Bible-Religion.com

How much do you really know about the book of Genesis?  I had to re-read Genesis to uncover these tidbits of Bible Trivia.  Enjoy!

1.) Noah’s Ark was about half the size of a modern aircraft carrier but was five times as large as the Mayflower. The Ark could hold about 330 railroad cars of cargo.

2.) The tallest known ziggurat (pyramid like building) in the ancient world was about 300 feet tall. That is about one-fourth the size of the Empire State Building. But compared to one-or two-story mud brick houses, such a tower would look like it reached to the skies.

3.) Melchizedek is the only Canaanite king who is a positive influence in biblical history and the only Canaanite king mentioned in the Bible who worshiped the one true God. Even Abram was willing to receive his blessing.

4.) Sarah is the most mentioned woman in the Bible - she is even mentioned more than Mary the mother of Jesus. “Sarai” occurs 16 times in the NLT, and “Sarah” occurs 33 times.

5.) Abraham’s lack of faith twice put his wife Sarah in danger (Genesis 12:10-20 and 20:1-17).

6.) Isaac would later repeat his father’s sin (Genesis 26:1-10).

7.) When the Law was given centuries later, if a man raped an engaged woman, he was sentenced to death. If a man raped a single woman, he paid a fine to the family; had to marry the woman, and could never divorce her (Deuteronomy 22:25-29).

8.) Once they have completed the Exodus from Egypt and are ready to enter the promised land, Moses also blesses the twelve tribes of Israel by name in Deuteronomy 33.

Blessings

Last week I had a few visitors that asked me the same question; Do I know where to find bible quiz trivia questions online.

I had to admit that I didn’t know of any to refer them to at the time. So, I spent an afternoon searching for sites to send to these visitors.

I’m not sure why folks are looking for bible quiz trivia questions online, but what I discovered was that there were a total of 102,368 searches in the month of August for the following bible quiz phrases:

Whoa… That’s awesome!

BTW - the site I found with the most Bible Quiz Trivia Questions is at; ChristiansUnite.com

Enjoy

Since I started reading the bible, I’ve always kept a list of encouraging bible verses. I use this list, from Genesis through Revelation, to refresh my comprehension and enlightenment when ever I read a verse that inspires me to connect the proverbial dots…

Today we can always hop on-line and get a plethora of information on any subject. But being able to tell the good from bad or the right from wrong isn’t always as easy as we might think.

The subject of this post is: What Encouraging Bible Verses Are Your Favorites? This question came from a reader of the Bible-Religion.com blog last week.

In all fairness I think  each one of us have different bible verses that encourage us.  However, I will share some of my favorite verses with all of you here, in no particular order of preference:
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And this is what He says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”
Job 28:28 NLT

“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
1 John 4:8 NLT

The Bible says, “…those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life is begun!”
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

“Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins.”
Acts 3:19 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 NLT

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
2 Peter 1:2 NLT

“You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
Matthew 21:22 NLT

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.
Romans 12:19 NLT

There is no peace for the wicked,”says my God.
Isaiah 57:21 NLT

For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
1 John 5:4 NLT

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT

Be stewards of the earth. “The land itself must observe a Sabbath rest”
Leviticus 25:2 NLT

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile
Romans 1:16 NLT

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
Psalm 119:30 NIV

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14 NIV

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22 NIV
___________

If you are not keeping your own list of encouraging bible verses and would like to start one, perhaps you will be inspired by these favorite verses of the bible at the New Living Translation.com! This will allow you to view the collection of favorite verses by simply selecting a book from the bible to view a list of all the favorite verses from each book.

I will sometimes even take the verse and go to Biblegateway.com and look it up in multiple versions, up to five at a time, that can give me a different perspective on the verse I am interested in.

What encouraging bible verses are your favorites?
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Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 NIV/NLT/NKJV

Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 118 is at the center of the Bible.  There are 594 chapters in the Bible before Psalm 118, and 594 chapters after Psalm 118 for a total of 1188 chapters total in the Bible.

This number can be split at Psalm 118:8. Now we know that the chapter divisions in the bible are not part of original Scripture, but isn’t it interesting how this small word exercise worked out? Or was God in the center of it all? And if He was, shouldn’t the central verse of the Bible contain the central theme? It does: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people.”

In Psalm 118 (NLT) the psalmist recalls seven reasons why God is worthy to be trusted:

1. (verse 5) “In my distress I prayed to the LORD,
and the LORD answered me and set me free.”

2. (verse 6) “The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”

3. (verse 7) “Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.”

4. (verse 17) “I will not die; instead, I will live
to tell what the LORD has done.”

5. (verse 18) “The LORD has punished me severely,
but he did not let me die.”

6. (verse 24) “This is the day the LORD has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

7. (verse 29) “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.”
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Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth.
Psalm 117:1 NLT

Originally I set out for this post to be about the Ten Commandments.

During my research on that topic I discovered something that connects more with another post here at Bible-Religion.com.

In my post titled “Are You Growing in Favor with God and Humanity” I quoted a passage from the book “The Keys To Heavens Economy” and included some additional verses that I discovered in my research of the passage.

The additional verses from Isaiah 58:13-14 have spurred a more intement search in me to dig deeper into their meaning.  Yes, I’m talking about the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week to observe the Sovereignty of the Lord.

“Observing a Sabbath—a period of rest—has gone out of fashion.”  Which is part of the reason why the basic fundamentalism of Christianity is rebuked by non-believers and the weak who fight for their own delights in this world.

Through my curiosity and necessity for a full understanding of this topic…. I discovered the following article from the New Living Translation website search archive.  In this article you will find some of the fundamental life attitudes that the Bible says flow with the Sabbath.

This practice is really very easy to follow as long as you’re not influenced by the strategies of the fundamentalist governments and their supporting talking heads.

Do You Know Why the Sabbath Really Matters?

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Be stewards of the earth. “The land itself must observe a Sabbath rest”
Leviticus 25:2 NLT

Just finished reading an awesome book I got from a wonderful Christian friend of mine titled; Keys To Heaven’s Economy, An Angelic Visitation from the Minister of Finance by Shawn Bolz from WhiteDove Ministries. You can get it at: Amazon or Streams Ministries.com

This book contains an incredible message from the visions that Shawn had in order to write the book. The effect it had on me has inspired me to provide my visitors with a scripture passage and message from the book.

The passage is from Isaiah 58:6-12 and I don’t know what bible it is taken from. But, after I looked it up in the NLT, I discovered a verse that has had my attention for quite some time. It requires everyones attention as well. The passage I am providing here includes verses 13 and 14 from the NLT version, respectively.

Isaiah 58:6-14

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the LORD will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.

13 “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
14 Then the LORD will be your delight.
I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Shawn states the following from page 114 after the passage: “This passage provides the greatest key to spiritual acceleration and growing in favor with God and humanity.”

I also found a deeper understanding of this message after reading the following from page 119: “An awesome invitation is being sent us - the very release of revelation on how to give. Part of what will constitute deliverance for the Western world is when those who have much to lose start taking risks and leaps of faith by giving and sowing extravagantly into God’s heart. If you don’t know where to give radically to please God, you can find the two largest targets singled out all through the Bible: the poor and the Jewish people. We can accelerate our spiritual growth by giving to the poor, which partners with God’s heart. When we give to Israel, though, we not only accelerate our personal spiritual growth and blessing, but we actually accelerate the Lord’s coming.”

Are you growing in favor with God and humanity?

This is what my daily bible reading plan led me to read today. I think it is relative to our current world situation too.

The Scripture quoted is written in the book of Ezekiel 18:1-32 NLT

The Justice of a Righteous God
1 Then another message came to me from the LORD:2 “Why do you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’?3 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel.4 For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.
5 “Suppose a certain man is righteous and does what is just and right.6 He does not feast in the mountains before Israel’s idols* or worship them. He does not commit adultery or have intercourse with a woman during her menstrual period.7 He is a merciful creditor, not keeping the items given as security by poor debtors. He does not rob the poor but instead gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy.8 He grants loans without interest, stays away from injustice, is honest and fair when judging others,9 and faithfully obeys my decrees and regulations. Anyone who does these things is just and will surely live, says the Sovereign LORD.
10 “But suppose that man has a son who grows up to be a robber or murderer and refuses to do what is right.11 And that son does all the evil things his father would never do—he worships idols on the mountains, commits adultery,12 oppresses the poor and helpless, steals from debtors by refusing to let them redeem their security, worships idols, commits detestable sins,13 and lends money at excessive interest. Should such a sinful person live? No! He must die and must take full blame.
14 “But suppose that sinful son, in turn, has a son who sees his father’s wickedness and decides against that kind of life.15 This son refuses to worship idols on the mountains and does not commit adultery.16 He does not exploit the poor, but instead is fair to debtors and does not rob them. He gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy.17 He helps the poor,* does not lend money at interest, and obeys all my regulations and decrees. Such a person will not die because of his father’s sins; he will surely live.18 But the father will die for his many sins—for being cruel, robbing people, and doing what was clearly wrong among his people.
19 “‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live.20 The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.21 But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.22 All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.
23 “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.24 However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you?26 When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds.27 And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives.28 They will live because they thought it over and decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die.29 And yet the people of Israel keep saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ O people of Israel, it is you who are not doing what’s right, not I.
30 “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!31 Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?32 I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!

Anyone else think it is relative to our current world situation?

Since our current economic climate (world wide) has crumbled, caused by the meltdown of the Greedy in politics and the likes of Wall Street as well as global market places, I became consumed with what the Bible says on this topic.

In my search to understand more about Greed and what the Bible says about Greedy People, I came across this article.  I think it sums up what I was seeking to know and clearly defines what God says about Greed.

This article, by Matthew Paulson comes from “American Consumer News”:
What God Has To Say About Money Part 5: Greed
Published March 1, 2007
From the weblog

“Greed is an interesting concept that’s come under a lot of debate in the last several decades. In the late 1980’s there was a class of young business men who started a trend that a certain amount of greed was healthy and necessary to attain financial success. Others deplore the notion of greed. Some people think they are greedy but deplore the notion of being such. What does the Bible have to say about greed and how can we make practical use of it in our every day life? Let’s find out.”

“The bible is extremely clear when it comes to greed, don’t be greedy. 1 Timothy 6:10 states, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The apostle Paul also condemned greed in Colossians 3:5, “”Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” There are dozens of quotes which condemn greed in the bible. A topical index of the bible will show you the rest of them.”

Read the entire article here!

What are your thoughts about Greed?

In my most recent research to give my readers some answers to questions I have received about using an on-line Bible resource,  I found so many that I had to narrow it down to just a few.

The list below is what I find to be the most flexible by offering verse finders, verse comparisons, reading plans and more…  In no particular order of preference!

1. New Living Translation (my fav)
2. BibleGateway
3. The Reference Bible (also one of my favs)
4. Bible Verse Finder
5. What Does The Bible Say About… (quick answers to popular topics)
6. Sermons Finder
7. Commonly Searched for Bible Passages
8. Bible Concordance the most comprehensive on-line.

What’s your favorite Online Bible Reference site?
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Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.* All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT