Exploring the Bible

Angels are mentioned in the Bible 273 times, so they are certainly not unknown to people. There are however a great many questions associated with Angels, their origins, their duties, and just where they came from. Below are many of the most common questions people have concerning angels and what the Bible teached us about them.  Where did angels Come from? As with all things, Angels were created by God. According to the Book of Job (38-7) the Angels were present at the creation of the world. This would mean Angels were created some time before the Book of Genesis but exactly when is unknown. While the Book of Genesis tells of the creation of the heavens and the earth, this does not mean it was God's first creation. - " by Him all things were created,  both  in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible," Were angels ever human? No. Angels are an entirely different type of being than humans. Humans and Angels are actually not created equally. In Palsm 8:4-5 we are ...

 Did God part the Red Sea for the people of Israel, is it just a morality tale, or is it just a lot of non-sense? The parting of the sea is a key point in the Exodus story. This element not only clearly shows the power of God, but it allowed the people of Israel to escape while simultaneously destroying the Egyptian army. There are several points to the Parting of the Red Sea which often come into question. One of the most interesting aspects, is that the parting of the sea has happened again, and there were witnesses. The first, and very pivotal element, of the story is the sea itself. The Red Sea is a very large and very deep body of water. This has caused many to doubt the story. Suppose God did part the waters of the Red Sea as the Bible says. At some of the narrowest points the Red Sea remains nearly thirty miles across. While in many aspects this is not a long distance, we must remember the Israeli people had to cross this span in a single day. Traveling thirty miles, with el...

 The bible records the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus in some detail. In the Gospel of Luke, we are told "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining." (23:44) This is an astounding claim which is obviously disputed by critics, scientist and non-believers. After all, claiming the sun stopped shining for three hours is a most remarkable and bold claim. Surely this was just an exaggeration of the biblical authors and should not be taken literally. Gospel of Matthew - " From noon on, darkness came over the whole land [ or , earth] until three in the afternoon". Gospel of Mark - " When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour."   We know the crucifixion took place following a full moon, so no eclipse would be possible, and there is no other scientific reason for the sun to 'appear' to stop shining. If such an event had taken...

[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 these hopes and plans. Unfortunately, the opponents of Jesus were not so easily silenced. Their violence continued as is evident by the death 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 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 rights. They were often imprisoned, and many put to death. Because of ...

In the Bible we see there are a limited number of people who are present or who are called to be present at the birth of Jesus. One of the best-known groups are the shepherds who were tending their flocks nearby.  These people, most probably men, were not there by chance, but as a very special part of the Christmas Story. Below is an excerpt from my book "Bible Archaeology and The Christmas Story" . As with many elements of the stories within the Bible, there is very often more to the story.   And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Luke 2:8-10 Another interesting element of the Christmas story to examine are the Shepherds who were tending their flocks in a nearby field. When most of us think ...

The Bible tells us the story of how Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt and into the wilderness. Eventually, under the command of Joshua, the Hebrew people invading the promised lands and conquered the lands that would become Israel. It should come as no surprise that critics of the Bible insist none of this ever happened. These critics insists archaeologists have found no signs of battles, war, or the conquest of the cities of Canaan during the time indicated in the Bible. If there was no conquest, no war, then the story of Joshua is not an historical event, but perhaps just a story of fiction created centuries later. These critics go on to say that since there was no conquest of the Promised Lands, there was no Joshua, there was also no Exodus, no Moses. These elements, like the conquest, were fiction created centuries later to provide Israel with a more dynamic history. It is their own domino theory showing the Bible cannot be trusted as a historically accurate text. Does this...

The Beatitudes are a group of teachings recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. In perhaps His best known sermon, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the people and gave them a short list of eight teachings. Each of these eight teachings begin with the word 'Blessed". The word 'Beati' is the Latin term for happy, rich, or blessed. This term was eventually lengthen to become Beatitudes.  Four of the Beatitudes recorded in the Gospel of Matthew are repeated in the Gospel of Luke when he records the Sermon on the plain. The Gospel of Luke also contains a list of four woes, or counterparts to the Blessing listed in the Beatitudes. Each of the Beatitudes has two parts, a condition and a result. In the Gospel of Matthew he lists the eight Beatitudes which are followed by two additional blessings, but these are traditionally considered to be separate from the Beatitudes. In some newer translations of the Gospel these blessings are included as a ninth Beatitude.  The purpose of t...