Q. What makes the Bible Important?
A. The Bible is more than an ancient religious book as some people think; it is more than a record of the people of Israel, or the rise of the early church. The Bible is clearly a message from God, (Jehovah, YHWH); not just any old god, but the one and only true God. More than 2,600 times, the authors of the Bible profess to speak or write God’s words—not their own! People read the Bible to be enlightened and encouraged, and to find a word to them from God Himself. The Bible is important to people because of its spiritual value. It is the living Word of God.
Q. How did God give His words to the Bible’s authors?
A. God gave His message to the authors of the Bible by inspiring them to write down what He wanted them to say. Sometimes the writers had dreams and visions in which God told them what to write; such as John the Revelator, for example. At other times, God spoke orally to them, such as Moses. Or, He put an idea in their minds and they wrote it in their own words. God was able to communicate with the writers so they wrote down exactly what God wanted to convey. The Bible says: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Q. How did the Bible’s authors write?
A. Many authors probably did their own writing, but others told their words to a scribe or secretary who wrote them down. Some of the authors’ words may have been collected and written down by their followers.
Q. How do we know for sure the Bible is true?
A. As a historical text, the authenticity of the Bible is proven by old records on monuments, by tablets recently deciphered, and by numerous on-going archaeological discoveries in biblical lands. The Bible—really an ancient collection of books—was copied accurately, kept safe, and passed on from century to century with very little change.
The Scriptures themselves display a wonderful unity, even though the writings reflect the work of 40 different people who lived hundreds of years apart. The prophet Micah foretold the town where Jesus would be born (Micah 5:2), and 700 years later Jesus was born in exactly that place. The prophet Isaiah described the death of Jesus hundreds of years before Jesus was put to death on a criminal’s cross (Isaiah 53).
Apart from its historical accuracy and internal unity, the Bible itself claims to be true, and to be the authentic and authoritative word from God to humanity. Jesus Himself trusted the Bible as God’s word. He often quoted the Law and the Prophets, and He reproached his audience with these words: “Oh how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!” Luke 24:25
Q. Has Bible History been validated?
A. Yes, by investigations in biblical lands. Old Babylonian tablets have been uncovered that attest to ancient stories of the flood. The discovery of Assyrian inscriptions has proven the identity of Sargon, one of the greatest kings of that nation. Most recently a stela (a carved or inscribed stone slab or pillar) was found—dated around the time of King David—that refers to the Israelites of David. Many ancient records of brick, stone, and papyrus confirm the history of the Bible.
FROM GENESIS TO MALACHI
Q. The story of creation tells us that God made everything in a matter of a few days. How could this be?
A. Christian’s agree that the account of creation is not a myth or story without historical truth. They are, however, divided in the way they look at the seven days of creation. Several theories abound. However, many scholars of the Scriptures believe that the issue is not how long God took to bring everything into being, but that God did create it, and everything in the material and spiritual world exists because He brought it into existence. This, Christians affirm is the unmistakable message of Genesis 1.
Q. When God made the world, did He create dinosaurs?
A. Yes. On the fifth day of creation, God made all kinds of beasts, including sea monsters and winged birds of every kind. Such a variety of creeping and flying creatures and wild animals would certainly have included dinosaurs.
Q. What were the first human beings like?
A. In many ways, the Bible is silent about this. We do not know if they were tall, or short, black, white, or brown. The Bible, however, gives three basic facts concerning the nature of the first human beings. First, they were made from the “dust of the ground” (Gen 2:7). Second, they were given the “breath of life” by God Himself. Third—and most significant—they were made “in the image of God” (Gen 1:26-27), a fact that separates humanity from the rest of the animal world.
Q. Where was the Garden of Eden?
A. Although the exact location is uncertain, many scholars think that it was located in present day Iraq, or Mesopotamia.
Q. What was the Red Sea that divided to let the Israelites pass through and then joined together again to overwhelm the Egyptian army?
A. There has been uncertainty as to whether it was the Red Sea or not. It is believed that they passed through the “sea of reeds,” one of the large, shallow bodies of water that lie between Goshen and the Sinai peninsula. The exact location of the crossing was not positively known until recently (see video 1 & 2 below).
A. Solomon not only violated the Mosaic Law with regard to the number of wives he had, but also by building a large army and accumulating such great wealth (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). Solomon’s passion for international relationships led him to amass many wives. In biblical times, treaties between nations were commonly cemented by marriage. Unfortunately, Solomon’s marriage alliances were his eventual undoing.
Q. Why did God allow Job’s awful suffering?
A. After all he went through, Job obtained a glimpse of God and realized that his only response was to worship and trust God. He learned that life must be lived by faith in response to who God is. He learned not to question the wisdom and goodness of God. Perhaps, then, Job’s suffering was permitted in order to glorify God.
A. There were many predictions made concerning Jesus Christ hundreds of years before He was born, yet each was literally fulfilled in specific detail. These are a few examples of possibly 300+ prophecies about Jesus that are found in the Old Testament: Jer 23:5, would be a descendent of David, Luke 3:23, 31/ Mic 5:2, would be born in Bethlehem, Mt 2:1/Isa 7:14, would be called Immanuel, Mt 1:23/Isa 35:5-6, would perform healing miracles, Mt 9:35/Isa 53, would be crucified, Mt 2:7/Zec 12:10, would be pierced, Jn 19:34/Isa 53:9, would be buried in a rich man’s tomb, Mt 27:57-60
Q. What is the “day of the Lord” mentioned five times in the short Book of Joel?
A. This is a theological term that refers to any period of time in which God accts to bring about a specific purpose in His dealings with the Israelites, His Old Testament people. The “day of the Lord” is also a phrase frequently used by the prophets to speak of events that will take place at the end of time.
Q. Was Jonah really swallowed by a whale?
A. The Hebrew text does not say that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Instead, from the account in Scripture, it is clear that God prepared a “great fish” to swallow the drowning prophet and preserve his life. Jonah clearly describes a miracle that was orchestrated by God Himself to fulfill His purposes for Jonah and the people of Nineveh. Consequently, most Bible Scholars have solid reason to believe that Jonah died in the belly of the whale, and was then raised back to life by God after passing through Sheol—which was hell. This would have been significant in that it foreshadowed the death of Christ, who was raised three days after Himself passing through Abraham’s bosom and Sheol.
Q. What does “selah” mean?
A. The word selah occurs 71 times in the Book of Psalms (Tehilim), and is also found in the Book of Habakkuk. The meaning of the term is unknown. It is generally believed to be a musical or liturgical sign, a note to the singers of the psalm or to the musicians who were accompanying the singers.
Q. How did the Jews get the name “Hebrews”?
A. The name is though to be derived from Heber or Eber, which means a sojourner or immigrant. Abram was the first to be called a Hebrew (Gen. 14:13), and in his case, it was probably used in the immigrant context. The name is sometimes used to identify the Israelites in the Old Testament.
Q. What is the distinction between Sunday and the Sabbath?
A. The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew “Shabua” meaning “seven.” It was used to mark the seventh day of the Jewish week—from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. Under the Mosaic law, it was a day of absolute rest, with clear rules as to how it should be observed. To honor the Sabbath, a person could not light a fire, carry a handkerchief, or walk more than a short distance on the Sabbath.
The New Testament indicates that Jewish Christians held the Sabbath and a second day, the Lord’s Day—the first day of the week—sacred (Acts 20:7). The apostle Paul preached in the synagogues on the Sabbath, but it was on Sunday that the Gentile believers met to celebrate communion, and this was likely the only holy day observed by the Gentile converts. In an edict issued by the Emperor Constantine in A.D. 321, the Lord’s Day was officially honored as the Christian holy day, and in subsequent Council rulings, direction was given concerning the forms of Christian worship on that day, and how rest and work should be observed on it.
Today, in memory of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, Christians throughout the world continue to celebrate their faith on each Sunday of the year. However, the Sabbath is still observed by some Christians as their sacred day, and it is the weekly day of rest and worship of the Jews.
*Special thanks to the Bible Almanac for so much helpful information and resources.