Exploring the Bible

 Purgatory, what is it? where is it? who believes in Purgatory? and how long do the souls sent there stay? These are just a few of the most common questions concerning Purgatory. Most people have heard of Purgatory and know it is a place or realm somewhere between earthly life and the afterlife. In this brief post we will look at twelve of the most common questions about Purgatory and try to give some simply and straight forward answers. 1. What is Purgatory - In a nutshell, Purgatory is a place where souls are sent to be purified before entering heaven. In some faiths it is believed that when a person dies who has given their life to Jesus but still have unconfessed sins, they must spend time in Purgatory. This is a time for final purification before entering the eternity of heaven.  2. Is the idea of Purgatory strictly a Catholic thing? - The Catholic church does believe and teach that Purgatory does exist. It is not however the only religion that believes in Purgatory. Inte...

Is the story of Satan in the Bible? Many people say, incorrectly, that the story of Satan, the devil, is not in the Bible. While the story of Satan may not be exactly where you would expect to find it, the story of Satan and his fall from grace is in fact recorded in the Bible. The Origin of Satan The name Satan appears in the Bible (NIV) 47 times. In addition the name/term Devil appears 33 times and the name Beelzebub is in the NIV a total of 9 times. The most complete version of the story of Satan and his fall from heaven can be found in the book of Revelation written by Saint John.  "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him....

Quick Answer - The Protestant Bible has 66 Books while the Catholic version of the Bible has 73 Books. All differences in the two versions are in the Old Testament as both use the same 27 Books in the New Testament.  Most early Bibles contained 73 Books, 27 in the New Testament and 46 from the Old Testament. When the Protestant Reformation began in 1517 the Protestant leaders decided to remove certain books form the Old Testament. These books, known as the Apocrypha Books, were found to be worthy of study but were not considered Holy Scripture. The seven books in question were removed, thus creating the separate Bibles. The Books removed were; Baruch Wisdom -or- Wisdom of Solomon Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus) 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Tobit Judith (Ecclesiasticus should not be confused with the Book of Ecclesiastes which is included in the Old Testament Canon of both versions of the Bible, Protestant and Catholic.) For a period of time most Protestant Bibles contained a total...

Quick Answer comes from 1 Samuel 17:4 - "A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span." (NIV) - A cubit is the distance from a man's elbow to the tip of his middle finger. This can vary of course, but it is generally accepted to be an average of 18 inches. A cubit was equal to 6 palms or 2 spans. With a height of Six cubits and a span, Goliath's height can be calculated to have been 9 feet 9 inches. The height of over nine feet comes from the Masoretic text which is used in most modern translations of the Bible. The other most commonly used ancient text is the Septuagint which is Latin for seventy. This manuscript is much older than the Masoretic text. In the Septuagint text it lists Goliath's height at four cubits and a span. This translates into a height of approximately six feet nine inches. The contents and accuracy of the Septuagint gets a boost from the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls...

How did Christianity Spread so Rapidly  [Excerpt from The Bible - Some Assembly Required ]  The early Christian church was no stranger to oppression and persecution. Jesus had been beaten and crucified, which the religious leaders of the time hoped would put a stop to this new cult. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, He destroyed those hopes and plans. Unfortunately, the opponents of Jesus were not so easily silenced. Their violence continued as is evident by the deaths' of Stephen, James and also with the persecution of Christians by such people as Saul, who in a short time would become one of the new church's greatest leaders. Throughout the early years and even centuries of the Christian church there were many who opposed it. Not only were they opposed it. Not only were they opposed and persecuted by the Jewish religious leaders, but also by the Roman government. Under rulers such as Nero and Diocletian, Christians were stripped of their property and legal rig...