching is understandable by every man.

I also noted the WAY He taught in these three chapters. John's disciples posed a question in Matt. 11:3 - "Are You the expected one?" Jesus did not say "Yes" or "No." He said, "Go and report to John what you see and hear" (Matt. 11:4). Why did He not just give them a straight-up answer?

When the Pharisees challenged His disciples about eating grain on the Sabbath day, Jesus didn't just say, "I know what I'm doing; stop pestering My disciples." He said, "Have you not read...?" He REASONED with them from the Scriptures. Then they questioned Him again: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" (Matt. 12:10). Jesus, again, did not simply say, "Yes." He gave them something to chew on: "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath," He said (Matt. 12:12), and proceeded to heal a man's withered hand.

Jesus made people THINK. He did not give pat answers. He did not do their thinking for them. He spoke so often in Parables (Matt. 13), which were meant to make the hearers DIG for the meaning. Jesus respects the intellect of the common man! He wants us to follow His teaching to the correct conclusions by discovering spiritual principles.

And it's so interesting so many of these big-shot, big-name, wealthy men and women MISS His main points completely.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 14-17

Matthew 8-10: Public Preaching

Jesus said this to the twelve disciples before He sent them out on their first preaching tour:

"What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:27-28).

Jesus had been teaching them secretly, privately. But He encouraged them to go public with the message of the kingdom of heaven. This is in the midst of a warning not to fear what folks might say or do. Why would there have been the temptation to fear?

When we boldly proclaim God's word "upon the housetops," the world will call us crazy, demon-possessed, and worse. When we teach what Jesus said about moral issues (fornication, marriage, honesty, etc.), we become the enemy of the world. Therefore, Jesus bolsters our courage by saying, "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:31).

And it's not IF we get around to publicly proclaiming God's word - it's WHEN we do it. Jesus wants this done. We should have no trouble, in our "free" state, proclaiming Jesus publicly. What's the worst that can happen? Ridicule? Charged with "hate speech" crimes? We can allow imagined possibilities to paralyze us, or we can fear God more than more than we fear man. Let's get out and spread the word! These twelve disciples got out and spread the word in a society much more hostile to their message. Surely we can honor our Lord in this way!

Lord, please help us have the courage to go public with our faith.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 11-13