Interesting Bible Facts, Part 3

God will supply you with all your needs; clothes, food, and shelter (Matthew 6:31-33, Luke 12:22-31, Philippians 4:19, Psalms 34:10). In Mark 8:14-21, the disciples apparently failed to realize from the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44) and from the feeding of the four thousand, that Jesus can certainly provide for their needs.

The theory that Moses wrote Genesis, and the other four books of the Pentateuch, is not supported by the internal evidence. For one thing, Moses never identifies himself as the author. For another, he is always referred to in the third person. And lastly, there is an account of his death at the end of Deuteronomy. But, I hardly think that any man could write about his own death.

Moses and the Burning Bush (mosaic)

It was customary to have registers of citizenship, in which were entered the names of citizens, both natural and adopted (Luke 2:1-5). Heaven is represented as a city (Revelation 3:12; 21:2,10), and its inhabitants are registered (Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Revelation 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27). When one was deprived of citizenship his name was erased from the roll of citizens (Exodus 32:32, Psalms 69:28, Revelation 3:5). Christians are citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19, Phillippians 3:20).

Godly people are not to let anyone in their house who is not godly themselves (2 John 1:10, Proverbs 24:15, Ecclesiasticus 11:29,34).

Jesus' only double miracle is recorded in Mark 8:22-25, when he healed the man in Bethsaida. After he healed his blindness the first time, the man could not see clearly, and could not distinguish trees from man. Since he was blind at birth, his mind needed to be able to make the connection as to what shapes, colors, textures, etc. belonged to what. Only someone who was blind at birth would perceive the world as confusing in this way. This shows that the blind man could not have been faking his blindness. After Jesus healed him the second time, the man was able to see clearly. Some may ask why Jesus needed to heal this man twice, and why he did not complete it the first time he healed this man. This miracle pictures the disciples slow but progressive spiritual comprehension, which climaxes in verse 29 with their confession of Jesus as Messiah.

The word "immortal" appears only one time in the entire Bible. Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 1:17).

During the persecution of the early Christians, they communicated with each other by drawing a symbol of a fish consisting of two intersecting curved lines. When two would meet, one would draw half the symbol upon the ground with the foot. The other, to show like belief, would complete the drawing. The Greek acronym "IXThUS" (meaning 'fish') derives from the first letters of this early statement of belief: "Iesous Xristos Theos Uios Soter." Meaning, "Jesus Christ God's Son Savor."

Adam and Eve didn't have just two children, as is usually believed. There were three named sons; Cain, Abel and Seth, but had an additional unspecified number of sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4).

According to the Bible. Adam lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5).

There is a great deal revealed in the scripture about angels. Angels can speak as man does, and can eat food (Genesis 18:8; 19:3,16); they are capable of direct physical combat (Genesis 19; 32:24-30, Exodus 12, 2 Kings 19:35); they are principle forces behind government powers (Daniel 10); They don't marry in heaven (Matthew 22:30); they are capable of much mischief (Genesis 6:1-2, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6); they are limited, like men, in respect to certain things (Revelation 5:2-4); they can appear in human form (Acts 11:13, Hebrews 13:2); an angel took Lot and his family by the hand and placed them outside the city because Lot was hesitant to leave Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:5,10,16); an angel freed Peter from Prison (Acts 12:6-11). Nowhere in scripture does it mention that people turn into angels after they die. Nowhere in scripture does it mention that angels have wings. Even though angels are usually presented as feminine figures, scriptural angels are always referred to in the masculine gender.

Two Angels (an icon)

It is usually assumed by most people that Christ is the last name (surname) of Jesus. This is not true. Christ is not a name, but a title. Last names were virtually unknown during the time that Jesus lived. In fact, last names did not appear as a regular custom until the tenth century after the Normans conquered England. Prior to that, second names were not really names at all. If anything followed someone's name, it was usually an indication of the geographic origin or description of the man. Thus, Jesus was frequently referred to as Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is an early Hebrew word used as a title and means "the anointed one."

The Old Testament standard of justice of an "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Exodus 21:24) was not intended as a justification for revenge, as is popularly believed When originally framed and set forth by Moses, this code was intended to attain equal and consistent justice and to limit vengeful retaliation. Under most ancient legal systems, noblemen and higher classes received less punishment than did servants or slaves who committed similar offenses. It was also common for a lower class person to be killed or seriously injured in retaliation for a very minor injury caused to someone of a privileged class. As part of the law of retaliation, this ordinance was meant to check passionate vengeance for a slight injury, and was meant to limit retaliation only to the extent of the first wrongful act and to provide equal justice for everyone.

There is only one reference to Lucifer in the scripture (Isaiah 14:12), and it does not refer to Satan or the Devil, but to the king of Babylon, who was Nebuchadnezzar at the time.

Lucifer

Lucifer

The name Lucifer means "light bringer" or "bringer of light". The word "light" in that conext  means "truth". It is  derived from Latin lux "light" and ferre "to bring". In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God's rule in heaven (see Isaiah 14:12).

It is not true that Samson lost his strength because Delilah didf not cut off Samson's hair. It was shaved off was  and it was not even shaved by Delilah, but by another man (Judges 16:19). 

The scripture makes no mention of a snake in the Garden of Eden, it was a "serpent" that tempted Eve and convinced her to eat the "fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." A serpent in antiquity refers to any creeping thing that was especially noxious or venomous.

The feast of the Passover was the first feast on the Jewish yearly calendar and was kept in commemoration of the national deliverance from Egypt in the Exodus under Moses. Passover takes its name from the Hebrew term related to the death angel passing over those who had applied the blood of a lamb to their homes (Exodus 12). During the last supper, "Jesus took bread" (Matthew 26:26). The head of the Jewish household was accustomed to doing this during the Passover feast. Jesus gave a completely new significance to the action by saying "This is my body." During the Passover feast, the Jewish householder took bread in his hand and said, "This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt," meaning that the one represented the other. By His words, our Lord changed the whole significance and emphasis of the feast from looking back to the typical redemption from Egypt to faith in the redemption from sin accomplished by His death. 

The Last Supper: a painting by Leonardo di Vinci

Jesus' final prediction about his death was made two days before Passover (Matthew 26:1-2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1-2), which was eaten on the evening of Nisan 14. Thus the prediction was made on the twelfth of the month (April).

King Zimri had the shortest reign for a king, seven days (I Kings 16:15).

The man who helped carry Jesus' cross to his crucifixion, was called Simon (Matthew 27:32). He was from Cyrene (North Africa), and is also called “Niger” in Acts 13:1, which means “the black” in Greek. Simon had two sons, Alexander and Rufus, who later became well-known Christians (Mark 15:21).

Scripture does not portray Jesus as an unmoved problem solver sweeping serenely and unemotionally from incident to incident, but Jesus was moved with compassion, as in Mark 1:41; 6:34, when he healed those in need.

Jesus friends and family thought Jesus insane and mentally unsound, so they tried to quiet Jesus' controversial operations with some demands or service (Mark 3:21,31).

We should give careful attention to what we hear. For according to the proportion of study given God's Word, a corresponding amount of knowledge will be given you, and generously multiplied at that. God's truth, instead of being divinely hidden from man, will be understood in proportion to ones attention to and study of it (Mark 4:24-25).

Jesus, in Mark 4:34-41, fulfilled Psalm 107:23-31.

Contrary to normal human assumptions, greatness is not a matter of dominance but of service – of being dominated by the will of God (Mark 9:33-35).

Even though Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament, Luke's 2 books (Luke and Acts) make up over half of the New Testament writings.

The Apostle Paul was called Saul before his conversion and missionary journeys (Acts 7:58 – Acts 13:9). He was the most prominent apostle in the first century due to his effectiveness in forming so many assemblies. Paul was from Tarsus of Cilicia and was born into a well-to-do home. Paul, as a rabbi and Pharisee (Acts 23:6; 26:5), was required to learn a trade and so labored in the low paying, menial task of tent making (Acts 18:3). But two facts demonstrate the social status of his family: 1) his Roman citizenship (Acts 22:28); 2) his opportunity to study in Jerusalem under the foremost teacher, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).

Saint Paul (icon)

Paul's primary attribute, however, was not his education but his zeal, which was as much a part of his life before his conversion as afterward. Paul was the first to martyr the Christians (Acts 7:58) and to wreak havoc for believers in Jerusalem (Philippians 3:4-5, Acts 8:1-4; 22:4; 26:10), pursuing them even as far as Antioch. At that time God graciously saved him and commissioned him (Acts 9, Galatians 1:13-17). Paul became the apostle to the gentiles (Galatians 2:9, Romans 11:13) and immediately preached in Damascus, Jerusalem, Tarsus, and throughout Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21-23). About ten years later while serving in Antioch, Paul was sent to Cyprus and Galatia in what is called his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). He later evangelized Greece (Acts 16-18) and then Asia Minor (called Asia in Acts 19). When he returned to Jerusalem he was arrested and imprisoned: two years in Caesarea (Acts 23-26) and two years in Rome (Acts 28). During his missionary journeys he wrote Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Romans. While in Rome he wrote the so-called Prison Epistles: Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon.

The books of Acts and 2 Timothy (along with the statements of church history) imply that Paul was released from prison, preached in Spain and the Aegean Sea area, wrote 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, was rearrested, and was finally martyred by Nero. Paul was neither physically impressive nor an orator (2 Corinthians 10:10), but his unquenchable zeal and love, plus his powerful pen, have endeared him not only to Christians of the first century, but also to those of the last 20 centuries. 

The “swaddling clothes” that Mary put on Jesus when he was a baby (Luke 2:7) were bandage like strips of cloth wrapped around an infant to ensure that the limbs would grow straight. Not to swaddle a child would be a form of abuse (Ezekiel 16:2-4). This wrapping would aid the shepherds in identifying Jesus (Luke 2:12).

It was the practice in Old Testament days for a newly married man to be absolved from military service in Israel for one year so that he could spend time with his new bride (Deuteronomy 24:5). Whether this was to give them time to have children or, as it seems from the text, simply to "enjoy themselves", is not clear. But perhaps the intent was that a couple could develop a close relationship for a year before having children with its great demands on the marriage relationship.

There's a revealed will of God and a hidden will of God (Deuteronomy 29:29).

When acting in Christ's name and doing things in His name, we should always try to take at least one other brother or sister with us (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1).

There were only 15 crimes that had the death penalty imposed upon man: premeditated murder, kidnapping, adultery, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, persistent disobedience to parents and authority, striking or cursing parents, offering human sacrifices, false prophesy, blasphemy, profaning Sabbath, sacrificing to false gods, magic and divination, rape of a betrothed woman.

Some people say that the Cerastes hides himself in the sand, in order to bite the horse's foot, that he might throw off his rider. Jacob makes an allusion to this in the blessing he gave to Dan. "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward" (Genesis 49:17).

Did you know the word for "witness" in the Greek is "martyr"? Speaking to His apostles, Jesus said, in Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This is Greek word #3144, “martus.” What he is really saying is, “I want you to be martyrs.”

Today, we believe the word “martyr” means somebody who died a terrible death for believing in the Christ. But the word “martyr” doesn't really mean someone who is tortured to death; the word “martyr” means “witness.” So how did we come to feel that the word martyr means killed? Because a lot of believers, down through history, have been killed for their witness about Jesus.

Here are words and phrases that do not appear in scripture: sermon, original sin, second coming, rapture, trinity, denominations, Jewish sabbath, Christian Sabbath, immortal soul, bible, theocracy, millenium, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, the unpardonable sin, physical resurrection, end of time.

Acts 19:19-20 records a book burning. The burning of these occultist books, valued at over one million dollars by current standards, might be considered a senseless waste by some. The sale of these scrolls could only provide financial resources. The rejection of and separation from them resulted in God's blessing, and "so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."

When the psalmist wrote Psalm 90:10, he declared that man's average lifespan was seventy to eighty years. Today, over 3,000 years later, we find that our average life span is essentially the same! It is sobering to realize that despite all the money spent recently on biomedical research, we have not increased our lifespan.

Under God's Law, an accessory to a crime is just as guilty as the one perpetuating the crime (Psalms 50:18, 1 Timothy 5:22). Scripture also shows that those who participate in evil through somebody else are guilty of the act themselves. For example, David gave orders to Joab and instructed him to have Uriah killed. Even though David did not kill him himself, but had another do it for him, God placed the sin of murder on David himself (II Samual 11:14 - 12:9). In addition, if a man has seen a crime, or has heard of a crime, and does not bear witness of this crime as a witness, then this man shall bear the criminals iniquity (Leviticus 5:1).

Statue of David by Michalangelo

Egyptian magicians withstood Moses (Exodus 7:11 - 9:11). Their names are never mentioned in the book of Exodus. Nor are their names mentioned anywhere in the entire Old Testament books. Their names are revealed in 2 Timothy 3:8 as Jannes and Jambres.

The Plague of Snakes (etching)

It is not certain where the apostle obtained their names; but they are frequently mentioned by the Hebrew writers, and also by other writers; so that there can be no reasonable doubt that their names were correctly handed down by tradition. Nothing is more probable than that the names of the more distinguished magicians who attempted to imitate the miracles of Moses, would be preserved by tradition; and though they are not mentioned by Moses himself and the Jews have told many ridiculous stories respecting them, yet this should not lead us to doubt the truth of the tradition respecting their names. They are also mentioned by Pliny and by Numenius, the philosopher, as quoted by Eusebius. By the rabbinical writers, they are sometimes mentioned as Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in Egypt, and sometimes as the sons of Balaam. The more common account is that they were the best of the Egyptian magicians.